For several moments—
Nephius remained silent.
Her pale fingers continued gently running through Rio's white hair while the smoke from her pipe slowly drifted upward into the ruined battlefield.
Completely calm.
As though the overwhelming pressure from Aurelia and Mitch simply did not matter.
Then finally—
Nephius slowly lifted her eyes.
And for the first time—
she looked at them.
Her silver eyes were emotionless.
Yet impossibly cold.
"…Disciple?"
Her soft voice echoed quietly throughout the battlefield.
The next moment—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
An immense pressure erupted from Nephius instantly.
The ground beneath her shattered apart.
Even the surrounding mana itself seemed to bend unnaturally around the woman.
Aurelia's expression immediately hardened.
Because this pressure—
was monstrous.
Far beyond what the professors below could even comprehend.
Nephius slowly stood up afterward.
Carefully placing Rio's unconscious body behind her.
The black kimono flowed quietly within the wind while her long dark hair danced across the ruined arena.
Then—
she spoke once more.
"He does not belong to you."
Her silver eyes remained fixed solely on Rio.
"…He never did."
Mitch instantly stepped forward.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The Spear King's aura exploded outward violently as he pointed the gigantic spear directly toward Nephius.
The atmosphere trembled.
"Careful with your next words."
The killing intent radiating from Mitch became overwhelming.
Yet—
Nephius only glanced at him briefly.
Then—
she smiled faintly.
A small smile.
Beautiful.
But unsettling.
"The Spear King…"
"…and the Lady of Space."
Smoke slowly escaped from her lips afterward.
"What an annoying combination."
The moment those words left her mouth—
Aurelia vanished.
CRACK!!!
Space tore apart instantly.
She appeared directly before Nephius with her hand outstretched as collapsed space itself spiraled around her fingers.
Yet—
Nephius calmly lifted one hand.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Life mana exploded outward.
The surrounding battlefield instantly became engulfed in glowing green light as flowers began blooming throughout the shattered ground itself.
The collision between life and space distorted the entire arena violently.
Shockwaves erupted outward endlessly.
Far above—
the heavens continued trembling from Elena and Xeno's battle.
Meanwhile below—
another monster-level fight had begun.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The collision between life and space erupted across the battlefield like a natural disaster.
Green life mana and distorted void energy spiraled violently around the arena while the shattered ground beneath them continued collapsing endlessly.
Aurelia instantly stepped backward through broken space.
Her eyes narrowed.
Because the moment their attacks collided—
she understood.
Nephius was dangerous.
Far more dangerous than expected.
Meanwhile—
the Retainer of Beauty calmly lowered her hand once more as glowing flowers continued blooming across the ruined battlefield around her feet.
Beautiful.
Yet unnaturally eerie.
The life mana radiating from her felt suffocating rather than warm.
Mitch's grip around his spear tightened instantly.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
He moved.
The Spear King vanished from his position before appearing directly beside Nephius with monstrous speed.
His spear tore downward like a falling dragon.
"Move away from the boy."
CLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!!!
The attack collided against a glowing barrier of life mana instantly.
Shockwaves exploded throughout the arena.
Yet—
Nephius did not even move.
She remained standing calmly while smoke drifted upward from her pipe.
Then finally—
her silver eyes shifted toward Mitch.
"…You are loud."
FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!!!
Vines erupted violently from the ground beneath Mitch's feet.
Thousands of glowing green roots shot upward like serpents attempting to devour him whole.
Mitch's eyes sharpened.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
His spear exploded with mana.
Every vine surrounding him shattered apart instantly.
The pressure from the Spear King alone cracked the surrounding battlefield.
Then—
he pointed the spear toward Nephius once more.
"You people should've stayed hidden."
Far above them—
the heavens exploded again.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Ice and death mana swallowed the skies as Elena and Xeno continued tearing apart the atmosphere itself.
The academy barriers shattered one after another.
Even distant mountains had begun trembling from the pressure of the battles.
And yet—
despite all the destruction surrounding her—
Nephius only glanced back toward Rio.
Quietly.
Almost gently.
Then she whispered softly—
"…Retainer Rio."
For the first time—
emotion appeared within her silver eyes.
"…Did you miss me?"
Then—
Aurelia slowly lowered her hand.
And the world bent.
