Plates were flying! Tables were overturned, and the chaos of the cafeteria erupted into a full-blown fight. Everyone seemed to be against Angel Squad now.
Arnik was locked in a brutal fistfight with one of the mutants. The guy was holding his own, both of them trying to limit their mutations to avoid destroying the entire place. The sheer tension in the air was suffocating. Every punch, every block, every strike was a reminder that they were on the edge of chaos.
Meanwhile, Kai was surrounded by three guys. Physically weaker than them, but mentally far stronger. His every move was precise, calculated. As a punch came toward him, Kai blocked it, gripped the incoming fist, and using his own weight against his opponent, shoulder-tossed him aside. He dodged the other two, his mind racing as he scanned for openings.
"Does everybody hate us?" Kai thought, blocking another punch.
A voice from behind answered his unspoken question as Rose leaped into action, cracking her knuckles. She was pissed, and the demi-wolf in front of her was about to find out just how pissed she really was.
"COME ON BI—" the demi-wolf started, only to be cut off by a swift boom, boom, boom as Rose relentlessly attacked his lower body. Her speed was unmatched, faster than any normal person should be able to move, and her training was paying off. She kept the pressure on, sending multiple kicks to his head, her strength only growing as she fought.
"Damn, she's fast!" the demi-wolf thought, trying to block her, but she was already on him again, faster than he could react.
Arnik, still locked in a battle with the mutant, gripped the guy by the collar, both bruised and battered. "Is that all you got?" he taunted as he sent a powerful headbutt to the mutant's face.
The mutant staggered back, dazed, but quickly recovered. "You've got a temper on you," he growled, ready to retaliate.
Arnik smirked. "Look who's talking!" He quickly attacked again, and their hands locked in a struggle, both of them struggling to make a clean hit.
Kai, still dodging and weaving between his attackers, caught a glimpse of the fight between Arnik and the mutant. His attention shifted for just a second, but it was enough for him to block another incoming punch. He shook his head, refocusing. It wasn't over yet.
The cafeteria was chaos. Tables overturned, food flying, and a mixture of grunts and shouts filled the air. It was an all-out brawl, and in the middle of it, Aika stood. Not fighting, but trying to stop the madness. Her voice rose above the chaos, calm at first.
"Um, hey!" she said, hoping to get their attention, but nobody seemed to care. The shouting continued, the sounds of fists hitting flesh, metal clashing with the walls.
"Excuse me!!" Aika tried again, her voice firmer, but the noise drowned her out, just like before.
Then, a plate flew through the air—out of nowhere—and BAM! It hit Aika square in the forehead, knocking her back onto the ground with a small yelp.
She blinked, disoriented, and then rubbed her head. Blood dripped down her face from the impact. She sat up, eyes narrowing, her hand gripping her forehead as she felt the blood.
Her calm demeanor shattered in an instant.
She was pissed.
She wasn't wearing any of her magic gear. She couldn't use magic without it. But something… shifted inside her.
"I SAID!" she yelled, her voice laced with fury. "STOPP!"
A massive shockwave erupted from her, the air itself vibrating with power. The shockwave wasn't just air—no, it was gravity magic.
How? Aika had no magic gear on.
But the magic coursed through her like a tidal wave, reaching everyone within a 100-meter radius. Before anyone could react, they were violently thrown upward—like they were weightless. Soldiers, brawlers, even Arnik and Kai—they all soared toward the ceiling, screaming as they were lifted from the ground, helpless against the invisible force.
Up in the hallway, Takashima and Miu were on their way to stop the brawl. Takashima sighed, looking exasperated.
"How childish," he muttered.
Miu, beside him, grabbed his arm cutely, causing him to blush slightly. "I guess we have to teach them a lesson," she said, still looking irritated.
But then—BOOM.
The shockwave hit them before they could react. Takashima's eyes widened as he was suddenly lifted from the floor, floating upward. He gritted his teeth.
"What the hell—?"
Miu squealed as she was slammed into the ceiling, landing with a thud. "I'm not feeling so good… I might barf," she groaned, but her voice was weak.
Takashima, floating upside down, struggled to regain his composure. "NOT NOW, MUI! HOLD IT!"
Miu didn't have much control over herself, but Takashima quickly cast an anti-gravity spell on both of them. With a determined expression, he regained control and started walking on the ceiling toward the cafeteria. Miu followed, her head spinning but she managed to keep her balance.
"Who the hell has that much magic power?!" Takashima muttered, now walking steadily across the ceiling. They both exchanged glances, realizing just how out of hand things had gotten.
In the cafeteria, everyone who was affected by Aika's gravity magic was struggling. Some were still stuck in mid-air, floating helplessly, others were clinging to walls or trying to right themselves.
Miu shook her head in disbelief. "That isn't a Master class mage!!!"
Takashima blinked, quickly realizing. "There's only a few of us on base right now... It's me, you, and Zara Blitz... right?"
Miu frowned, still baffled. "Do you think it's her?"
Takashima shook his head, then glanced around. "LIKE HELL IT'S ME! Do you think it's her?"
"She was so pissed..." Miu's voice trailed off, thinking deeply.
"If it's not you, then who—?" Takashima started, and suddenly, it clicked. "Who else!!!!"
Blitz, standing off to the side, added loudly, "It's that damn Bed Magnet!!!"
With that realization, Takashima and Miu moved quickly, tossing open the cafeteria doors.
