The Funeral March
The knife sank into the monster's slimy flesh with a dull squelch. Black liquid burst from the wound, splashing onto the stones beneath Kohaku's feet. She twisted, ready to strike again, but a tentacle shot out from the side like a living blade. She ducked just in time, rolled across the ground, and reappeared several meters away, panting.
— Hiro! she shouted. It's going to regenerate again — move it!
Hiro gritted his teeth. The monster roared, its tentacles lashing through the air with surprising speed. The ground trembled under its massive steps, and each impact shattered chunks of stone.
— It doesn't have an active power… he muttered. I can't block anything… but I can hit!
He leapt forward, dodged one tentacle, then another, and slammed his fist into the monster's belly with all his might. The blow sent a shockwave through the air, but the creature didn't flinch. It leaned forward, growled, and its slimy maw opened in a wild, animalistic scream.
A tentacle shot out and coiled around Hiro's arm. A second wrapped around his leg. The boy was yanked into the air, hanging violently.
— Hiro! screamed Kohaku, charging toward him.
The monster hurled Hiro against a tree, then against a wall. Sickening cracks echoed — but Hiro held on, despite the bruises.
— You're gonna regret that…
Kohaku seized the opening. She stepped back twice, bent space slightly before her, forming a barely visible tear, and slipped into it.
She reappeared on the monster's shoulder.
Without hesitation, she drove both knives into the base of its neck in a cross shape. The monster let out a roar so deep the air itself vibrated. It staggered back two steps, thrown off balance, then raised three tentacles to crush her.
She dove into another rift and reappeared behind it — but this time, the monster had anticipated her. A tentacle was waiting and struck her square in the chest.
She was thrown to the ground, sliding several meters, wind knocked from her lungs.
Hiro screamed:
— KOHAKU!!
He stood up, blood running down his forehead. He sprinted toward the beast, dodged another blow, and climbed up its back like a furious feline. He reached the nape — where Kohaku had struck — and punched it over and over with his bare hands.
— YOU WANT TO EAT PEOPLE?! he roared. YOU PICKED THE WRONG GUARD!
The monster toppled slowly, unbalanced. Kohaku, lying on the ground, rose shakily to her feet.
She saw the moment.
— Hiro… move aside.
He jumped away just in time. Kohaku opened a rift directly beneath the falling monster.
The ground twisted, gravity warped, and the beast was halfway sucked in before crashing sideways into the stone.
The deformed mass howled, its tentacles flailing wildly.
Kohaku leapt, blades in hand, landed on its chest, and plunged her knives into its single, massive eye.
Silence.
The body convulsed… then collapsed.
Kubira's fist struck the monster's temple with electrifying force. The impact made the creature stagger. Its legs buckled under its own weight, and with a guttural roar, it released Yuna.
She fell like a broken doll, but Kubira, already on the ground, jumped again and caught her midair just before she hit the concrete.
Yuna was alive. In shock, eyes wide, she couldn't speak. Her heart thundered in her chest. Her hands trembled, clinging unconsciously to Kubira's shirt.
— You're okay… you're alive, he murmured, gently laying her on the ground.
But he didn't have time to rest.
He stood, eyes locked on the monster. A red veil passed before his gaze, like a flash of stormlight. His pupils shifted hue. In a deeper, more primal voice, he growled:
— Bad…
The wounded monster growled back in rage — but before it could move, an inhuman scream echoed in the sky.
A collective roar.
A heavy, deep, guttural sound. Like an army of giant beasts.
Then, as if rising from the shadows themselves, a dozen monsters similar to the one Kubira had fought emerged from the alleys, stomping heavily, shattering the roads beneath their feet. They marched straight toward the city, destroying everything in their path — houses, poles, vehicles.
Within minutes, the school district had become a warzone.
Flames erupted from a building to the east. Windows exploded with muffled booms. Children's screams, sobs, desperate cries slashed the air like knives. Thick black smoke was already rising into the sky.
Kubira dashed back toward the first monster, determined to finish it before the situation worsened. He jumped, fist ready to strike—
But the beast caught him midair. This time, it didn't hold back.
It hurled him violently into a wall.
The impact shook the building. Kubira crashed into rubble, breath knocked out of him.
Meanwhile, Keita and other students had managed to escape the upper floor.
They now found themselves in the courtyard, surrounded by cracked walls, uprooted trees, and shattered glass.
Some teachers and students were already fleeing into the nearby streets.
Others stood frozen, realizing that leaving the school meant running into more giants.
Then came a loud sound — like a cannon blast.
The teacher in black sunglasses — the one no one had ever seen blink, the one whose presence silenced even the boldest students — stepped forward, heading straight for the nearest creature.
He jumped.
And punched the ground.
The earth shook violently.
The ground split. A massive crater tore through the courtyard, separating the monster from the students. The creature backed away, confused.
Still stunned, Keita rushed to Kubira, Yuna close behind.
— Since when does he have powers?... And Kubira too? she asked, still trembling.
— I don't know… Keita replied. I just found out like you...
Kubira's body was still smoking. His shirt was torn, arms scraped, blood staining his temple. He slowly stood up, clutching his side.
Yuna tried to help, but he stepped back.
— I'm going to help, he said, eyes fixed on the professor ahead.
Hiro placed a hand on his shoulder.
— You sure? He threw you like a ragdoll…
Kubira winced.
— Maybe I'm not strong enough… but it's my duty. Besides him and me, I don't think there are any other bearers here.