CRRRRRRRRRRACK!!!
Space itself distorted violently around the battlefield as invisible pressure spread outward from her body, crushing everything in its path.
The shattered arena collapsed even further.
The remaining walls throughout the academy instantly cracked apart.
Even the mana within the atmosphere became unstable.
For several moments—
it looked as though reality itself was being compressed.
Aurelia's black hair floated weightlessly around her while her purple eyes glowed with overwhelming power.
The title Lady of Space was not simply for show.
She stood at the very peak of humanity.
And at that moment—
she radiated enough pressure to make even monsters hesitate.
Then—
space shattered.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Gigantic void fractures spread throughout the battlefield before converging directly toward Nephius from every direction.
The surrounding air twisted unnaturally as collapsed space attempted to crush the Retainer entirely.
Far below—
several students who had not evacuated in time widened their eyes in horror.
Because this was no longer a battle between humans.
This was a clash between calamities.
Meanwhile—
Nephius finally lifted her gaze fully toward Aurelia.
And for the first time since arriving—
the faint smile on her face disappeared.
FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!!!
An overwhelming wave of life mana erupted from her body instantly.
The shattered ground around the battlefield exploded with countless glowing flowers and gigantic vines while emerald light engulfed the arena itself.
Life.
Pure life.
So dense that it almost felt unnatural.
The flowers blooming beneath her feet rapidly spread across the collapsing battlefield while endless vines collided directly against the crushing void around them.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Life and space collided violently.
The resulting shockwave tore apart everything nearby.
Meanwhile—
high above the collapsing battlefield—
King Altheris silently overlooked the destruction surrounding Nexus Academy.
Ice and death continued tearing apart the heavens as Elena and Xeno clashed endlessly above the skies while below them Aurelia and Mitch stood against Nephius amidst collapsing space and blooming life mana.
The academy had already become a battlefield between monsters.
Yet despite all the destruction—
Altheris remained calm.
His golden eyes slowly narrowed afterward.
Then—
he sighed.
"…So you're finally showing yourself."
The moment those words left his mouth—
everything stopped.
Not metaphorically.
Literally.
The explosions within the heavens froze.
The collapsing space around Aurelia halted instantly.
Even Elena's sword remained suspended against Xeno's scythe high above the skies.
Silence engulfed the world.
No—
it was as though the world itself had been forced into silence.
Then—
CRACK.
A portal slowly opened within the heavens.
The moment it appeared—
everyone's expressions changed.
Xeno's grin disappeared.
Nephius slowly lowered her pipe.
Even Aurelia's eyes narrowed sharply.
Because this pressure…
…felt wrong.
It was not overwhelming like Xeno's death mana.
Instead—
it felt absolute.
Like reality itself had paused to acknowledge a higher existence.
Then—
a man slowly stepped out from the portal.
Black shoes touched the frozen sky itself while a long black coat flowed quietly behind him. A black hat covered part of his face, shadowing those glowing purple eyes that seemed almost detached from the world around him.
In one hand—
he calmly held an old silver pocket watch.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
The only sound still moving within the frozen world.
Then—
the man let out a quiet laugh.
"Hm~?"
The simple sound alone caused the surrounding mana to tremble faintly.
Below him—
Xeno slowly lowered his head.
Nephius did the same soon afterward.
Not out of fear.
But respect.
Because the man before them stood near the very top of Oblivion itself.
The Retainers held a hierarchy amongst themselves.
From the First Retainer—
the strongest beneath the Sovereign—
to the Eighth Retainer, considered the weakest.
Yet even the weakest Retainer possessed enough power to destroy entire kingdoms.
Each one held different authorities.
Different strengths.
Different forms of power beyond human understanding.
And the man now standing before them—
the one who appeared strangely ordinary—
was among the highest ranked of them all.
Moon.
The Second Retainer.
The Retainer of Time.
The reason for his terrifying reputation became obvious immediately.
Because the moment he arrived—
time itself had stopped.
...
Nephius slowly lifted her silver eyes toward the man standing within the frozen heavens.
"Retainer Moon…"
For the first time since arriving—
her calm expression shifted slightly.
"Why have you appeared after a decade of exile?"
Moon casually flipped the silver pocket watch within his hand before letting out a small yawn.
