The moment Noctivar finished speaking, the enormous unseen hands behind him surged forward. They did not move like ordinary limbs. They folded through the air as though distance itself had become their pathway, crossing dozens of meters in the blink of an eye. Their invisible presence distorted the surrounding space, carving ripples through the atmosphere before they descended upon Arios.
Arios' crimson eyes tracked every movement.
The Neo Ascendant System had already adapted to the rhythm of the unseen hands during the battle against the puppets. What had once appeared impossible to perceive had gradually become readable. He shifted his footing.
The first hand swept past his shoulder. The second missed his head by mere centimeters. The third reached for his torso.
He twisted sideways, allowing it to pass harmlessly before driving himself forward like an arrow released from a bow.
Noctivar watched with widening eyes.
"So you can already see them…"
Arios didn't answer.
The distance between them disappeared almost instantly.
His fist shot toward Noctivar's face.
Noctivar raised his forearm and blocked the strike, the collision producing a deep shockwave that rippled through the open field.
Before the force had even settled, Arios vanished.
He reappeared on Noctivar's right.
A sharp jab cut through the air. One of the unseen hands intercepted it. Without hesitation, Arios shifted again. This time he emerged on the left.
Another jab. Another unseen hand blocked the attack.
Their exchanges became a blur. Every strike Arios threw was answered by another invisible limb, while every defense Noctivar made forced him to retreat another step.
The students watching from beneath the shade tree could barely follow the movements.
Lex let out a low whistle.
"He's forcing Noctivar to defend."
Borus folded his arms.
"I've never seen Arios fight this seriously."
Even Instructor Jin leaned forward.
"He isn't rushing. He's reading everything."
Arios suddenly disengaged, sliding several meters backward before coming to a complete stop.
Silence settled over the battlefield.
Then he slowly raised one hand.
Far across the academy grounds, something answered.
A simple wooden sword lifted from where it had rested.
The weapon flew through the air before landing perfectly within Arios' grasp.
The instant his fingers wrapped around its handle, the blade emitted a soft white radiance.
Although it remained nothing more than polished wood, the surrounding atmosphere changed.
Noctivar stared at it. For the first time since arriving…
Unease crossed his face.
"That sword…Why does it feel so dangerous?"
Arios lowered the blade calmly.
"Void Swordsmanship."
His voice carried across the battlefield.
"Void Slash."
He stepped once.
The wooden sword traced two clean arcs through the air.
No visible energy erupted.
No massive explosion followed.
Yet the unseen hands between them were severed instantly, dissolving into fragments of distorted void. Noctivar's pupils contracted.
Without warning, a black codex materialized beside him.
The pages flipped violently.
"Distance Shrink."
The world folded.
The next instant, Noctivar was already in front of Arios, his fist driving forward with tremendous force.
Arios raised his sword just in time.
The impact forced him backward, his boots carving long trenches across the shattered ground before he finally came to a stop.
He inhaled deeply. His crimson eyes brightened.
When he exhaled, white vapor drifted from his lips like mist escaping a frozen mountain.
"Void Step."
His figure disappeared.
No sound.
No fluctuation.
One heartbeat later He stood directly before Noctivar. The wooden sword flashed. A clean slash crossed Noctivar's chest.
Noctivar staggered backward.
His hand instinctively touched the wound before he looked down. Fresh blood stained his fingers.
For a long moment, he simply stared.
Then his expression twisted.
"You…You actually wounded me…"
His voice echoed with fury.
"You dare injure me, Noctivar? I will kill you!"
An overwhelming pressure burst from his body.
Every remaining unseen hand erupted behind him at once before surging toward Arios from every direction.
The battlefield disappeared beneath a tide of invisible force.
Arios remained perfectly still. His sword moved. Once. Twice. Again.
Each swing carried impossible precision.
Every unseen hand that approached was cut apart before it could reach him.
Noctivar's expression hardened.
"Space Collapse."
An invisible distortion consumed the place where Arios had been standing.
The ground disappeared as though erased from existence.
But Arios had already moved.
Landing lightly several meters away, he closed his eyes briefly.
"Body of the White."
White light flowed through him.
His short hair turned completely white. His aura became deeper, calmer, heavier.
Every heartbeat carried overwhelming vitality.
His perception expanded. The battlefield slowed.
Noctivar immediately opened the codex again.
"Distance Shrink."
Reality bent once more.
But before the technique could fully activate—
Arios spoke.
"Stop running away…"
His gaze sharpened.
"…you bastard."
He extended his free hand.
"Void Lock."
The world trembled.
Dark ripples spread throughout the academy grounds before an invisible domain enclosed the battlefield.
The surrounding space became silent. Still. Untouchable.
Noctivar's codex suddenly stopped responding.
Its pages froze.
His expression changed instantly.
"My… codex? It isn't responding…"
Arios walked toward him.
"Inside this space…The Void answers only one master."
Noctivar attempted to retreat.
Nothing happened. He could no longer manipulate distance.
Arios closed the remaining gap in a single step.
One decisive kick sent Noctivar crashing into the ground.
Before he could recover, Arios overwhelmed him with a relentless series of precise strikes, breaking his guard and leaving him unable to continue fighting.
Desperation overtook Noctivar.
"The Unseen Hands!"
The invisible limbs trembled.
They reached toward Arios Then stopped. They refused.
They would not obey.
The power from which they originated recognized the fragment of the Mastered White carried within Lucien Dreamveil's son.
A fragment of the Void's true master.
The unseen hands slowly withdrew.
Noctivar's eyes widened in disbelief.
"No…Why won't you obey me?"
Arios raised his wooden sword.
"This ends here."
The sword descended in one clean motion.
Silence returned to the battlefield.
At the same instant The Neo Ascendant System chimed.
Ding.
Mission Complete.
Host has leveled up.
Current Level: 30
Reward Acquired.
New Ability Unlocked: Void Space
Description: The host may now enter the Void Space and train or travel within it under appropriate conditions.
Lysera walked forward quietly.
The crimson glow within her eyes intensified.
"The Equivalent Exchange System."
A pale circle appeared beneath Noctivar.
"Soul Exchange."
His body and soul separated.
Lysera extended one hand.
"Equivalent Judgment."
The soul dissolved into countless particles of light before fading completely.
No trace remained. No cycle of rebirth awaited him.
The battlefield became still once more.
Philis smiled gently beneath the shade tree.
"It seems…it's over."
Jin folded his arms.
"Yeah. He fought well."
Arios released a slow breath as the white radiance around him gradually faded.
His hair returned to normal. Lysera walked beside him.
Without saying a word, the twins returned toward the others.
Lex smiled first.
Borus raised a fist in greeting. Cecil laughed quietly.
Veldama nodded with approval.
Destiny smiled knowingly.
Even Alex gave the faintest nod of acknowledgment.
For the first time since Noctivar had appeared over Aetherion Academy, peace settled over the battlefield once again. The students stood together beneath the evening sky, unaware that this victory would become the first page in a far greater conflict—one that would eventually shake the very foundations of gods and mortals alike.