F-Rank Soul Eater-Chapter 131: She Always Knew.

Bang...

His attack was met with another attack and he was forced to defend himself.

The Red Sword Inquisitor frowned. But still, he didn’t hesitate.

Plainly out of necessity, he bellowed as he advanced again.

"Cadets, wake up! You are engaging in violence within school premises—this is a punishable offense!"

Bit a blast of ice answered him.

A shriek of compressed frost tore through the air, spearing toward his chest.

He raised his sword on instinct.

His steel met ice with a ringing crack, red light flaring along the blade as the spikes shattered into mist and shards that skittered across the floor.

But he was not done. He lunged.

The inquisitor carved forward, slicing through the conjured ice like brittle glass.

His momentum carrying him straight toward the first figure with the shifting neuralink runes.

The blade arced cleanly—perfectly for the kill—

—and stopped.

Just an inch from the cadet’s head.

Frost crawled over the sword in an instant, racing along the metal like living veins.

The Red Sword’s eyes widened just as the rune-laced figure raised a hand and struck him aside.

He flew, slammed into the floor, and rolled hard before catching himself on one knee. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

The rune-laced caderlt stepped forward slowly.

Each movement was deliberate, heavy with intent to KILL.

The silver neuralink glyphs across its body pulsed...

ᚨ ᚱ ᚲ ᚾ ᛉ ᛟ ᛇ ᛞ ᚦ ᚺ

Thwy switched, rearranging themselves, glowing brighter with every step.

The inquisitor looked down at his weapon.

Red Swords were the bane of Soulbound warriors, not because they had the ability to call on great catastrophic powers like Soulbound warriors could. But because they drew power by sacrifice—by burning fragments of their own life force to sever a Soulbound warrior’s connection to their Shade. It was a brutal system.

But because of its nature, it was effective.

But now—

That infamous ability was not working.

Ice clung to the blade. The red glow sputtered. It was uneven, and strangled beneath the frost.

"...That’s not possible," he muttered.

He pushed himself fully upright, frown deepening, and tapped the comm on his wrist.

"Command, this is Inquisitor Hale. I require immediate backup. Lives are at stake and an inquisitor is dead. Target is resistant— I repeat, resistant—to severance protocols."

Static answered.

Behind him, footsteps approached.

The two men in lab coats stumbled back into the room, cigarette smoke still stuck to their body—only to freeze at the sight before them.

"What the—" The blond screamed.

The sound snapped through the chamber like a gunshot.

Both figures that had risen from the morgue turned at once.

The lab technicians backed away in blond panic.

One slipped, heels skidding on frost, and crashed to the ground with a choked cry. The other kept retreating, eyes wide, mouth working uselessly.

The second rune–laced risen figure moved.

It crossed the distance in a blink, knelt, and gently pressed two fingers to the fallen man’s temple.

There was no scream.

Boom...

Just a wet, concussive burst—blood and fragments painting the floor and cabinets in a violent bloom.

"AHHHH!" The blond screamed. Some of his friend’s blood and brain matter actually found its way to his mouth.

The Red Sword Inquisitor stared, stocked.

With a snarl, he gripped his sword tighter. The crimson glow flared violently, heat roaring outward as the ice encasing the blade hissed and melted away in steaming rivulets.

Behind him, Dr. Kaya finally leaned forward.

"Don’t agitate them too much," she said lightly. "They are stronger now."

Inquisitor Hale turned to her.

This woman was still sitting and enjoying the show even though two people had just died before her eyes.

But she didn’t even glance his way.

Instead, she sighed, rolling her eyes, and then raised her voice—not sharp, not loud, just tired of it all.

"I know you boys are watching," she said calmly. "If you take care of these for me, I won’t report to the school that you’re in the Red Zone."

Silence.

’Who is she talking to?’ Hale thought to himself.

Then—

Soren stepped out first, dagger low and gripped tight, eyes locked on the carnage. "How long have uou known we were here?"

Polystar followed, "She has always known." He answered Soren, but gaze focused on Doctor Kaya like he was afraid she would suddenly leap to grab him on between her teeth.

—and this was regardless of her calm disposition.

Vass came last, "so let me get this straight, we help you and you help us, right?"

On seeing him, Doctor Kaya’s gaze focused.

"Oh, my lucky day. A buffet." She mused, then added. "Of course, with one session in my lab."

Polystar instantly leaped back.

Doctor Kaya giggled, "Well, that is a noble reaction."

Soren and Vass did not understand why Polystar had leaped back like that, but right now, there was bigger problems on their hands.

Vass stepped forward, flames already blazing from his body. "You got yourself a deal lady."

Inquisitor Hale frowned. "How the hell did you kids get in here," eyes falling on Soren. "And you?"

"Forget about them." Doctor Kaya ordered confidently. "Activate the servers, I want the Sponsors to see what’s going on here."

"But... but this is a red zone." He protested.

And he was right. It was also another reason Soren, Polystar and Vass were so bold as to sneak into this place.

Unless someone was going to review the security footage, it was useless.

Sponsors were not fed feed from the red zones.

Doctor Kaya rolled her eyes, "yes...yes. I know the rules. Affairs of the academy should be kept separate blah blah blah. Now do it. Besides, I’m granting access. Use Code 96e69 candy girl."

Inquisitor Hale paused.

Swallowed bit then did as instructed.

He typed in the code into his wrist watch and instantly, the cameras in the room responded.

Beeping live.

—turning towards the confrontation.

Meanwhile, Soren noticed that from the moment he stepped out the eyes of the rune laced cadets had been on him.

Their eyes followed not just every step he took, but every turn he made.