The temple trembled—not from quakes, but from pressure.
The weight of Leo's presence alone distorted the mana around him, warping light into strange hues. The crimson haze swirling at his side pulsed like a second heart. The Sovereign Class didn't move. Neither did Crimson.
For a moment, time froze.
Kira stepped forward, placing one hand in front of Chris without looking at him. "He's not hostile yet. Don't provoke him."
Chris's eyes burned, a flicker of orange leaking into his irises. "…I know."
Leo's gaze swept across the Crimson Class. His expression unreadable—like a statue carved from something far older than stone.
"You're not supposed to be here," Leo said, but there was no anger in it. Only… disappointment. "But you came anyway."
"We're not here to fight you," Kira said calmly. "We just want answers."
Leo chuckled quietly. "You already know the truth, don't you?"
His gaze landed on Kira. "You felt it the moment you saw me again. That this world doesn't have a place for kings like us anymore."
From the far side, Ard stepped forward. "Stop speaking in riddles, Leo. If you intend to make a move, then do it. Otherwise, you're wasting our time."
Leo's head turned slightly toward the Sovereign Class, his expression shifting.
"Still wearing the mask of nobility, I see," Leo muttered. "But you—more than anyone—should know the system is flawed. That this… school, these rankings… all of it is nothing but a cage."
His voice grew colder.
"You think you're kings because the world calls you one. But I learned the truth."
He raised his hand.
The crimson mist exploded outward for a split second—every student in the room instinctively stepping back.
Kira felt his chest tighten. That wasn't magic. That was will. Raw will.
But Leo wasn't done.
"This world isn't ruled by kings," he said. "It's ruled by balance. And I am the weight that tips the scale."
Suddenly, the shadows on the walls began to stretch.
Dark silhouettes formed at the edges of the chamber—vague humanoid shapes, flickering like dying firelight.
Chris stepped forward, ignoring Kira's warning hand this time.
"Leo… what are you becoming?"
Leo looked at him for a long time. And for a moment—just one—there was grief.
"I became what the world needed," he said quietly. "Not a hero. Not a villain. Just… something that can't be controlled."
From the archway behind them, hurried footsteps echoed.
Liora.
The headmistress entered, flanked by two of the Elders—beings older than the continent's founding. Their eyes glowed faintly with runic seals.
She stopped as soon as she saw Leo.
"…You're not supposed to be here," Liora said.
Leo didn't blink. "Neither are they," he replied, motioning at the Sovereign Class. "And yet here we are—everyone drawn like moths to a dying flame."
Kira turned to Liora. "What's going on? Why was he down here in the first place?"
Liora's lips thinned. "That's… complicated."
"Try us," Rhea said sharply.
Liora closed her eyes for a moment, then answered:
"The school was built over what remained of an ancient warlock's temple. The elders sealed it centuries ago. Leo—after the Crimson Incident—his essence drifted down here. It bonded with the residual chaos energy at the core. And over time…"
She looked at Leo again.
"…he became something else."
Leo spoke up again. "You buried me beneath your lies, Headmistress. You let the world believe I died a monster. And now that I've outgrown your control, you send children to fix your mistake."
Kira's fists clenched.
Liora's voice turned sharper. "I didn't send anyone."
"She didn't," Ard confirmed. "We came because we chose to."
There was silence.
And then Leo smiled. Slowly. Bitterly.
"So… that's it, then? Sovereign and Crimson, finally standing in the same place… not as rivals, but witnesses."
A slow hum began to build from his body. Red and black lightning arced across his arms.
Kira took a defensive stance.
"Leo—"
But Leo raised his hand again. This time, the shadows twisted violently—shaping into distorted versions of familiar faces.
Leo's own clone.
Kira's silhouette.
Even a flicker of Chris.
Phantom echoes. Not real. But terrifyingly accurate.
And then Leo spoke—one final warning.
"I am no longer the one you once knew. If you choose to follow me beyond this point… know that I will not stop."
He turned his back to them all—and walked through the deepest archway of the ruined temple.
And the door sealed behind him with a sound like falling stone.
A silence heavier than death fell upon the room.
Nobody spoke.
Then Kira finally whispered, "He's not just trying to change the school…"
Chris finished for him.
"…He's trying to reset the world."