The ground split open beneath the academy courtyard.
Not a crack.
A vertical tear.
Stone folded inward like paper being crushed by invisible hands. Dust exploded upward, swallowing what remained of the battlefield.
Students who were barely standing lost their balance again.
Arav didn't move.
His eyes were locked on the fracture.
It wasn't random collapse.
It was controlled descent.
Something was pushing upward from below.
The black mark on his arm burned hotter.
[Observer Mark Active]
The system interface flickered violently but did not disappear this time. Instead, it rearranged itself.
[Emergency Protocol Initiated]
[Hidden Authority Detected]
[Survival Probability Updated: 11%]
Too low.
Way too low.
Dante stepped beside him, flames weak but stable. "What's coming?"
Arav answered without hesitation.
"Something that shouldn't be here."
The fracture widened.
A column of dark energy shot upward like a reverse lightning strike.
Then—
A figure stepped out.
Humanoid.
Tall.
Draped in layered black armor that looked fused to its body.
Its face was covered by a smooth, expressionless mask.
No mana pressure.
No roar.
No wild movement.
Just presence.
Every instinct Arav had screamed danger.
Mira whispered, "That's not a monster."
She was right.
Monsters were chaotic.
This thing was precise.
It scanned the courtyard slowly.
When its gaze passed over Dante—
Nothing happened.
When its gaze passed over Mira—
Nothing happened.
When it reached Arav—
It stopped.
Confirmed.
Target locked.
The masked figure raised one hand.
The air distorted.
Gravity bent unnaturally toward Arav's position.
His knees slammed into the stone as crushing force pushed him downward.
Mira tried to counter with her domain—
It didn't work.
Her gravity was rejected.
The masked figure lowered its hand slightly.
The crushing force intensified.
Stone cracked beneath Arav's feet.
Dante launched forward with a burst of flame.
The figure didn't dodge.
It simply extended two fingers.
The fire split in half mid-air.
Like someone had sliced it cleanly.
Dante's eyes widened.
"That's impossible—"
The figure moved.
Not fast.
Not flashy.
Just efficient.
It appeared in front of Dante without visible acceleration.
A single palm strike.
Dante flew across the courtyard, slamming into broken pillars.
Unconscious.
Mira tried again.
Her gravity field warped violently—
Then snapped back at her.
She coughed blood and fell to one knee.
Arav clenched his teeth.
This wasn't a Floor monster.
This was Executor level.
But Executors weren't supposed to appear until mid-Tower progression.
This early arrival meant only one thing.
The timeline deviation crossed a threshold.
The masked figure spoke.
Its voice echoed strangely, as if layered.
"Timeline irregularity confirmed."
No emotion.
No anger.
Just statement.
Arav forced himself upright despite the pressure.
"You're here because of me."
The figure tilted its head slightly.
"Correction. You exist because of deviation."
It raised its hand again.
The black mark on Arav's arm ignited.
Pain surged through his nerves.
His system window glitched.
[Authority Suppression Attempt Detected]
The masked figure stepped closer.
"Regression candidate identified."
So it knew.
Not guessed.
Confirmed.
That meant—
This wasn't the first regression in existence.
Arav's mind worked rapidly.
Fighting head-on was suicide.
Chrono Mark was on cooldown.
Direct attack wouldn't penetrate that armor.
But maybe—
He didn't need to win.
He needed to stall.
"Why eliminate me now?" Arav asked, forcing steady breathing.
The figure paused.
A fraction of a second.
Enough.
"Extinction branch stabilized without anomaly."
So that was it.
In original timeline, humanity still lost.
But the sequence followed expected pattern.
His reset introduced chaos.
And chaos wasn't allowed.
The figure lifted its hand again.
This time—
The sky above the academy darkened.
Not from clouds.
From space bending.
Arav's system exploded with red warnings.
[Authority Lock Engaging]
[Skill Access Restricted]
His Chrono Mark icon dimmed.
No.
Not now.
He shifted his stance.
If powers were sealed—
He would rely on memory.
The Executor stepped forward.
Each step cracked stone beneath its boots.
Arav rushed in first.
No hesitation.
He slid low and aimed for the back of the knee joint.
Metal met resistance.
But there was a slight gap between armor plates.
He drove the broken spear fragment into it.
The Executor didn't react.
Instead—
It grabbed Arav by the throat mid-motion.
Lifted him effortlessly.
Air vanished from his lungs.
"Deviation must be corrected."
Its other hand formed a blade of condensed black energy.
This wasn't monster mana.
This was controlled authority.
Execution type.
Arav's vision blurred.
Not like this.
He didn't reset to die in Chapter 3.
He forced his eyes open.
There.
Behind the Executor.
The fracture in the ground was still unstable.
Energy leaking upward.
Not fully anchored.
If he could destabilize the connection—
The Executor might be forced to withdraw.
He couldn't speak.
