My Future Refreshes Weekly

Chapter 20: What Exactly Was He?

In the Transcendent School, not all students were as powerful as Du Lingwei.

Especially the ones in the ordinary classes—their awakening came neither early, nor did they possess transcendent professions suitable for growth.

Many students’ energy levels only barely reached F-rank, with only a very small portion breaking through to E-rank.

Therefore, when facing the elusive 【Phantom】, whose strength was comparable to the peak of E-rank, they could only cower in the teaching building, not daring to take a single step outside.

Not until now, when the Phantom assailants were slain and their illusions dissipated.

Only then did they finally have a chance to breathe. One by one, they scrambled to leap out the windows, rushing in the direction farthest from the school gates.

The Arc Light Organization assailants, of course, could not simply watch them escape.

One masked figure, towering over five meters, with long, thin limbs like a monster, strode to the side of the teaching building and reached his palm toward a student.

Along the way, the students attempted to fight back.

However, whether energy-based impact or physical destructive attacks, none took effect—they all passed harmlessly through his body.

On the contrary, the assailant’s palm seemed to transform into a blade, piercing straight through the bodies of three or four students, lifting them high into the air!

Seeing this scene, many students who had intended to flee collapsed to the ground in terror.

Watching their fear, the towering assailant let out a strange, sharp laugh.

With a casual swing, he flung the impaled students off his arm, bent down, and prepared to crawl into the school building.

At this moment, a fierce gust came from behind—

An ambush?

The assailant turned, only to see a beastman wearing glasses, his expression furious as he charged forward with swift and powerful movements—utterly different from the fragile students.

He dared not be careless and prepared to counter.

Yet in that instant, he heard a voice.

「Erase」

Boom!!!

The beastman, who should have passed through his body, slammed directly into him instead. With beast-like claws, he grabbed his neck and smashed him against the wall!

Then, before the assailant could defend, the beastman’s claws tore down, piercing through the mask, ripping through his mouth, stabbing into his throat.

With a forceful tug—

Blood splattered everywhere as the assailant’s head was ripped clean off!

The beastman flung the shattered head onto the ground, then turned to the boy behind him.

“This time, he’s really dead, right?”

“If nothing goes wrong, he should be.”

Jiang He had already leapt down from Wei Sheng’s back. He crouched on the ground, staring at several bodies with gaping holes in their chests, faces bloody and twisted in pain, struggling to suppress the urge to retch—

He had originally thought of using Word-Spirit to heal them. But not only were their chests pierced through, their bodies were mangled from being thrown around. They were beyond saving.

What’s more, he recognized one of the corpses—it was his former classmate.

Just a few days ago, that classmate had mocked him for not awakening, joining the others in jeering. Now, he lay lifeless on the ground, still warm, but already a corpse…

Jiang He’s emotions were indescribably complex.

No matter the dislike or resentment, this was a classmate who had shared three years with him—just like that, he was dead.

This was 【Transcendent Rampage】.

“Wei… Teacher Wei?!”

“Jiang He?!”

In the corridor of the teaching building, many students were still trapped inside, unable to escape.

They recognized Wei Sheng and Jiang He, and fear instantly turned into relief. Some even burst into tears of joy.

Finally—they were saved!

Clutching onto this final lifeline, they pleaded desperately: “Teacher Wei, save me!”

“Teacher Wei, Jiang He, let’s hurry to the shelters…”

“Teacher…”

「Silence」

The transcendent voice resounded, and even the air went still.

The students opened their mouths wide, but no sound came out. They looked at Jiang He in terror.

He said, “There’s no way out of the school now. Run farther on your own, find somewhere safe to hide.”

“Teacher Wei and I will hold the enemies back for you.”

Finishing his words, Jiang He walked over and once again mounted Wei Sheng’s back.

Wei Sheng pushed up his glasses, glancing at the panicked students.

“There are still many students trapped… From here on, you’ll have to rely on yourselves.”

Jiang He didn’t waste too much effort. The effect of Word-Spirit had already worn off.

When the students tried to speak again, Wei Sheng’s face darkened.

“Don’t waste time—go!”

In class, Wei Sheng rarely smiled and was already feared by the students. Now, after tearing apart an enemy with his bare claws, his beast-like face drenched in blood, he was even more terrifying.

The students were cowed into silence, scrambling to leap out the windows and scatter in all directions.

By this time, Chi Zhilei had also arrived.

Wei Sheng asked her to stay behind and help evacuate the other students.

