"Tell me," Unul asked calmly, his voice cutting through the ruins, "what will you defend now that the academy has fallen?"
The Headmaster moved in a blur, her spear thrusting forward, its tip stopping mere inches from Unul's throat. He reacted instantly, sidestepping with effortless precision. In the same breath, he summoned a weapon —its form materializing in his grasp moments later—and swung it once.
The impact was decisive.
A saber so sharp, so perfectly honed, cleaved through the Headmaster's spear as if it were nothing more than fragile glass.
Without hesitation, the Headmaster released the shattered weapon and summoned another from her Celestial Forge. She spun it like a disc, momentum building as she surged forward, pressing the attack relentlessly. Yet Unul remained unmoved. The same stoic, almost indifferent expression lingered on his face as he effortlessly evaded every strike, his movements fluid and measured.
Halting her assault abruptly, the Headmaster closed the distance and drove her foot into Unul's stomach, creating space between them. She then swept her spear in a wide, circular arc around her body. Along its path, spheres of radiant light formed—each pulsing with immense gravitational force, akin to that of a miniature sun, though imperfect in comparison. With a sharp gesture, she sent them hurtling toward Unul.
Unul knew her well.
Every technique. Every combat pattern. Every ability she had wielded during her years of service.
Recognizing the attack instantly, he spoke a single word as the spheres raced toward him.
"Now."
From his shadow, several clones burst forth, charging directly into the incoming gravitational spheres. The pull dragged them together violently, and upon contact, the spheres detonated. Explosions rippled outward, shredding the clones and sending fragments scattering through the air.
The Headmaster looked down.
Unul stood below her, gazing upward with a faint smirk—almost taunting. His trench coat fluttered violently in the wind generated by the blast. He turned away, walking toward a collapsed section of the academy wall. He crouched beside it, resting his hand against the broken stone.
"Headmaster," he said quietly, "I feel your pain. I was once a student of this academy as well… but that was when I was naïve."
The Headmaster descended slowly from the air, her voice rising as she shouted, "You are still naïve! Especially if you believe brute force can change this world!"
Unul turned back to face her.
For a fleeting moment, she saw it—a single tear slipping from his eye. But as quickly as it appeared, it vanished. Her resolve wavered. Despite the academy's destruction, despite the bloodshed, that solitary tear reminded her of the innocent boy he once was.
Unul exhaled deeply.
"If not force," he asked, "then what? The peaceful approach has failed time and time again. So tell me, Headmaster—what would you have us do?"
Silence followed.
The Headmaster searched for an answer, but none came. She knew the truth. The nobles would never accept the lessers. They would never see them as equals—never even as human.
Unul sighed again.
In an instant, he appeared before her, his hand closing around her throat. He slammed her into the ground with overwhelming force, creating a crater that sent dust and debris billowing into the air.
Standing over her, he spoke coldly.
"There you have it. There is no other option."
The Headmaster coughed violently, blood spilling from her lips. Though her windpipe was not completely crushed, breathing became agonizing. Unul turned away, clasping his hands behind his back as he walked off.
Slowly, painfully, the Headmaster forced herself upright, her thoughts racing as she struggled to comprehend how he had surpassed her so completely.
Sure, he had worn her down, but it could not have been only that. There had to be something more—something far deeper at play. And then it came to her, a realization so improbable it bordered on the impossible, yet she knew, with chilling certainty, that it could be achieved.
Something that only a handful of individuals in existence had ever accomplished… could he truly have done it?
"You…" she rasped, each word burning her throat, "have you… reached Five Star?"
Unul glanced back.
"I have."
Shock etched itself across the Headmaster's aged features. It was impossible—or so she had believed. Unul had no exceptional lineage, no remarkable talent. He had been an ordinary child.
Then realization struck her.
"You finding your conviction," she said softly. "Is what allowed you to reach this level."
"That," Unul replied evenly, "is what I have told you repeatedly. I reached the upper echelons of power because I found my conviction long ago."
The Headmaster rose unsteadily, clutching her neck, pain evident in every breath. Still, she summoned her spear once more, gripping it tightly and pointing it toward her opponent.
"You destroyed the academy," she said, voice trembling yet resolute. "You killed students. You made a mockery of the academy. As your former teacher… I must punish you."
Unul summoned his saber again and met her gaze.
"You will try," he said, "and you will fail. This is the end for you, my former Master."
They charged at one another, every step heavy with conviction. The Headmaster sought to stop him without killing him, if such a thing was still possible. Unul, however, intended to end her life—to bring himself one step closer to his ultimate goal.
The Headmaster flashed behind him, her spear thrusting forward in a piercing strike. Unul reacted instantly, swinging his saber behind his back to block the blow. Metal clashed violently, their weapons echoing the collision of their ideals.
She swung again, aiming for his head with the base of her spear, but Unul parried swiftly. He countered with a powerful vertical slash that tore across her body.
The battle appeared to end—
Until the Headmaster before him dissolved into particles of light.
From behind, the true Headmaster struck.
Her spear pierced his abdomen, deliberately avoiding vital organs. Crimson blood coated the weapon as Unul staggered, his hands trembling as they reached toward the spear embedded in his body.
"You will live," she said, gripping the shaft firmly. "Your vital organs are intact. You will be imprisoned."
Unul looked skyward and whispered softly,
"I have done what I must… Unul."
The Headmaster's brows furrowed.
"What did you say?"
Suddenly, a saber pierced through her back.
She froze, then slowly turned her head. Behind her stood Unul—his blade driven through her body, drenched in her blood. He twisted the saber, intensifying the pain, destroying what remained of her strength.
She collapsed to her knees as he withdrew the blade, blood pouring freely from the wound.
"I truly respect you, Headmaster," he said gently as he stepped in front of her. "So I will make your death quick and painless."
He removed his black leather glove and placed his bare hand upon her head. She looked up, seeing not the monster before her—but the boy he once was.
"Goodbye, Sylvia Light."
Her body crumbled into dust, carried away by the wind, leaving only Unul's outstretched hand where she had knelt moments before.
"I'm sorry."