The storm above Eryndor Academy twisted violently.
Lightning spiraled around the shattered crater while black clouds folded inward toward the battlefield like the sky itself was being dragged into the abyss below.
No one moved first.
Not because they were afraid.
Because instinct screamed the same warning into every soul present:
One wrong move would decide everything.
The Monarch enforcement unit stood motionless near the western ruins.
Silent.
Still.
Watching Zeal.
Not like an enemy.
Not like prey.
Like an object waiting to be processed.
Its silver-lined mask shifted slightly.
"Final retrieval phase active."
The symbols beneath its feet spread farther across the broken ground.
Thin glowing lines crawled across the stone like roots searching for something buried deep underneath the academy.
Cain saw it immediately.
His expression sharpened.
"…It's expanding a lock field."
Lucius frowned.
"What does that mean?"
The First Dragon answered instead.
"It is anchoring itself to reality."
A pause.
"Once complete… removing it becomes difficult."
Kyle blinked slowly.
"…Can we PLEASE stop fighting things that rewrite physics?"
No one answered him.
Zeal stood near the crater edge while the pressure around him pulsed unevenly.
The black and gold energy surrounding his body flickered like restrained fire beneath his skin.
Not wild anymore.
Watching.
Waiting.
Chloe stepped beside him carefully.
Her smoke curled around her arms nervously.
"…Zeal."
He looked at her slightly.
"…I know."
"You don't know."
Her voice tightened.
"That thing isn't here to talk."
The Monarch unit tilted its head.
As if hearing the conversation despite the distance.
Then—
it moved.
Not fast.
Not explosive.
One single step forward.
BOOOOOOOM.
The ground beneath Eryndor collapsed instantly.
A shockwave ripped across the ruined district, tearing apart broken towers and sending massive chunks of stone flying into the air.
Kyle nearly screamed.
"WHY DOES WALKING CAUSE EXPLOSIONS?!"
Lucius planted his foot hard.
Lightning erupted around him as he blocked debris from hitting nearby unconscious students.
Cain moved instantly.
"Protect the survivors first!"
Several instructors finally snapped out of their shock and began evacuating wounded students away from the collapsing academy sectors.
But even they kept glancing toward the battlefield.
Because everyone could feel it now.
This wasn't another academy incident anymore.
This was war between ancient systems.
The Monarch unit took another step.
Closer now.
And the suppression field intensified immediately.
The air became heavier.
Mana circulation slowed.
Even breathing felt difficult.
Lucius clenched his jaw.
"…My lightning's weakening."
Cain nodded once.
"Authority suppression."
His silver eyes narrowed sharply.
"It's forcing the environment to obey its rules."
Then the Monarch unit finally raised one hand.
And pointed directly at Zeal.
"Core fragment identified."
A pause.
"Commencing extraction."
The symbols across the ground ignited.
BOOOOOOOOOOM.
Silver pillars of light erupted upward around Zeal instantly, forming a massive circular cage around the crater edge.
The pressure inside it skyrocketed.
Chloe was thrown backward immediately.
"ZEAL!"
Lucius lunged forward—
—but slammed directly into an invisible wall.
CRAAAAACK.
Lightning exploded violently around his fist.
The barrier didn't even tremble.
Lucius stared.
"…What the hell IS this thing?"
Inside the cage, Zeal felt his body lock up slightly.
Not physically.
Something deeper.
Like invisible chains were wrapping around his soul.
The whispers returned immediately.
The Monarch.
The throne.
Return.
Complete.
Zeal grabbed his chest hard.
"…Tch—"
The Monarch unit stepped closer calmly.
"Resistance level acceptable."
That sentence irritated Zeal more than it should have.
Outside the barrier, Cain slowly exhaled.
Then—
he loosened his grip on his sword.
Lucius noticed instantly.
"…Commander?"
Cain's voice became calm.
Too calm.
"The barrier prioritizes the fragment."
A pause.
"It's ignoring external threats."
Kyle blinked.
"…And that means?"
Cain's silver eyes sharpened.
"It means I can cut it."
BOOOOOOOOOOM.
Silver mana exploded outward from Cain's body.
Not wild.
Not chaotic.
Perfectly controlled destruction.
The pressure changed instantly.
Sharp.
Refined.
Deadly.
Even the Monarch unit turned slightly toward him now.
Acknowledging him for the first time.
Lucius stared.
"…So this is why they call you White Fang."
Cain slowly lifted his black blade.
Ancient silver runes ignited across its surface one by one.
The air around the sword distorted violently.
Like reality itself feared touching the edge.
The First Dragon watched carefully.
"…Interesting."
Seraphine narrowed her eyes slightly.
"He still carries that authority."
Cain stepped forward once.
