The clearing trembled under the weight of battle.
Trees shook. Birds scattered. Even the ground itself seemed to think about calling it a day.
Issei gripped his spear like his life depended on it—which, to be fair, it did. His Boosted Gear pulsed with a rhythmic thunk-thunk against his arm, glowing like a power-up waiting to be taken seriously.
Across from him stood the massive black wolf, its glowing yellow eyes filled with ancient rage and, quite possibly, indigestion. The beast snarled, fangs bared, steam huffing from its nostrils like a demon-sized kettle about to blow.
Its muscles tensed, coiled tighter than Issei's nerves on a date. And then, it lunged.
Saji, to his credit, didn't scream like a girl this time. His Sacred Gear—Absorption Line—whipped out, glowing bright green as it slithered through the air. It latched onto the wolf's front leg with a satisfying snap, draining strength and momentum like a magical USB.
Malrik stood off to the side, arms crossed, one eyebrow twitching at the display.
"You call that a swing, Issei?! You're not digging a rice field! Control the weight at the tip—precision, not brute strength!"
Issei, panting, nodded furiously. "Yes, sensei! Less plow, more... poke!"
He adjusted the gravity magic in his spear—just a bit lighter. The tip hummed with power.
The spear moved faster, sharper, like it had a mind of its own. Issei lunged forward, yelling something that probably would've sounded heroic if his voice didn't crack mid-charge.
SCHINK!
The blade scraped against the wolf's shoulder. A shallow hit—but a hit nonetheless.
The wolf growled and retaliated with a swipe that would've sent most people into early retirement.
WHAM!
Issei flew like a ragdoll, crashed into a tree, and slid down with a wheeze that made everyone wince.
Malrik didn't even glance over. "Asia."
She rushed forward, hands glowing. "Healing Light!"
A warm radiance bathed Issei's battered body, closing his wounds like a mother slapping a band-aid on a scraped knee.
Issei staggered to his feet, blood still trickling down his temple—but he grinned through it.
"I'm back! Round two, baby!"
"Please use your brain this time," Aika called out, arms crossed. "At least try to pretend it's in your head."
Saji surged in next, using Issei's chaos as cover. He lashed out his Absorption Line again, binding the wolf's hind leg. The beast howled in frustration, trying to shake it loose, but Saji gritted his teeth and held on like his love life depended on it.
"YES!" Saji shouted. "This is how we do it!"
Malrik's voice rang out again. "Good! Now break the legs or the will—whichever comes first!"
From the sidelines, Rias observed with a thoughtful expression. "They're doing surprisingly well."
Sona adjusted her glasses. "Malrik's influence, no doubt. He's rough, but effective."
Aika and Mittelt cheered from the other side, standing with Asia.
"Go, dumb boys!" Aika shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Show that oversized puppy who's alpha!"
Mittelt smirked. "Try not to die while you're proving your manhood."
Asia giggled nervously.
Back in the ring of fur and fury, Issei regained momentum. He launched forward again, this time using the spear's gravity trick to shift weight mid-strike—light enough to maneuver, heavy enough to hurt.
CRACK!
The spear slammed into the wolf's side. A solid hit. The beast staggered.
Saji took the opportunity to jump in, gathering absorbed energy into a glowing punch.
THWACK!
The wolf buckled to one knee.
"We're doing it!" Issei grinned like a madman. "We're actually doing it!"
They had it.
They were winning.
And then—
ROOOOAAARRR.
A new sound echoed through the trees. Deeper. Hungrier.
The air turned heavy. The birds fell silent.
Issei froze mid-victory-pose. "...Please tell me that was Saji's stomach."
Saji gulped. "That... was not me."
From the forest shadows emerged a second beast.
A tiger.
But not just any tiger—a monster the size of a van, with muscles layered like armor and fangs that made swords look like chopsticks. Its fur glowed faintly with energy. And it was not here to make friends.
It growled low... then locked eyes on the weakened black wolf.
Issei and Saji backed away instinctively.
"Uhhh... new plan?" Issei squeaked.
The tiger lunged, aiming to finish the weakened wolf—
And that's when Saji did the dumbest, bravest thing imaginable.
He stepped in front of it.
His Sacred Gear lashed out in defense. A glowing shield formed.
The tiger's paw crashed into it with a force that shattered the barrier like glass.
Everyone screamed.
The tiger's claw came down—
CLANG.
Blocked.
By Malrik.
He was suddenly there, standing between Saji and the tiger with one hand raised, catching the blow mid-strike.
One hand.
Everyone—including the tiger—froze.
Malrik didn't flinch. His voice was calm.
"Not today."
With a twist of his wrist, he threw the tiger back like a disobedient cat.
Saji, still trembling, looked up. "Y-You... You stopped it... with one hand...?"
Malrik didn't reply.
He just turned toward the wolf, who was watching everything with quiet awe.
"You protected it," he said. "So it chose you."
The wolf walked forward slowly and pressed its head against Saji's arm.
The contract was made—without words, without magic circles. Just trust.
Cheers erupted across the field.
Even the slime jiggled with.
"Well done, boys," Malrik said with a smirk. "Looks like class is over."
For now.