The King of Hell

After taking Reinhart out of the equation, Kai shifted his gaze back to Lian and Riley. He felt a hand grabbing his right leg. When Kai turned to look, he saw Armstrong laying on the ground, using all his strength to try to restrict his movements.

"And here I was thinking you already looked pathetic," Kai said, while wearing the smile of a maniac.

"But this..."

"This is gold!" He laughed.

He picked Armstrong up with his left hand tightly wrapped around his neck.

He pulled Armstrong closer to him and whispered into his ear, his tone taking a more sinister turn. "This time, I'll make sure you stay down for good."

But Armstrong did not falter. The expression on his face remained calm. He seemed relieved for some reason and it irritated Kai.

"My sacrifice is not in vain," he struggled to talk as Kai choked him harder, restricting his airflow.

In an instant, Kai thrust his dagger into Armstrong's chest.

"Armstrong!" Riley and Lian screamed, as the scene unfolded before them.

Suddenly a large surge of heat and energy spread through the island.

Kai looked up, with a smirk developing on his face. "Well, well, well. Seems an interesting player just joined us."

****

As the words from the lady on the other side of the phone resonated through Layla, a smile found its way to her face. She felt the heat spread through the island.

Students from around the island suddenly began to appear on the coast. As Layla watched the scene unfold, she got up with relief.

Ryder and his friends watched, trying to grasp the situation.

"First was that cold feeling that made me shiver, now it's a sudden wave of heat followed by students suddenly appearing here one after the other," Ryder said.

"I can already tell, there are two monsters on the island."

"I just hope one of them is on our side."

He felt a touch on his shoulder and looked back. It was Olivia. He saw her smiling, her current demeanor expressing a sense of relief.

"One of them is definitely on our side," she said, assuring Ryder.

She looked at Silver and Violet. "And I'm sure you too know who that is..."

They both smiled. Silver sat on the sand, letting out a sigh of relief. "We're saved..."

"I honestly thought we were all going to die here, especially after that monster showed up."

"Same here..." Violet added.

Layla approached them slowly, recovering from the mental exhaustion she incurred. They all shifted their gaze to her, seeing her torn clothes.

"P... Principal Layla, are you alright?" Ryder asked, a hint of worry showing in his voice.

"I'm fine, there's no need to worry about me," Layla replied.

"What's the status?" She looked at Olivia.

"Aside from the students he's bringing in, we only have three who are injured," Olivia replied.

"He?" Ryder looked at Layla.

"Who's he?" He asked.

As Layla was about to provide an answer to Ryder's question, the heat at the island's coast increased. Everyone felt his presence. They all shifted their gaze to look at the man standing in front of Layla.

Ryder's eyes widened with surprise. The jacket of his suit and his shirt were torn and burnt off, leaving his chest bare, revealing his build. And he wasn't wearing his glasses, but he could recognize him. The brown hair, the facial expression. It was Reinhart.

However, his looks were not the only thing that had experienced change. He wasn't like the homeroom teacher they all knew. In addition to his usual calm and stern demeanor, he had a commanding aura surrounding him. Like a General.

"I've brought in all the students," Reinhart said.

"Watch over them, and make sure no one gets hurt again."

"I'll bring in Lian and the rest. She'll handle healing everyone with injuries."

As he turned his back to dive back into the forest, his movement was halted by a sudden call from Layla. "Reinhart, wait..."

"Armstrong..." She said, with a look of concern on her face.

Reinhart's stern expression remained unchanged. He dashed into the forest, leaving a wave of dust behind.

"Is that really Mr Reinhart?" Ryder asked as he stared in awe.

"That man you're looking at isn't the regular Reinhart you know," Layla answered.

"He's our strongest asset. A Grade 1, A Ranked Sentinel."

"And the former lieutenant of the strongest squad in Astrovia."

****

As Armstrong drew his last breaths, he grabbed Kai's hand, trying to loosen his grip and talk.

"I don't know your reason for referring to us as fake heroes or fake guardians or corrupt," Armstrong said as he struggled to speak.

"But earlier you mentioned something."

"You called us weaklings."

Armstrong laughed. "You said our strength was disappointing."

"Show him, my friend," he said, his voice rising.

"Show him the true power of a Sentinel!"

"Reinhart!" Armstrong shouted, his voice full of hope.

Kai felt a sudden heavy impact that sent him flying several feet away from where he was standing, completely loosening his grip on Armstrong's neck and leaving a burn on his right shoulder.

He swiftly carried Riley and Lian to Layla's location.

"Heal yourself and heal the rest of the injured students," Reinhart commanded.

