Zazm opened his eyes, blinking away the haze of sleep. A soft voice was calling to him.
When his vision cleared, he saw a girl with long purple hair leaning over him. Zephyra.
"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice low, groggy.
Zephyra tilted her head, her sharp amethyst eyes narrowing slightly. "How did you even fall asleep?"
Zazm threw the covers aside and swung his legs off the bed. "I just did. Don't worry about it." He stretched once, then turned his gaze to her.
But his expression shifted into mild confusion. He raised a finger toward her. "What's up with that?"
Zephyra blinked, then looked down at herself. "What?"
She was wearing a loose black hoodie, its hood lined in purple, with gray pants that hung comfortably. Not her usual elegant, flowing gowns.
"That's not like your usual outfit," Zazm remarked.
Zephyra smirked lightly, her usual calm aura never fading. "I'm going to meet Elziora. We're gonna walk for a while. I can't exactly stroll around in heavy gowns, can I?" She tilted her head, playful. "Unless you plan to carry me. But you're going to be busy today."
Zazm gave a slight nod. "They're conducting the exam in a unique way."
Zephyra hopped up onto the bed, crossing her legs. "But isn't all this too extreme?"
"It is a little extreme," Zazm admitted, his tone level, "but everyone will be fine."
Zephyra rested her chin on her palm. "And what if someone walks away from this with trauma?"
"Then," Zazm answered simply, "they'll have their memories of today removed. It's that simple."
Zephyra chuckled softly. "Cruel. But… fitting, I suppose, for the times." She leaned back on her hands, her gaze drifting up. "So, I should probably stay. If you're going to create a space bigger than the EIAA itself, then use time reversal on everything… that's too much Vana. You might be vulnerable if someone from outside attacks."
"Don't worry," Zazm said calmly. "It'll be fine."
Zephyra's smirk faded, her voice firm. "No. I'm not leaving you in any case."
Zazm let out a quiet breath. "I'll connect my powers to a device—special-made. Instead of pouring all my Vana into it, Neo, Asher, and I will take turns. That way, all of us only exhaust a little."
Zephyra's lips curved into a softer smile. "Then that's alright. Very well—I'll see you later."
With that, she leapt gracefully out of the window.
Zazm moved into the washroom, splashing his face once before heading to the briefing room.
---
The scene shifted.
Zazm now sat on a wide, soft sofa, his expression unreadable. Across from him, Neo spoke in a flat tone:
"Nova and Miwa are dead."
Silence hung for a moment before Asher broke it with a smirk. "But both of them weren't a joke. Nova killed three hundred and ninety-eight people without powers or proper weapons." His voice almost carried a note of amusement. "Even if you disregard the natural strength and speed of a 1-star, it's still insane."
Neo, seated beside him, rotated a glowing green crystal in his hand. Dozens of screens floated in the air before them, showing live scenes from the academy.
"Miwa died because she couldn't kill anyone," Neo said quietly. "She just knocked them unconscious."
Zazm said nothing. His gaze stayed fixed on the screens, his silence colder than words.
Rhyes sat in the center, his cape draped behind him, while Principal Seraphina sat close at his side.
"This exam is slightly extreme, Rhyes," Seraphina said, her tone edged with concern.
Rhyes nodded slowly. "I can see why you'd say that. But we don't have a choice. The situation is worsening. The students must be prepared for everything."
Seraphina sighed, eyes still on the screens. "Even so, they're doing better than I imagined."
"They are," Rhyes agreed.
Zazm's attention, however, drifted to a separate screen. Rhyes noticed his eyes, and so did Neo, Asher, and even Seraphina.
That particular screen showed Ai and Kiyomasa. Both stood clad in full combat gear, energy swords in hand. But they weren't just surviving—they were leading.
They had gathered groups of terrified students, armed them, and brought order to chaos.
Ai's voice rang clear through the feed: "We move in groups of five! Engage only if the enemy is one or two. If more, retreat and regroup with another squad. Stay alive first!"
The students obeyed instantly, forming squads and moving with newfound purpose.
Rhyes narrowed his eyes, thoughts forming silently. She has great leadership skills… calming everyone, taking charge, and making quick decisions.
Seraphina smiled faintly. "She's doing great, wouldn't you say, Supreme Commander Rhyes?"
Rhyes gave a firm nod. "She would suit the position of a leader."
