A/n
Thank you so much for 10k+ reads! Here's today's chapter :)

Three hours to go...

"Our last mission: get to school safely without losing anyone!" Isogai announces as we all huddle around him in the forest surrounding the E Class building. With that, we proceed with our plan.

"It's a mob of monsters!" A man cries out as me and some of my classmates leap swiftly through the trees and through the foliage.

"What a nightmare!" Another says. "I can't tell how many there are!"

"Think you can mess with us?" The first guy says, trying to sound scary but failing as he whips around with his gun, only for Isogai, Mimura, Maehara, and I to simultaneously charge at him, ultimately rendering him out of commission.

"Okay. Nice teamwork, you four." Karma says, smiling at us before he reaches into his pocket to grab something. Is that wasabi? Oh, and that weird contraption from the island... He fastens it on the man.

"This squad's takes care of, Karma." I hear Chiba faintly over Karma's communication device.

"Okay." Karma replies as he shoves the tube up the man's nose.

"How's things by you?" Chiba asks.

"Hmm? Right now..." Karma trails off, opening another tube, this time of hot mustard.

"Agh! Hot! It burns!" The man cries. "Ow! It burns!"

"Sorry 'bout that! But you're all such pros." Karma says as Nagisa laughs sheepishly beside him. "How else am I going to get you to scream?" Karma squeezes the tube one more time, the man screaming even louder in response. "See, we need you to holler to lure out a few more reinforcements. I'd like to take care of two or three more while I'm here." Karma goes on to discuss with Ritsu on our current position and direct some of our other classmates to another squad of military personnel.

"He sure is scary sometimes." I whisper to Maehara. The blond nods in agreement, shivering slightly.

"Yeah... Remind me to never compete with him. On anything." He says. Karma gradually directs us all over the mountain, taking out more manageable amounts of soldiers at a time. It's a good thing we set all these traps for Korosensei around here. Even if they aren't being used on him, they're definitely doing their job.

Our mission goes relatively smoothly at first. But then we hit our first major roadblock in the form of a lone soldier. Terasaka, Yoshida, and Muramatsu encounter him first, though the rest of us aren't far behind.

"You punks! If you'd only behave, this could all be over." He growls as I finally reach within earshot. "Why in blazes are you rebelling this late in the game?!"

"This is something we have to resolve ourselves!" Kanzaki says, lunging at him with a taser.

"You don't get to march in now and boss is around!" Terasaka yells, ramming into the man's back with his shoulder before springing out of reach. Kataoka and Isogai move in together, but the man blocks both of them.

"Please trust us on the whole Korosensei thing!" Isogai pleads.

"Just back off already and let us handle it!" Muramatsu adds. Suddenly, an anti-sensei knife falls from above the man, narrowly missing his shoulder. He glances down at it before looking back up, only to come face to face with Nagisa's stun clap. The man freezes.

"Karma!" Nagisa calls out, grabbing ahold of the man whilst jumping out of the tree. Karma appears less than a second later, kicking him over his back like he had done to Nagisa during their fight. The two of them breathe heavily, looking down at the man and then each other.

"Nagisa." Karma says finally. They both smile at each other before high-fiving. That's nice and everything, but...

"Um, guys..." I say.

"Hey! He's still moving!" Kayano finishes my thought.

"You damn brats!" The man curses. We had tied him up, and now several of my classmates, my boyfriend included, had decided to test out their tasers.

"Finish the job right, you dumbasses!" Terasaka scolds them, a tic mark on his forehead. "You can keep your show-off high-fives!" The two look away in embarrassment. I almost laugh. That is, until I catch a glimpse of the orange shield and am reminded why we are here.

Once we are confident that the man isn't going anywhere, we head to the transparent dome. Without tentacles, we are able to walk through it without any hindrance. Soon, our school building comes into sight, and with it... Korosensei!

"I knew it was you from your very footsteps." He says, his familiar voice a comfort to hear.

"Sensei..." Nagisa murmurs.

"You've come so far, class." Korosensei says, nodding at us. That's all we need to hear before we all sprint towards him.

"Korosensei!"

After spending the next few minutes reveling in the presence of our teacher, we finally quiet down, standing in a loose circle around him.

"That's the light from the laser." Nagisa observes, looking straight above us. The red dot twinkles menacingly down at us.

"I see. So they'll be firing the killing laser just before midnight." Korosensei says. "That much power would even break my Absolute Defense Form."

"No way..." Kataoka says, looking down dejectedly.

"Korosensei, let's find a way out of here!" Kurahashi says, looking up at him with big eyes. "We'll be your hostages, or whatever else it takes!" Nagisa nods in agreement.

