Kharos Oxxion stepped forward, the glow of his armor reflecting off the stunned faces before him.
"Listen well, all of you," he said, his voice a low rumble that filled the hall. "Yesterday's attack upon this academy was not merely an assault it was devastation. The forces responsible were none other than the Outer Gods themselves, along with their lesser gods and the swarms of minions that crawl in their wake."
Murmurs rippled, but one glare from him crushed them flat.
"They did far more than strike here. They targeted multiple strongholds under the Dark Lord's influence. Hyperverses we had conquered reclaimed. Territories we secured taken back. Their offensive was coordinated, merciless, and vast."
His eyes burned brighter.
"But even that is not the greatest threat now standing before us."
A hush swept over the room.
"The Outer Gods stole artifacts of immeasurable importance the seven Crystals. Each one grants its bearer terrifying power. Yet when united, the seven do far more. They open a gateway to ultimate power the very prize the Dark Lord has spent eons seeking."
He paused, letting the weight of that truth settle.
"And now those crystals are gone. Scattered across the far reaches of the Omniverse. Hidden within the Outer Gods' hyperverses."
Kharos straightened, his cape sweeping behind him like a war banner.
"Our mission is clear. We must enter each of those hyperverses, confront the Outer Gods within their own domains, and retrieve all seven crystals. All troops are being mobilized. All generals are already on the move."
Then his eyes fixed on the students.
"And yes… all of you are being called to serve."
Shock spread. Fear. Excitement. He continued without mercy.
"Your schooling will continue but the academy itself will now be mobile. We travel toward the front lines. You will accompany us alongside reinforcements from every academy and every realm under the Dark Lord's rule."
His voice hardened like steel.
"You will be issued new armor. New weapons. New assignments. You will train harder than ever before because this war will test every ounce of strength you have."
He stepped back, gaze sweeping across them with the weight of destiny.
"Rest while you can. Prepare yourselves. The war for the Omniverse has begun."
Kharos Oxxion's final words still echoed through the hall when he straightened his posture and spoke once more.
"Starting tomorrow," he said, voice resonant and absolute, "the school grounds will become mobile. We begin our departure at dawn toward the Aztec Hyperverse the domain of Tezcatlipoca."
Whispers shot through the students, but Kharos continued without pause.
"Other academies and military divisions across the Dark Lord's territories will deploy to different hyperverses, searching for the stolen artifacts. The seven Crystals must be recovered at all costs."
He lifted a hand, a faint ripple of power spreading outward.
"Rest tonight. Tomorrow you begin special training."
His burning eyes swept across the crowd.
"You are all dismissed."
And with a single synchronized gesture, Kharos and the other generals vanished dissolving into streaks of light, smoke, and shadows.
Ava watched them disappear, brow furrowed.
What artifacts is he talking about? he wondered.
A gateway to ultimate power… Is this the device he thinks can help him defeat my father?
He turned and walked back toward the tables where his team and Uzuhana's team were gathered.
Uzuhana was the first to break the silence.
"You all heard him. War."
Dallas swallowed hard. "Yeah, I heard… and I'm terrified. First hyperverse we're going to is the Aztec one ruled by Tezcatlipoca. That guy beat me up so bad last time…"
Uzuhana gently took his hand, smiling with warm reassurance.
"We'll beat him next time. I promise."
Ryujin's deep voice rumbled from behind her, low and dangerous.
"I don't care how strong he is. He laid a hand on our leader Uzuhana so I'll take his head. I'm excited for this journey. I'll start sharpening my swords tonight."
Kabuka crossed his arms with exaggerated pride.
"I'm excited too! I wonder what these artifacts even are. And we get new armor."
His clouds shimmered into existence, and with a flick he produced a small mirror. He beamed at his own reflection as the clouds swirling around his body shifted and reshaped themselves into different sets of armor.
"I can't wait," he said, grinning wide.
Lilith licked one fang, her purple nails tapping the table.
