The impact echoed like the end of the world.
A single clash—
And everything shattered.
The ground beneath them collapsed instantly, forming a massive crater.
Shockwaves tore through the academy, breaking walls, uprooting trees, and forcing everyone to their knees.
Dust filled the air.
Vision blurred.
Sound disappeared.
For a moment—
No one could tell what had happened.
Then…
A pulse of energy burst outward.
Clearing everything.
Revealing the center of destruction.
Leo…
Still standing.
But barely.
His sword was raised.
Blocking the hunter's strike.
The pressure between them was unbearable.
Space itself was bending under their clash.
Cracks spread through the air like broken glass.
The hunter's transformed form glowed violently.
Its presence now completely different.
Heavier.
Colder.
More absolute.
"…Resistance confirmed."
Its voice echoed unnaturally.
Leo gritted his teeth.
His arms trembled.
"…You got stronger…"
The hunter didn't respond.
It pushed forward.
Just slightly.
But that slight push—
Was enough.
Leo was forced back.
His feet dragged across the ground, leaving deep marks.
Then—
He was thrown away.
CRASH.
His body slammed into the ruins of a building.
Stone shattered around him.
Dust rose again.
Luna's voice broke through the chaos,
"LEO!"
Kai clenched his fists,
"…He got pushed back…"
Ryu's expression darkened,
"…That thing just changed completely…"
Milan adjusted his glasses, though his hands were shaking,
"…It's no longer testing him…"
"…It's trying to end this."
The hunter stepped forward slowly.
Each step cracked the ground beneath it.
Its energy distorted everything nearby.
"…Final elimination phase."
Leo coughed.
Blood spilled from his mouth.
But his eyes…
Still burned.
"…Tch…"
He pushed himself up.
His body screamed in pain.
Every muscle strained.
Every bone felt heavy.
But he stood.
"…You're annoying."
The hunter disappeared.
Then—
It appeared directly above him.
A strike descended instantly.
Leo raised his sword just in time—
BOOM.
The impact forced him down again.
Knees hitting the ground.
Cracks spread beneath him.
The hunter didn't stop.
Attack after attack rained down.
Precise.
Relentless.
Unavoidable.
Leo blocked.
Dodged.
Endured.
But slowly—
He was being pushed back.
Cut after cut appeared on his body.
Blood fell to the ground.
Golden.
Glowing faintly.
Each drop made the air tremble.
The hunter paused for a split second.
"…Energy output increasing beyond expected limits."
Leo's breathing grew heavier.
His vision blurred again.
The voice inside him spoke,
"You are reaching your limit."
Leo tightened his grip.
"…Not yet…"
The hunter raised its hand again.
This time—
Something different formed.
Not lines.
Not distortion.
But a sphere.
Small.
Dense.
Completely black.
The space around it collapsed inward.
"…Compression of spatial origin."
Milan's eyes widened in horror,
"…If that explodes—"
He didn't finish the sentence.
He didn't need to.
Everyone felt it.
This wasn't an attack.
It was annihilation.
The hunter threw it.
Not fast.
But inevitable.
Everything in its path disappeared.
Not destroyed—
Removed.
Leo looked at it.
For a moment—
He didn't move.
His body was too damaged.
Too slow.
Too late.
Luna screamed,
"LEO MOVE!!"
Time seemed to slow.
The black sphere approached.
Closer.
Closer.
Leo exhaled slowly.
"…So this is it…"
Inside him—
The divine blood pulsed violently.
Stronger than ever before.
The voice spoke, louder now,
"Then stop holding back."
Silence.
Then—
Leo's eyes changed.
Completely.
The golden light intensified.
But deeper now.
Darker.
Ancient.
"…Fine."
A surge of power exploded from his body.
Not outward.
But inward.
Everything around him stabilized instantly.
The collapsing space…
Stopped.
The black sphere froze mid-air.
The hunter stepped back.
For the first time—
A reaction beyond calculation.
"…Unknown interference detected."
Leo slowly stood up.
His wounds still there.
His body still damaged.
But something had changed.
Fundamentally.
The air around him no longer trembled.
It obeyed.
The black sphere…
Began to shrink.
Not because of force.
But because its existence was being denied.
Leo raised his hand slightly.
"…Disappear."
The sphere collapsed completely.
Gone.
As if it had never existed.
Silence fell.
The battlefield froze.
Kai whispered,
"…He just erased it…"
Ryu's voice was low,
"…No…"
"…He controlled it."
Milan's hands trembled,
"…This is beyond anything we studied…"
Luna stared at Leo.
Her eyes filled with something deeper than fear.
Understanding.
"…He's changing…"
The hunter stood still.
Processing.
But slower now.
"…Threat level…"
It paused.
For the first time.
"…Unquantifiable."
Leo looked at it.
Calm.
Too calm.
"…Now it's my turn."
He stepped forward.
And the space beneath him…
Didn't break.
Didn't crack.
It adjusted.
The hunter reacted instantly.
It attacked again.
But this time—
Leo didn't block.
Didn't dodge.
He reached out—
And caught the attack.
Barehanded.
The distortion stopped in his palm.
Like it had hit a wall beyond reality.
The hunter froze.
"…Impossible—"
Leo tightened his grip.
CRACK.
The attack shattered.
Gone.
Leo looked directly at it.
His eyes glowing with something no longer human.
"…You're done."
The hunter moved again.
Faster.
Stronger.
Desperate.
But Leo moved once—
And everything changed.
He appeared in front of it.
Instantly.
No motion.
No transition.
Just presence.
His hand reached forward—
And touched the hunter's chest.
The same motion as before.
Simple.
Silent.
Absolute.
"…End."
The space around the hunter collapsed inward.
Not violently.
But completely.
Its body froze.
Cracks spread across its form.
Then—
It began to fade.
Not destroyed.
Not broken.
Erased.
Piece by piece.
Until nothing remained.
Silence consumed everything.
The battle…
Was over.
But Leo stood there.
Breathing heavily.
His aura unstable.
Flickering.
His body trembled again.
The power faded slowly.
Too fast.
His knees weakened.
"…Tch…"
Then—
He fell.
The world blurred.
Voices echoed faintly.
"LEO!!"
Darkness closed in.
But just before he lost consciousness—
He felt it again.
That presence.
Watching.
From somewhere far beyond.
Waiting.
And this time—
It was smiling.