The arena still smoldered.
Fragments of shattered stone lay scattered across the ground, cracks spreading like veins across the training field. The air carried faint traces of heat — the lingering echo of a battle that had changed something fundamental.
Ryo stood near the center, breathing steady now, his aura completely gone… but the feeling remained.
Different.
Stronger.
Real.
Kael approached slowly, eyes fixed on him.
"You controlled it faster than expected."
Ryo smirked faintly.
"You sound surprised."
"I am."
Kael stopped in front of him.
"For someone I considered beneath me… your growth is abnormal."
Ryo crossed his arms.
"You're still talking like I didn't just erase that thing."
Kael didn't argue.
"…You did."
And for the first time—
Kael nodded.
Not superiority.
Respect.
Footsteps approached from behind.
Kai.
Calm.
Silent.
Watching.
Ryo turned slightly.
"…You felt it?"
Kai nodded once.
"Yes."
Ryo studied him carefully, waiting — expecting something.
A challenge.
A reaction.
But Kai only spoke calmly—
"You broke your limit."
Ryo's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…And?"
Kai met his gaze.
"…Good."
That was all.
No tension.
No denial.
No ego.
Just recognition.
Ryo exhaled slowly.
"…I'm not done yet."
Kai replied quietly—
"Neither am I."
Later — Upper Training Platform
The sky stretched wide above them, dark but clear. The academy lights glowed faintly below, distant and quiet.
Kai stood across from Ryo.
Both calm.
Both focused.
Ryo cracked his knuckles.
"So… how do we do this again?"
Kai replied:
"We don't force it."
Ryo scoffed.
"That's your answer for everything."
Kai didn't react.
"The power isn't rage. It's release."
Ryo's expression hardened slightly.
"For me… it is rage."
Kai stepped forward slightly.
"Then control the rage."
Silence.
Then—
Ryo ignited his aura.
Faint.
Unstable.
Red-gold sparks flickered around him — weaker than before, but real.
His breathing sharpened.
"Like this?"
Kai watched carefully.
"Not enough."
Ryo gritted his teeth.
The aura surged—
Then collapsed.
He exhaled sharply.
"…Tch."
Kai spoke calmly:
"You reached the state through emotion. To use it consistently… you need awareness."
Ryo glanced at him.
"You make it sound easy."
Kai shook his head slightly.
"It isn't."
Kai closed his eyes.
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
Then—
A faint silver-blue glow formed around him.
Soft.
Controlled.
Aether Surge — partial manifestation.
The air bent slightly around him.
Ryo's eyes sharpened.
"…You can activate it willingly now?"
Kai opened his eyes.
"…Not fully."
The glow faded.
Ryo smirked faintly.
"Then we're both incomplete."
Kai nodded.
"Yes."
Across the academy — Research Wing
Elias stood alone before layered projections of Rift data, ancient text fragments, and energy waveform analysis.
The room was quiet.
But his mind wasn't.
He replayed the arena battle footage.
Frame by frame.
Ryo's ignition.
Energy pattern deviation.
Structural shift.
"…He surpassed his baseline entirely," Elias whispered.
He expanded the projection.
Then overlaid Kai's Rift event energy signature.
Two different paths.
Two different evolutions.
Both accelerating.
And Elias…
Was still standing still.
Mira entered quietly, holding a tablet of compiled data.
"You've been here for hours."
Elias didn't turn.
"I need answers."
Mira glanced at the projections.
"…You're studying their growth."
"Yes."
She hesitated.
"…You feel behind."
Elias finally looked at her.
"…I feel incomplete."
Mira studied him carefully.
"You're not weaker."
Elias shook his head slightly.
"That isn't the point."
He looked back at the data.
"Kai is changing. Ryo is evolving."
His voice lowered slightly.
"And something is coming."
Mira asked quietly—
"…The God Killer?"
Elias didn't answer.
But his silence confirmed enough.
Back on the training platform—
Ryo sat down, staring at his hands.
"…I felt it."
Kai stood nearby.
"What?"
Ryo spoke slowly.
"That thing… when I ignited… it wasn't just power."
Kai listened.
"It felt like something inside me finally woke up."
Kai nodded quietly.
"Yes."
Ryo looked toward him.
"You feel that too, don't you?"
Kai's voice was calm.
"…Yes."
Silence lingered between them.
Then Ryo smirked faintly.
"Good. Means I'm catching up."
Kai replied quietly—
"…Then keep going."
High above the academy—
Far beyond normal sight—
A presence observed.
Not through eyes.
Not through machines.
But through something older.
The shift in energy.
The fracture in the seal.
The ignition of flame.
Three distinct signatures.
Diverging.
Growing.
The presence did not interfere.
It did not descend.
It only watched.
And then—
It turned away.