"Ultimate power… I like the sound of that."
Demeter crossed her arms, her expression darkening.
"Hopefully one of these missions takes us into the Phantom Queen's domain. Morrígan told me something… and I need answers. If the academy doesn't send us after her, then I'll go myself."
Star rested a gentle hand on Demeter's shoulder.
"I'll help you. That technique I used on her with my flames and magic it tied me to her. I know exactly where she is. I can find her."
Ava nodded. "Since our journey begins tomorrow, I don't know how you feel, Uzuhana but I'm advising my team to rest. We're all still beat up from yesterday."
Uzuhana agreed immediately.
"Same for my team. No training tonight. Especially not you, Ryujin you're always overdoing it."
Ryujin grunted and looked away.
Ava extended his hand to Uzuhana.
"I think our teams will work well together. With everything coming up, partnering might be the smartest move. Dallas trusts you… and I trust Dallas."
Uzuhana smiled and clasped his hand firmly.
"I agree."
They shook hands.
And then
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted from the far side of the cafeteria. Everyone spun.
Two students were locked in a fight. One of them lifted his hand, black-and-white energy spiraling around his fingers.
"GAME OVER!"
He slapped his opponent's chest. The other student screamed as black and white energy devoured him erasing his body piece by piece until nothing remained but a single severed hand.
The attacker casually lifted the severed hand, turning it between his fingers as if inspecting a trinket. Then, without a word, he opened a thin slit of warped space and slipped it into a pocket dimension.
Gasps rippled through the cafeteria.
Some students screamed.
Others whispered in horrified awe.
The eraser stepped onto a table, boots thudding against the metal. His team rose behind him in a tight formation silent, sharp-eyed, loyal like executioners awaiting a command.
He was impossible to ignore.
His skin was a deep, burning red, smooth yet marked with faint glowing sigils that pulsed like embers under the surface.
Two thick black horns curved from his skull one chipped at the tip, the other wrapped in a golden band.
His long white hair flowed behind him in wild strands, whipping like a battle banner caught in a storm, streaked with faint gray lines that hinted at age or power.
His armor was a brutal masterpiece: overlapping plates of black and crimson, jagged along the edges, each piece etched with symbols of erasure. Dark cloth hung from his shoulders and waist strips shaped like shadowy hands reaching downward, as if grasping at the souls of those who stared too long.
His eyes were the worst of it cold, pale, hungry.
He grinned with cruel pride, baring sharp, predatory teeth.
"My name," he announced, voice booming through the hall, "is Nullius Oxxion. And let me make one thing clear"
He pointed straight at the crowd of students below him.
"I'm in charge when no general is around. I'm the top student. I made the top twenty just like some of you… but the difference is simple. I'm the strongest."
Black and white energy flared violently in his palm, crackling like static from another dimension.
"If you don't listen to me or my team, you get erased. Game over. That student I erased earlier? The only thing I left behind was his hand."
He smirked, eyes sweeping the room.
"Unless you want to join him… you better fall in line."
He leaned forward slightly.
"any of you want to do something about it."
The cafeteria exploded into noise fear, defiance, whispers, shock.
Students from the top twenty watched him silently.
Not a single one stood up.
Ava narrowed his eyes.
"Who are they?"
Uzuhana exhaled.
"That's Nullius. He's the son of General Kharos the one who spoke earlier. His team calls themselves Team Game Over. They're top twenty like me and you… and trust me, they're no joke."
Uzuhana lifted her hand and pointed toward the first of Nullius's teammates.
He wore a feral crown shaped like a jagged desert crest, with a scarab beetle resting at its center. His outfit was a blend of white, gold, and hints of green, flowing like desert cloth but reinforced with patches of hardened armor armor shaped like overlapping beetle carapace.
A long golden staff marked with glowing blue hieroglyph-like sigils hung across his back.
His black hair fell in sharp strands over equally black, expressionless eyes.
Uzuhana nodded toward him.