In the distance, powerful explosions rocked the city. The black sky lit up occasionally, as if struck by lightning. Echoes of unknown battles rolled across the air.
Chaos had only just begun.
The crater Kael had created separated the students from the monster — but the creature didn't back down. Its deformed eye rolled in its socket, massive arms raising above its head like a child preparing to crush a toy.
Facing it, Kael didn't move.
He stood tall, arms at his sides, the wind stirring the hem of his long black coat. His featureless glasses gleamed faintly in the light of distant flames. Not a word. No command. Not even a glance at the students. Just presence — calm, solid, unshakable.
— Professor Kael… murmured a student behind.
— Is he really going to fight? whispered another.
The monster let out a guttural cry and brought both arms down on Kael with brutal force.
The ground exploded.
Shards of stone flew in every direction. A cloud of dust covered everything. Yuna shielded her face, Keita stepped back, heart pounding.
But when the dust cleared…
Kael was still standing.
He had stopped both of the monster's arms with his bare hands.
His feet hadn't moved an inch.
He raised his head slightly. His voice rang out for the first time — deep and emotionless:
— You'll regret coming through this wall.
And he struck.
A single punch. Brutal. Precise. So fast it became silent.
It landed on the monster's side… and the beast's body was flung backward with the force of an explosion. It slid for several meters, its shoulder smashing through a wall, the ground cracking beneath its weight.
But the monster growled, pushed off the rubble, and staggered to its feet. Its giant eye bled slightly, but its rage had only intensified.
It leapt again.
Kael prepared. His body was human… but every muscle looked like a coiled cable of steel.
Just before impact, a flash of blue burst on the monster's flank.
Kubira.
He appeared from the side, a trail of electricity at his heels. His lightning-charged fist struck the monster's right leg, which collapsed to one knee with a roar.
— I'm here too, he said, catching his breath.
Kael briefly turned his head. A nearly imperceptible nod.
— Cover my right side, he said simply.
Kubira nodded. He was still bleeding, but he stood firm.
The fight resumed.
The monster swung its massive arms in wide arcs, swept the ground, struck at random. Kael dodged effortlessly, every move calculated. Each counterblow crushed monstrous flesh with frightening precision.
Kubira used his speed. He circled the creature, launching pinpoint electric bursts at joints, nerves, and eyes.
— Kael, now! he shouted.
Kael leapt into the air — fist extended like a divine spear — and struck the monster's skull from above.
A heavy crack resounded.
This time, the monster collapsed for good. Its head crashed into the ground in a deafening boom, raising a cloud of burning dust.
Silence.
Then the students began to scream.
Some in relief. Others in terror. But all knew one thing: they had just witnessed a fight beyond anything they understood.
Kael, without even glancing at the corpse, adjusted his glasses.
— Evacuate the school. Now.
He turned and walked away calmly, leaving Kubira panting beside the smoldering body.
Keita, frozen, murmured to Yuna:
— That was… inhuman.
Yuna didn't reply. She was still staring at the teacher, heart racing.
The world they knew had collapsed.
If peace had ever existed, it lasted only seconds.
The ground shook. First softly, like a faint tremor. Then harder. Like a beat. A step. A monstrous rhythm.
— What is that sound? Keita murmured, still in shock.
Yuna turned. Her eyes widened.
Three dark silhouettes approached through flames and rubble. Massive. Twisted. Terrifying. Their steps made the air tremble. Their bodies looked like nightmarish fusions of animal and stone — arms too long, broken necks, jaws stretched too wide.
And they were taller. Much taller.
At least twice the size of the previous monster.
— Three new ones… Kubira breathed.
One let out a roar so deep the sky itself seemed to ripple. A shockwave swept the area. The few remaining windows exploded. Students screamed, covering their ears. Some collapsed, stunned.
Kael raised his eyes — but this time… he didn't move.
Kubira stepped into position. He had no energy left for a head-on attack. He knew he wouldn't win.
The first monster charged. A full wall crumbled under one shoulder. Students still in the back courtyard had no time to flee.
A massive arm struck.
Flesh flew. Screams were choked in blood. A boy was crushed. A girl was grabbed… and devoured alive in front of her classmates.
Keita vomited.
Yuna screamed.
Kubira rushed in, electricity sparking from his fists, but the second monster raised a leg and swatted him away like an insect.
Kubira rolled, sliding across the ground for meters. Blood dripped from his ear, his ribs shattered.
Keita ran to him.
But a bony tentacle dropped from above, ready to cleave him in two.
Kael stepped in.
With a single arm swing, he deflected the attack. Then he grabbed Keita by the collar and threw him behind him.
— Stay behind me, he ordered — for the first time, clearly.
Yuna tried to reach Keita — but another student rushed in front of her… and was caught by a jaw full of fangs. His scream cut short. Only shards of bone hit the ground.
Panic had taken over.
Kael struck. Again. And again. But his punches no longer crushed. The monsters, larger, tougher, endured.
And fought back.
A blow slammed into Kael's side. He stepped back. For the first time.
Kubira tried to rise — but fell to his knees, gasping.
Yuna helped him up.
— We have to run! she screamed. We can't win this!
Kael didn't answer. But he stood once more between Keita and the monsters, ignoring the other students. Some still cried for help… others were already gone. Blood stained the walls, flames licked the garden trees.
Within minutes, more than half the students had vanished. Dead. Eaten. Pulverized.
And in the midst of this carnage…
Kael, Kubira, Yuna, Keita. Still standing.
But surrounded. Exhausted. Outmatched.
The monsters were winning.