Seraphina pointed to the screen. "But that boy, Kiyomasa—look. His movements are precise, his strikes calculated. He's conserving his strength. Killing without hesitation, but…"
Asher leaned forward with a short laugh. "I'm surprised. Thought the kid wouldn't have it in him to kill."
Neo shook his head. "Look closer. He's doing it so they don't feel pain. But his hands—you can see the shaking."
Rhyes crossed his arms. "It's fine. He's strong. And those dual blades suit him."
Asher passed the glowing green crystal to Zazm. Neo explained as it changed hands, "This crystal… it can slowly absorb Vana, and then one person can channel it all. Efficient."
Zazm accepted it silently.
Neo's eyes remained sharp, scanning the feeds, when Asher broke into a mocking laugh. "Why the hell are you staring like that, Neo? You glaring at the screens?"
But Neo didn't answer at first. His gaze froze on one particular frame. Slowly, he raised his hand, pointing. "Hey. Look there."
Asher leaned over, eyes narrowing. "Doesn't it look like… an entire dorm building is gone?"
Seraphina shot up from her seat, her palms slamming the table. "Yes! The entire building—gone!" Her voice cracked with urgency.
Rhyes rose as well, cape shifting. "How is that possible? The entire space is under Zazm's control."
Zazm stood abruptly. His tone dropped, cold and sharp. "Something's wrong."
Neo turned his head sharply. "What do you mean?"
Zazm's eyes burned as he answered, "I can still sense the building—and all the students in it—inside the space. But they aren't here."
Neo gritted his teeth. "What the hell are you saying?"
"The real building… and the real students… are gone," Zazm said. His hand clenched into a fist. "What I feel now is only a fake presence. A perfect clone. But they couldn't replicate the entire structure."
Neo cursed under his breath. "These bastards… they really attacked."
Zazm's gaze hardened further, darker than steel. He thought, That's the building Jennie is in.
Rhyes swept his cape back, his voice commanding. "The exam ends here. Zazm—reverse time for everyone. Teleport them to safety."
Asher shoved the crystal into Zazm's hands. Zazm crushed it between his palms, absorbing all its stored Vana in an instant.
His voice echoed through the chamber:
"Time Reversal."
On the screens, wounds vanished. Shredded organs knit back together. The dead inhaled again as blood flowed back into them, their lives rewound.
"Teleport."
Thousands of students vanished at once, disappearing from the academy grounds.
Zazm exhaled slowly. "They've all been sent to the castle. Every one of them unconscious."
Rhyes nodded grimly. "That's expected. With that kind of Vana flow, they wouldn't stay conscious. Now… get ready."
The four of them rose together, leaving the chamber in silence.
The academy was empty. But something bigger was waiting.
---
[A Few Hours Earlier]
The massive doors of the academy creaked open, sunlight spilling into the grand hall. Principal Seraphina stood at the entrance with Neo, Asher, and Zazm at her side.
Through the light, a tall figure stepped inside, his long cape swaying with each stride. Supreme Commander Rhyes.
He bowed respectfully, his deep voice carrying calm authority.
"Good morning, Madam Seraphina. It's always a pleasure to see you."
Seraphina inclined her head, smiling faintly. "Thank you for taking time to be here, Commander Rhyes. Your presence for the protection of my children means much."
Rhyes straightened, his expression steady. "I'm only protecting the future generation. After all, in the past, our elders would have done the same for us."
A chuckle broke the formal atmosphere. Asher leaned casually on his heel, hands in his pockets. "Well, today's going to be fun. But tell me, Commander Rhyes—did you come alone?"
Rhyes shook his head. "No—"
Before he could finish, the doors opened once again.
A woman entered, her steps firm, her cape trailing behind her much like Rhyes's own. Her long black hair framed her sharp features, but what stood out most was the hollow socket where her right eye should have been, a circular scar etched around it. Despite her scars, her demeanor was calm—commanding, almost manly.
Seraphina's eyes widened slightly. "It's been a while, Myterl."
The woman's one-eyed gaze softened faintly. "It has, Seph. Many years."
Seraphina's lips curved into a smile. "I didn't expect to meet you again out of the blue."
Rhyes glanced between them, surprised. "Commander Myterl—you're acquainted with Principal Seraphina?"
Myterl nodded once. "It's nothing much. We're just old women who happened to be friends."