But he could act.
With the last bit of strength, he slammed his free hand onto the black mark.
"Activate."
Pain tore through his arm.
The Chrono Mark flared violently.
Even sealed, it responded.
[Forced Override]
[Time Dilation — 1.2 Seconds]
Not three.
Barely one.
But enough.
Time slowed imperfectly.
The Executor's blade paused mid-descent.
Arav twisted in its grip and kicked off its chest plate.
He launched backward—
Directly into the fracture zone.
He slammed both hands onto the unstable energy core.
And pulled.
Reality screamed.
Time snapped back.
The fracture widened violently.
Black lightning surged upward.
The Executor staggered for the first time.
Its grip loosened.
Arav fell to the ground hard.
The fracture began collapsing inward.
The connection between Tower and academy destabilized.
The masked figure looked down at him.
"Insufficient."
But the voice carried slight distortion now.
The connection was weakening.
Good.
Arav rolled to his feet and grabbed a fallen mana amplifier device from a shattered instructor's belt.
He smashed it into the fracture.
The device exploded in a surge of raw mana.
The energy column spiraled out of control.
The Executor's form flickered.
Not defeated.
But phasing.
It stepped forward one last time.
Placed two fingers against Arav's forehead.
Cold.
Sharp.
And whispered—
"Marked beyond system."
Then—
Its body dissolved into shadow fragments.
The fracture sealed.
The courtyard fell silent.
Only wind moved.
Arav collapsed to one knee.
System windows rebooted slowly.
[Authority Suppression Lifted]
[Deviation Index: 7.9%]
Higher.
Much higher.
Dante groaned nearby.
Mira crawled toward him.
"What… was that?"
Arav exhaled slowly.
"Execution unit."
Mira frowned. "From where?"
He looked at the distant Tower.
"It."
Dante pushed himself upright, face pale. "That thing wasn't trying to destroy the academy."
"No."
"It was trying to kill you."
Arav didn't deny it.
The black mark on his arm had changed.
It was no longer a faint eye symbol.
Now it looked like a cracked circle.
Like something attempted to overwrite it.
System notification appeared again.
[New Condition Applied]
[Observer Level Increased]
[Next Evaluation Threshold: 10% Deviation]
So there were thresholds.
That meant—
At 10%, something worse would appear.
Students began regrouping.
Instructors assessed casualties.
The academy wasn't destroyed.
But the damage was severe.
Dante stood slowly.
"You knew that thing was coming."
Arav met his gaze.
"I knew something would."
"Why?"
Because I've died before.
Because I've seen the end.
Because this isn't the first time.
He didn't say it.
Instead—
"Because the Tower isn't reacting randomly. It's adjusting."
Dante studied him carefully.
Mira too.
Suspicion planted.
Good.
Trust would come later.
For now, survival mattered more.
Sirens echoed in the distance.
Military units were arriving.
Too late.
Always too late.
Arav's system flashed again.
[Skill Evolution Available]
He opened the interface.
Chrono Mark pulsed.
New branch unlocked.
[Sub-Skill: Anchor Point]
Allows temporary stabilization of altered events.
Limited uses.
High cost.
That would help against authority interference.
Good reward.
But the system screen flickered again.
Another hidden message surfaced beneath the main interface.
Barely visible.
[Regression Count: ???]
Three question marks.
Not one.
Not two.
Unknown.
His heartbeat slowed.
That message wasn't there before.
He tried to access it.
It vanished.
Someone was hiding data.
Or the system itself was incomplete.
Dante approached again.
"You're coming with me."
"Where?"
"To the provisional command center. Military wants statements."
Arav nodded.
Good.
He needed information.
As they walked through the ruined academy—
Students stared at him.
Whispers spreading.
"Who is he?"
"He killed the leader."
"He fought that black thing."
Reputation forming early.
Earlier than in the first timeline.
That changed political dynamics.
Guild formation timelines would shift.
Power hierarchies would change.
And deviation percentage would rise faster.
He needed control.
Fast growth.
And answers.
Above them—
The Tower pulsed once.
Then twice.
Like a heartbeat.
Arav looked up.
This time—
He saw two silhouettes standing at the top edge.
Not one.
Watching.
Observing.
Evaluating.
The black mark on his arm throbbed again.
System notification appeared one final time before fading.
[Next Correction Attempt Scheduled]
No timer.
No countdown.
Just inevitability.
Arav clenched his fist.
Fine.
Let them come.
This time—
He would climb before they did.
Because if they were already reacting at 7.9% deviation—
Then what would happen at 20%?
At 50%?
At full collapse?
The future was no longer fixed.
And neither was the Tower.
But one thing was certain.
They weren't just testing humanity.
They were testing him.
And the next time an Executor appeared—
He wouldn't barely survive.
He would make it retreat.
Or break it.
The Tower pulsed again.
Far above the clouds—
A third silhouette appeared.