High above the skies of Nexus Academy—
two figures silently overlooked the ruined battlefield below.
The shattered arena.
The collapsed barriers.
And at the very center—
the unconscious child surrounded by countless eyes.
Xeno slowly smiled as he glanced downward.
"It seems Subject 082 is finally beginning to awaken his memories once again."
His golden eyes narrowed slightly afterward.
"It's only a matter of time before he regains his strength as a Retainer."
A dangerous grin spread across his face.
"It seems everything truly went according to the Sovereign's plan."
Then he laughed softly.
"…Not that it's surprising."
Beside him—
Nephius quietly exhaled smoke from the pipe resting between her fingers.
The woman dressed in the black kimono remained completely silent while her silver eyes stayed fixed only on Rio below.
Cold.
Quiet.
Almost nostalgic.
The wind slowly moved through her dark hair as she stared at him without blinking.
Then suddenly—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
A monstrous pressure engulfed the heavens.
The skies themselves trembled violently.
Xeno's grin instantly faded as both retainers raised their heads upward.
And then—
a man appeared before them.
Golden hair shimmered beneath the sunlight while those piercing golden eyes radiated overwhelming authority and power. A massive crimson cape flowed behind his back carrying the royal symbol of Verilian itself.
At his side—
a black sword radiating immense pressure rested calmly within his hand.
Kingsbane.
The legendary blade of the Verilian King.
Altheris Verilian.
The moment he appeared—
even the surrounding mana throughout the skies became heavier.
Because this was no ordinary man.
This was the ruler of Verilian.
The Verilian King himself.
For the first time since arriving—
Xeno's eyes widened slightly.
Then—
he grinned.
"…Haah."
"To think the King himself would come greet us personally?"
The king's cold gaze met the two retainers without the slightest trace of fear.
Then—
his voice echoed calmly throughout the skies.
"Greet you?"
The pressure around him intensified violently.
"You vile creatures have no place within Verilian."
Silence filled the battlefield afterward.
Then—
Xeno's amused expression slowly faded afterward.
Because another presence had appeared within the skies.
FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!!!
Cold mana spread throughout the heavens instantly.
The temperature around the battlefield dropped sharply as frost slowly formed within the air itself.
Then—
she appeared beside the Verilian King.
White hair flowed endlessly behind her like moonlight itself while those crimson eyes radiated terrifying ferocity capable of making even monsters hesitate.
In her hand rested a long katana.
Hoshizora.
The blade released an icy pressure so overwhelming that even the surrounding mana began freezing apart around it.
The moment she arrived—
several professors below instantly widened their eyes.
Because everyone within Verilian knew exactly who she was.
Elena Astra.
The Guild Master of the Saviant Guild.
One of the strongest swordswomen within the entire kingdom.
And more importantly—
the woman known as the Sword Saintess.
Xeno slowly stared at her for several moments before grinning once more.
"Well now…"
"It seems today's welcoming party is becoming larger than expected."
Meanwhile—
Elena's crimson eyes remained locked directly onto the two retainers.
Cold.
Sharp.
Filled with killing intent.
Then slowly—
she raised Hoshizora toward them.
The skies themselves trembled faintly beneath the sword's icy aura.
"You two…"
Her voice sounded calm.
Yet every word carried murderous pressure behind it.
"…picked the wrong day to appear here."
"Is that so?"
Elena Astra slowly stepped forward through the skies.
The icy pressure radiating from Hoshizora intensified violently while her crimson eyes remained fixed solely on Xeno.
Cold.
Sharp.
Terrifying.
Then—
she spoke.
"Who killed him?"
For a brief moment—
Xeno blinked.
"Hm?"
And then—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
A monstrous killing intent exploded throughout the heavens.
The skies themselves trembled violently beneath the pressure pouring from Elena's body.
Even the Verilian King slightly narrowed his eyes.
Because this pressure—
was pure hatred.
Unfiltered.
Absolute.
Her white hair danced wildly within the storm of mana erupting around her while frost spread endlessly throughout the skies.
Then—
she asked once more.
This time quieter.
Far more dangerous.
"…Who killed Roy?"
The moment Xeno heard that name—
his grin widened.
Wider.
And wider.
Until it became completely twisted.
"Oh…"
"That insect?"
Dark laughter escaped his mouth afterward.
"Death might not be the correct word."
Black death mana spiraled endlessly around his scythe as amusement filled his golden eyes.
"His mana core however…"
"…was quite valuable."
The grin on his face became monstrous.
"An S-Rank core should make excellent food for the pets back home."
Silence.
Then—
Xeno laughed maniacally throughout the skies.