Asher smirked mischievously. "Don't call Madam Seraphina old. She's still as young as ever."
Neo shot him a sharp glare. "Shut up."
Seraphina chuckled softly. "Myterl and I studied together at this very academy."
Neo tilted his head. "You studied here as well? I never knew."
Seraphina's eyes softened with nostalgia. "I graduated about two hundred and eighteen years ago. After that, I inherited this position from my father. Myterl joined Obsidian Fang."
Myterl gave a dismissive wave. "All ancient history now. What matters is why we're here today."
Neo's gaze shifted toward Rhyes. "Where are the rest of the forces?"
Before Rhyes could answer, Myterl spoke instead. "We've deployed them all to the castle. The original plan has been changed."
Neo arched a brow. "Changed?" His coat swayed lightly in the breeze sneaking in from the doorway, his hands still tucked in his pockets.
Myterl's voice was firm. "This academy has tens of thousands of students. We can't risk their lives. If there's any attack, Zazm will teleport them all to the castle's basement."
Zazm gave a small nod. "Very well."
"Then let us proceed," Seraphina said, turning toward the inner halls.
Zazm and Neo followed behind her. Rhyes and Asher fell in step after them.
Rhyes stopped for a moment, glancing back. Myterl had lingered, her gaze fixed on the girls' dormitories.
"Is everything alright, Commander Myterl?" he asked.
She didn't look at him at first, her single eye narrowing on the buildings. "Nothing much. Just… reminds me of my academy days."
Rhyes followed her gaze and gave a faint nod. "When I come here, I feel the same."
Myterl smirked faintly. "Unfortunate, isn't it? We graduated with so many… but if you count now, only a few of us remain. Over a hundred students in my class, but now only Seph and I are alive."
Rhyes met her gaze silently, then looked away.
Myterl's eye drifted to the sky. "And I know… you, Neo, and Asher are the only survivors of your generation too."
Rhyes pressed a hand to his forehead, his jaw tightening.
"You okay?" Myterl asked, studying him carefully.
"Yes." Rhyes lowered his hand, a nostalgic smile flickering briefly before it faded back into composure. "Just remembered something I shouldn't have."
Myterl's lips curved in something between a smile and a grimace. "Rhyes, I wonder… how long will this continue?"
He answered without hesitation. "I don't know. But as long as it does, we fight. That much is certain."
Her smirk widened, her single eye sharp. "And what if we just… let the Remnants have their way? Let them conquer the multiverse? Why must we protect people who don't even know we exist?"
Rhyes stiffened slightly at her question but answered steadily. "We fight for our survival. No one else's."
"Perhaps." Myterl's tone was half-amused, half-bleak. "Or perhaps we're just slaves. Shackled to the ideologies of our forefathers."
She turned, beginning to walk in the direction of the dorms.
"Where are you going?" Rhyes called.
"Go ahead," she replied without looking back.
"I'm just walking the campus."
Rhyes nodded and turned, heading after the others.
Myterl walked slowly through the dorm grounds, her expression thoughtful—until her head jerked sharply to the side.
She muttered her voice low and on guard, "What was that?"
Her instincts flared. She had felt something.
Her single eye scanned the area. A faint trace of Vana lingered in the air. Too faint to belong here.
"This trace… who's is it?"
Her steps grew sharper as her gaze darted.
"Extremely faint. Probably harmless. But…"
Her eye widened, shock flashing across her battle-worn face. Something is wrong.
Myterl had survived more wars and near-death battles than most could imagine. Her intuition had been forged in countless brushes with death. If it told her something was wrong—it meant it was.
She placed her hand on the ground. Instantly, a vast transparent barrier expanded over the entire campus.
Her eyes shut. Sweat beaded on her brow as she focused.
The barrier contracted, narrowing over one area, then another, again and again, until it finally encompassed only the girls' dormitories.
"There's nothing…" she muttered, her single eye opening slightly.
But she wasn't convinced.
She placed her other hand on the ground. The barrier thickened, rotating slowly like a grinding sphere of light. Her body trembled from the strain, but she endured.
Her focus sharpened. Then suddenly—her eye snapped open.
She staggered up, cursing under her breath.
"What the hell…"
Her instincts screamed louder than ever.