"There's no stopping that laser now—not when people know I'm out there." Korosensei says gently.

"Did you know all along that it would come to this?" Hayami asks quietly.

"Even if I don't explode, you can't expect all these nations not to be afraid of a monster like me." Korosensei explains. "Sooner or later they'll want to snuff me out. It's only reasonable." Fuwa clenches her fist.

"If only we'd acted sooner, there might have been a way... Like breaking the barrier projectors, or making the rounds online and on TV to plead our case!" She says.

"Then you'd have been labeled as even more dangerous, and you might have been placed under stricter surveillance." Korosensei reasons. "Besides, the projectors' defenses are impregnable. There are anti-aircraft weapons in place, poised to launch if I so much as huck a rock at them. And with your current capabilities and equipment, you likely wouldn't even make it that far. That is how perfect this plan was. They soared nothing, pouring in tech, time, and manpower. This assassination—this realization of the world's combined wisdom and efforts—surpasses my own abilities, for which I offer my respect and gratitude for the honor of having been its target." His words leave even Karma with a frown on his face, not to mention the rest of us.

"But... then all our hard work getting to this point... was all wasted?" Yada asks in a small voice.

"None of it was, Yada." Korosensei reassures her, placing a tentacle on her head. "You went all the way to space to find out that my probability of exploding was less than one percent. That brought the light back to a gloomy and downcast E Class, and the month that followed was short, but very sweet. That whole journey—and the dedication in your hearts—is what matters. You used every last bit of what you'd learned to come and see me. A teacher can find no greater happiness."

"Why won't they just declare that time's up?" Terasaka huffs. Korosensei looks over his shoulder at the male. "It's just one percent! That's a risk we'll take, and gladly! Why won't the government and the rest of 'em hear us out, when we're the ones who've been closest to you? This octopus is just a harmless perv!"

"'We won't listen to what those kids have to say. We'll just pity them instead.' It's insulting." Hazama's eyes narrow.

"Like we can shut up and take this!" Muramatsu agrees.

"Next time I see those goons, I'm gonna—" Yoshida is cut off as Korosensei zooms behind them, poking their cheeks with his tentacles.

"Terasaka, all of you... Let me give you some advice." Korosensei says, returning back to the center of our circle. "As you go through life, there will certainly be times things don't go as you'd hoped due to the mighty current of society pushing against you. When this happens, do not look to society for a cause. Do not renounce society. Frankly, you'd be wasting your time. Instead, just say, 'That's life!' and muddle your way through the frustration. Once you're past it, consider: if society's swift current is tossing you around, how should you be swimming there in its midst? You should have learned how, here in the E Class—in this assassination classroom."

"You don't always have to stand and face it head-on. You can run, and you can hide. If it's not against the rules, you can try a sneak attack. You can use unconventional weapons." Korosensei says. "Stay determined—neither impatient nor discouraged—and with repeated trial and error, you're bound to reach a splendid outcome eventually. That's because each and every one of you is a top-tier assassin who can do just that."

"Geez. A lesson, really? Now?" Terasaka questions. Korosensei merely laughs.

"Now's just the time for this lesson." He says. "An instructor never misses an opportunity to be teach. But you know, for you to try so wholeheartedly to save me..." Korosensei places a tentacle on top of each of our heads. "I'm so happy I've been holding back tears this entire time. And I mean that." I can tell, too. His voice is strained with those tears. He gazes at us proudly as he retracts his tentacles.

"By the way, Nakamura, your footsteps were awfully gentle, even during that pitched mountain battle." Korosensei points out. "And... do I smell something sweet?"

"Sharp ears and a sharp nose..." She remarks, unbuckling something from her waist. She sets the package on the ground in front of her, opening the lid. "It's been exactly one year since the day the moon exploded, right?" She displays a delicious looking red berry cake. Korosensei drools. "As I recall, Ms.Yukimura made today your birthday. Feel free to praise my skill in getting this here in one p—Hey! I'm talking!" Nakamura scolds him once she realizes his full attention is on the cake.

"But... It's just..." Korosensei sputters. "It's my first sweet anything in a week!" He exclaims.

"Ew, you're drooling!" She complains. "Come on, everyone! Let's get singing!" She quickly pulls out a candle and lights it. "And... go!"

"Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you!"

"Man, this is some bullshit—" Terasaka starts to complain, but Kataoka wordlessly tugs at his cheek. "Tooo youuu!"

"Happy birthday, dear Korosensei...
Happy birthday to you!" We all cheer as we wrap up the song.

