The night had wrapped the academy in an unnatural silence.
Moonlight poured down like shattered crystal, spreading across the stone pathways and towering walls. The air felt… heavy. As if something unseen was pressing down on everything.
Then—
Thud… Thud… Thud…
Heavy footsteps echoed in the distance.
Slow.
Unstoppable.
Each step felt like it carried the weight of death itself.
From the shadows, a figure emerged.
The Ogre King.
The one who had already died.
But now… something was wrong.
His body moved unnaturally, like a puppet being pulled by invisible strings. His glowing white eyes lacked any life—yet they burned with a terrifying focus.
Locked onto one person.
Leo.
Without stopping, the Ogre King raised his massive axe… and brought it down on the academy wall.
BOOM!
The impact shattered the wall instantly, stones exploding outward like dust.
Guards rushed toward the noise, weapons drawn—but the moment they saw him…
They froze.
Their bodies refused to move.
Their instincts screamed at them to run, but fear had already taken over.
The Ogre King slowly turned his head toward them.
One step.
Two steps.
Then—
A single swing.
In one clean motion, their heads fell.
Silence returned… for a brief moment.
Then came the scream.
A guard, desperate and shaking, charged forward and slashed his sword across the Ogre King's body.
It barely left a mark.
But the Ogre King reacted.
He let out a horrifying roar—so loud that it tore through the night like a shockwave.
Windows trembled.
Students woke up in panic.
And inside his room—
Leo's eyes snapped open.
The moment that scream reached him… he knew.
He didn't hesitate.
Rushing to the window, he looked down—
And his breath stopped.
"…Impossible…"
The Ogre King stood there, covered in blood.
Alive.
Their eyes met.
For a split second, the world went silent.
Then—
The Ogre King roared again.
The guards trying to hold him back collapsed, clutching their ears as blood streamed down their faces.
They didn't even get a chance to scream before they were cut down.
The Ogre King grabbed one of their bodies… and tore into it.
Eating.
Like a beast.
Leo's grip tightened.
"I killed him…" he muttered.
A presence stepped beside him.
Ray.
Without a word, Ray handed him his katana.
"Then," Ray said calmly, "we kill him again."
Leo nodded.
In the next moment—
Both of them jumped out of the window.
They landed hard, dust rising beneath their feet, and immediately moved forward.
Footsteps approached from behind.
Noah. Kio. Nico.
All of them had seen it.
All of them understood the danger.
"How… is he alive?" Kio whispered.
No one answered.
Because no one knew.
Ray stepped forward. "Doesn't matter. Focus."
He looked at Noah.
"Freeze him."
Noah took a deep breath and ran ahead.
Slamming his hand onto the ground—
Ice spread instantly.
The temperature dropped sharply as frost covered everything in sight.
The Ogre King's legs froze solid.
"Now!" Ray shouted.
Nico moved fast, weaving razor-thin threads through the air, setting traps all around the Ogre King.
Kio raised his hand—
And unleashed a barrage of wind slashes.
Blades of air tore through the Ogre King's body again and again.
For a moment—
It worked.
The Ogre King trembled.
His body twitched violently as blood began to flow.
But then—
He grabbed his head.
His fingers dug into his skull as blood started pouring from his eyes.
And he screamed.
A sound filled with pain—
And something else.
Something unnatural.
Then—
CRACK!
With one brutal strike, he shattered the ice trapping his legs.
He stepped forward—
And his legs were caught in Nico's threads.
The thin wires sliced into his flesh, cutting deep.
Nico smirked. "Got him."
But his expression froze in the next second.
The Ogre King didn't react.
No pain.
No hesitation.
He simply raised his axe…
And destroyed every single thread.
Then he kept walking.
Like nothing had happened.
Leo stood still.
Watching.
Analyzing.
The Ogre King's eyes met his again.
Nothing else existed in that moment.
The chaos around them faded.
Only the two of them remained.
Then—
Leo moved.
In an instant, he vanished.
A flash of steel—
And the Ogre King's ear was cut off.
Leo landed behind him.
But the wound—
It started regenerating immediately.
Leo's expression darkened.
No pain… instant regeneration…
This isn't the same as before.
He turned, gripping his katana tightly.
"He's here for me!" Leo shouted.
Everyone froze.
"What…?" Nico muttered.
"Keep him busy!" Leo continued. "I'll finish him!"
There was no time to question it.
Ray acted first.
He rushed forward and leaped into the air—his fists igniting with fire.
With a powerful punch, he slammed into the Ogre King's face, sending him crashing down.
Noah froze him again instantly.
Ray melted the ice—
Then drove lightning through the water, sending electricity through the Ogre King's entire body.
The ground crackled with energy.
Still—
No reaction.
The Ogre King began to stand.
Nico bound him again with threads.
Kio launched another wave of wind attacks.
Everything hit at once.
And yet—
The Ogre King's eyes…
Never left Leo.
Leo stepped forward.
Took his stance.
The world slowed down.
His breathing steadied.
This was it.
One strike.
One chance.
But then—
He noticed something.
Blood.
Too much blood.
Flowing endlessly from the Ogre King's eyes.
A single drop fell—
And hit the ground.
Tap.
In that moment—
The Ogre King's body stopped moving.
His lips twitched.
"…Le…o…"
The voice was broken.
Distorted.
Wrong.
Leo's eyes widened.
Because—
That wasn't his voice.
A cold chill ran down his spine.
"…Found… you…"
The darkness around the Ogre King twisted.
Something… else was there.
Watching.
Smiling.