[Celestial Academy — Central Courtyard — 10:51 AM]

The central courtyard had four exits.

Ten Inquisitors blocked three.

Kira counted them in two seconds. Four from the north, three from the east, three from the south. Levels 65 to 72. Capture formation closing the perimeter diagonally.

"Ten," she said.

"I see them," said Maya.

Akari at full form beside her — nine tails extended, golden eyes processing the courtyard with the intelligence of something that had spent years calibrating threats. Not Fox Fire yet. Just evaluation.

Emily behind the two with her hands already active. The light of Purifying Light latent between her fingers — not launched, charged.

The ten Inquisitors closed in.

---

The coordinator was the level 72 from the south. Kira identified him by his movement — more centered than the others, giving space to his flanks before occupying it himself. The kind who had fought in formation enough times to know that his position affected everyone else’s.

"The level 72 from the south first," said Kira. "Without him, the other nine lose coordination."

"How do we take him out?" said Emily.

"Akari separates him. You stop him. I close him."

Maya was already moving before Kira finished.

"Akari."

[Nine-Tails Inferno — focused — 4m radius]

Akari’s nine tails channeled simultaneously — not the orange fire of normal combustion but fox fire that burned on the magical plane and the physical plane at the same time.

The level‑72 Inquisitor from the south was inside the radius before he could adjust position.

[Inquisitor level 72 — HP: 195,000 → 168,000]

Twenty‑seven thousand damage in one second.

The Inquisitor activated a magic shield. Too late — the first impact had already connected, the shield absorbing the rest.

His eight companions reorienting toward Akari.

---

Emily read the movement of the eight before Kira said it.

[Purifying Light — Ishi’s technique — focused on the level 72]

The light found the coordinator’s left knee — chronic wear.

The purification reminded him it was there.

[Inquisitor level 72 — speed: -40% for 3 seconds]

Kira was already moving.

[Predator’s Sense — active]

The complete map of the courtyard loaded in real time. The coordinator with reduced mobility to her left. The gap between the level‑70 Inquisitor and the level‑67 Inquisitor on the east flank — seventy centimeters, enough if she passed without slowing down.

Kira passed without slowing down.

Two arrows nocked, fired in the same arc — one at the level 70, one at the level 67. Not to penetrate armor. To make them choose between blocking or holding position.

They blocked.

[Inquisitor level 70 — HP: 182,000 → 175,400]

[Inquisitor level 67 — HP: 175,000 → 166,200]

The east formation opened two meters.

Kira to the coordinator through the gap before it closed.

Without a bow. Her elbow into the articulated joint between shoulder and neck of the Temple armor — the same one she had identified in the first week studying Cael’s escort.

[Inquisitor level 72 — HP: 168,000 → 156,800]

[Right shoulder — mobility: 0% for 4 seconds]

The coordinator turned with the arm that still responded.

Kira was no longer there.

---

The nine reorganized toward the center of the courtyard.

Without the active coordinator, the movements were more independent — each Inquisitor making their own decisions instead of following the level 72’s structure. More unpredictable in detail. Less efficient as a whole.

Maya read the new formation.

"Pillar."

The three moved to the central pillar of the courtyard — eight meters high, two‑meter base, stone from the oldest building. The nine Inquisitors had no angle for a simultaneous attack from the pillar.

[Nine-Tails Split — Akari — 9 copies]

Akari split into nine — one per tail, each copy operating independently but coordinated, dispersing to the nine angles of the courtyard.

The nine Inquisitors lost the main target in less than two seconds.

"Which one is real?" said the level‑71 Inquisitor from the north.

No one answered because no one knew.

---

[Predator’s Sense — Kira — reading the nine]

The level‑65 Inquisitor from the north was the most nervous — irregular steps, visible breathing even though he wore armor. First easy target but tactically useless.

The level‑70 Inquisitor from the east was compensating for the previous arrow’s damage by changing his weapon grip — that told her the attack style he was going to use.

The level‑71 Inquisitor from the north was looking for the real Akari with his eyes instead of detection skills — insufficient training against high‑level summoners.

"Emily. In five seconds, the level 71 from the north is going to launch area magical detection to find the real Akari."

"And?"

"If he launches area detection, he finds all nine empty copies and the real Akari at the same time. That tells him which one is real."

Emily processed. "What do you need?"

"For the detection not to reach the real Akari."

[Blessing of Protection — Emily — target: Akari copy number 4]

Not on the real Akari. On copy number 4 — the one that was in the position where the real Akari should be according to the movement patterns an Inquisitor with standard training would expect.

The protection on copy number 4 was magically indistinguishable from protection on the real target.

The level‑71 Inquisitor from the north launched detection.

He found nine empty copies and one with an active protection blessing.

He pointed to copy number 4.

The nine Inquisitors converged toward copy number 4.

The real Akari on the opposite flank.

[Ring of Fire — Akari — 8m radius — centered on the nine converging Inquisitors]

The ring of fire materialized around the nine before they reached the copy.

[Inquisitor level 65 — HP: 168,000 → 142,000]

[Inquisitor level 67 — HP: 166,200 → 138,400]

[Inquisitor level 70 — HP: 175,400 → 145,200]

[Inquisitor level 71 — HP: 185,000 → 152,800]

[Damage distributed among the nine — variable by position within radius]

The level‑72 coordinator emerged from the Ring with his shoulder still lacking full mobility.

HP: 156,800 → 129,600.

---

Seven Inquisitors with significant damage.

Two still without real damage — those who had been at the edges of the Ring.

The level‑72 coordinator looking at the courtyard.

Akari regrouping into full form. Kira behind the pillar with her bow loaded. Emily with Purifying Light active. Maya with the tactical map fully updated.

"They’re coordinated," said the coordinator quietly.

Not as praise. As tactical evaluation from someone who had just understood that the capture was going to cost more than he had been told.

"Second formation," he ordered. "We separate the healer."

The nine Inquisitors adjusted.

Kira saw it before the first step of the new formation finished.

"They’re going for Emily."

Maya: "I know."

Emily: "I know too."

"Scared?" said Kira.

Emily looked at the nine Inquisitors reorienting toward her.

"Yes."

"Good." Kira nocked two arrows. "It means you know what’s happening."

[Predator’s Sense — maximum — reading the new formation]

The coordinator split the nine into two groups — five directly at Emily, four creating a barrier between Kira and Maya and the group of five. Clean formation. Designed to isolate support and collapse the team’s coordination.

Kira loosed the two arrows at the two highest‑level Inquisitors in the group of four — not to eliminate, to make them adjust.

[Inquisitor level 72 — HP: 129,600 → 118,200]

[Inquisitor level 71 — HP: 152,800 → 143,600]

They adjusted.

Half a second.

[Nine-Tails Inferno — Akari — group of five heading for Emily]

The nine tails channeled toward the group of five advancing.

[Five Inquisitors — variable damage — HP reduced between 22,000 and 31,000 per unit]

The group of five stopped.

Emily, who had been counting since Kira loosed the two arrows, activated at the exact second Maya had calculated.

[Purifying Light — focused — coordinator level 72 — left knee]

Second time.

The coordinator’s knee remembered the wear for the second time in three minutes.

[Inquisitor level 72 — speed: -40% for 3 seconds]

Kira through the gap created by the reduced speed.

Third arrow. Same articulated joint point. Same shoulder.

[Inquisitor level 72 — HP: 118,200 → 103,400]

[Right shoulder — mobility: 0% indefinite — accumulated damage]

The level‑72 coordinator fell to one knee.

He stood up.

But the nine Inquisitors watching that understood something that Agustín’s report had not included.

The three weren’t surviving.

They were winning.