Inside, Aika was in some sort of trance, her eyes closed, standing still while everything and everyone within a 100-meter radius of the cafeteria was floating helplessly.
Rose looked absolutely miserable, her face contorted in discomfort, clearly on the verge of throwing up.
Aika had no idea what she'd just unleashed.
"AIKA, PLEASE CALM DOWN!!" Arnik shouted, his voice strained as he tried to get her attention.
Blitz, standing on the ceiling, took a deep breath and bellowed with a sudden urgency, "AIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKAAAAAAAAAAAA! STOP THAT RIGHT NOW, OR THERE'LL BE HELL TO PAY!"
At the sound of Blitz's commanding voice, Aika's eyes snapped open. It was as though the force controlling her released its grip, and the shockwave dissipated instantly.
Everyone dropped.
"CLUNK! OUCH! OUCH! OUCH!" came the chorus of groans from everyone as they crashed back down to the floor, landing with a series of loud thuds.
Aika, still shaking from the wave of power she'd unknowingly released, stood there panting heavily, completely drained.
Takashima stood off to the side, visibly annoyed, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. His usual calm demeanor was nowhere to be found as he shot a glare around the room. His patience, already thin, seemed to snap under the weight of the mess they were now faced with.
Miu, on the other hand, looked unaffected, as cute as ever.
Blitz, on the other hand, stepped toward Aika, her heavy footsteps echoing in the now-quiet space. She made her way through the wreckage of tables and chairs, the remnants of their previous fight scattered across the floor. As she reached Aika, her expression was a mix of concern and annoyance.
Aika gulped, her hands wringing together nervously. Her heart raced, knowing full well the punishment she was about to face.
"I'm so dead," Aika muttered under her breath, her shoulders sagging in resignation. "At least I'll be able to sleep as long as I want after this...
Blitz was about to scold her, her lips already parted to say something sharp, when suddenly—she froze.
Takashima, who had been standing off to the side, finally broke the silence.
"Um, Zara?" he asked, his voice laced with confusion as he turned to the person beside him.
Blitz, who had been scanning the room, didn't respond right away. Her eyes narrowed, and her gaze shifted towards Aika.
"Takashima..." she said, her tone sharper now, as she gestured toward Aika. "Take a look at this."
Takashima walked over to her, his brow furrowing as he examined the situation. He looked back at Aika, scanning her from head to toe, but his expression stayed flat.
"She looks normal to me," Takashima muttered, clearly not seeing anything out of the ordinary.
Without missing a beat, Blitz slapped the back of he head. The sound was loud and sharp in the quiet room.
"IDIOT! LOOK!" she snapped.
Takashima blinked, his confusion deepening, and looked at Aika once more. This time, something registered. His eyes widened as he realized what Zara was pointing out.
Aika wasn't wearing any magic items. None at all. She had no magic gear, no weapons—nothing. Yet... she had just caused a massive shockwave of magic.
"Impossible..." Takashima whispered, his voice heavy with disbelief.
Kai, who had been quietly observing, suddenly stood up from his seat. His eyes darted between the group, his expression morphing from confusion to realization.
"Seriously?" he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. "Aika...?"
Rose, who had been watching the exchange, looked completely lost. She stood up from her seat, her brows furrowed in frustration.
"CAN SOMEONE PLEASE FILL THE REST OF US IN?" she called out, her voice rising in a mix of impatience and confusion.
Blitz, still not saying anything, stepped forward and gave a short explanation.
"Aika just used magic without the help of a magic item of any kind..." she said, her voice barely above a whisper, but everyone heard it loud and clear.
Everyone gasped. The murmurs of disbelief quickly filled the room, the weight of what had just happened sinking in. Magic without magic gear was practically unheard of, something that had been impossible for thousands of years.
Takashima's face was still frozen in disbelief as he tried to comprehend what was going on. "This doesn't make sense..."
Blitz grabbed Aika's hand suddenly, pulling her toward the door, her grip firm and insistent.
"I'LL RETURN HER LATER! TAKASHIMA! HANDLE THE REST!" Blitz ordered, her tone a command, and without waiting for a response, she yanked Aika along.
Aika, who had clearly realized she wasn't getting away, started clawing at the floor, trying to resist being dragged away by Blitz. Her hands left deep marks on the floor as she gripped the tiles as she was dragged down the hall.
Takashima and Miu walked up to the group still sprawled across the floor, their expressions unreadable but filled with authority.
"Clean this up RIGHT NOW!" Takashima barked, his voice sharp, piercing through the chaos. His eyes scanned the room, settling on every face. "Angel Squad, meet me after all this is over. And the rest of you IDIOTS!" he called out, a flicker of irritation in his voice, "Do 1000 pushups by the time we're done!"
The room was still and tense as the reality of the situation began to sink in. Takashima and Miu stood tall, ready to deal with the aftermath of the madness.
Arnik, still bruised and bloodied from the earlier scuffle, slowly got to his feet. The mutant standing next to him cracked his knuckles, looking Arnik up and down with a slight smirk.
"Tch... Guess we'll settle this later," he muttered, a bit of mockery lacing his tone, before turning to walk away.
Arnik glanced at him, his hand still clenched from the earlier fight. He didn't reply, his focus now on the work ahead of him.
With the command ringing in their ears, the cafeteria began to slowly return to some semblance of order as the soldiers scrambled to clean up the mess.
Takashima and Miu stood to the side, overseeing the efforts with silent judgment, and then Takashima turned toward the door.
"Move it, people," he muttered. "We've got a lot to fix."