Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest

"And as for our case….

We will confront the enemy."

As those words left Aston's mouth, Irina's eyes widened at his decisive statement. Even if she had known that this was what they needed to do, she wanted him to at least have a different idea from herself.

'Maybe….just maybe….'

She thought there was a chance that he was able to come up with a plan that wasn't as dangerous as what they were doing now. She didn't know what to say at that time, but now that it was just the two of them preparing for the fight with Sylvie already left, she couldn't help but want to ask.

The weight of the impending confrontation was evident in her expression as she opened her mouth.

"Confront the enemy, but how? We don't even know what kind of entity we're dealing with."

That was what she thought about the most. The feeling of dread inside her mind didn't go away, as if she felt like she had seen what this thing was trying to do.

'It is probably something I had seen in that dream.'

Irina thought to herself. Whatever it was, she had no way of proving that anyway, either.

"That's true," Astron mumbled. However, suddenly, his face turned different as his purple eyes seemed to be filled with an unknown aura of emptiness. As if he had now become a completely different person right before her eyes. He looked deep into Irina's eyes and spoke.

"Just when the Irina Emberheart had ever considered who was the enemy."

Confused by the sudden change in Astron's demeanor, Irina took an instinctive step back. His clear eyes bore into hers, and for a moment, she felt exposed and vulnerable. Astron continued, his voice steady.

"The Irina I know has never wavered in front of anything."

Irina's mind raced, attempting to comprehend the meaning behind Astron's words.

'What? What is this?'

The sudden shift in his tone and demeanor caught her off guard, making her wonder if she truly knew the person standing before her.

Astron continued to advance slowly towards Irina, who instinctively took another step back. His eyes bore into hers with an intensity that seemed to unravel layers of thoughts and emotions. The atmosphere between them grew tense as he spoke.

"The Irina I know was strong," Astron's voice echoed in the room, "and arrogant. Always believing she was better than others."

Irina's brows furrowed, a mixture of confusion and concern playing on her face. The words cut through her with an unexpected precision, making her question the image Astron held of her.

"Even though," he continued, "it made you annoying at times, that strength and arrogance were what made you yourself. You should never lose it."

His face stood right in front of her as she leaned on the wall. She felt trapped in front of his eyes for a second, as she couldn't look directly into those purple pupils.

Even if she wanted to escape, there was no way for her to leave this place, as the wall and his body prevented her from leaving.

"Therefore….." he stopped for a second as he grabbed the dagger from his belt.

–SWOOSH!

The dagger flew, directly penetrating the phantom that had just formed right behind himself.

Astron's sudden and swift action caught Irina off guard. The phantom that materialized behind him was instantly struck by his dagger, dissipating into an ethereal mist. The surprise on her face lingered as she processed the speed and precision of his movement.

Yet, what truly held her captive were Astron's words, spoken with an intensity that resonated in the close quarters between them. The challenge in his voice reverberated through the room.

"Show me, Irina. Show me and the world that you are not a person who wavered before any adversity."

Irina felt his presence too close, the warmth of his breath, and his scent that lingered in the air.ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ Noᴠᴇꜰɪre.nᴇt

'That's right. I am Irina Emberheart.'

A part of her instinctively wanted to avert her eyes, but a fierce determination welled within her.

'There is no way I will escape.'

Raising her head, she met Astron's eyes, locking onto the depths of his purple pupils. He was looking down at her from above as if he was superior.

In that moment, she saw her reflection within his eyes, a version of herself that seemed pitiful.

Irina smirked, her amber eyes shining with newfound resolve.

'And, there is no way I can lose this bastard.'

The challenge laid before her fueled a fire within, and she refused to back down.

For some reason, his words seemed to resonate a lot deeper than she had thought initially, and she didn't want to linger too much on that since it made her think she had lost.

'You better not think you are better.'

Irina felt a surge of anger coursing through her veins. With a smirk, she reached out and grabbed Astron by the collar of his attire, pulling him closer to her. Her amber eyes bore into his, a mixture of defiance and fire dancing within them.

"Who are you to say such things to me?" she questioned, her grip on his collar tightening slightly. The room felt charged with an unspoken tension as she held onto him, her fingers gripping the fabric of his clothing.

Even the fire psions around them seemed to move thanks to Irina's thoughts and feelings.

–THUD!

Astron, however, seemed unfazed by her display of assertiveness. In a swift motion, he caught her wrists, his grip strong but not restricting. His purple eyes met hers, his expression not changing.

But Irina couldn't even take action before she felt her hand releasing their hold on his collar.

"It seems you've come to your senses," he remarked, releasing her wrists from his grasp.