"C'mon, blow it out, Korosensei!" Maehara urges.

"Yeah, you don't want to get wax on it!" I add.

"There's just one, so make it count!" Sugaya says. Korosensei prepares to blow out the candle, but he never gets to. Something flies in from out of nowhere, sending the cake splattering in every direction. My classmates leap out of the way and Maehara pulls me to his chest.

"Happy birthday." A new voice says. No way... Shiro. And his new lackey. The same dark figure we had seen with him last time hovers at his side.

"Shi—No..." Terasaka says in shock.

"Yanagisawa." Korosensei says coldly.

"The time is ripe." The man says, an evil smirk resting on his features. The figure beside him squirms and wriggles. "Let me give you the gift of the world's cruelest death." The figure unzips the top of his suit.

"Sensei. You know who I am, don't you?" It says in a distorted voice, two bright yellow eyes shining from within the hood. Korosensei sweats nervously.

"Why don't I reintroduce him—to your students, too." Yanagisawa says. "He the man who stole the name of the Reaper from that octopus." The Reaper steps forward, dropping his suit. "And..." Countless tentacles burst out, weaving together to create a warped beast. "As of today, he's the new Korosensei." It launches into the air, landing behind us on the school roof.

"That... Is that thing..." Yoshida stutters as he and the rest of us near the building run to join our classmates, further away from him.

"The second Reaper... The one who'd attacked us!" Nagisa says.

"Before it was just his face. Now his whole body is monstrous!" Muramatsu exclaims.

"He's just had the same modifications as the octopus." Yanagisawa says. "The only difference is that he begged for them. Completely unlike that failure, Itona, or my little sister-in-law over there. Can you even imagine? A man who overpowered you single-handedly even as a human now possesses tentacles as matchless as his hatred. The resulting destructive power: unthinkable."

"Die!" The Reaper bellows, charging towards us.

"Run away!" Korosensei orders, blocking his attack away from us. However, the force of the blow is enough to send Korosensei hurtling back towards us, and to leave us all sprawled on the ground.

"(Y/n)!" Maehara says, grasping me by the shoulders as I sit up. His eyes are glazed with worry.

"I'm fine." I respond, reaching up and holding one of his hands in mine. "But Korosensei..."

"A sonic boom." Yanagisawa says as Korosensei dodges blows from the vicious creature. "His tentacles have an initial velocity of Mach 2. And they can reach a top speed... of Mach 40."

"M-Mach 40?!" Okajima cries.

"In short, his basic performance is doubled. The Reaper 2.0's superhuman kinetic vision and intuition are amplified via his tentacles, making him readily adaptable to a supersonic world." Yanagisawa explains. "Unlike some amateur children, he took his tentacles readily—just like version 1 over there."

"Korosensei!" Nagisa calls out as the Reaper deals a particularly harsh blow to our teacher. I... I can't watch... But I can't look away, either.

"But the greatest difference is that unlike you and that octopus, those tentacles were not designed with long-term operation in mind." Yanagisawa admits. "That means he needs no upkeep. He's disposable. I've made it so he can draw out tremendous levels of energy, in exchange to shortening his lifespan to three months. And there's no danger of him exploding at death." Suddenly, Yanagisawa laughs. "Is this not a safe and invincible weapon?"

"You always do this." Kayano mutters, drawing his attention. "You're always hurting others... from your safe spot away from it all!" She screams at him. The smile slides off his face.

"Is that what you think?" He asks, pulling his hood down before revealing a syringe. He pushes it into the side of his neck, darkness spreading through his veins. "Did you really believe I wasn't fully prepared to die?"

"Hey, that's..." Sugaya whispers.

"It can't be..." Okuda says, holding her hands to her mouth. Yanagisawa rips off his white coat.

"I don't give a damn about my life anymore." He says, his limbs becoming more jelly-like. "If I can kill the creature who stole everything from me, I'd call that a fair trade. Joints, muscles, fibers, the spinal cord, the nervous system—it may not be a full-body operation, but by gradually implanting tentacles into those key places, I can retain my human faculties while becoming something so much more." Yanagisawa says, looking over at us before running at Korosensei. "Die a pathetic death, guinea pig..." His mechanical eye glows purple. "and scar your beloved students for life!"

"Why, you..!" Korosensei can't finish his sentence, having been knocked to the Earth by the Reaper. "Class..." He groans, dust surrounding him as he pulls himself up. "There's something I forgot to mention in my earlier lesson. Even an assassin who's cleverly avoided all head-to-head battles is sure to have at least one encounter in their life where they must fight with every last ounce of strength they possess.  And in my case... that would be now!"