She scanned the area, jaw clenched. "I have to inform Rhyes…"
But her instinct roared in her head. 'No It'll be too late if I even waste a second.'
Instead, she pushed more Vana into the barrier, drawing energy from the entire campus. Her face was drenched with sweat.
Then—her heart dropped.
One of the dorm buildings flickered, its presence unstable—before beginning to vanish.
"No!" She bolted forward, her cape whipping behind her. She leapt, smashing through a window, hurling herself inside.
And in that very instant—the entire building vanished.
"Tch… damn it, too late."
Landing hard, she pressed her palms together, her breathing ragged. Her single eye closed.
"I can still get a glimpse of the plan," she whispered, voice low and firm. "And I won't let it succeed."
---
The black walls of the castle stretched endlessly, swallowing the faint light of torches that flickered with unnatural shadows. The air was thick, suffocating, as if the stone itself bled dread. In the long hallway, the False King walked forward. His steps were slow, calm, unhurried—yet each one echoed like a sentence of doom.
He wore a royal garment woven of black and gold, threads shimmering faintly with a sickly gleam. But his face—his face was nothing but a glitch-ridden void, a twisted black mess of broken pixels, endlessly shifting. His neck and the scraps of visible skin were the same, corrupted, as if reality itself rejected his presence.
Behind him followed a towering woman. Her crimson hair fell like blood down her shoulders, and her tall, pointed hat swayed slightly with each step. Her spiraled white eyes glowed faintly, tracing the shadows. She was Spiral.
Her gaze widened. Something had shifted.
The False King's glitching visage turned slightly, his voice haunting and cold enough to freeze the marrow of any soul.
"Spiral. What is wrong?"
The very air trembled when he spoke, as though time itself held its breath.
Spiral bowed deeply, her voice soft but strained.
"Someone interrupted my trap. I had blanketed the entire campus in my Vana, woven the net across the sixth dimension itself. None should have been able to touch it. At the appointed time, I would have transported them into a prison, crushing them all in one stroke…"
Her spiraled eyes widened further as she realized the truth, whispering,
"But it was interfered with."
The False King stopped, his glitching face tilting back toward her.
"It's her. The woman with the barriers."
Spiral's breath caught. Her pupils contracted, spirals tightening in alarm.
"If she can pierce through the sixth dimension—if her barriers can look inside them—she's far more dangerous than I assumed."
The False King gave no reply, but the weight of his silence was suffocating.
Gathering herself, Spiral continued carefully, "Still, I managed to capture one. One Catalyst is mine."
The False King's glitching visage twitched faintly.
"They are at least Zero-Star threats now. And that woman… dangerous."
Her voice shook as she pressed lower, apologizing,
"This is my failure. I will take responsibility. I'll eliminate them all myself."
For a moment, silence stretched thin like glass about to crack.
Then his voice fell again, deep and final:
"It is fine. We will settle for one."
The weight of inevitability in his tone was more terrifying than rage.
"But," Spiral argued, lips tightening, "she is dangerous. The one I sent may not be able to defeat her. I should—"
She froze as the False King's glitching face twisted sharply back toward her, his gaze suffocating. His very presence pressed down like a collapsing world.
"I told you not to bother."
The command froze her in place, her breath caught in her throat.
"I have already sent someone," the False King said coldly, his form glitching with each word. "We will rid ourselves of one Supreme Commander. That is enough for now. Killing her will crush morale."
Spiral's lips parted, but no words came. The pressure of his voice alone made her chest tighten as if pierced.
Finally, she lowered her gaze. "...As you command."
Her spiraled eyes gleamed faintly with unease as she murmured,
"But the others—Zazm especially—he has grown too strong in only two years. Eventually, they all must fall."
The False King's glitching face twitched again, as if in acknowledgement. His silence was answer enough.
---
Far away, the scene shifted.
Lisa stepped out of her bath, steam curling behind her. Water still clung to her shoulders, her towel brushing softly against her golden hair as she dried it. Jennie sat quietly on the bed, her expression as gentle and warm as ever, while Nirin sprawled lazily across the other bed, arms crossed, watching the ceiling.
"I'm excited for the test today," Lisa said cheerfully, still drying her hair.
Nirin hummed, half-lidded eyes narrowing with curiosity. "I look forward to seeing what happens."
