Smoke engulfed the shattered courtyard of Reikosha Academy.
The combined assault of Shougo, Kairo, Yura, Reji, Oko, Tyouro, Dracula, Aoi, Tine Marles, and the other students had left the academy entrance unrecognizable. Craters overlapped one another, buildings had collapsed into piles of stone, and countless trees had been reduced to splinters.
No one moved.
Every eye remained fixed on the center of the smoke.
Shougo slowly wiped the blood from his lips as he steadied himself against a broken pillar. His breathing was heavy, yet his eyes never left the battlefield.
"...Did we finally bring him down?"
No one answered.
The smoke gradually drifted away.
A pair of footsteps echoed across the ruined ground.
Tap...
Tap...
Tap...
Kronos emerged.
His black coat was torn around the shoulder, several cuts marked his arms, and a thin stream of blood traced the side of his face.
He calmly touched the blood with two fingers.
For a moment...
He simply stared at it.
Then...
He smiled.
"...Excellent."
"It's been a very long time since someone managed to draw my blood."
Silence swallowed the academy.
Reji's confident grin disappeared.
"...You're kidding..."
Tyouro clenched his fists.
"After everything we hit him with..."
"...He's still standing?"
Kronos rolled his shoulder once.
A faint silver glow flowed beneath his skin.
The bruises didn't disappear instantly, but they slowly began fading as if time itself were correcting the damage.
"I underestimated this generation."
His silver eyes swept across every teacher and student.
"You have earned my respect."
"...Now allow me to return the favor."
He lifted one hand.
Silver symbols circled around his fingertips.
"...Chrono Lance."
The air trembled.
Dozens of slender spears forged from compressed temporal energy materialized behind him. They floated silently, each one glowing with pale violet lines that distorted the surrounding space.
Kairo's instincts screamed.
"Everyone, move!"
The spears vanished.
Not fired...
Vanished.
A heartbeat later—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions erupted across the battlefield.
Each lance appeared only a split second before impact, piercing through stone, shattering walls, and forcing students to dive away at the last possible moment.
Several teachers intercepted the attacks with barriers, but each collision sent them sliding backward.
The academy shook violently.
Tine Marles erected a wall of Yami in front of a group of first-year students.
Three Chrono Lances struck it simultaneously.
KRAAAASH!
The barrier cracked.
Another spear pierced straight through it, grazing her shoulder and forcing her to one knee.
"...So fast..."
Dracula flashed across the battlefield in a bolt of blue lightning, intercepting another spear before it reached the younger students.
Even with his speed...
The explosion hurled him across the courtyard.
Yura appeared beside him, helping him back to his feet.
"You okay?"
He coughed once.
"...Barely."
Meanwhile, Shougo charged once more.
Yaki and Yami erupted together, black flames dancing alongside golden light.
He swung with everything he had.
Kronos calmly stepped forward.
"...Aion Step."
His figure flickered.
Not a blur.
Not teleportation.
It was as though several moments of movement had simply been removed.
Shougo's punch struck empty air.
His eyes widened.
"...What?"
Kronos was already beside him.
One palm struck Shougo's ribs.
THOOOM!
The impact blasted Shougo through the remains of the combat hall, collapsing what little of the structure was still standing.
Griffin roared and leaped into the fight.
Judas attacked from the opposite side.
Their attacks crossed perfectly.
Kronos extended both hands.
"...Time Fracture."
He punched once.
Nothing happened.
Griffin frowned.
"...He missed."
A second later—
BOOOOM!
The delayed impact exploded against Griffin's chest, launching him backward before Judas was struck by a second invisible shockwave from an attack Kronos had thrown moments earlier.
The teachers stared in disbelief.
"...The attack..."
"...was delayed?"
Kronos lowered his hands.
"Time is not always experienced equally."
"You perceive the result..."
"...after I have already decided it."
Reji clicked his tongue.
"That's ridiculously unfair."
Kronos looked toward him.
"Life often is."
Without warning, Kairo rushed in with the Black Spartan.
He thrust the spear toward Kronos's heart.
Kronos caught the shaft with one hand.
For a brief moment...
Their eyes met.
"I see hesitation."
Kairo gritted his teeth.
"I'm not afraid of you."
"No."
Kronos replied calmly.
"You're afraid of yourself."
With a casual twist, Kronos snapped the attack aside and drove his elbow into Kairo's chest.
BOOM!
Kairo crashed into the broken academy wall, struggling to breathe.
His Yami still refused to answer him.
He slammed his fist against the ground in frustration.
"...Why..."
"...Why won't you come out?!"
Yura immediately stepped in front of him.
"I'll cover you."
Kimimaru slowly stood despite the wound in his side, gripping his Zweihander once more.
Blood continued dripping onto the shattered earth.
"...We're..."
"...not done."
One by one...
The students stood again.
The teachers rose despite their injuries.
Even after witnessing Kronos's overwhelming strength...
No one retreated.
For the first time...
Kronos's cold expression softened ever so slightly.
"...Remarkable."
"So this..."
"...is Reikosha Academy."
He slowly closed his eyes.
A quiet sigh escaped his lips.
"...Perhaps..."
"...I've been holding back for too long."
Above the academy...
The clouds began rotating.
The sunlight dimmed.
An unnatural silence spread across the battlefield as an invisible pressure settled over every living soul.
Kronos slowly opened his eyes.
"...One more step..."
"...and this battle will end."
Every instinct in Shougo's body screamed the same warning.
Whatever Kronos was preparing...
It was on an entirely different level.