The Academy moved instantly.
No hesitation.
No confusion.
The moment Lucien's projection disappeared, every high-ranking instructor across the Academy activated emergency protocols.
Barriers expanded.
Transportation arrays lit up.
Combat divisions mobilized.
For the first time—
The Academy looked afraid.
Storm watched instructors rushing across the shattered grounds.
"…Okay."
A pause.
"…Now I'm worried."
Frost's eyes remained fixed on the distant sky.
"…The Boundary never breaks."
The Headmaster answered quietly.
"It wasn't supposed to."
Harold stood still.
Calm.
But inside—
The system had changed again.
Not unstable.
Not alarmed.
Aware.
The Counter-Sovereign whispered,
"…External existence signatures confirmed."
Unity dimmed slightly.
"Unknown balance detected."
The Devourer rumbled deeply.
"…Ancient predators."
The Monkey King frowned.
"…Yeah, I don't like the sound of that."
The Headmaster turned toward Harold.
"You're coming with me."
Storm blinked.
"…Straight to the Sovereigns?"
The Headmaster nodded once.
"There's no more reason to hide him."
Silence followed.
Because they all understood what that meant.
Harold was no longer being treated as a student.
He was now part of the highest level of global power.
Storm rubbed his head.
"…That's insane."
Frost looked at Harold quietly.
"…No."
A pause.
"…It was inevitable."
The transportation array beneath the Academy activated.
Golden light spread across the shattered courtyard.
Ancient symbols rotated slowly beneath their feet.
The Headmaster stepped into the center.
"Stay close."
Storm immediately moved beside Harold.
"…If we die, I blame you."
The Monkey King laughed loudly.
"Fair."
The light exploded upward.
And the world vanished.
When it returned—
They stood somewhere else entirely.
A massive circular structure floated high above the clouds.
Endless white towers surrounded the platform.
The sky here looked unnaturally clear.
Still.
Storm stared upward slowly.
"…Okay…"
A pause.
"…This place definitely screams 'powerful people only.'"
Frost looked around carefully.
"…The Sovereign Citadel."
Harold's eyes moved across the enormous structure.
Every wall.
Every tower.
Every barrier.
Ancient authority saturated the entire place.
Not one Sovereign.
Many.
And yet—
Something else lingered beneath it all.
Fear.
Figures moved across the floating platforms surrounding them.
Powerful awakeners.
Sovereign guards.
Ancient beings Harold could instantly recognize as far beyond ordinary standards.
Yet every single one of them—
Looked tense.
Lucien approached from the central hall.
His calm expression remained—
But his eyes were colder than before.
"You came quickly."
The Headmaster answered immediately.
"We don't have time."
Lucien nodded once.
Then looked directly at Harold.
"…They're already moving again."
Inside—
The Counter-Sovereign confirmed instantly.
"Three external entities advancing."
Unity pulsed softly.
"Unknown objective."
The Devourer rumbled.
"…But focused."
Storm frowned.
"…Can someone finally explain what these things are?"
Lucien stayed silent briefly.
Then—
"…Long before Titans appeared…"
He looked toward the distant sky.
"…The world was not closed."
The air around the Citadel dimmed slightly.
Even nearby Sovereigns stopped moving.
Listening.
Lucien continued quietly.
"There were beings that existed beyond dimensional law."
A pause.
"…Entities that consumed realities themselves."
Storm blinked.
"…That sounds illegal."
No one reacted.
Because no one found it funny.
Frost's expression darkened.
"…The Boundary was created to seal them out."
Lucien nodded slowly.
"And now it's breaking."
Silence.
Harold looked toward the sky above the Citadel.
"…Why did they ask for me?"
Lucien's eyes narrowed slightly.
"We don't know."
A pause.
"…But the moment you completed your integration…"
His voice lowered.
"…The Boundary reacted."
Inside—
The system remained calm.
Too calm.
The Counter-Sovereign whispered,
"…Recognition beyond system origin."
Unity dimmed softly.
"Existence acknowledged."
The Devourer rumbled deeply.
"…They know what he became."
Then—
The Citadel alarms activated.
Not loud.
Absolute.
Every Sovereign in the floating city froze instantly.
A massive projection formed above the sky.
The frozen northern region appeared again.
But this time—
The crack in the sky had widened.
Far wider.
And something stepped through.
Humanoid.
Tall.
Dark.
Its body looked incomplete, like reality itself struggled to define it properly.
The moment it appeared—
The entire projection distorted violently.
Several Sovereign guards collapsed instantly just from looking at it.
Storm's face paled.
"…What the hell…"
The entity slowly raised its head.
Then—
It spoke.
Not loudly.
Yet the entire world heard it.
"Found you."
Silence.
Its gaze moved through the projection directly toward Harold.
And smiled.