Jennie smiled faintly, soft voice betraying her calm heart. "I just hope everything goes smoothly…"
But Lisa's smile faltered as she glanced outside. Her eyes narrowed. "Guys. The sky looks… weird."
Jennie blinked and joined her at the window, Nirin following after.
The world above them had shifted—the heavens themselves stretched in strange shapes. Cascades of auroras, glowing with colors not found in Euphoria, rippled violently across the skies.
Jennie's eyes widened as the blood drained from her face. She looked below the dormitory—and froze.
"...Where is the campus?"
Lisa and Nirin gasped, their shock mirroring hers.
Where there should have been vast fields of EIAA grounds, there was nothing but jagged blue terrain, shimmering with unnatural light. Sharp, uneven mountains and broken ridges stretched as far as the eye could see, glowing faintly with alien hues.
The three ran from their room, joining the chaos outside. Dozens of other girls poured into the halls, some screaming, others staring wide-eyed into the distance. Outside, panic spread fast.
Their dormitory stood isolated, stranded in this strange new world, surrounded only by the glowing blue wasteland.
Jennie whispered, almost to herself, "Where… where are we?"
Lisa's eyes sharpened, scanning the frightened crowd. "Look around. Nobody knows."
Nirin clenched her fists, muttering, "What the hell is going on…?"
A scream broke the tension.
"Look over there!"
All heads turned.
Atop a nearby ridge stood a man, his dual blades gleaming faintly.
And then—more.
One after another, dark figures appeared across the jagged peaks. Entire mountains dotted with warriors, their weapons gleaming under the alien sky.
Lisa's breath hitched. "What is this…?"
The answer came with action.
The army charged.
Thousands of them, roaring, rushing down the slopes toward the stranded dormitory.
The students screamed, panic exploding like wildfire.
But just as the attackers reached striking distance— they collapsed.
All of them.
Bodies hit the ground in unison, lifeless, as though their strings had been cut.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Then, a voice rang out—steady, commanding:
"Calm down."
The students turned, and their eyes widened in awe.
A lone figure approached—her black cape dragging against the glowing ground, her presence unmistakable.
"...A Supreme Commander," someone whispered.
Myterl walked forward, her single visible eye sharp as steel. She leapt lightly into the air, and beneath her feet a transparent platform of her barriers formed. She rose above the crowd, gaze sweeping over them.
"My name is Myterl," she announced, her voice steady and unwavering. "I am a Supreme Commander. I need everyone to calm down and listen carefully."
Hope flickered in the terrified students' eyes.
"We do not know where we are," Myterl continued, "and we do not yet know why. But we know this—we are under attack by Remnants."
Gasps and murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"Remnants…?"
Jennie's eyes sharpened. She glanced at Myterl from the crowd, realization dawning. They wanted us. All of us. If not for her intervention…
Myterl's gaze fell on Jennie briefly. A thought crossed her mind.
"They wanted to slaughter the Catalysts… and though I stopped them, they still took one. I must protect her. At all costs."
Lisa clenched her fists. "Don't worry," she said to Jennie, voice firm. "We'll be fine. We've got a Supreme Commander with us."
Myterl raised her hand. Transparent barriers appeared before the crowd, shifting shape with precision. Swords. Spears. Daggers. Shields.
She spoke firmly, her single eye glowing with resolve.
"I will protect you with everything I have. But you must fight as well. Your survival depends on it."
One by one, the students reached forward, gripping the barrier-forged weapons. Fear turned to determination.
Myterl's lips curved into a faint smirk. 'That's it. Students of EIAA don't crumble.'
But then her gaze lifted to the horizon—and froze.
The ridges. The mountains. The very sky itself.
Dark shapes swelled across every peak. Thousands more warriors—Remnants by the tens of thousands—closing in from every direction.
Her breath caught. For the first time, doubt pierced her armor.
'Can we even survive this…?'
She shook her head sharply. Doubt was a poison. She would not let it show.
A voice rang out before her. A young boy appeared, stepping lightly from the mountain's edge. His smile was twisted, eyes glimmering with malice.
"How fortunate I am," he said mockingly, "to be surrounded by so many beautiful ladies."
Myterl immediately stepped in front of the students, her barrier crackling at her fingertips. Her voice cut like steel.
"What is your purpose here? What do you want?"
The boy smirked, tilting his head.
"You must be the Supreme Commander I've heard of. But what happened to your eye? A shame… it ruined such a beautiful face."