The crater beneath him cracked instantly.
Silver energy flowed around his body like countless blades rotating invisibly through the storm.
Then quietly—
Cain spoke.
"Royal Authority."
The runes brightened.
"White Fang."
BOOOOOOOOOOM.
He vanished.
The sound came after the movement.
A silver explosion ripped through the battlefield as Cain crossed the entire ruined district instantly.
The Monarch unit reacted immediately.
Its hand lifted—
Too late.
CRAAAAAAAAAAAAACK.
Cain's sword collided against the silver barrier surrounding Zeal.
And for the first time—
the structure broke.
A massive fracture exploded across the cage.
Silver light shattered outward violently.
The academy trembled.
Inside the barrier, Zeal's eyes widened slightly.
Because Cain's attack hadn't felt like mana.
It felt like pure severance.
The authority to cut through systems themselves.
The Monarch unit stepped backward once.
Its mask flickered.
"Unexpected interference detected."
Cain stood between it and Zeal now.
Sword lowered slightly.
Storm winds whipped around his white coat while silver energy crackled across the cracked ground beneath him.
His eyes were cold.
"Retrieval denied."
Silence.
Then the Monarch unit moved again.
This time—
fast.
BOOOOOOOOM.
The air exploded apart as the unit appeared directly in front of Cain.
A silver spear formed instantly in its hand from compressed authority symbols.
CLAAAAANG.
Cain blocked immediately.
The collision detonated through the crater.
Shockwaves ripped apart nearby ruins while silver energy exploded across the battlefield like shattering stars.
Lucius shielded Kyle from flying debris.
"…MONSTERS."
The Monarch unit attacked again.
Precise.
Efficient.
Every movement minimal.
No wasted energy.
No emotion.
Only function.
Cain matched it perfectly.
His blade moved like flowing silver light, intercepting every strike with terrifying accuracy.
Each collision split the battlefield farther apart.
CLANG.
CLANG.
CLANG.
The storm above Eryndor spiraled harder with every exchange.
Zeal watched silently.
And for the first time—
he understood something important.
Cain wasn't stronger because of raw power.
He was stronger because his authority was mastered completely.
Every movement intentional.
Every strike controlled.
The Monarch unit suddenly shifted angles.
Its spear split into dozens of silver fragments mid-swing.
Lucius's eyes widened.
"…It changed form?"
Cain reacted instantly.
Silver energy erupted around him.
"Sever."
BOOOOOOOM.
Every spear fragment shattered apart simultaneously.
Kyle stared blankly.
"…I want HIS training arc."
But then—
the Monarch unit adapted.
Immediately.
Its body flickered.
And suddenly—
three more identical units appeared around Cain.
Not illusions.
Copies.
The First Dragon's eyes narrowed.
"…Adaptive projection splitting."
Cain clicked his tongue softly.
"Tch."
All four units attacked simultaneously.
BOOOOOOOOOOM.
The battlefield exploded.
Silver shockwaves ripped through the academy ruins while Cain disappeared inside a storm of collisions too fast for most students to even perceive.
Lucius activated his lightning vision instinctively.
Even then—
he could barely follow the fight.
"…He's cutting space itself."
And he was right.
Every swing of Cain's blade left thin silver fractures hanging in the air for seconds afterward.
Not damage.
Separation.
As if his sword temporarily severed reality from itself.
But then—
Zeal felt it.
Something wrong.
The Monarch units weren't focused on winning.
They were distracting Cain.
His eyes widened.
"…Commander—"
Too late.
One of the units suddenly ignored Cain completely.
And lunged straight toward Zeal.
BOOOOOOOOOOM.
The pressure hit instantly.
Silver chains erupted from the unit's hand toward Zeal's chest.
Not aimed at his body.
His soul.
Chloe reacted first.
Smoke exploded outward around Zeal protectively.
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"
The chains pierced through the smoke effortlessly.
Lucius moved next.
Lightning detonated beneath his feet as he intercepted the attack head-on.
CRAAAAAASH.
Silver chains collided against lightning.
The impact blasted Lucius backward across the ruined ground.
He skidded violently through broken stone—
—but he stopped the chains.
Barely.
Blood ran from the corner of his mouth.
Yet he grinned anyway.
"…Tch."
Lightning exploded harder around him.
"You're not taking him."
The Monarch unit tilted its head slightly.
Then calmly stated:
"Secondary resistance acknowledged."
Lucius's smile widened.
"…Good."
BOOOOOOOOOOM.
Blue-white lightning erupted into the storm sky.
For the first time since entering Eryndor—
Lucius stopped holding back.
And deep inside the abyss—
the Devourer laughed softly.
Because the war had finally begun.
END OF CHAPTER 28