Martial Demons Ascension

The air thickened with tension as Rhyka's golden eyes narrowed his gaze sharpening into that of a predator ready to pounce The four in front of him Rin at the lead two flame mages flanking her and the wind caster hanging slightly back stood shoulder to shoulder their mana already burning in anticipation

Rhyka's head tilted just slightly toward Emmet The teacher's expression was unreadable but he gave the faintest of nods arms crossed watching intently

That was all the confirmation Rhyka needed

His lips curved into a razor sharp smirk

Then he moved

The dash was explosive his body cutting through the air with speed that made desks rattle To the class watching it was almost surreal Rhyka had always been fast but this wasn't speed born of mana reinforcement This was raw physical power A blur that rivaled Eto's Golden Axis

Gasps erupted but the group didn't freeze They'd trained hard enough to react under pressure

Rin shouted sharply her voice cutting through the roar of mana "Spread"

The two flame mages stepped wide sparks bursting in their palms while the wind caster drew a line of air that bent the trajectory of Rhyka's dash In an instant wind blades and fireballs flew at him in a crisscross pattern forcing him to dodge or burn

To anyone else it would have been overwhelming

But through Rhyka's eyes the world was lit with golden lines

Martial Essence traced every motion where their feet planted where their weight shifted the way mana threaded through their cores and spilled into their limbs Each attack wasn't a surprise It was already there mapped in front of him possibilities narrowing into inevitabilities

He stepped to the right body leaning just enough for the first wind blade to scream past his cheek A twist of his torso let the fireball blast by his ribs heat scorching his skin His foot slammed down kicking off with a pivot that carried him past the second blade

In the same breath he closed distance

His fist shot out colliding with the chest of the first flame mage The crack echoed like a drum the boy's body folding before he was launched backward hitting the ground with a grunt rolling to a stop

The second flame mage snarled and unleashed a torrent of fire point blank the air between them warping from the heat

Rhyka stepped in

He didn't dodge He didn't retreat He raised his arm let the fire wash across his tempered skin and drove his knee into the boy's stomach The flames sputtered as the breath was ripped from his lungs

"Too slow" Rhyka muttered ripping past him

That left Rin and the wind caster

Rin moved fast faster than the others her fists crackling faintly as she enhanced them with mana She was no Eto but she had trained relentlessly and it showed Her punches came sharp disciplined aimed for Rhyka's jaw and ribs with brutal intent

Rhyka ducked under the first caught the second on his forearm and countered with a jab that nearly took her head off Rin twisted at the last second his fist grazing her cheek but she snapped a kick at his shin in retaliation

The golden threads showed him the angle before she even shifted her weight He raised his leg and let her kick glance harmlessly off the dense muscle of his thigh

Then he struck back

An elbow hammered into her shoulder forcing her back She staggered teeth gritted her eyes burning with anger

The wind caster panicked unleashing a barrage of slicing air The blades shrieked through the air tearing chunks from desks and walls as they ripped toward Rhyka

But to him it was child's play

Every line of movement glowed golden Every blade traced its path before it even left the caster's hands

Rhyka stepped pivoted slid each movement fluid each dodge minimal Sparks of air hissed across his skin cutting shallow scratches but nothing slowed him

He was already on the caster golden eyes blazing

The boy tried to retreat mana spiking wildly but Rhyka's hand closed around his collar With a sharp twist he flung him across the room The boy hit a wall hard air exploding from his lungs before he crumpled

That left Rin

Her chest heaved her fists trembling but she didn't back down She planted her feet mana flooding her body and charged with a scream

Rhyka's smirk widened

Golden threads lit her path showing every strike every misstep She was fighting with heart with pride but he had already won before she threw the first punch

She lunged He sidestepped His palm slammed into her ribs She staggered His knee clipped her thigh knocking her balance Her fist whipped up at his jaw he ducked grabbed her arm twisted it behind her back and drove her face first into the floor

The ground cracked under the impact

Silence fell

Rin groaned weakly pinned under his grip her body trembling but still trying to rise The others lay scattered winded groaning too dazed to continue

And Rhyka stood tall in the center of it all barely winded golden eyes gleaming a predator among prey

Emmet's lips curved faintly his arms still crossed He had seen enough

The class sat frozen unable to comprehend what they had just witnessed

No mana No core Just pure mastery

And Rhyka smirked gaze sweeping the room drinking in their shock

"Now" he said his voice calm but sharp "does anyone else want to test me"

Millis had been running his mouth since the first day he awakened his core always smirking always throwing jabs always puffing his chest up because he could push around the weaker kids and not face and pushback

But now

Now his body refused to move

He sat stiff in his seat hands balled into fists against his knees jaw locked so tight it hurt His eyes were wide unblinking fixed on Rhyka as if staring too long might cause the golden gaze to snap back and cut him down next

The fight replayed in his mind on a loop Rhyka weaving through fire and wind like it was nothing stepping through blades of mana as if the world itself bent out of his way and then… the impact The sound of ribs cracking under his fists The way Rin who could spar even with Eto on a good day had been slammed into the dirt and held there like a child

It wasn't human It couldn't be

His thoughts spiraled panic pressing down on his chest like iron What kind of body does he even have He doesn't have mana He doesn't have a core Nobody can move like that Nobody can hit like that

His lips trembled He tried to lean toward Hella tried to force some whisper some snide remark to cover the pounding fear in his chest but nothing came No words No smirk Not even a sound

For the first time since he had taken the role of the loud fearless leader among his peers Millis sat in silence

And in that silence one question clawed its way through his skull refusing to let go

Is Rhyka even human anymore