"Yawn~"
His glowing purple eyes slowly drifted across the battlefield below.
"Hm?"
"I suppose…"
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"…I became interested in the little battle happening here."
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
The sound of the watch echoed strangely throughout the frozen world.
Then—
CRACK.
Time resumed.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The frozen explosions throughout the heavens erupted once more as Elena and Xeno instantly separated from their clash.
Aurelia immediately stepped backward while collapsed space spiraled violently around her once again.
Everyone had broken free from the effect.
Yet the atmosphere had completely changed.
Because now—
someone far more dangerous had arrived.
Moon however paid no attention to them.
Instead—
his purple eyes slowly fell toward Rio's unconscious body below.
And then—
he smiled softly.
"…Anyhow."
"It seems he has come quite far now."
Nephius quietly glanced toward Rio as well.
For the first time—
a faint genuine smile appeared on her face.
"…Yes."
"It seems his memories are finally beginning to awaken."
Moon nodded slowly afterward.
"It's only a matter of time."
He calmly closed the silver watch within his hand.
"…before he takes his rightful seat once more."
Silence filled the battlefield.
Then—
Moon spoke the words that made everyone's expressions freeze.
"…As the First Retainer."
The moment those words echoed throughout the academy—
everyone's eyes widened.
Aurelia froze.
Mitch's grip around his spear tightened instantly.
Even Elena's crimson eyes shook slightly.
Rio…
…as the First Retainer?
Moon's glowing purple eyes slowly shifted toward Aurelia.
For the first time since arriving—
his faint smile widened slightly.
"Lady of Space…"
The silver watch within his hand softly ticked once more.
"I truly wish we could battle each other once again."
The moment those words were spoken—
the atmosphere throughout the battlefield instantly became heavier.
Aurelia's eyes narrowed coldly toward him.
Then—
space distorted violently around her.
"I'll crush you."
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Collapsed space spread endlessly behind Aurelia like a broken galaxy while monstrous mana engulfed the academy itself.
Yet Moon only smiled calmly beneath his black hat.
Because both of them remembered.
The war ten years ago.
The day Oblivion first revealed itself to the world.
That was the day humanity learned true despair.
Kingdoms burned.
Entire armies vanished overnight.
And amidst that war—
Aurelia Lioren had clashed against Moon himself.
A battle remembered throughout history as—
Space against Time.
Two ancient powers colliding against one another.
Two beings standing beyond normal logic.
Because among the Retainers—
there existed individuals who possessed forbidden affinities.
Ancient affinities.
Powers that did not belong to mortals.
Abilities said to be blessings granted directly by the gods themselves.
Life.
Death.
Time.
Space.
Each affinity stood within its own category entirely separate from normal mana.
Absolute.
Untouchable.
And among the Retainers—
there were still several more ancient affinities yet unseen.
Meanwhile—
far below them—
Rio remained unconscious within the shattered battlefield.
Yet even then—
his body quietly radiated traces of one such forbidden power.
Space.
Currently—
Rio possessed only one ancient affinity.
But even that alone—
was enough to terrify the world.
Moon slowly adjusted the black hat resting above his eyes while the silver watch within his hand continued ticking softly.
"As much as I would absolutely love to fight you today…"
His glowing purple eyes calmly met Aurelia's.
"…it seems the others have finally arrived."
The moment those words left his mouth—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Several overwhelming presences descended upon the skies surrounding the academy.
Armored figures clad in silver and black appeared one after another throughout the heavens, each radiating immense mana and authority.
The Phantom Knights.
Verilian's strongest military force.
The elite warriors who directly served under King Altheris himself.
Even the remaining professors below widened their eyes seeing their arrival.
Moon however simply let out a small yawn.
"And honestly…"
He glanced lazily toward the battlefield below.
"…I'm still quite tired after my exile."
A faint smile appeared on his face afterward.
"So I suppose we'll meet another day, Lady of Space."
Tick.
The silver watch closed within his hand.
And instantly—
space itself distorted strangely around the three retainers.
Nephius calmly took one final glance toward Rio.
Xeno simply grinned wildly toward Elena.
Meanwhile—
Moon only smiled quietly beneath his hat.
Then—
CRACK.
The three figures vanished from the battlefield completely.
Just like that—
the Retainers of Oblivion disappeared from Nexus Academy.