"His name is Khepri. They call him the Demon of the Sand."
Uzuhana's finger shifted toward the second student.
The boy stood out instantly.
He had two faces one set in the front and another on the back of his head. Four powerful arms hung at his sides, each muscle corded and shifting as he breathed. The forward face bore thick, curved elephant-like tusks, jutting from the corners of his mouth, giving him a permanently feral snarl. The second face, peering over his shoulder, was calmer but no less unsettling, marked by a long, sweeping black mustache that curled like blades.
Dark black rings and bands encircled his upper arms and wrists, each etched with symbols that flickered faintly. He wore almost no armor only strips of cloth and minimal plating colored purple, white, silver, and streaks of red, arranged in loose layers that allowed for speed rather than protection. Every part of him looked built to move, to strike, to vanish.
Uzuhana's voice lowered.
"His name is Rakshasas. Fastest kid in the entire academy. No one has ever beaten him in a speed trial… not even close."
Uzuhana's hand shifted to the final student the quietest presence among them, yet somehow the most unsettling.
She stood a few steps apart from her teammates, posture straight, unmoving, as if carved from discipline itself. A dark mask covered her face from the nose down, leaving only her crimson eyes exposed eyes that glowed with a cold, watchful intensity. Her hair, black at the roots and bleeding into a deep red toward the tips, was tied back in a controlled sweep that framed the mask like sharp wings.
Her uniform was a flowing blend of white and purple, trimmed in thin lines of gold. It resembled a dress at first glance, but the subtle plating at her shoulders, waist, and forearms revealed its purpose: mobility, not modesty. Her boots rose all the way to her thighs high-heeled, laced tight with crisscrossing straps that ran from her toes to the very top. She looked elegant, deadly, and silent.
Yet none of that compared to the thing strapped to her back.
A coffin.
Tall. Metal. Wrapped in seals. Secured with straps and reinforced corners. It hung against her spine as if it weighed nothing at all, but every watching student felt the pressure of it like a cold hand around the throat.
Uzuhana's voice softened as she lowered her hand.
"That's her," she said. "Gula the Ghost Eater. The last member of Team Game Over. We should probably just stay out of their way. And Jesse obey."
Ava stepped forward immediately.
"They're not in charge of us."
He looked back at both groups his team and Uzuhana's letting his gaze sharpen.
"We obey the higher-ups. Not other students. And what comes first is that we all leave alive. I can't stand bullies… and they're not going to bully us."
Everyone nodded, confidence returning to their faces as they headed toward their dorms.
Ava and Dallas walked together down the hallway, the night quiet around them.
Ava broke the silence first.
"I'm really sorry about everything yesterday," Ava said quietly. "I was trying to protect all of you. I was flying as fast as I could… but this weak body of mine just wasn't enough."
Dallas sighed and bumped his shoulder lightly.
"It's okay, man. Really. I gotta learn to take care of myself anyway. And hey I'm alive, so that's a win."
Ava stopped walking.
"No. It's not okay."
Dallas turned, confused.
"You could've died," Ava said. "Not just you Star, Demeter. All of you. The last time someone almost died… someone important to me… it messed me up. I don't ever want to feel that again."
Dallas frowned. "Ava… you're shaking."
"I know," Ava whispered. "I'm just… trying."
Star Arrives
Before Dallas could respond, a soft glow appeared down the hall Star. She walked toward them with her arms crossed, her aura dim and tense.
"Hey, Dallas," she said quietly. "Can I talk to Ava alone for a second?"
Dallas nodded. "Yeah… sure." He gave Ava a small look, then walked ahead toward the rooms.
Star waited until he was far enough away, then stepped closer.
"Can I come over tonight?" she asked, her voice tight. "Please? I don't want us going to bed angry."
Ava looked away.
"Star, I told you… this isn't going to work."
Her breathing hitched.
"What? Why?"
"Because you're ashamed of me," Ava said. "And as long as that's true, we'll never work."