Then, carrying Jiang He on his back, he left, continuing toward the next battlefield.

At the front of the teaching building, near the school gates, Du Lingwei and the other teachers were blocking most of the enemies.

Only a handful of assailants had slipped past, hunting indiscriminately.

Wei Sheng engaged these enemies while carrying Jiang He—

After all, Central State No.1 High wasn’t Arc Light Organization’s true target. This was only a battlefield meant to hold back Principal Zhong.

They weren’t here to slaughter the students, but to keep Zhong Honglian entangled, unable to disengage. If Arc Light Organization really wanted to wipe out the teachers and students, Zhong Honglian would instead fight without restraint.

Thus, the assailants allowed into the school weren’t overwhelmingly stronger than the teachers.

Most were merely D-rank transcendents.

Wei Sheng, as homeroom teacher, was at the peak of D-rank, though lacking in combat experience.

With 【Information Jiang He】’s help, he hardly spent any effort before dispatching those assailants hunting students.

Even Wei Sheng himself was astonished.

Was I… this strong all along?

Well, not exactly.

If not for Jiang He’s assistance, he would still be tangled with the Phantom’s shadows, let alone racking up kills.

Jiang He was the true MVP!

Looking at the fleeing students and the now-empty teaching building, Wei Sheng’s heart brimmed with awe.

Though he had never voiced it, he had assumed Jiang He was simply lucky, awakening to an S-rank talent.

Now, seeing his courage and composure, Wei Sheng realized—even without a top-tier talent, Jiang He would never be ordinary in the future.

But…

Thinking of what had just happened, Wei Sheng fell silent for a moment, then said:

“Sorry.”

It seemed abrupt, yet Jiang He understood immediately.

“No need to apologize, Teacher Wei.”

At the very least, on his birthday, Wei Sheng was one of the rare few who had said “Happy Birthday” to him.

For a boy starved of affection, even a tiny bit of kindness was immeasurably precious.

…

As the students evacuated, the teaching building grew quiet.

On the plaza ahead, the assailants naturally noticed this.

One metal-wielding assailant, with the talent 【Metal Manipulation】, gazed through his dark mask at the empty building and sighed.

“Even such a simple task, and they still fail. Truly useless.”

“And that Du Lingwei…”

His gaze fell on the girl wreathed in flames.

Her talent 【Flame Spirit Guardian】 was far too troublesome.

This A-rank talent not only massively amplified her flames’ power, but also granted a nearly heaven-defying defensive effect.

Even if he commanded hundreds of metal rods, coordinating with a dozen C-rank transcendents to attack from every angle, all would be blocked in an instant!

Not a single strike could penetrate the flames shielding her body!

It wasn’t even her conscious will defending.

It was as if the flames themselves had a will, instinctively protecting her, refusing to allow even the slightest harm.

Thus, she could unleash her strength without restraint, devoting all her focus to offense.

Already, several transcendents had been burned to ashes by her flames.

“So this is Flame Spirit Guardian?”

“Simply invincible.”

The metal assailant watched the flame-wielding girl, as though staring at an impassable Wall of Sighs.

Beneath the mask, his brows furrowed.

How to break through such a defense?

Observing Du Lingwei, he saw that even when besieged by multiple C-rank transcendents, she handled it with ease.

She even had the leisure to glance at other battlefields, sending support with her flames, or using her body to block attacks for others.

She treated them as if they were nothing.

Wait?

The metal assailant saw Du Lingwei wave her hand, releasing a fire serpent to engulf an attacker who was about to kill a teacher. Suddenly, inspiration struck.

He recalled a piece of intelligence about her—

As a high schooler, Du Lingwei had gained fame and earned the title 【Star of Central State】 because of her active deeds.

While studying, she also worked part-time with Zhongzhou City’s fire department, often following them on missions, dispersing fires with her control over flames, handling emergencies, and helping suppress Transcendent Rampage incidents.

If these weren’t just for show…

“Could she actually be a saintly do-gooder?”

A thought stirred in his heart.

Through his earpiece, he quietly instructed his teammates to continue pressing her, dragging the battle toward the edge of the plaza.

Once in position, he released even the rods protecting his body, summoning a storm of metal, pouring down on another battlefield instead!

That was where the D-rank assailants fought the school’s teachers—

The barrage covered the entire area, as if to kill them all, allies included!

With the distance pulled apart, Du Lingwei would never make it in time. Even if she used her body to shield them, she couldn’t block everything!

