The explosion shook the entire academy.
Deep beneath the academy, inside the sealed chamber, dust slowly fell from the ceiling as another distant blast echoed above.
Ren looked toward the staircase.
"…That definitely sounds like an attack."
Lyra's golden energy threads appeared around her fingers instantly.
"We need to go up."
Arata clenched his fist.
Something inside him felt restless.
Like the power in his body had been waiting for this moment.
Kaito calmly tied his blindfold around his arm.
His glowing blue eyes looked sharper than before.
"Stay close," he said.
"Things are about to get messy."
Without another word, he began walking toward the exit.
The three students followed him quickly.
---
### Shadow Academy Courtyard
The moment they stepped outside—
Chaos greeted them.
Several buildings inside the academy were already burning.
Students were fighting desperately across the courtyard.
Strange dark creatures were crawling everywhere.
Some looked like beasts.
Others looked almost human—but twisted and broken.
Ren's eyes widened.
"…There are too many."
Lyra immediately created several light chains.
"Those are Abyss spawn."
Arata looked up toward the sky.
And what he saw made his heart freeze.
A massive dark crack had opened in the sky above the academy.
A temporary Abyss Gate.
Dark energy poured from it like black smoke.
Creatures were falling out of it like rain.
Ren cursed.
"…They're invading."
Suddenly—
One of the monsters charged toward a group of injured students.
Before it could attack—
A blur of blue light appeared.
**BOOM**
The creature exploded instantly.
Kaito stood where it had been.
His glowing eyes scanned the battlefield calmly.
"…Annoying."
Ren blinked.
"That was fast."
Kaito stretched his arm slightly.
"Arata."
Arata looked at him.
"Yes?"
Kaito's voice became serious.
"This attack…"
"…is for you."
Arata's eyes narrowed.
"They want the successor of the Ancient God."
Lyra stepped closer to Arata.
"That means you're their main target."
Ren smirked.
"Well, that's great news."
Another roar echoed across the courtyard.
Several larger creatures landed nearby.
One of them looked similar to the Abyssal Warden from earlier—but smaller.
Kaito cracked his neck slightly.
"Perfect."
Then he looked at the three students.
"You'll handle the small ones."
Ren frowned.
"…And you?"
Kaito's smile returned.
"I'll deal with the annoying ones."
Before anyone could respond—
He vanished.
A second later—
A massive shockwave exploded across the courtyard.
Three Abyss creatures were launched into the air instantly.
Ren stared.
"…Okay."
"He's definitely not normal."
Lyra nodded slowly.
"Kaito is known as one of the strongest guardians of humanity."
Arata stepped forward.
"Let's focus."
Another group of Abyss spawn rushed toward them.
Ren raised his hand.
"Frost Lance!"
Several ice spears shot forward, impaling two creatures instantly.
Lyra followed.
"Light Bind!"
Golden chains slammed another monster into the ground.
Arata moved next.
His palm began glowing again.
"Resonance…"
The air vibrated.
"…Pulse."
The shockwave shattered another group of enemies.
But suddenly—
The sky above the academy darkened even more.
The Abyss Gate widened slightly.
A deep voice echoed from inside it.
"…pathetic creatures."
The entire battlefield froze.
Every monster suddenly stopped moving.
Even Kaito looked up.
From the gate—
A tall figure slowly stepped out.
Unlike the other creatures, this one looked almost human.
Long black armor covered its body.
Dark wings made of smoke spread behind its back.
Its eyes burned red like fire.
Ren whispered.
"…That one feels different."
Lyra's voice trembled slightly.
"That's not a normal Abyss creature."
The winged figure slowly looked down at the battlefield.
Then its eyes landed directly on Arata.
"…there you are."
The pressure in the air instantly increased.
Several students collapsed from the overwhelming energy.
Arata felt his knees almost buckle.
But he forced himself to stay standing.
The creature smiled slightly.
"So you are the successor."
Kaito suddenly appeared beside Arata again.
His expression had changed.
Completely serious.
"…You shouldn't have come here."
The winged creature laughed.
"I disagree."
Its wings spread wider.
"This is the perfect place to end the Ancient God's bloodline."
Arata clenched his fist.
The golden mark on his palm burned brighter than ever.
Inside his mind, the Ancient Entity whispered again.
*That one…*
*…is a General of the Abyss.*
Kaito sighed.
"…Of course it is."
Then he stepped forward.
Blue energy exploded around his body.
The ground beneath his feet cracked.
Ren stared.
"…I think we're about to see something insane."
Kaito looked back at Arata briefly.
"Watch carefully."
His eyes glowed brighter than ever before.
"Because this…"
"…is what real power looks like."
And in the next second—
He launched himself straight toward the Abyss General in the sky.
The war for Shadow Academy had truly begun.
⚡ To be continued…