Albert stumbled off to wake the others.
Ryuen stood his ground, forcing himself to calm down. His brain was like an overheated engine, processing every detail at full speed. He needed a plan—a detailed, meticulous plan that maximized every advantage and targeted that "unknown monster," Subaru.
Soon, Ibuki, Albert, and three other Class C boys known for their aggression and loyalty gathered near Ryuen's tent. Their faces carried the grogginess of being shaken awake, mixed with shock and anger upon hearing the news of Subaru's infiltration.
Ryuen signaled for them to keep their voices down.
"Listen up."
Ryuen spread out the map and pointed to the spot Subaru had marked, his voice cold and hard. "Tomorrow at noon, Subaru has asked to meet me alone at this location."
"Alone? Is he stupid, or are we?" one boy scoffed.
"He's not stupid, so it's definitely not a solo meeting." A cold light flashed in Ryuen's eyes. "But he will likely go there alone. That is his arrogance, and also our opportunity."
"Are we moving out in full force?" Ibuki frowned. "Wouldn't that be too obvious? And what if he has a backup plan...?"
"No, we split our forces." Ryuen cut her off, his finger tracing two lines on the map. "The first team will be led by me."
He looked at Albert and the other two strongest boys. "The few of us will attend the appointment on time. Since the opponent chose to come to our doorstep to provoke us, we naturally have to make him pay the price. No matter how formidable he is, isn't he ultimately just one person?"
"And the other team?" Ibuki paused.
"Exactly. Ibuki, you lead the second team." Ryuen's finger stabbed violently at the location of the Class D campsite on the map. "You, plus those two." He pointed to the remaining two boys who were agile and skilled in stealth. "Three people in total. Your mission is to raid this place—Class D's empty camp—at the same time I meet with Subaru."
"Raid... the camp?" Ibuki lowered her voice. "The objective is?"
"First priority: seize their food. Their points should be zero, meaning they have no way to acquire more supplies. Given their class's average ability, being self-sufficient on this island won't be easy. They must be under immense pressure." Ryuen spoke rapidly, a trace of cruelty flashing in his eyes. "Additionally, find that red-haired girl, Sakura. If the opportunity is right... bring her here."
"Kidnapping?!" a boy exclaimed.
"Not kidnapping, just inviting her for a visit." Ryuen sneered. "Subaru seems to have a special interest in her. If she accidentally falls into our hands, guess what? Will that guy, who always keeps a poker face, show some interesting reactions? This might become the key bargaining chip to turn the tables."
Ibuki's expression shifted. The plan was too risky, but she also knew that against a monster like Subaru, conventional methods were no longer effective. "How are you sure Subaru didn't leave a backup at the camp? Or that the others in Class D won't resist?"
"That's just a secondary objective. It doesn't matter if you can't do it. At the very least, cause continued conflict within Class D—or negotiate directly with their class, using personal points later to buy cooperation and isolate Subaru," Ryuen said with a cold sneer. "If there's a chance to take Sakura as a hostage, maybe we can restrict Subaru's movements. Even if we can't, we can make the Class D students cooperate with us. Kushida withdrew from the exam, but I believe Class D's interior must be incredibly chaotic right now. We need to add fuel to that fire."
"I see..."
"As for our side, I'm going to destroy Subaru."
"Ishizaki and the others couldn't beat Subaru before... with just the few of us..." A boy next to him showed a worried expression.
"Are you questioning me?" Ryuen's tone instantly turned icy.
"No, I'm not!"
"Actually, you're not wrong. If it were just a numbers advantage, we might not be Subaru's match. That's why we need to set traps there in advance." Ryuen raised his head, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"Subaru..." Ryuen muttered in a low voice, as if speaking to himself, or perhaps to that invisible opponent. "You want to see my 'color'? You want to see how far I can be pushed? Then I'll show you the grandest performance."
He clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. "...I will thoroughly destroy you within your favorite 'color'."
The night grew deeper. In this corner of the Class C camp, conspiracy and violence grew quietly. Ryuen and his followers began to split up to prepare, sharpening weapons and weaving traps. Every action carried the resolve of burning one's bridges.
