Chapter 38: of course that was what happened. what else did I expect
Time had passed, and it was finally nighttime.
The low chirping of crickets filled the air, accompanied by the gentle whisper of the night wind.
And then, all of a sudden, that same air became distorted as a blur shot through it, moving from alleyway to alleyway.
Finn was searching... hunting desperately for his next target.
Upon his face rested the monstrous horned mask, while his hands were wrapped tightly in cloth-like gloves.
Estes yawned as she floated beside him.
"Hmmm, what are you running around for? Haven’t you had enough after the battle of... yesterday?"
Finn rolled his eyes as he curved down another alleyway.
"Just shut up."
Estes remained silent for a second before letting out a tired sigh.
"Well, if you aren’t going to back off, I’ll add this to your training regimen."
"Training?" Finn asked curiously.
"Yes. While fighting this time, don’t just focus on overwhelming your opponents or tanking every magic attack that comes your way. Why don’t you analyze their magic potential? Their fighting prowess? Learn from each one."
At her statement, Finn fell silent, reminiscing about her words.
It made him think back to his fight with Edmund, then the battle against the Corrupted, and finally his clash against the bullies yesterday.
Realizing how often he turned himself into a human meat shield in order to take down his enemies left him feeling cold.
Yet even if he wanted to change that part of himself...
How exactly was he supposed to do that?
He turned briefly toward Estes.
"How do I learn from my opponents during a battle?"
Estes smiled and lingered for a moment.
"I’d say... intent. You have to know the intent of a fighter to truly understand their fighting style."
Finn became even more flabbergasted.
"What do you mean by intent?"
Estes shifted her gaze away from him and toward the constantly changing scenery around them. Alleyways twisted past in a blur as Finn moved through the city, avoiding the eyes of passersby.
"Spirit Will is different from mana. It is sharper, more precise, and deadlier. But it is also flat, accepting, and accommodating."
She paused, watching Finn grow increasingly confused.
"As much as Spirit Will is a force of destruction... it is also a weapon capable of sensing other weapons. If applied correctly, it can sense the will—the spirit—of another person through their intent and provide a faint glowing afterimage of where an attack is going before it ever reaches that point."
Finn’s eyes lit up.
"How?" he immediately asked.
"Let your power leak into the air... into your surroundings. Let your will surround you like an egg. Then the rest will reveal itself."
With that, the body of his guardian vanished, dissolving into the ancient sword. Finn caught it in midair and slid it back into its scabbard.
Then her voice echoed out once more.
"There are people ahead."
Finn’s eyes narrowed.
No matter how much he wanted to ask more about Spirit Will and its ability to predict attacks, he pushed those thoughts aside.
Finally...
He had found his targets.
Finn came to a halt at the end of an alleyway before carefully peering around the corner.
His eyes immediately found a group of boys standing on the street.
They were kicking and throwing punches at someone kneeling helplessly on the ground. The victim cried out and groaned as blow after blow crashed into his body.
The sight made Finn’s heart plunge.
Looking at the face of the student being beaten and seeing the miserable condition he was in reminded him of Doram.
It was as though that same scene was playing out all over again.
Only this time...
He could change things.
His heart boiled with anger.
’What the hell is the academy even doing?’
Summoning Admonis into his grasp, Finn tightened his grip and then—
He exploded from the corner with immense speed.
Darting toward the group, he reached them within seconds and brought his sword down upon the back of one of the boys.
His attack...
Never struck its mark.
The bully, as though he had been expecting Finn all along, suddenly leapt away with speed nearly equal to his own.
The blade cleaved through empty air.
Missing both the bully and the kneeling student by mere inches.
Finn immediately pulled back.
His feet scraped against the pavement as he retreated several steps, creating distance between himself and the group in preparation for any retaliation.
He remembered Estes’ words.
Play it safe.
Observe.
Analyze.
However, to his surprise...
Nothing came.
The group of bullies didn’t attack.
Instead, they slowly backed away.
Dark, sinister grins spread across their faces.
There was no fear.
No panic.
Only excitement.
Finn’s stomach churned.
’What the hell is going on...?’
A deafening crack exploded through the air.
The night sky suddenly turned blinding white.
Finn’s gaze shot upward.
His instincts screamed.
Without hesitation, his body moved.
He hurled himself backward with every ounce of strength he possessed.
BOOM!
A man plummeted from above.
His fist, engulfed in violently surging white lightning, slammed into the ground with brutal force.
The cement shattered.
Chunks of stone erupted into the air.
Twin craters were carved into the street.
Finn had barely escaped.
A heartbeat later and he would’ve been crushed.
He took several more steps backward, widening the distance between himself and the newcomer.
Only when he finally stopped did he swallow hard.
"What the fuck is going on...?"
Standing within the smoking crater was a man dressed in an outfit that made Finn’s heart throb.
The black uniform.
The unmistakable crest.
The symbol of the Gravemont Family.
A Grey Knight.
The Grey Knight slowly rose to his full height as arcs of white lightning crackled around his body.
His cold eyes locked onto Finn.
Then he spoke.
"For assaulting your fellow students, you are to face justice by the Lieutenant’s hand... or by mine."
The lightning around him intensified.
"Come peacefully."
A chilling smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Or die."