Her reply was ice-cold.
"Why don't you ask your kind what happened to it?"
He chuckled. "Then let me apologize. I'll make up for it. How about I ruin your entire face instead?"
Her lips curled in disdain.
"Try it. I'll grind your ugly face into dust."
The boy's grin widened. "I can't allow that."
At his signal, every mountain erupted.
Thousands of Remnants surged forward, flooding toward them from all directions.
The girls screamed, panic shattering the fragile calm.
But Myterl didn't flinch.
She turned sharply, thrusting her hand out. In an instant, barriers surged, wrapping around every student.
The girls' bodies glowed faintly as power coursed through them.
The boy froze for a moment, blinking in surprise. Then he laughed.
"Ahh… I see. You've shared your Vana with them."
"And.....Andyour ability?" The boy asked in slight shock.
"You've given them all Zero-Star strength, haven't you? Excellent. Excellent! This battle might actually be entertaining."
Lisa raised her hands, a transparent barrier forming before her. She smirked as it shifted into a dagger, light glinting across its edge.
"So this is… Vana."
Nirin nodded, eyes fierce. "An unfamiliar power. But I can feel it."
Jennie raised her hand as well, her gentle face sharpening with quiet resolve.
'They may lack experience. But if I fight with them…'
Myterl's voice thundered, her hand raised.
"Ready yourselves!"
The boy grinned, raising his blade.
"Let's begin."
The mountains roared as the tide of Remnants descended.
And the battlefield erupted.
The battlefield roared with chaos.
The remnants charged in waves—thirty thousand strong, each one burning with power. Their abilities split the sky itself; streams of fire arced across the crimson horizon, walls of ice split the ground, soundwaves cracked like thunder, and shards of steel and water twisted through the air in perfect synchrony. It was an army bred for destruction.
Against them stood only three hundred. A desperate force, a sliver of resistance. Yet not a single one retreated. Their knees shook, their hearts thundered against fragile ribs, but their eyes burned—they would not turn away.
And then—
Myterl moved.
Slowly, she brushed her hand against her face, lifting the strands of pale hair that draped over her left eye. The empty socket pulsed faintly, and as her hand hovered over it, something impossible took shape. A cube. A transparent three-dimensional cube, rotating in silence, gleamed where her eye should have been.
The veins around her eye bulged and twisted, glowing faintly like rivers of pressure about to burst.
And then—
Every girl on the field screamed in unison. A mirror of that cube appeared in one eye of each of them. Their vision fractured, reality itself felt caged within geometric glass, and before they understood what was happening, their bodies moved on their own.
Steel clashed. Blood sprayed.
Nirin blinked in horror as her sword slashed through two remnants, faster than her body had ever allowed her to move. She staggered, gasping.
"What… what's going on!?" Her voice trembled, her feet still sprinting without her consent.
Lisa panicked, stumbling as her body surged forward toward four remnants in the back.
"My body—it's moving on its own!" she screamed, flailing against the momentum.
A ball of flame shot toward her face. Lisa shrieked, covering her head in desperation—only for her hand to rise without her command. A wall of shimmering force appeared, blocking the inferno.
Her eyes widened. Her hands were no longer her own.
The same hand jerked upward, forming not one but several barriers that sharpened into spikes. The spikes shot forward like lances, impaling all four remnants in the blink of an eye. Their screams cut short.
Lisa gasped, eyes shaking with disbelief.
"This… this is insane!"
She wasn't alone. Across the battlefield, the girls moved in perfect, horrifying harmony. Every slash, every shield, every burst of power—it was precise, efficient, and merciless.
The remnants fell in heaps, their bodies cleaved apart or pinned by countless crystalline spikes. The balance of battle flipped on its head.
What should have been a massacre of the three hundred was instead a massacre of the thirty thousand.
The boy watched in pale-faced silence. He clenched his fists, grinding his teeth until they bled. His gaze locked on the girl at the center of it all. Myterl stood calm, her other eye closed, her entire body taut with focus.
He cursed under his breath.
"She's controlling them. Their bodies aren't theirs anymore. They're moving while their imagination feeds her ability…"
And then he moved.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished and reappeared mere inches from her, his fist cocked to strike.
"I can take her out!"