Their fear of Subaru was being overwritten by a more extreme, more dangerous madness.
Meanwhile, at the distant Class D camp, Subaru sat alone by the extinguished bonfire, looking up at the starry sky obscured by clouds. His fingertips gently traced the edge of the guidebook. His dark grey eyes reflected no starlight, only a profound calmness waiting for prey to step into a trap.
He had, of course, foreseen Ryuen's possible reaction—fiercer resistance, more insidious calculations, perhaps even involving other Class D members. But this was exactly what he wanted.
"Fire needs fuel, color needs contrast..." He whispered soundlessly. "Ryuen, let me see. Under the tempering of pressure and despair, will your violent base color burn even more intensely, or will it... with a snap, shatter into worthless ash?"
"It really is... something to look forward to."
The next day, high noon. A clearing in the forest at the center of the island.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the dense canopy, casting dappled shadows on the clearing covered in moss and fallen leaves. The space was about half the size of a basketball court, surrounded by tall trees and thick bushes, silent enough to hear only insects chirping and birds calling.
Subaru appeared in the center of the clearing right on time.
He wore the school-issued tracksuit, hands in his pockets, his posture as casual as if he were just there for a walk. His emotionless eyes calmly scanned the surrounding environment, keenly catching several unnatural traces. The corners of his mouth moved imperceptibly.
Prepared traps? At least it looks somewhat decent.
Almost at the same instant, the bushes on the other side of the clearing shook. Ryuen walked out with Albert and two other Class C boys. Ryuen held a thick wooden stick with a deliberately sharpened end. Albert and the others held similar "weapons," their eyes fierce. However, careful observation revealed their tense muscles and slightly accelerated breathing, betraying their inner nervousness.
If any teacher were present, they would surely stop this action. This had already exceeded the level of a normal student brawl. It could even result in danger.
"Yo, quite punctual," Subaru said faintly.
"To deal with you, of course we have to be punctual." Ryuen forced himself to reveal a savage grin, though his gaze involuntarily drifted toward the locations of several pre-set traps at the edge of the clearing. "Subaru, did you really come alone? Aren't you afraid I ambushed you with more people?"
"Does having more or fewer people make a difference?" Subaru took a few steps forward, stepping into the center of the clearing, perfectly avoiding the trigger points of two obvious snare traps. "Let me see what surprises you've prepared."
Ryuen's heart shivered. Did he notice the traps? But the arrow was on the string and had to be fired.
"Do it!"
With a low roar from Ryuen, Albert and another boy lunged from both sides first, their sticks sweeping horizontally to seal off Subaru's left and right evasion space. Simultaneously, Ryuen and the remaining boy attacked front and back in a frontal assault!
If it were the past, Ryuen would definitely have waited until the end to strike. But now, facing Subaru, Ryuen certainly wouldn't hold back.
Subaru moved.
His figure was like a ghost. The moment the shadows of the sticks struck, he didn't retreat but instead cut diagonally forward—into Albert's right side. This angle cleverly avoided the attacks from both flanks and disrupted the rhythm of Ryuen's pincer attack. His left hand moved like lightning, gripping the wrist of the hand Albert used to swing the stick and pressing it down, while his right elbow, like a hammer, smashed ruthlessly into the opponent's armpit!
"Ugh!"
Half of Albert's body went numb, and the stick slipped from his hand.
Subaru smoothly seized the stick. Without looking, he swept it backward, accurately parrying the sneak attack from the boy behind him, while simultaneously kicking Albert in the back of the knee, causing him to scream and fall to the ground. The entire process took less than two seconds.
Ryuen's attack had just arrived, only to find himself facing Subaru, who now held a wooden stick and wore a look of indifference.
"Too slow," Subaru evaluated.
He swung the stick in his hand casually, creating a whistling wind that forced Ryuen and the other boy to retreat temporarily.
Does this guy have eyes in the back of his head? Or did he... predict Albert's movements?
Ryuen was incredibly bewildered, but he gritted his teeth and signaled his companion with his eyes. The two began to consciously lead the battle toward the pre-set trap area. They no longer attacked forcefully but focused on harassment and feints, trying to make Subaru fall into a trap while moving.