The sudden shift in his demeanor, as well as eyes, left Irina momentarily stunned. From that intensity to his normal face….

It felt a bit otherworldly and abnormal.

His words lingered in the air, and the room seemed to echo with the unspoken intensity of their exchange.

"Then, should I take it as a sign that you are ready?"

As his words left his mouth, he was about to leave the bungalow. But Irina swiftly grabbed the hem of his clothes using her 「Telekinesis」, the fire in her eyes now replaced with a more composed determination.

"Wait," Irina said, her voice firm yet composed. Astron turned to look at her, his expression unchanged. Without uttering a word, Irina released her grip on his clothes and reached up to fix his collar that she had wrinkled in her assertive hold.

For some reason, she felt like she needed to do this. It was an action that she couldn't quite make sense of both as her feelings and for many other things.

1

"What are you doing?" He asked, his face a bit surprised. The action seemed to have surprised him a little.

"I hate seeing things unorderly."

"It is pointless. After all, these clothes will eventually get damaged in a close while."

"But it is not bad to start everything composed, isn't it?"

"…..That might be true…."

As Astron stood there, slightly surprised by Irina's unexpected attention to detail, she continued adjusting his collar with a focused expression. Her movements were precise, and she seemed determined to restore the order she had momentarily disrupted.

Astron, still puzzled by her sudden change in demeanor, watched her silently.

Once satisfied with her impromptu adjustments, Irina stepped back, giving Astron's appearance an appraising look. Her amber eyes met his, a newfound sense of determination shining within them.

"There," she said with a satisfied nod, "now you look presentable. Let's face whatever is out there in style."

Astron raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his eyes that Irina could pinpoint. "Is style really necessary for this?"

Irina smirked, "Always. It adds a flair of confidence, and confidence is key."

"It seems to me that you are the one who needs confidence, though."

Astron's teasing remark prompted Irina to shoot him a glare. "Coming from someone who just threw daggers at phantoms in a bungalow, you're one to talk about confidence."

"At least I don't need a fashion intervention to boost my confidence.

Irina's cheeks flushed slightly, and her voice wavered as she responded, "Shut up. You have no right to talk about it."

"Why is that?"

"Just because I said so."

"You are being unreasonable."

"Just shut up, bastard."

"Yeah, yeah."

Seemingly enough, as Irina returned to her usual attitude, Astron's amused eyes faced the flow of mana while turning serious and cold instantly without making Irina alert.

********

As they pressed further into Phantom's Land, the thick fog shrouded them in an otherworldly silence, broken only by the haunting moans of trapped souls.

Irina was able to sense the direction of the mana flow; therefore, she led the way from the front. And even though Astron was also the same, he let Irina do as she wished.

Irina, being the formidable fire mage she is, led the way with flames dancing at her fingertips. Her eyes glowed with an unwavering determination, casting an eerie light in the mist.

Phantoms emerged from the fog, their ghastly forms swirling with malevolent energy. Irina wasted no time, unleashing controlled torrents of fire that engulfed the spectral beings.

The phantoms, caught in the searing flames, dissipated into nothingness.

"Come on now! Don't make me laugh!"

She was smirking while using her mana as she wished. That was only possible because she was Irina Emberheart, the Fiery Demoness.

Astron knew there was no other person who could do this like her aside from another mage.

When it came to dealing with a huge number of enemies, the fire in her hands was one of the most dangerous weapons.

However, that didn't mean Astron didn't do anything. As a skilled archer, he took a more strategic position supporting Irina.

With bow in hand, he aimed with precision, his arrows finding their marks among the approaching phantoms that Irina missed, making her move as comfortably as she could.

As they moved deeper into the mist, the phantoms seemed to multiply, as if the very fabric of Phantom's Land conspired against them. However, Irina and Astron moved with a synchronized dance, skillfully dispatching every phantom that dared to cross their path.

Astron's arrows flew with deadly accuracy, hitting the phantoms' weak points and disrupting their ethereal forms. Meanwhile, Irina's flames danced with grace, consuming the malevolent entities in controlled bursts.

The foggy battlefield became a canvas for their expertise, a display of fire and precision. Irina's smirk persisted, her confidence unwavering, while Astron's calm and calculated movements added a layer of strategy to their offensive.

As the last of the phantoms dissipated into the mist, Irina turned to Astron with a grin.

"Not bad. Your aim is quite impressive."

Astron nodded, acknowledging her compliment. Yet, they didn't have time to stop, as suddenly, right before them, two different phantoms appeared seemingly weirder than before.

"Grrrrr..."

"What the?"