"You should feel honored."
"That useless swine managed to become slightly useful before dying."
The moment those words left his mouth—
Elena vanished.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The skies exploded apart.
Frost and killing intent engulfed the heavens instantly as Elena launched directly toward Xeno with monstrous speed.
CLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!!!
Hoshizora collided against Xeno's gigantic scythe high above the kingdom.
The impact alone shattered the surrounding clouds.
Shockwaves erupted endlessly throughout the skies while frozen ice and death mana spiraled violently around the two monsters clashing above Nexus Academy.
And for the first time—
Xeno's grin slightly twitched.
CLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!!!
The collision between Hoshizora and Xeno's scythe shook the skies themselves.
A massive shockwave erupted outward from the clash, splitting apart the clouds above the academy while frozen ice and black death mana spiraled endlessly across the skies.
Elena's crimson eyes burned with absolute fury.
Meanwhile—
Xeno only laughed.
"HAHAHAHA!"
"Oh this is wonderful!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Death mana exploded around his body as he swung the gigantic scythe downward with monstrous force.
Yet Elena did not retreat.
Her white hair flowed violently behind her as she instantly stepped forward once more.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The skies became filled with endless collisions.
Sword against scythe.
Ice against death.
Every strike distorted the atmosphere itself.
Far below—
the students and professors could barely even follow their movements anymore.
They had become blurs within the skies.
Only explosions of frost and darkness revealed where the two monsters were fighting.
Then suddenly—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Xeno kicked Elena backward through the skies before raising his scythe high above his head.
Darkness engulfed the battlefield instantly.
"Death Art—"
Countless black skeletal arms suddenly manifested throughout the skies behind him.
"Grave of the Fallen."
The gigantic skeletal arms rushed toward Elena all at once.
The heavens themselves darkened beneath the attack.
Yet—
Elena's expression remained cold.
Her grip around Hoshizora tightened slightly.
Then—
frost erupted.
FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!!!
An endless blizzard engulfed the skies instantly while freezing mana spread throughout the battlefield at terrifying speed.
The very air began crystallizing around her.
Then—
Elena swung her blade once.
"Frozen Moon Severance."
SLASH!!!
A gigantic crescent of icy sword energy tore through the skies.
The skeletal arms shattered apart instantly upon contact.
Frozen.
Destroyed.
Even death mana itself began freezing beneath her attack.
Xeno's eyes widened briefly.
Then—
he grinned again.
"HAHAHAHA!"
"GOOD!"
"This is what I wanted!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The two rushed toward each other once more.
The skies trembled violently beneath every collision.
Below them—
the Verilian King silently watched the battle while Kingsbane rested calmly within his hand.
Meanwhile—
Nephius had come down and quietly sat beside Rio.
Ignoring the destruction around her completely.
Her fingers gently brushed through his hair while her silver eyes remained emotionless.
Yet high above—
the battle between the Sword Saintess and the Retainer of Death only continued becoming more violent.
Aurelia's eyes narrowed sharply as the skies above Nexus Academy continued exploding with endless flashes of ice and death mana.
The battle between Elena Astra and Xeno had already turned the heavens themselves into a battlefield.
Every collision sent catastrophic shockwaves throughout the kingdom.
The academy barriers trembled violently.
Several buildings had already begun collapsing beneath the pressure alone.
Then—
Aurelia coldly spoke without taking her eyes off the skies.
"Evacuate the entire academy."
Instructor Ron instantly nodded before disappearing alongside the remaining professors.
Meanwhile—
Aurelia's gaze slowly shifted downward.
Toward the woman sitting quietly beside Rio.
Nephius.
The Retainer of Beauty.
The kimono-clad woman gently brushed her fingers through Rio's hair as though the chaos around them simply did not exist.
Elegant.
Beautiful.
Completely detached from the destruction surrounding her.
Beside Aurelia—
Mitch Rozenberg stepped forward while gripping his spear tightly.
The monstrous pressure radiating from him distorted the ground beneath his feet.
The Spear King.
And beside him—
The Lady of Space.
Two monsters now stood before Nephius.
Yet—
the woman did not even bother looking at them.
Her silver eyes remained entirely fixed on Rio.
That alone made Aurelia's expression grow colder.
Then finally—
Aurelia spoke.
"You must be the Retainer of Beauty."
Silence followed afterward.
Only the distant explosions from the skies above echoed throughout the battlefield.
Then—
Aurelia slowly stepped forward.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Space collapsed violently in front of her.
Void-like cracks spread endlessly across the arena while overwhelming mana engulfed the surroundings.
"Get away from my disciple."