Subaru seemed completely unaware, his steps nimbly weaving through the gaps in their attacks. Every swing of the stick in his hand was concise and effective, forcing his opponents into a wretched state. He deliberately stepped on the edge of traps several times, yet avoided them by a hair's breadth at the last moment, like dancing on the tip of a knife.
"Now!"
Ryuen spotted an opportunity and violently forced Subaru toward a shallow pit concealed by loose soil, while he himself retreated sharply to the side.
Subaru stepped into that area with one foot. A slight click came from beneath his foot as the loose soil collapsed, revealing the wooden stakes below! Although the tips of these stakes weren't sharp, falling on them would inevitably result in at least severe injury.
But he seemed to have anticipated this. The moment his foot sank, he exerted sudden force on the edge. Instead of falling, he used it as a fulcrum, his body spinning into the air forward as if weightless! Not only did he avoid the trap, but while in mid-air, he swept his stick toward the cheek of the other boy who was trying to seize the chance to sneak attack!
Smack!
The stick hit solidly. The boy didn't even utter a groan before fainting directly.
Landing and turning around, Subaru looked at Ryuen, whose face was ashen.
"Any more?"
Cold sweat seeped from Ryuen's forehead. Traps ineffective. Companions instantly reduced by two.
"Subaru, you really are an interesting guy!!!"
Ryuen took out a stone. The front end had been polished to be incomparably sharp. This was the final method he had prepared: close quarters, drawing blood! Ryuen naturally wouldn't truly kill anyone, but he believed anyone seeing such a sharp weapon would subconsciously be afraid. He thought Subaru would be no exception. Ryuen could use this to restrict Subaru's movements.
"Oh? Interesting."
Regarding Ryuen's desperate lunge, a trace of extremely faint light, approaching approval, finally flashed in Subaru's eyes. "However, Ryuen, if you really want to make a move, you must come with killing intent. The kind of true killing intent that craves to kill me."
"You bastard, do you really think I dare not do it?!"
"I hope you can charge at me holding such a thought."
"I'm going to cripple you!"
Ryuen charged directly. He didn't use the wooden stick to block anymore; instead, he let go of the stick. The moment Ryuen's dagger stabbed forward, Subaru's left hand accurately gripped the opponent's wrist holding the dagger, and his right hand, fingers formed into a knife, struck continuously at dazzling speed against the nerve nodes and weak points on Ryuen's arm, shoulder, neck, and ribs!
"Urgh—!"
Ryuen felt his entire arm instantly lose sensation. The dagger slipped from his hand, followed by continuous intense pain and numbness that made him almost unable to stand steady. Subaru's strikes weren't aimed at causing fractures but specifically targeted pain nerves and muscle control points, bringing pain and a sense of powerlessness far exceeding ordinary blows.
Finally, Subaru printed a heavy palm-heel strike onto Ryuen's chest.
Bang!
Ryuen flew backward, crashing into a tree and sliding down limply. He gasped for air, his whole body in severe pain, unable to even move his fingers.
Subaru picked up the stone dagger Ryuen had dropped, weighed it in his hand, walked in front of him, and squatted down.
"Anger, calculation, by any means necessary... there was even the sprout of a little killing intent." Subaru used the cold edge of the stone dagger to gently slide across Ryuen's cheek, leaving a shallow white mark. "The color is a bit deeper than yesterday... but, still not pure enough."
He raised his head, looking in the direction of the Class D camp, as if he could see what was happening there through the jungle.
"You sent another team to launch a sneak attack, right?" Subaru's tone was flat and waveless. "Is the target the camp? Or... Airi Sakura?"
Ryuen's pupils constricted abruptly. He wanted to cover it up, but the severe pain and shock made the muscles on his face twist.
"Looks like it's the latter."
Subaru obtained the answer from Ryuen's reaction. He stood up and casually tossed the stone dagger next to Ryuen.
"How... do you know?" Ryuen's face was full of astonishment.
He didn't understand why Subaru seemed to possess foreknowledge. Even the actions of the few of them—Subaru could predict it all.
____
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