The corridor leading to the gymnasium was no longer a hallway; it was a crumbling stone bridge suspended over a canyon of ancient, jagged trees. The familiar scent of floor wax was replaced by the overwhelming aroma of damp earth and the metallic tang of monster breath.
"Lucas, wait!" Leon called out, his voice steady despite the madness. He stopped by a window—or where a window used to be. "Look at the city. It's not just a forest. Those buildings... they're being eaten by the trees."
Lucas didn't stop. He knew what was coming. In the previous timeline, the Chimera of the First Gate had entered through the gym's skylight, slaughtering thirty students in seconds.
"Don't look at the scenery, Leon! We have to move!" Lucas shouted. He checked his new status window.
They burst through the double doors of the gym. It was a scene of pure pandemonium. Students were screaming, huddled under the bleachers as the violet moon cast long, eerie shadows across the hardwood floor.
In the center of the court stood Elena. She was holding a broken metal chair, her eyes wide with terror but her stance firm as she stood between a group of freshmen and a snarling, three-headed beast that had just crashed through the roof.
The Chimera—a fusion of lion, goat, and serpent—dripped acidic saliva that sizzled on the gym floor.
"Elena!" Lucas roared.
The girl with the long black hair turned, her eyes brimming with tears of relief. "Lucas! Leon! Get out of here! This thing... the bullets from the security guard didn't even scratch it!"
The Chimera's lion head let out a deafening roar and lunged at Elena.
"Not this time," Lucas hissed. He moved faster than any Level 1 should. Using the [Vanguard's Charge], he became a streak of blue light. He intercepted the beast, slamming his wooden practice sword—now reinforced by his sheer willpower—into the lion's throat.
The wood shattered, but the impact sent the massive beast reeling back.
"Leon! Take Elena and get to the equipment room!" Lucas yelled, his muscles screaming under the strain.
Leon didn't run. Instead, he walked toward the center of the gym. His white hair seemed to catch the violet moonlight, shimmering with a faint, ghostly radiance. He looked at the Chimera, and then he looked at his own hands.
"Lucas is fighting that thing with a stick," Leon whispered to himself. A strange, cold sensation began to crawl up his spine—the [Emperor] class was reacting to his desire to protect his friends.
[System Notification]
[Player 'Leon' is observing 'Vanguard's Charge'...]
[Skill Successfully Copied: 'Vanguard's Charge' (Rank: F -> evolved to Rank: B due to Emperor's Authority)]
"Elena, stay behind me," Leon said. His voice had changed. It was no longer the voice of a high school student; it had the weight of a king.
"Leon? What are you doing?" Elena gasped, clutching his arm. "You don't have a weapon!"
"I don't need one," Leon replied.
He stepped forward, his golden eyes locking onto the Chimera's serpent tail. In a blur that even Lucas's tempered eyes struggled to follow, Leon used the very skill he had just seen Lucas perform. But where Lucas was a shield, Leon was a spear.
He struck the beast's chest with his bare palm.
[Skill: 'Emperor's Impact' (Combined with Vanguard's Charge)]
The Chimera didn't just fly back—it exploded. A shockwave of golden energy ripped through the gym, shattering the remaining windows and throwing the creature against the far wall, where it dissolved into black smoke and a single glowing mana stone.
The gym went deathly silent. Lucas stood frozen, his heart sinking. It's happening already, he thought. Even without his memories, Leon is becoming the sun that blinds the world. If the Architect sees this...
Leon stood over the spot where the monster had died, looking confused. The golden glow in his eyes faded back to a soft amber.
"I... I just pushed it," Leon said, looking at his shaking hand. "Lucas, did you see that? What was that?"
Elena ran to them, throwing her arms around both of them, sobbing. "I thought we were going to die! Leon, how did you do that?"
Lucas looked up at the violet moon, feeling the invisible gaze of the Gods beginning to settle on their sector. He reached out and grabbed Leon's shoulder, hard.
"It's the System, Leon. It gave us powers," Lucas said, his voice low and urgent. "But listen to me. Both of you. Don't show off. Don't tell anyone exactly what your class is. We need to leave this school before the bigger ones arrive."
Leon looked at Lucas, his brow furrowed. "You seem to know a lot about this 'System,' Lucas. You've been acting like you knew the roof was going to fall off."
Lucas turned away, hiding the guilt in his eyes. "I just have a good gut feeling. Now move!"