Aswa stared intently at the figure.
In the dark room, he sat calmly on the worn throne, almost blending with the surrounding shadows.
Suddenly—
CLICK.
The lights suddenly turned on bright.
"This is better, right?" said Arca lightly.
The sudden light made the figure on the throne squint. He covered his eyes with his hand.
Aswa and Arca still couldn't see his face, only his silhouette—tall, slim, and... neat. The long shiny suit clung to his body, making him look unlike an ordinary school kid.
Slowly, he lowered his hand.
His face was now visible.
Still young, their age. But his aura was different. Calm. Unshaken.
Aswa and Arca remained alert.
"What's your reason for coming here? Who are you?" Her tone was flat.
"And you? Who are you? Are you the king?" Aswa quickly retorted.
Arca squinted. "So he's the one called... the King of Srengseng?"
He immediately got into a fighting stance.
"Again with this." The boy sighed. "My name is Momus. And no, I've said it many times. I don't want to be a ki—"
WOSHH.
Aswa dashed like the wind and—
BAM!
A sharp punch landed on Momus's face. He immediately fell unconscious without finishing his sentence.
Silence.
Aswa furrowed her brows. Even she wasn't sure why she had punched him.
Arca was stunned, then whispered, "Why are school leaders always so weak...?"
Mondy's face flickered in his mind.
Aswa lifted Momus's body.
"Why did you bring him? You should've just left him!" Arca protested.
"If that's the case, you carry him," Aswa replied, handing him over without fuss.
"Eh, that's not what I meant! At least listen when someone's talking!" Arca snapped, but Aswa had already walked ahead.
Reluctantly, Arca carried Momus on his back.
They went down to the lower floor. The living dead of the earlier fight—people Arca had knocked out—were sprawled everywhere.
But on the other side of the room, a young man slowly got up.
It was Ken.
The leader of the Srengseng kids who had been knocked down earlier by Aswa. Now he just sat silently, reflecting... then stood again, though his steps were unsteady.
"Wa-wait! Don't take him!" he called out.
Aswa stopped. Glared sharply.
"Are you going to stop us again?"
"Yes," Ken answered with what little courage he had left.
"Who are you? Already lost, still acting tough."
"I'm... Ken. One of the bosses of Srengseng High School. I have a responsibility... to protect our King."
Aswa approached. Calm, but cold.
She touched her finger to Ken's forehead.
BAM!
That small snap hit like a sledgehammer. Ken was thrown to the wall.
"You know?" said Aswa. "Responsibility without strength... is just an excuse to hide weakness. If you really want to be loyal, be strong."
Aswa and Arca continued their way, leaving Ken on the floor.
Ken stared at the ceiling with eyes starting to glisten. He covered his face with his hands.
"Not because of loyalty... I just feel responsible..." he whispered softly.
But a weak voice from one of his men startled him.
"B-boss... to us, you're still great..."
Ken opened his eyes. Looked around.
His men—all lying down.
He crawled to them, then sat in the middle, bowing his head.
"Sorry, friends... As a boss, I failed to protect you."
Aswa and Arca broke the building's window, then jumped to the roof of the opposite building.
From there, a gentle breeze blew. Aswa took a deep breath.
Then she shouted:
"EVERYONE LISTEN UP!!!"
Her voice echoed throughout the school.
All those still conscious turned toward the voice.
"Your King... I have defeated him! That means—you are all defeated! No need to fight anymore!"
Behind her, Arca held the unconscious Momus high. Everyone could clearly see: the King of Srengseng had fallen.
Arca added:
"From now on, Srengseng is under the control of South Meruya!"
-To be continued.-