At the same time, ten C-rank assailants charged her from all directions!

In this instant, it was like a multiple-choice question placed before Du Lingwei.

“Come on—let me see which choice you make.”

The metal assailant’s eyes lit up, as though he had found the most entertaining toy.

Du Lingwei’s 【Flame Spirit Guardian】 may have had invincible defense, but it wasn’t without weakness—its 【Spirit Flame】 characteristic was akin to a summoned entity, and there was only 【one】.

If used for defense, it couldn’t attack.

If sent to protect others, it couldn’t protect her.

In other words, if she wanted to save those teachers, she would lose her invincibility!

If she didn’t—well, he already found his own teammates annoying. Let them die.

Their deaths would prove the so-called Star of Central State was nothing more than a hypocritical faker who liked to show off.

No different from them.

“Come on, choose—”

As he pondered gleefully, his expression froze.

The flame-wielding girl didn’t hesitate.

The flames encircling her body surged like a fire dragon, soaring upward, weaving into a vast net that caught the rain of metal and burned it away!

At the same time, she seized the flames around her, as though grasping a fiery spear, and charged forward, stepping on flames!

Taking advantage of the moment when the metal assailant had released all his rods, she was going to kill him outright!

Her eyes burned bright, not a shred of hesitation—only unstoppable resolve!

The metal assailant felt like prey locked by a tiger. His breath froze as he staggered back, fleeing while shouting:

“Now! Kill her!”

But Du Lingwei’s speed exceeded all expectations.

In a flash of flame, she was before him.

In an instant, fire pierced through his body.

“You…” The metal assailant lowered his head, staring at the flames burning through his chest. His face twisted as he reached out.

“Die with me!”

At that moment, the other assailants arrived.

One, wielding a greatsword, moved fastest—almost teleporting to appear behind Du Lingwei, sword raised high, slashing down!

Du Lingwei, having just unleashed her full power, was exhausted. She tried to turn, but was a half-step too slow.

The greatsword fell, slicing strands of her hair, poised to cleave her—

A calm voice resounded.

「Stop」

Like an emperor’s decree, even time itself froze.

The metal assailant, Du Lingwei, the greatsword attacker… all the assailants froze, even their thoughts halted.

From behind them, a man in a solemn black suit, pale-haired, stepped through the air, one step at a time.

His face was blurred, impossible to look upon.

His voice was indistinct, echoing within their minds.

“Ah.”

“I was already prepared for this. I shouldn’t have interfered.”

“Well, since I’m here.”

The man sighed softly.

He spoke.

「Death」

Hearing this word, the greatsword assailant lowered his blade.

He, along with the others, plummeted to the ground with a thud, kneeling.

Though they were C-rank transcendents, with bodies tougher than steel, their kneeling shattered their knees into bloody ruin, bones crushed!

Yet they showed no sign of pain. Instead, they lifted their heads high, facing the man in the sky, facing Du Lingwei…

And kowtowed.

Blood splattered.

Heads as hard as steel shattered like tofu.

These powerful transcendents, capable of soaring through the sky, were reduced to corpses kneeling in worship!

The scene was too terrifying.

Teachers and assailants alike froze, shuddering in horror.

Even Du Lingwei, always fearless, revealed a trace of dread.

But staring at the pale-haired man, she also felt an inexplicable familiarity.

She asked instinctively.

“You are…”

Before she could finish, the pale-haired man vanished.

As if he had never appeared.

…

On the other side—

Jiang He and Wei Sheng, on their way to support, also witnessed everything.

Wei Sheng, like the other teachers, was dumbstruck and horrified—those assailants had been C-rank transcendents, yet their will was directly controlled, dying in worship. This was far more terrifying than simply killing them!

Jiang He, however, froze.

He had originally planned to wait until his mental energy was exhausted, then borrow White Crane’s Heroic Spirit to unleash one burst.

But White Crane hadn’t even told him—he had simply acted on his own.

Still, that wasn’t what shocked him the most.

What shook him was—

The sight of assailants kowtowing to their deaths, White Crane’s blurred face—

It awakened his memory.

He suddenly recalled when he had awakened the talent 【Ferryman of Time】, he had glimpsed many visions.

The very first vision—on a land of endless ruins, countless figures knelt on the ground, kowtowing… and before them stood a blurred, indistinct man.

That man… was it White Crane??!

Those kneeling figures… were all corpses??!

Jiang He’s heart stopped.

White Crane…

What exactly was he?!