"Ensure their safety, and yours too."

"I leave the rest in your hands, Lian."

Lian grabbed Reinhart's hand gently, sitting herself up. "It's too late for him..."

"The poison is really strong. I've never seen anything like it before."

"In addition to that, his injuries—"

Before she could finish, Reinhart vanished, heading back to Armstrong's aid.

When he got back to Armstrong's location, he saw him lying on the floor, struggling to breathe. He noticed that Cain and Nyx were no longer in the area.

As he leaned to pick Armstrong up, he felt the presence of an individual heading towards him at a high speed. It was Kai.

He leaped out of the bushes, thrusting the poisoned dagger towards Reinhart, his body emitting blood lust and killing intent enough to freeze anyone weak-hearted in their shoes.

Reinhart stood firmly, taking the thrust from the knife without blocking. Upon coming in contact with Reinhart's body, Kai's knife shattered into pieces.

However, Kai was not surprised. Rather than backing up and acting more cautious, he stood his ground. A smirk developed on his face. He attempted to punch Reinhart in the face. Reinhart swiftly dodged to the left, following his evasion with a kick to Kai's midsection, sending him flying backwards.

He raised his right hand and snapped his fingers. A spark of fire ignited in his palm, and quickly grew into a large fireball, twice the size of a boulder. He hurled it at Kai, who crossed his arms to block Reinhart's attack. Reinhart snapped his fingers again, triggering an explosion that destroyed everything in its path, except Armstrong whom he was protecting.

The smoke from the explosion cleared and Kai was still standing. Reinhart looked at him, his face showing no emotion.

Kai smirked. He charged at Reinhart, throwing a punch at his face.

Reinhart blocked the punch with his left arm, which was covered by a thin layer of fire.

"He's gotten faster," Reinhart thought.

He felt the force of the impact, but he did not flinch.

"And stronger too..."

He grabbed Kai's wrist and twisted it.

He then punched him in the stomach, sending him flying back.

Kai coughed up some blood and smiled at Reinhart.

He got up and ran towards Reinhart again, aiming a kick at his chest.

Reinhart caught the kick with his right hand and squeezed it hard.

He then swung his arm and threw Kai to the side.

Kai crashed into a tree, breaking its trunk.

He fell to the ground, landing on his feet.

He saw Reinhart walking towards him, his eyes cold and his expression stern.

He tried to get up, but he felt Reinhart's leg make contact with his ribs. A sharp pain surged through his body.

He countered by delivering a blow to Reinhart. This time it was faster and packed more power than the rest.

Reinhart easily blocked Kai's hand but he was sent flying backwards. He remained on his feet.

"I see... You're not just all talk," Reinhart said, while finally taking a fighting stance for the first time in their fight.

Kai looked around and noticed Armstrong's body was gone. He shifted his gaze to Reinhart and asked, "Are you really him?"

They charged towards each other, each vanishing from their initial positions and meeting in the middle of the clearing created by Reinhart's attack.

Reinhart's movements had changed. He wasn't just throwing attacks randomly anymore. He wasn't just wielding his flames in a basic manner like throwing fireballs.

He threw a punch towards Kai, with his fist coated in flames. Kai blocked, using his mana to create a thin layer of protection over him to shield him from Reinhart's flames.

Reinhart followed his punch with a spin to the left, aimed at delivering a chop to Kai's neck. Kai ducked, dodging Reinhart's chop and countering with a jab to Reinhart's abdomen.

Reinhart caught Kai's jab with his hand.

They both continued their exchange, parrying and countering each other's attacks. They both fought like skilled martial artists. Reinhart's attacks left flames sparkling in the air and slowly fading. He wielded his flames like an extension of his body.

Suddenly Kai delivered a punch, faster and stronger than any other attack he had thrown towards Reinhart. Reinhart successfully blocked but he felt the impact which sent him flying a considerable distance away from Kai.

"I see you've decided to get a bit more serious," Reinhart said with his usual calm tone.

Although being far away from each other, Kai still heard his voice. It resonated through his veins, filling him with excitement.

A huge flow of energy emanated from Reinhart. He began to walk slowly towards Kai. A wild smile began to form on Kai's face.

Kai began to speak, "I wasn't sure before, but now I am."

"I thought it was just a coincidence that a teacher had that name because you seemed too weak, at first."

"But now I'm sure..."

"It's you!" Kai shouted.

"It's actually you!" He continued to speak, his voice rising.

"The man formerly known as the Lord of flames!"

"The former lieutenant of Astrovia's strongest squad!"

"The flame general!"

"The King of Hell!"

"Reinhart!"