Far away in the Citadel, Yoshiro suddenly stopped.
For the first time since the battle began, his body became completely still. The white energy surrounding him flickered as though something had disturbed his concentration. Judas, Dracula, Reji, and Seiyan all noticed it immediately. Yoshiro slowly turned his head toward the distant horizon, his eyes widening as if he had sensed something that should have been impossible.
"...That presence."
His voice was barely audible.
Then he whispered a name he hadn't spoken in years.
"...Akira?"
His expression changed completely.
The confidence disappeared from his face.
The excitement vanished.
For one brief moment, Yoshiro looked almost afraid.
Meanwhile, above Reikosha Academy, the mysterious woman continued floating in complete silence. Her long silver hair moved gently in the wind, while the Aether Reaper rested in her hand. She looked down at the academy as though she were observing something insignificant.
Shougo immediately stepped forward.
"Everyone, stay alert."
Griffin adjusted his hat, his eyes narrowing.
"That's not an ordinary weapon..."
Teacher Tine remained silent, staring at the woman above them. Kairo, Yura, Kimimaru, and Tyouro also looked upward, still exhausted from the battle against Goro.
The woman finally moved.
She didn't shout.
She didn't announce herself.
She simply raised the Aether Reaper.
A faint sound passed through the air.
Shing.
Then she swung.
Nothing appeared to happen.
For less than a second, the academy remained completely intact.
Then...
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
A gigantic invisible slash crossed the entire academy.
The main Reikosha building split cleanly in half.
The upper section slowly shifted before collapsing away from the lower half, sending enormous clouds of dust across the campus. Windows shattered. Walls cracked. Entire classrooms were torn apart in a single motion.
Students screamed as teachers immediately rushed forward to protect them.
"EVERYONE MOVE!"
Shougo released a massive burst of Yami, catching falling debris before it could crush the students. Kimimaru dragged several students away from the collapsing structure while Tyouro used his energy to push broken walls aside. Yura vanished through the dust, carrying injured students away one after another.
Kairo looked up in disbelief.
"She cut the entire building..."
"And we didn't even see the attack."
The woman remained floating above them.
Unmoved.
Unbothered.
She slowly lowered the Aether Reaper.
Far away from Reikosha Academy, across the sea in the Ember Isles, Mr. Fushi sat quietly in his wheelchair, holding a cup of coffee as he watched the distant horizon. The island was peaceful, almost completely untouched by the chaos happening elsewhere. Then suddenly, his expression changed. His hand stopped halfway to his mouth, and the cup slipped from his fingers.
Crash.
Mr. Fushi stared into the distance.
"...No."
A strange pressure had reached him.
He knew that presence.
His eyes widened as an old name returned to his mind.
"Akira Kagetsu..."
For the first time, the usual smile disappeared from his face.
"She's supposed to be dead."
He remained silent for several seconds before slowly lowering his head.
Then something clicked.
Yoshiro's obsession with bringing Akira back.
The strange circumstances surrounding her death.
The events that had followed.
Everything suddenly connected.
"...It wasn't a resurrection."
Mr. Fushi's voice became quieter.
"She never needed to be brought back."
His eyes widened.
"Her death..."
"...was part of the plan."
The cup lay shattered beside his wheelchair.
Mr. Fushi stared toward the horizon, his expression becoming darker.
"But if Akira is alive..."
He paused.
"...then there's something far more terrifying behind all of this."
And for once...
Mr. Fushi didn't laugh.
The woman whose death had supposedly destroyed him.
And now...
She was standing above Reikosha Academy with the Aether Reaper in her hand.
Shougo stepped forward.
"Everyone..."
His voice was calm, but his eyes were serious.
"Prepare yourselves."
Akira suddenly disappeared.
Kairo's pupils shrank.
"Where did she—"
BOOM!
Akira appeared directly in front of Kimimaru.
Kimimaru barely raised his Zweihander before the Aether Reaper collided with it.
The impact sent him flying through several broken walls.
"Kimimaru!"
Yura immediately vanished.
She attacked Akira from behind.
Akira turned her head.
That's all.
She saw Yura.
And somehow...
She was already moving.
Yura's fist missed by less than an inch.
Akira disappeared again.
A slash passed through the air.
Yura barely dodged.
Her eyes widened.
"She's fast..."
"No."
Shougo watched carefully.
"She's not just fast."
Akira suddenly appeared behind Yura.
"She's predicting movement."
Yura immediately spun around, but Akira had already disappeared again.
Shougo's expression became serious.
"Everyone, don't fight her individually."
Tyouro charged forward.
"Then we'll surround her!"
He released a powerful blast.
Akira stepped sideways.
The attack missed.
She appeared behind him.
Tyouro barely managed to turn before the Aether Reaper struck.
BOOM!
He was thrown across the courtyard.
Kairo immediately rushed forward.
"HEY!"
Akira looked toward him.
Their eyes met.
For a brief moment...
Kairo felt something strange.
Not killing intent.
Not hatred.
Something colder.
Recognition.
As though Akira already knew who he was.
Kairo stopped.
"...Why are you looking at me like that?"
Akira said nothing.
She simply raised the Aether Reaper.
Shougo appeared between them.
CLANG!
His Yami-coated arm blocked the weapon.
The impact pushed him several meters backward.
Shougo's eyes narrowed.
"...You're strong."
Akira finally spoke.
Her voice was calm.
Almost emotionless.
"I know."
Shougo stared at her.
The woman slowly raised the Aether Reaper again.
"I've been watching this world for a very long time."
Then she disappeared.
Shougo's pupils contracted.
"Everyone—"
A flash crossed the academy.
BOOOOOOM!
The battle for Reikosha Academy had begun.
And somewhere far away...
Yoshiro continued staring toward the same direction.
His lips slowly parted.
"...Akira."
For the first time in years...
He smiled.
But this time...
Even his smile looked afraid.