"The way you fight… it's like you're holding back the end of the world."
—Vera Aclaine
The courtyard of the Divine Academy was silent.
Students filled the balconies, breathless, as the story unfolded before their eyes: the mysterious transfer student had challenged the one person no one dared provoke—Kaelya, Commander of the Divine Marks Unit.
She stood like a blade unsheathed, clad in scarlet armor that pulsed with divine resonance.
Her Divine Mark gleamed behind her like ethereal wings—sharp, proud, and absolute.
Across from her stood Jiwoon.
No armor. No mark. No fear.
Hands in his pockets.
Eyes that held neither arrogance nor doubt—just silence.
The Duel Begins
The sacred glyph beneath them lit up.
[Combat Protocol: Divine Duel – Authorized]
Authorized by: Kaelya
Enforced by: Divine Academy
Limiters: Divine Mark Level 2 or below
Override Detected: Jiwoon possesses no recognized Divine Mark. Restrictions bypassed.
Kaelya's voice cut the silence.
"You don't belong here."
Jiwoon smiled faintly.
"And yet here we are."
Kaelya Strikes First
Without a word, Kaelya raised her hand—
Twelve radiant spears of light appeared above, each a weapon of focused judgment.
[Ability: Lancefall – Divine Precision Mode]
The spears launched.
The air screamed.
The spectators flinched.
But Jiwoon… didn't move.
One of the lances struck his shoulder—
Instead of impact, it disintegrated into black mist.
[Sin Armor Activation: Ebonwyrm Exordium – Phase Zero]
[Absorption Protocol: Divine energy consumed. System override reinforced.]
A black shimmer spread down his arm like liquid void. The armor was alive—hungry.
Gasps rippled through the courtyard.
Kaelya narrowed her eyes. "You absorbed it…?"
Jiwoon simply replied:
"Your judgment was shallow."
The Counterstrike
He raised a hand.
Time trembled.
Kaelya's instincts flared—but too late.
[Judgment Unleashed: Burden of Arrogance – Full Domain Manifested]
A wave of guilt, compressed into pure force, struck Kaelya's core—not physically, but morally.
Her knees buckled.
She saw herself ordering soldiers into unwinnable battles…
Chasing glory instead of justice…
Turning away from those she deemed unworthy.
Her Divine Mark flickered.
"You fight for control," Jiwoon said quietly, stepping forward, "but you've never faced your own reflection."
Aftermath
The system chimed.
[Duel Result: Jiwoon – Victory by Ethical Overload]
[Spectator Effect: Suppressed Resonance Field Detected]
No one cheered.
No one spoke.
Kaelya knelt—eyes burning, not with rage… but revelation.
She looked up at him.
"You're not a student. You're something else… something ancient."
Jiwoon didn't answer.
The Abyssal Qirin appeared behind him, silent and towering—its breath laced with forgotten sins.
Together, they turned and walked away, leaving silence and awe in their wake.
"From this moment onward," Vera whispered from the shadows above,
"our world will never be the same."