Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Tina

“Oi Tina, did you clean my shoes and laundry?”

“And my homework?”

The girl named Tina trembled under her bullies’ intense stares and the glowing Sword Souls in their hands.

“En, yes, yes, Madams. I have done everything you asked for,” she mumbled shakily.

“Paah!”

Despite that, a hard slap landed on her fair face, shaking her jaw.

Tina looked about 18, a budding maiden, with beautiful red hair and a beautiful diamond-shaped face.

She was too beautiful, and this only garnered the bullies’ jealousy.

“Bitch!” one of the girls, burly in build, spat cruelly. “Then why are you wandering in the sports plaza? If you’re so free, go clean our dorm room.”

Tears gathered in the corners of Tina’s eyes as she hiccupped from trauma.

“But it’s… not fair. Why are you all hitting me? I have done whatever you asked. So why?”

“Hehehe…” The girls laughed even more disdainfully.

Their mouths only knew how to drip venom.

“Because you stink. Your face stinks. Everything about you is ugly.”

Another girl’s finger traced down Tina’s face and jawline.

“Your face… it’s too pale, like a ghost. Maybe you’re one of those evil vampires? We should exorcise you just in case.”

Finished speaking, the girl summoned her Soul Sword, a thin rapier.

The sharp, faintly glowing rapier went dangerously close to Tina’s tear-streaked face, making her gasp in terror.

“No. Don’t touch my face, please,” she cried. “Anything but that.”

The girls sneered. “Why? Are you saving your stinky face for someone dear? Could it be that nerd ’Denis’ you always spend your time with?”

“Awwh, what a romantic moment. I’m sure he will enjoy your new tattooed face.”

Passerby students could clearly see this scene, but none chose to interfere. Mostly because they feared the girls’ backgrounds.

It was exactly that moment when a well-toned hand reached forward, stopping the girl’s rapier.

Just a simple grip was enough.

All six girls’ faces froze.

Tina, who had been waiting for the cut to land on her face, found it odd when it didn’t touch.

Confused and terrified, she looked up, only to feel her heart skip a beat.

A boy’s face stood there, flashing a single faint smile with his lips.

His eyes were crimson-tinted at the edges, much like hers. But his face was too handsome: sharp jawline, chiseled features, thin lips, and a visible Adam’s apple on his long neck.

His hairstyle parted neatly from the midlle while some strands fell over his temples and sides, made him even more charming.

Besides his handsomeness, there was an invisible forcefield that unknowingly attracted anyone’s attention.

But the odd part: He had completely dark hair, which usually signified null heritage.

So the question was: how the hell did this guy manage to block a Soul Sword?

“Damn!” The burly girl snarled, yanking at her rapier.

But rhe blade didn’t budge. It was as if it had been welded into place by an invisible force.

“What the! Let go, you filthy null!” she spat, face twisting in rage.

The boy didn’t even glance at her. His crimson eyes stayed locked on Tina’s tear-streaked face for a second longer than necessary. Then, slowly, he turned his gaze toward the six bullies.

The aura around him seemed to be thickening.

Then, a faint violet-black aura shimmered along his arm, the same subtle energy that sometimes flickered around Chaotic Harem body.

It wasn’t flashy. It was quiet. Deadly quiet.

With a casual flick of his wrist, he twisted.

Thud.

The rapier flew away like dry twig, falling onto the distance stone polished floor.

The six girls were stunned by seeing a Swordmaster getting defeated so easily, and that too by the hand of a null.

“Who! Who the hell are you?” one of them asked, stammering.

The young man tilted his head slightly, but the faint smile never left his lips.

“Adonis,” he said simply. “And I’m a senior swordmaster of this Academy.”

Finished speaking, Adonis summoned his Chaotic Harem Sword from his heart.

The long, double edged blade, instantly terrified the bullies.

A nulll with Sword Soul… What could be more terryfying than this?

Truthfully speaking, his claims were absurd.

How could a boy in the same age group be a senior Swordmaster? ?

But that quiet pressure, that unwavering gaze, that calm confidence… were enough to intimidate these flower vases.

They scurried away immediately, leaving Adonis and Tina alone.

For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.

The tension that had filled the plaza slowly dissipated, leaving behind only the faint echo of retreating footsteps.

Tina stood frozen.

Her body still trembled slightly, her breath uneven as she clutched her chest. The fear had not left her yet. It lingered like a shadow.

Adonis, on the other hand, stood calm and composed.

As if nothing had happened.

He flicked his wrist once, and the Chaotic Harem Sword dissolved into a swirl of dark mist, retreating back into his body.

Only then did he look at her again.

“You’re safe now,” he said simply.

Tina blinked.

Her lips parted, but no words came out at first.

“I… I…” she stuttered, lowering her head quickly. “Th-thank you…”

Her voice was soft. Fragile.

Adonis studied her for a moment.

“You let them push you around too much,” he said bluntly.

Tina flinched.

“I, I don’t have a choice,” she replied weakly. “Their backgrounds, their strength, I can’t fight them.”

Her fingers tightened against her sleeves.

“And I don’t want trouble…”

Adonis exhaled lightly.

“Trouble finds people like you anyway.”

That made her lower her head even further.

Silence lingered again.

Then, after gathering a bit of courage, she spoke.

“M-my name is Tina,” she said quietly. “Thank you for helping me, Adonis.”

“Adonis Kingsbane,” he replied without hesitation.

Her eyes widened slightly at the surname.

“K-Kingsbane…?” she whispered, but did not dare ask further.

Instead, she shifted nervously.

“Um… you said you’re a senior swordmaster…”

Adonis raised a brow.

Then, unexpectedly, a faint smirk appeared.

“That was a lie.”

Tina blinked in confusion.

“Eh?”

“I’m not a senior,” he said casually. “I just arrived. I’m a freshman.”

Her eyes widened even more.

“F-freshman…?”

She looked at him again.

The way he moved. The way he spoke. The way he handled a Soul Sword barehanded.

Nothing about him felt like a newcomer.

“I needed directions,” Adonis continued. “Do you know where the dormitory for the S-Tier Nova Class is?”

The moment those words left his mouth, Tina froze.

Her pupils trembled.

“S… S-Tier… Nova Class…?” she repeated slowly.

That name carried weight.

Only those specially recruited by the Academy entered that class. Geniuses among geniuses. Individuals whose talents surpassed the ordinary grading system.

Gold Tier or above.

Her gaze dropped instinctively.

“I… I see…” she murmured.

A faint, complicated emotion flickered across her face.

Her own Sword Soul was only Yellow Tier.

Respectable.

But nothing extraordinary.

Standing before someone from the Nova Class made her feel… small.

Still, she quickly shook her head and forced herself to respond.

“I know where it is,” she said, trying to steady her voice. “I can show you.”

Adonis nodded once.

“Lead the way.”

Tina turned and began walking, her steps slightly hurried.

Adonis followed behind at a relaxed pace.

As they moved through the academy grounds, she spoke occasionally, pointing out directions, buildings, and pathways.

But her voice remained soft.

Careful.

Every now and then, she would glance back at him, as if trying to confirm he was real.

A freshman.

From the Nova Class.

Someone who could casually stop a Soul Sword with his bare hand.

She could not understand it.

But one thing was certain.

From the moment he stepped into her path, something had changed.

Tina did not know it yet.

But the thread of her fate had already intertwined with his.

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