But Myterl's hand shot upward with flawless timing. She caught his arm, spun on her heel, and hurled him by the collar with bone-crushing force. His body slammed into the ground, fracturing earth and stone.
Her eyes narrowed.
A spike formed from shimmering barriers, its sharp edge gleaming cold. She raised her hand and drove the spike downward. It pierced through his stomach, carving a hole clean through his body and burrowing into the ground with brutal force. Blood sprayed in waves.
"You really thought you could catch me off guard?" Myterl's voice was ice.
She looked around, the battlefield a nightmare of crimson and corpses. Her chest tightened, her breathing shallow.
'This takes too much…'
But she steadied herself.
The boy stirred. His body knit itself back together with grotesque speed. The hole in his stomach closed as if the spike had never been there. He stood, blood dripping, smirking as though nothing had happened.
Jennie gasped, her sword flashing into her hand as she rushed forward, intercepting his next strike.
"Miss Myterl!" she cried out.
Myterl spun, shocked at her presence. "Jennie?"
The boy grinned, wounds already gone.
"An immortal," Myterl muttered. She grabbed Jennie's collar and hurled her aside, sparing her from the next attack.
Her own weapon shifted—a barrier dagger piercing straight through his throat. His body convulsed. She followed up with a spear, shoving it through his skull with enough force to shatter stone. His corpse slumped. But Myterl wasn't finished.
Spikes erupted one after another, slamming into his fallen body, shredding flesh, tearing limbs, pulverizing every trace of him. She ripped him apart until he was nothing but chunks of meat, pools of blood, and fragments indistinguishable from the battlefield gore around them.
Her chest heaved. "That should do it."
Jennie staggered back into view, eyes wide in horror.
"How… how was he alive?"
"Most likely an immortal," Myterl said coldly, wiping blood from her cheek. "But even they can die… if you destroy them beyond repair."
Jennie's hands trembled violently. Her breathing quickened as the battlefield stench finally hit her. She gagged, covering her mouth, nearly vomiting at the sight of the shredded corpse.
"Look away." Myterl's voice was sharp. "You'd have thrown up a dozen times by now if it wasn't for me. I've suppressed everyone's emotions—nerves, fear, disgust. Without me, most of you wouldn't even be able to stand here."
Jennie's lips quivered. She glanced at her own hands, slightly trembling, as realization sank in. "I was wondering… why I was so calm."
Myterl turned to her, eyes softening just slightly.
"I know. But if I didn't suppress it, you would've broken already."
Jennie forced herself to look past Myterl, at the battlefield. Her breath hitched. The once-blue ground had turned entirely red. Bodies upon bodies, dismembered and mangled, formed mountains of flesh. The soil was lost beneath the flood of blood.
Myterl studied her carefully.
This girl… she would've gone insane by now. She's too fragile.
Then Jennie's scream pierced the night.
"Miss Myterl!!"
Myterl spun—and froze.
The boy's body was whole again. Not a scar, not a trace of damage remained.
Her voice cracked. "Impossible…"
He rose slowly, laughing hoarsely, his head tilting as though drunk. His eyes glimmered with something unnatural.
"It should be the other way around… You should all be dead. My people should be alive…"
His laugh deepened, echoing across the battlefield.
"I'll kill all of you."
And then—
His face split open. Below his human eyes, two more opened, glaring with unnatural hunger.
Myterl's heart skipped a beat.
"What… the hell?"
He smirked.
"Today… I'll kill several 0-star threats."
Before the words even finished, he vanished. He reappeared before a girl, his hand clamping around her neck. With a sickening pop, her throat burst in his grip, blood spraying across his face.
"No—!" Myterl lunged forward.
He was faster now. Stronger. Deadlier.
Her AMI mark ignited, glowing bright. A red and green light shimmered, solidifying into twin short swords, pulsing with otherworldly energy. She gritted her teeth, rushing him head-on.
But when her blades struck—
They met resistance. A sword of flesh, long and grotesque, riddled with blinking eyes along its length, caught her blow.
Myterl's eyes widened in revulsion.
"What the hell is that!?"
The boy grinned, pressing closer.
"Beautiful, isn't it? A sword… born from my own flesh."
The eyes blinked in unison, staring at her from every angle.
Myterl leapt back, disgust and fury mixing on her face.
"You're insane."
The boy licked the blood from his lips, grinning wider.
"And you're next."
______________________