Silence lingered over Reikosha Academy.
No one moved.
No one dared to breathe too loudly.
Kronos stood beyond the academy gate, his silver eyes calmly observing the thousands gathered before him. His expression remained unchanged, as though the overwhelming force surrounding him was nothing more than an ordinary breeze.
Shougo stepped forward, placing himself between Kronos and the students.
"State your purpose."
Kronos answered without hesitation.
"I'm looking for someone."
"And if we refuse?"
"...Then I'll continue walking."
His tone never changed.
It wasn't a threat.
It was a fact.
Griffin tightened his grip around his weapon.
"Then you won't be walking any farther."
Without another word, Griffin vanished.
The stone beneath his feet exploded as he crossed dozens of meters in an instant, his fist crashing toward Kronos's face.
BOOM!
The academy entrance shattered beneath the impact.
A cloud of dust engulfed everything.
The students stared without blinking.
"...Did Instructor Griffin—"
The sentence never finished.
A calm voice emerged from the dust.
"...Too slow."
Griffin's eyes widened.
Kronos hadn't moved.
His right hand had simply caught Griffin's fist.
One hand.
Nothing more.
"...Impossible..."
Griffin immediately twisted away, but Kronos's free hand struck his chest with a single palm.
THOOOM!!
The impact launched Griffin across the academy grounds. He tore through three stone buildings before finally crashing into the central training arena, the surrounding structures shaking violently.
The students froze.
One attack.
Just one.
Judas appeared from Kronos's blind spot, her blade flashing toward his neck.
Kronos didn't even look.
"...Temporal Shift."
His body flickered.
Not teleportation.
Not speed.
For the briefest instant...
He seemed to step outside the flow of motion.
Judas's blade cut through empty air.
Kronos calmly reappeared beside her.
His elbow struck her shoulder.
CRACK!
Judas was hurled across the courtyard, smashing through a massive stone pillar before rolling to a stop.
Teacher Tine Marles immediately shouted,
"Protect the students!"
Ishika and several instructors rushed forward, forming a defensive line.
Shougo's expression darkened.
"...Everyone attack together."
The academy answered.
Dozens of teachers released their spiritual energy at once.
Students from Griffin's, Judas's, and Shougo's classes surged forward without hesitation.
Reji spun his weapon with a grin.
"Finally!"
Tyouro ignited blazing flames around both fists.
"Let's go!"
Yura lowered her stance.
Kimimaru silently drew his blade.
Seiyan inhaled deeply.
Kairo stepped beside Shougo.
The courtyard erupted.
Flames.
Lightning.
Sword waves.
Compressed spiritual blasts.
Hundreds of attacks flooded toward Kronos simultaneously.
The sky disappeared beneath their combined assault.
The explosion illuminated the entire academy.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The shockwave blasted apart the front gate, flattening nearby forests and sending debris high into the clouds.
Smoke swallowed everything.
Several students smiled.
"...We got him."
Yura didn't.
"...No."
The smoke slowly drifted away.
Kronos remained standing.
Untouched.
Even his coat hadn't been damaged.
"...Predictable."
He slowly lifted one hand.
"...Chrono Edge."
A thin silver line appeared at his fingertips.
He casually swung it forward.
Nothing happened.
Then—
The ground split apart.
A massive trench carved straight through the academy courtyard, extending for kilometers before finally disappearing into the distant mountains.
Every student standing in its path barely escaped in time.
The buildings behind them...
Were cut perfectly in half.
The upper sections slowly slid apart before collapsing with a deafening roar.
Reji stared in disbelief.
"...He cut the academy..."
"...with one swing?"
Kronos continued walking.
Each step echoed through the silent battlefield.
Shougo vanished.
He appeared directly before Kronos, driving a punch into his abdomen.
His fist connected.
BOOM!
The force pushed Kronos back several steps for the first time.
Dust rose around his feet.
The students' eyes lit up.
"He moved!"
"We can hit him!"
Shougo pressed the advantage, launching a relentless barrage of punches and kicks. Each strike cracked the stone beneath them, forcing Kronos farther across the ruined entrance.
Kronos calmly blocked every attack.
"...Good."
He caught Shougo's wrist.
"...But inefficient."
His knee drove into Shougo's stomach.
The impact folded the air itself.
Shougo coughed blood before Kronos grabbed him by the shoulder and hurled him across the academy.
BOOOOOOM!!
Shougo crashed through the faculty headquarters, bringing half the building down.
Silence returned.
Kronos looked around at the hundreds of warriors surrounding him.
None of them retreated.
For the first time...
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"...Excellent."
"...Perhaps this won't be a waste of time."
He slowly raised his hand.
Silver symbols began circling around his arm.
Not the Time Stop.
Not yet.
Something smaller.
Something meant only for battle.
"...Chrono Chains."
Dozens of silver chains erupted from the ground like living serpents, racing toward teachers and students alike, forcing the defenders of Reikosha Academy to scatter as the true battle finally began.