Star reached out for his arm. "Ava, stop walking"
But he pulled away and kept going.
"Please…" she said, voice cracking. "Please don't walk away from me."
Ava didn't turn around. He walked straight into the building.
Dallas was already sitting on the edge of the bed when Ava entered the room.
"You okay?" Dallas asked.
Ava didn't answer. Instead, he closed the door and summoned a higher-dimensional card. Space rippled, and a shape formed the upper half of a humanoid torso made of black-and-gold metal, smooth and organic like living armor.
Dallas's eyes widened. "Whoa."
Golden life strings crawled from Ava's hands, threading into the construct. The torso jerked, then began to move arms lifting, rotating, flexing like they belonged to something alive.
Dallas leaned in. "What is this? A robot? And what is it made of?"
Ava hesitated.
"…My wings."
Dallas froze mid-step. "Your wings? You actually plucked your own wings for this?"
Ava nodded. "For months. I melt them with my flames, reshape the material, refine it. I'm building something that can protect people even when I'm not around."
Dallas stepped closer, studying every curve of the armor's torso. His expression shifted from shock… to fascination.
"Ava… this is brilliant," he said, voice rising with excitement. "The structure is solid rough, sure, but the foundation is good. Really good. It'll need refinement, but that's expected. And your life strings"
He tapped the threads of golden energy connecting Ava to the construct. Ava made the life strings visible so dallas could see them and touchable them.
"These are perfect conduits," Dallas said, eyes locked onto the glowing threads. "They're not just transmitting energy they're syncing with the frame like nerves. Honestly, with the right adjustments, we might even make the life strings themselves part of the core system."
He stepped back, thinking deeper, his excitement sharpening.
"To be honest with you… this isn't even a robot," he said. "Your wings from everything you've told me about them, and everything I've seen they're alive. And even now, in this hardened armored form you shaped them into, they're still alive. And your life strings? They're alive too."
He gestured toward the construct, almost reverently.
"At this point, it feels wrong to call it a robot at all. This is a bio-mechanical construct something halfway between a living being and a machine."
His eyes lit up with a dozen ideas at once.
"And a core… yeah, that's the tricky part. It needs to be long-lasting, stable, something that won't burn out or overload. But we can figure that out. Maybe a hybrid core mechanical, magical, and your life-string harmonics woven together."
He began circling the armor, hands hovering but not touching, like he was mapping a blueprint in his head.
"Oh man… there are so many directions we could take this. Efficiency upgrades, internal stabilizers, a containment lattice… This is going to be fun."
Ava almost smiled.
Dallas was already in project mode exactly what Ava hoped for.
Dallas stepped closer. "But why? Why build something like this?"
"Because my monster cards aren't strong enough," Ava said. "They're just beasts. I need something made from me alone. Something loyal. Something stable. A Titan. A Chaos Titan."
He paused, glancing down at the black-gold armor shimmering across his shoulders. "And I made armor for myself."
Dallas didn't hesitate. He nodded once, expression firm.
"Then let's do it. I'm all in."
He turned toward his room, already planning, already committed.
"Tomorrow," Dallas said over his shoulder,
"we start."
Ava was left standing in the quiet dark, the living torso shifting beside him, reacting to his heartbeat through the threads.
Ava exhaled.
"The meeting is about to begin."
He closed his eyes, activated his connection to Lunark, and in an instant he was seeing through someone else's eyes walking in someone else's body.
Lunark strode down a grand hallway surrounded by powerful figures: high-ranking teachers, generals, and dark-armored officials aligned with the Dark Lord. Their footsteps echoed with authority.
Ava's voice whispered inside Lunark's mind.
He can't sense me… right?
Lunark replied silently.
"You'll be fine. Just stay quiet. The meeting is about to start."
He stepped into a massive war room where shadows danced along the walls.
Everyone took their seats.
Lunark's voice trembled.
"…The Dark Lord is about to enter."