Astra stared at the glowing violet screen hovering in front of his face.
It pulsed softly, runes shifting across its surface like living veins of light.
Every being in this world has a status system. That much he already confirmed. But the weapon…
He frowned.
The thought barely formed before black energy condensed in his palm.
The odachi materialised instantly — long, curved, void-black. Violet runes crawled across its surface like they were breathing.
Astra narrowed his eyes.
Then the blade… melted.
The metal liquefied, flowing like ink, twisting around his fingers before hardening again.
A revolver.
"…Huh."
Interesting.
He lifted it casually and pointed it toward a tree thirty meters away. Anima flowed from his core into the weapon. The chamber began to hum. The muzzle glowed. Violet light condensed so densely that it began to distort the air around it.
Click.
He pulled the trigger.
BOOOOOOM.
There was no explosion.
No debris.
No impact.
Everything thirty meters forward simply… disappeared.
Not destroyed.
Not shattered.
Erased.
The space itself looked wrong. Hollow. Like reality had been cut out and forgotten.
"END…" Astra murmured, staring at the glowing runes.
A weapon capable of using End. Normally, a weapon would crumble when the concept of End is invoked. But now, a weapon has aligned with my concept—and it is bound to my soul.
His expression darkened slightly.
"I hate this."
Something was moving behind the curtain of reality, a being that tried to bind him with strings. Something he couldn't see.
And he hated not knowing.
It had been a long time since he felt even remotely helpless.
Annoying.
He exhaled sharply and began walking away—
Then stopped. He looked down at himself.
"…Right. I'm naked."
He clicked his tongue.
How rude of me.
And this appearance… problematic. For now.
Violet light shimmered around him. His body shrank slightly. Muscle receded. The glowing markings across his chest and arm faded. His long red hair was shortened. The galaxy within his eyes dimmed, turning brown once more.
The face became average again.
Still slightly better than before.
But safe.
He scanned the area and found a spatial ring lying among the rubble. With a flick of Anima, it opened.
A pair of black blazers appeared.
Black pants.
Black shoes.
And a red ribbon.
He stared at it.
"…Oh, fuck me."
He sighed for what felt like the thousandth time and slowly dressed in the ridiculous uniform.
That night, the Empire celebrated.
Fireworks bloomed across the sky, bathing stone towers and floating spires in crimson, gold, and sapphire light. Laughter filled the streets. Humans, elves, basilisk-blooded nobles, even arcangels mingled openly.
A rare sight.
The war against the Demon King had lasted four years. Entire cities had burned. Entire bloodlines vanished.
But now—one year after his death—the world celebrated.
The silver lining of a cursed war.
This world, Seraph, was named after its sole goddess. According to ancient archives, she created six races: High Humans, High Elves, High Basilisks, Arcangels, Archdemons… and Dragons.
Though dragons were never counted among the races. They were guardians. Balance-keepers. Observers of order.
The Archdemon race, however, was nearly extinct.
History had rewritten them as villains.
The "lower races" — humans, elves, demons, angels — possessed weaker anima cores. Society ranked them beneath the High Bloods.
Though the goddess herself never acknowledged such hierarchy.
Mortals did.
They always did.
Tonight, however, none of that mattered.
The streets were alive.
A hooded young woman walked quietly through the crowd.
She moved without guards at her side, without royal fanfare — just another figure beneath fireworks and lantern light.
She observed.
Listened.
Blended.
"Did you hear that scream earlier?"
"Yeah, scared the hell out of me."
"Probably some drunk idiot."
The hooded woman smiled faintly.
Drunk… I wonder what that feels like.
She had wanted this — to see the world freely. To observe it without the suffocating weight of the first timeline.
She glanced up at the distant Dragon Castle hovering above the capital.
For a brief second—
She saw it burning.
Bodies impaled on its walls.
Smoke is choking the sky.
A future that almost happened.
Her expression softened.
Peace.
"Princess?"
A familiar voice.
She turned.
Delilah stood behind her — knight, comrade, survivor of the war. Hoodie pulled low just like hers. Both of them are too famous to walk openly.
The princess tilted her head slightly.
"There," Delilah murmured.
A small commotion had formed.
A middle-aged baroness stood red-faced, shouting at a young man dressed in a black tuxedo.
The princess narrowed her eyes.
She recognised him instantly.
Years ago—
"Princess, your eyes shine brighter than the stars. Your beauty could slaughter millions. I love you. Will you marry me?"
He had knelt before her with a ring.
Twice.
Two timelines.
Thalia Everhart chuckled softly beneath her hood.
I made him cry twice.
"Zephyr," she murmured, remembering.
Delilah blinked. "You're going to help him?"
Thalia sighed. "He's eccentric… but harmless. Timid. He can't even curse properly."
Delilah snorted, the sound sharp as steel against stone.
"If he dares propose again, I'll beat him senseless."
Thalia's lips curved into a faint smile, her voice carrying the calm grace of someone long accustomed to such antics.
"You already did, remember? When he proposed to you."
Delilah rolled her eyes, her tone dripping with exasperation.
"Tsk. Not just me, Princess. Every woman he lays eyes on, he does the same thing. Honestly—what in the heavens is wrong with that man?"
"Well," she said, amusement flickering in her gaze, "every being has their hobby, I suppose."
They stepped closer—
Just in time to hear—
"Huh?"
The young man's voice rang out.
Cold.
Annoyed.
Sharp.
"Who the fuck let this ugly bitch out of her cage?"
Silence fell like a guillotine.
The baroness froze.
"W-What did you say, you lower human bastard—"
"Didn't you hear me?" Zephyr replied calmly. "Or are pigs hard of hearing?"
The crowd gasped.
He took a step back, wrinkling his nose.
"You smell like shit. Go back to your pen before I put you there myself."
Delilah's mouth opened slightly.
Thalia's eyes widened.
Eh??