Snow slammed into the cliffs as Leo and Ardy stood facing one another, their auras burning brighter than daylight. The battlefield trembled beneath their feet.
Leo, with his cloak whipping in the wind, whispered:
"Trying to end me, Ardy? Then go on. Have a try."
His body erupted in soul color—Red, Blue, Green, Purple—every edge of the Aether Spectrum flared.
And then… the deepest color: Black.
Destruction incarnate.
The power of the Chaos Stone, fused with Leo's grief after Sylren's death, surged through him.
Back at their hideout, Jack stood at the cave entrance, watching Leo's aura light up the distant skyline.
"He's different now," Jack muttered.
Necros crossed his arms. "He got the divine black. That destruction color. He's using all four types too. But come on… even handling us?"
Jack's gaze hardened. "He might be the only one who could."
Necros scoffed. "No way."
Ardy crouched, cracking his knuckles.
"I hate making friends… but somehow, you became mine."
He lifted his eyes, the fury cutting through the snow.
"And now you're doing this. I won't hold back."
He launched forward.
Leo met him mid-air, and they exploded.
- Ardy struck first with full-force punches, his fist glowing with a mysterious magic laced in kinetic shockwaves.
- Leo countered with shadow tendrils and Red-enhanced strikes. Each blow was sharper, faster, powered by emotion and Chaos Stone force.
- They shattered rock faces, tore apart the terrain—casting fire, shadow, and wind across mountaintops.
Each clash was like thunder.
Ardy pinned Leo with an elemental grapple—but Leo split the snow beneath them, shooting Black destruction energy upward.
The entire cliff collapsed.
Elsewhere, Jack approached General Kael in a war-torn corridor.
"Long time no see, Kael. Or do I say—General?"
Kael blinked. "Jack… The Unblessed Legend?"
Jack smiled. "You remember."
Kael looked past him. "If you're here… that means Necros is—"
Jack nodded. "God of Death, yes. And not just your students. You're in trouble too."
Kael snarled. "Then let's settle it."
Their battle ignited instantly—Kael's foresight against Jack's unpredictable rhythm.
Jack drew twisted glyphs from his fingertips.
Kael dodged every move seconds before it happened, his Thousand Eyes shimmering across the battlefield.
They were evenly matched—until Jack twisted the terrain itself using corrupted nature pulses.
Kael countered with soul-infused strikes so fast it slowed time for seconds.
At the capital, the Emperor sipped tea as his butler entered.
"My lord, the meeting with other kings is complete."
"Arrange airships, just in case."
"But… should we trust General Kael with the students?"
The Emperor stood.
"Kael is the youngest General ever. Known as Kael of the Thousand Eyes. Strongest warrior… after me. They'll be safe."
Back in the field, Necros stood with one arm limp, the other glowing with black runes.
"You kids are lucky… I'm injured."
Still, he overwhelmed the S-Rank students:
- Edward fell from a gravity slash.
- Akumo's portal fractured under Necros' pulse magic.
- Ruka froze half the field—Necros shattered it.
- Sumi was thrown into a wall.
Hope fell.
Kael couldn't reach them.
They collapsed—until Zero rose.
"I'm sorry…" Zero said, standing alone. "I had no choice."
Everyone stared.
Necros smirked. "Trying to run?"
But Zero's hair turned pale silver. His eyes burned crimson.
His body shifted—his Monster Form awakened.
He roared.
Lightning, shadow, and air bent around him.
Akumo gasped. "So this is his real power…"
Zero charged Necros head-on—blades of elemental force clashing against god-like magic.
Necros grinned. "You feel familiar…"
Zero paused. "You do too…"
Necros formed a black comet, firing it toward Zero's chest.
---
Zero's Fall
The blast tore through the field.
Zero fell.
Breathing heavily, he muttered, "Why… Why do I always lose?"
Tears mixed with blood.
---
Flashbacks:
He was born in a red-flag district where the streets whispered cruelty and the buildings held secrets best left buried. His mother—prostitute barely surviving—worked among those who were silenced by society, and Zero's name was rarely spoken with kindness.
He scavenged food from the alley dumpsters, searching for scraps. One day, he found half a crushed loaf of bread behind a greasy restaurant. His hands shook with joy.
But as he turned, a cruel man spotted him. No pity—just fists.
"You dare come here?"
He beat Zero to the ground, tore the bread apart, laughing.
But somehow… Zero crawled away. He clutched the ruined piece of bread to his chest and limped back to the room his mother lay in.
"Did you eat?" she asked, smiling faintly.
"Yes, Mommy," he whispered. "I fell… that's all."
She smiled and slept. He went outside. Looked at the sky.
"Why does the world hate me…?"
Kids avoided him. Families warned their children.
"Don't go near him. His mother's one of them."
Zero watched them play, silently holding his breath.
Then—he saw his mother crying, clutching a letter. A Holy Knight who once promised her love had betrayed her for a wealthier bride. The illusion shattered.
She broke.
That night, she attacked him. Her mind collapsed.
Zero screamed. He begged. But something else answered.
A raw, primal magic took over. Something deep inside… a creature formed of pain and blood.
He survived.
She didn't.
The next few days blurred. A woman, a friend of his mother, came. She saw the blood. She screamed.
Zero didn't think.
The monster did.
By the time the Holy Knights arrived, the district whispered only one thing—Zero had killed. Again.
They asked him questions. He gave them lies. Said Necros had ordered it. Said his mother had been taken. That he'd been manipulated.
The lead knight sighed. "He's too young. Three years in holding. Then prison."
In prison, he stared at the walls. Spoke to no one. Ate quietly. Trained his body in silence.
But the monster was never quiet.
It told him stories. Gave him fragments of rage. Blurred his memories.
He began to forget his mother's voice. Her face. Her kindness.
Only one thing remained:
> "No matter what happens… help others. Even if you have to die for it."
Zero etched those words into his cell wall.
One night, at age seven, he escaped the prison in a rainstorm. He wandered—drenched, hungry, burning.
That's when he saw teenage Necros, slaughtering a dozen men with gravity magic. It wasn't just power—it was joy.
Zero's heart raced.
"This... this feels like me."
He stepped forward. "Fight me!"
Necros turned, amused. "You're just a kid."
But Zero lunged anyway.
They fought—blow after blow. Zero gave him a scar above the jaw.
Necros laughed. "Impressive."
He let Zero live.
"Get stronger. One day… entertain me. From now on, you're Monster of Mercy."
Now in the present, Zero stands.
He sees Sumi, held by Necros.
His mind reels.
He sees everything—his mother, the betrayal, the beatings, the broken promises.
And then—her words.
"Help others. Even if you have to die for it."
Zero whispers to himself:
> "I'm not fighting for vengeance anymore. Not for pain. Not even for the monster inside me."
He locks eyes with Necros.
> "I fight for her. I fight for those who never had someone fight for them."
His aura ignites.
Monster form—complete.
And somewhere in that storm… is a broken child still reaching toward mercy.
Present
Zero stood again.
Eyes burning.
He saw Sumi, held by the throat.
Necros hissed. "Want me to break it?"
Zero whispered:
> "I have to save her."