The moment Kronos spoke, the frozen sky erupted.
Thousands of silver symbols ignited simultaneously, illuminating the motionless universe with a cold and merciless light. They hung above Reikosha Academy like an endless sea of stars, each one carrying enough power to tear apart mountains, cities, and armies. Yura stood beneath them alone.
Then they moved.
The first wave descended without warning.
Yura's instincts exploded.
She threw herself to the side as a silver spear crashed into the ground where she had been standing. The impact didn't create an ordinary explosion. Space itself seemed to crack, sending jagged fractures through the frozen landscape.
Before she could recover, another attack appeared behind her.
Then another.
Then five more.
The sky became a storm of death.
Yura sprinted.
Her footsteps echoed across the silent world as silver attacks rained from every direction. Every dodge pushed her body harder. Every near miss left her heart racing.
One spear grazed her arm.
Blood scattered through the frozen air.
Yura gritted her teeth.
"...Damn it."
Far away, Kronos remained standing exactly where he had been.
He hadn't moved.
Not even a single step.
His hands rested calmly behind his back while he observed the battlefield.
The attacks were enough.
For now.
Yura ducked beneath another strike and immediately jumped over a second. The instant she landed, three more symbols activated around her.
The ground exploded.
Fragments of stone floated motionless around the impact zone while Yura was launched across the battlefield.
She rolled several times before forcing herself back to her feet.
Pain surged through her body.
Her shoulder burned.
Her ribs ached.
And yet the attacks continued.
She looked up.
The sky still contained thousands more.
"...You're kidding me."
Kronos heard her.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"You wished to challenge me."
His voice carried effortlessly through the frozen reality.
"I am merely responding."
Another wave descended.
Yura ran.
The silver attacks chased her across the academy ruins, forcing her through shattered buildings, broken courtyards, and frozen explosions left behind by the earlier battle.
A spear narrowly missed her head.
Another pierced through her sleeve.
A third exploded against her back.
The impact sent her crashing through a ruined wall.
She hit the ground hard.
For several seconds she couldn't breathe.
Pain spread throughout her body.
Every muscle screamed.
Yet she forced herself up again.
Kronos watched quietly.
Most warriors would have died already.
Most legends would have surrendered.
Yet she continued standing.
That alone intrigued him.
Yura wiped blood from the corner of her mouth and glared toward the distant figure.
"...You're not even fighting me."
Kronos tilted his head slightly.
"No."
The answer came immediately.
"Because this isn't a fight."
The words struck harder than the attacks.
Yura froze.
Kronos slowly raised his eyes toward the sky.
"This is a test."
Another hundred symbols ignited.
The frozen heavens brightened once more.
"If you cannot survive this..."
"...you are unworthy of standing before me."
The next barrage descended.
Yura immediately moved.
Her body reacted before her thoughts could catch up.
Left.
Right.
Forward.
Back.
The attacks continued without pause.
Yet something felt different.
The world seemed slower.
Not because Kronos had weakened.
Not because the attacks had changed.
But because Yura herself was changing.
The frozen reality no longer felt completely foreign.
Her movements became sharper.
Cleaner.
More natural.
A spear descended toward her blind spot.
Without looking, she stepped aside.
The attack missed.
Another followed.
She avoided it.
Then another.
And another.
Kronos's eyes narrowed.
The adaptation was accelerating.
Far faster than it should.
For the first time since activating Absolute Time Dominion, he stopped focusing on the attacks themselves.
Instead...
He focused entirely on Yura.
Trying to understand what she was becoming.
Another wave descended.
This time, dozens of attacks surrounded her simultaneously.
There was nowhere to run.
Nowhere to dodge.
No escape.
Yura's pupils shrank.
Her body moved on instinct.
She twisted between two spears.
Slipped beneath a third.
Leaped over a fourth.
The attacks passed so close they tore strands of hair from her head.
Then silence returned.
The barrage ended.
Yura landed heavily upon the broken earth.
Breathing hard.
Bleeding.
Exhausted.
But alive.
For the first time, Kronos slowly lowered his hands.
The remaining symbols still filled the sky.
Thousands of them.
Yet he had stopped the assault.
His silver eyes remained locked on Yura.
"...Interesting."
Yura looked up.
Sweat and blood covered her face.
Her legs trembled from exhaustion.
Yet she remained standing.
Kronos took his first step forward since the barrage began.
Then another.
Then another.
Each footstep echoed across the frozen universe.
The attacks had ended.
The real battle was about to begin.