Unpleasant Hero

Back at the island's shore, the students enclosed in Lian's barriers were in a state of panic. The air was thick with fear and uncertainty, and the sound of waves crashing against the rocks did little to calm their nerves. Olivia, the student council president, was also among them. She tried to put on a brave face and reassure the others.

"We're going to be fine, guys. Miss Lian's barriers can't be broken," she said, hoping to reduce the tension in the atmosphere.

Her words may have had some effect on the middle school students, who looked at her with wide-eyed admiration, but her fellow high school students knew they were in a dire situation, and she did too. Despite their recognition of this fact, they knew they had to act like the seniors they were and remain composed in front of their juniors.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of something moving towards them, from the direction their teachers went. Five students leaped out of the bushes, running and gasping for air. Their clothes were torn and stained with blood, and their faces were pale and sweaty. Upon seeing Olivia and the others, they felt a massive surge of relief. They were part of the students separated from Reinhart.

They reached the barriers housing their fellow students, but unfortunately they could not pass through. They pounded on the invisible walls, desperate to get in.

"Let us in!" they cried.

"They're coming. Please…" one of the five students added, his voice breaking.

Olivia rushed to the walls of the barrier, her heart pounding. "Who's coming?" she asked, fearing the worst.

The five students all began to answer Olivia's question with tears in their eyes. "Some guys wearing masks," one of them said.

"We were walking with Mr. Reinhart and the others, and before we knew it, they vanished," another one said.

"Then these guys wearing black masks started trying to kill us. They've been toying with us," a third one said.

Olivia raised her head to look up at the direction the kids came from. She noticed a shadow emerge from the bushes, gliding towards the students outside the barrier. She had not been informed of the Homunculi using shadows to move around the island, but her instincts drove her to act. She automatically knew the shadow was bad news.

Without hesitation, she jumped out of the barrier, without regard for her own safety. Simultaneously, a man dressed like the other Homunculi emerged from the shadow, throwing a knife at one of the students outside the barrier. Olivia caught the knife at point-blank range and threw it back at a speed that the Homunculus barely managed to dodge.

"Tch," the Homunculus retorted, his eyes narrowing.

He was immediately joined by two others, tilting the power, in terms of numbers, to their side. Olivia felt a surge of adrenaline as she faced the three enemies. She knew she had to protect the five students outside the barrier, as well as the ones inside.

"Nobody leave the barrier!" Olivia commanded, with a gaze that made every student freeze in their current position. It was the first time they were all seeing her with an expression that wasn't a smile. Her face was filled with anger and worry as she struck a fighting stance, preparing to fight the opponents standing before her.

She was confident in her skill. She knew she could beat them if it came down to a fight, however, she had her hands tied. She had to protect the five students outside the barrier.

"I can beat all of them in a fight, but they are people who would attack children," she thought, her eyes flashing.

"People without ethics."

"If I focus all my attention on them and they aim any attack at any of the students, it won't end well," Olivia analyzed her situation.

"I have to be careful."

Olivia wasted no time in launching her attack. She clenched her fists and felt the heat rise in her palms. She threw a fireball at the Homonculus who had thrown the knife, hoping to catch him off guard. He dodged to the side, but Olivia followed up with another fireball, forcing him to retreat. She smiled, sensing his fear.

The other two Homonculi decided to join the fray, seeing their ally in trouble. They split up and tried to flank Olivia from both sides. Olivia noticed their movement and quickly spun around, creating a ring of fire around herself and the five students. The fire ring acted as a barrier, preventing the Homonculi from getting close.

"Nice try, but you're not getting past me," Olivia said, her voice confident.

She looked at the five students and gave them a reassuring nod. "Don't worry, I'll protect you. Just stay behind me and don't move."

The students nodded back, feeling a surge of gratitude and admiration for Olivia. They wondered how she could be so brave and strong, facing three enemies alone.

Olivia turned her attention back to the Homonculi, who were circling around the fire ring, looking for an opening. She knew she had to end this quickly, before they came up with a plan. She decided to focus on one Homonculus at a time, starting with the one who had thrown the knife. She recognized him as the leader of the group, and figured that taking him out would demoralize the others.

