In The Academy As Sukuna

Ch 37 - Ruins (Part 5) - Love and Darkness

"Love is the strength that battles the darkest of times, a light in the abyss."

(POV: Ryomen Sukuna)

I continued to wander around the tunnels, exhaustion slowly gnawing onto me. The eerie silence was broken only by the sounds of footsteps echoing off the stone walls.

My mind raced with thoughts of all the strange appearances of my name, as well as of the amulet—Null.

After what felt like hours of continuous walking, I reached an open area.

My eyes widened as I saw tents lined up, light flickering from inside them.

"Finally," I muttered, a sense of relief passing through me.

"Sukuna!" A voice called from the middle of the tents, filled with surprise and concern. "Come here, you should drink some water!"

It was Silvas, the vice-principal of the academy as well as the one who had taken command for the exploration of these ruins.

He led me to a central tent where all the instructors were sitting around a table, on which was kept a map drawn roughly on a piece of paper, dirt smudging its edges.

All of the instructors glanced at me, relief passing through their eyes as I would be an important figure in the upcoming battles.

"This is the map of the boss room," one of the instructors said, his voice serious as he stared at the map.

"We could only get a glance, but that was enough to figure out the layout," he pointed somewhere on the map.

"It's shaped like a dome, designs on its margins," he said, pausing for a second. "Then there a hole in the middle, we're not sure why, but that could be important."

He paused for a few seconds, looking at me for any questions.

"The problem is," he continued, leaning back onto his chair as contemplation flickered through his eyes. "We couldn't see the boss monster anywhere."

I leaned back onto the chair, sighing.

"This will be a difficult battle," I said, my voice troubled. "With many casualties."

They nodded in response, their heads lowering.

It was their duty to protect their students, but they were doing the exact opposite of that, pushing them towards death.

"Also," I said, causing the instructors to look up at me. "I found Ryogaku in one of the corridors. I went through the widest ones, so you can probably reach him quite easily."

An expression of relief passed their faces. Both of the strongest in the academy were safe, which would be a great help in the upcoming fight.

The tense atmosphere prevailed as the instructors breathed a sigh of relief.

Silvas opened his mouth, his voice steady but filled with gravity.

"Out there, we all have someone waiting—friends, family, loved ones. We owe it to them to fight with everything we've got, to come back alive."

His words seemed to have a great effect on the instructors' minds.

They straightened up in their seats, their eyes burning with determination.

"We may be facing an unknown enemy, but we are not alone. We have each other, and together, we can overcome anything." He continued, his voice unwavering and carrying firm confidence.

The instructors nodded, his words sinking in.

"We will face this challenge head-on," they said, their voice resolute. "For everyone we care about. We will find a way to win, no matter the cost."