The Warrior Regent.

No one moved. Time seemed to freeze in that precise moment. The minds of Ken, Naomi, Hiro, and Sato refused to process what their eyes were seeing.

Hey... we just won, right? Ken's mind screamed. The Ushi-Oni is dead. We passed the test. We get to go home.

But reality was a black blade sticking out of Kenta's chest. The boy's face still wore that euphoric smile of victory, like a grotesque mask, as the light faded from his eyes.

The sound of flesh and bone being parted shattered everyone's trance. The sword didn't withdraw. It pulled upwards with force, slicing Kenta vertically until his body separated into two halves that slumped to the ground.

As the remains hit the stone, Ken saw something that froze his blood. The edges of the cuts weren't the traditional red of blood. The flesh was black, instantly rotted, bearing the same dark necrotic marks Asa had seen on his students.

"KENTA!!" Hiro screamed, stumbling back in panic and tripping over his own feet.

Chaos erupted. From the shadows behind Kenta's corpse, the figure emerged fully. Era una imponente abominación que se alzaba como una torre de acero oscuro. His armor was a nightmare O-Yoroi, forged from plates of grayish and crimson metal that seemed to have been bathed in ancient blood. Thick ceremonial red cords, like those from cursed temples, wrapped around his torso and arms, binding the malice to his body. The helmet was crowned with two enormous, vivid red curved horns, and beneath the visor, where a human face should have been, there existed only an abyssal darkness inhabited by two scarlet lights that burned with pure malice. In his hands, a katana sheathed in corrupt energy waited to claim souls.

Naomi, her face pale as a ghost, covered her mouth to stifle a scream of terror, but the words trembled from her lips. "Impossible... That armor..." "What is that thing?" Sato yelled, pointing his spear with hands shaking so badly the weapon rattled against the floor.

"It's a Mononofu no Shikken... 'The Warrior Regent'," Naomi whispered, tears of terror in her eyes. "It's an S-rank creature. I-It shouldn't be here! Those monsters lead armies, they don't hide in places like this."

The creature tilted its head. From the depths of its helmet came a sound. Heeheeheehee... It was laughter. Metallic, wet, and merciless. It was enjoying itself.

"RUN!" Ken roared, regaining control of his legs. "Get out of...!"

He didn't finish. The Regent vanished. It wasn't teleportation, it was speed. A sonic boom shattered the sound barrier in the confined space.

It appeared instantly behind Hiro. Hiro didn't even have time to turn. The Regent moved its left hand, and with an almost lazy motion, decapitated the boy. Hiro's head flew off, spinning through the air with a look of confusion, while his body took one more step before collapsing.

"HIRO!!" Sato screamed.

Now there were only three. Ken, Naomi, and Sato. Absolute terror seized them. This wasn't a fight. It was an execution.

"Get behind me!" Ken ordered, shoving Naomi and Sato toward the crater's exit. They tried to regroup, desperately searching for an escape route, but the Regent was toying with them.

Sato, the boy with the spear, attempted a desperate attack. "Die, you bastard!" he screamed, thrusting his weapon. The Regent didn't even block. It simply walked through the attack. The spear shattered against the black armor. The monster's armored hand grabbed Sato's head. With a gentle squeeze came a wet crunch, and Sato fell dead to the ground, his skull crushed.

Ken felt the world collapsing on him. All his comrades... dead in seconds. Only she was left.

"Naomi!" Ken yelled. He stepped in front of her, spreading his arms, using his own body as a human shield. He had no weapons, no strength to face an S-Class, but he had to protect her. "Don't you dare touch her!" Ken roared, throwing a desperate punch at the giant's armor.

It was useless. The Regent didn't even flinch. With a flick of its hand, it struck Ken. It was like being hit by a train. Ken was thrown through the air, his ribs cracking, and he smashed violently against a stone wall several meters away.

"K-Ken!" Naomi screamed.

Ken tried to get up but only coughed up blood, his vision blurring. "Naomi, run!"

But Naomi couldn't run. Fear had betrayed her legs. She tripped over the rubble and fell awkwardly to the ground. The Regent stood over her. The shadow of its armor completely engulfed her. There was no honor. No heroic last words.

The monster raised its black sword and brought it down with a single, sharp thrust.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Ken's scream tore from his throat.

The sword pierced Naomi's stomach, pinning her to the floor. It was a pathetic, dirty, horrible death. Naomi coughed blood, her hands feebly grasping the blade impaling her. She turned her head towards Ken, broken and sprawled against the wall. Her brown eyes, which moments ago shone with pride, now dimmed, filled with pain and fear.

Her lips moved. She tried to say something. "Help me." Or perhaps "Mom." Or maybe "Ken."

Ken strained to hear, crawling across the ground toward her, crying, begging to understand her last words. But no sound came out. Only a gurgle of blood. The light in Naomi's eyes went out. Her hand fell limp onto the cold stone.

Ken froze, his hand outstretched toward her, just a few meters away. Tears streamed from his eyes, mixing with the blood and grime on his face. He had failed. He had lied to them. He had promised to protect them. And now, they were all dead.

The Warrior Regent pulled its sword from the girl's body with a sickening sound. It looked at Ken, the last survivor, and beneath the helmet, the laughter began again. Heeheeheehee...

But this time, deep inside Ken, something shattered. It was something much more profound. And the air around his body began to vibrate.