She narrowed her eyes and threw another fireball at him, aiming for his chest. He dodged again, but this time Olivia anticipated his movement and threw another fireball at his landing spot. He barely avoided the second fireball, but Olivia was already on his tail. She leaped over the fire ring and landed in front of him, delivering a punch to his face. He staggered back, blood dripping from his nose. She placed her palm on his chest triggering an exploding blast that knocked him out

Olivia smirked, feeling a rush of adrenaline. She was winning. She suddenly heard a scream from behind her. She turned around and saw one of the students outside the barrier, a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, being targeted by one of the other Homonculi. He had thrown a dagger at her, aiming for her heart.

Olivia's eyes widened, and she felt a surge of panic. She had let her guard down. She had forgotten about the other two Homonculi. She had made a mistake.

She reacted on instinct, throwing herself in front of the girl, hoping to shield her from the dagger. She felt a sharp pain in her shoulder, as the dagger pierced her flesh. She gasped, feeling the blood seep from her wound.

She looked at the girl, who was staring at her with shock and horror. "Are you okay?" Olivia asked, trying to sound calm.

The girl nodded, tears in her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered.

Olivia smiled, feeling a wave of relief. She had saved her. She had done her job.

She looked at the Homonculus who had thrown the dagger, and felt a surge of anger. He tried to kill a child. He had no ethics, and she decided to throw all of hers away, in return.

The momentary distraction had made her lose focus on maintaining the ring of fire She created, making it's intensity deplete. The Homunculi had made it in, but she didn't seem to care. She was about to get up and confront him, when she felt a blow to her back. She fell to the ground, feeling the air leave her lungs. She looked up and saw the third Homonculus standing over her, holding a metal staff. He had taken advantage of her distraction and attacked her from behind.

"Gotcha," he said, raising his staff for another strike.

Olivia felt a surge of fear. She had no time to react. She had no way to defend herself. She had lost.

She closed her eyes, bracing for the impact. She heard a loud thud, followed by a scream. When opened her eyes, she saw the Homonculus clutching his arm, which was broken. She looked past him, and saw a boy standing outside the barrier, holding his hand out. It was Raika, one of the middle school students.

"That's it, I've had enough!" Raika yelled at the Homonculus. "You think you can hurt us and get away with it? You think you can mess with us and not face the consequences? You're wrong. You're dead wrong."

He clenched his fist, amplifying the strength in his palm. He threw a punch with everything he had at the Homonculus, hitting him in the chest. He fell to the ground, motionless.

Raika smirked, feeling a rush of satisfaction. He had killed him.

He looked at the other Homonculus, who was staring at him, frozen with fear and disbelief. He did not expect a child to have such power.

Raika grinned, feeling a surge of confidence. He had the upper hand. He had the advantage. He was winning.

He looked at Olivia, who was lying on the ground, bleeding from her shoulder, "You're pathetic, you know that?!"

He looked at her wound with disgust. He looked at her face, and saw that she was conscious. She was looking at him with anger and disappointment. She was scolding him.

"What do you think you're doing?" she said, her voice stern. "You shouldn't have left the barrier. You put yourself in danger. You disobeyed me."

She looked at him, and said, "But thank you, anyway. You saved me. You helped me."

"Good to know I have a brave and strong junior like you. Your attitude on the other hand is a big problem."

Raika felt a surge of annoyance. He looked away. "Whatever," he said, trying to sound cool.

He looked around, and saw that the other students were still inside the barrier, watching the scene with awe and shock. They had not moved. They had not helped. They had done nothing.

Raika felt a surge of contempt. In his eyes, they were useless. They were cowards. They were pathetic. That was how he viewed them

He looked at the students outside the barrier, and yelled. "Hey, you morons. What are you waiting for? Get over here and help her. She's hurt. She's bleeding."

The students snapped out of their trance, and realized what he was saying. They felt a surge of guilt. They ran towards Olivia, and tried to help her. They took off her jacket, wrapped it around her wound, lifted her up, and helped her walk to the barrier. They tried to comfort her, and thank her. Raika on the other hand continued to look at them with disgust

"That's enough. Thank you." Olivia got up and looked at the remaining Homonculus, who was still inside the— now intense—fire ring, looking for a way out. She raised her arm with her palm wide open and closed it slowly, "You should've stayed outside." The ring responded to this gesture and closed in on the Homonculus, burning him alive. He screamed in agony as the skin on his flesh slowly peeled off till his life left his body.