CLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!!!
Their weapons collided once more within the collapsing domains.
Black lightning.
Golden flames.
Distorted space.
Everything continuously exploded around them while the arena itself slowly crumbled apart.
Yet Rio no longer fully noticed it.
Because somewhere during the battle—
he realized something.
He was no longer fighting consciously.
No.
His body had begun moving entirely through instinct alone.
Every slash.
Every dodge.
Every shift between affinities.
It all happened naturally.
Almost automatically.
And amidst that endless chaos—
memories suddenly resurfaced.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
A quiet library.
Rain pouring outside the windows.
A small boy silently sitting in the corner holding an old novel within trembling hands.
The Arcane Odyssey — The Strongest Swordmaster.
Rio remembered it clearly.
The novel itself had honestly been horrible.
The writing barely made sense.
Characters existed only to praise the protagonist.
Everyone else felt meaningless.
Disposable.
Minor villains whose only purpose was making Samuel Crimson appear cooler.
"Samuel used his fist and instantly defeated him."
"Samuel surpassed another genius."
"Samuel stood above everyone."
Over and over.
The same repetitive lines.
The same world revolving around one chosen person.
And yet—
despite how absurd the story was—
Rio always found himself returning to it.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Because Samuel Crimson was a child who lost his parents too.
Just like him.
So why—
was the world so different?
Samuel received power.
Talent.
Recognition.
People who cared for him.
While Rio—
received silence.
Abuse.
Loneliness.
Cruelty.
He knew Samuel wasn't real.
Just a fictional character.
Yet still—
something inside him always twisted whenever he read those pages.
Was it anger?
No.
Maybe envy?
…Not even that.
Perhaps it was simply acceptance.
Acceptance that some people were destined to become protagonists.
While others—
would forever remain tools within someone else's story.
People born only to suffer quietly in the background.
Meanwhile Samuel Crimson seemed destined for the opposite.
A life where he would never truly know despair.
Never truly understand helplessness.
Then suddenly—
SMACK!!!
Pain exploded across Rio's face.
The memory shifted violently.
A woman stood before him.
His aunt.
Her eyes filled only with irritation.
"Huh? So this is where you were?"
"I told you to be home studying."
Her fingers instantly grabbed his hair roughly.
"You think the food I give you is free?"
"Get up!"
Rio remembered the feeling vividly.
Being dragged outside the library while people silently watched.
Humiliation.
Disgust.
Pity.
Yet strangely—
he never cried.
Never screamed.
Never even hated her.
Because deep down—
he had already accepted it.
This was simply how the world worked.
Cruel.
Unfair.
Some people were born beneath others.
Some people were born only to endure.
And back then—
Rio truly believed he was one of them.
CLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!!!
The endless collisions between darkness and light continued tearing apart the battlefield.
Yet within Rio's mind—
the memories only deepened.
The library.
The rain.
The humiliation.
The quiet acceptance that life itself was cruel.
Then—
CRACK.
The entire world suddenly shattered apart.
The memories fractured like broken glass.
The rain vanished.
The library disappeared.
And soon—
only endless space remained.
A silent void stretched infinitely in every direction.
Dark.
Cold.
Empty.
Rio slowly raised his head.
Then—
he saw him.
Standing within the endless darkness—
was another version of himself.
White hair.
Crimson eyes.
His eyes were no longer slashed.
Rio Valen of Aetheria.
For a long moment—
neither of them spoke.
Because strangely—
despite being completely different people—
they were also the same.
One born on Earth.
One born within Aetheria.
Two lives.
Yet somehow—
one existence.
Slowly—
the Rio of Aetheria glanced toward the curled-up figure hiding within the void.
Toward Rio of Earth.
Toward the broken boy who spent years silently accepting cruelty as though it were natural.
Then—
without saying anything—
Rio Valen quietly walked forward before sitting beside him within the endless darkness.
No judgment.
No pity.
Only silence.
For several moments—
neither spoke.
Then finally—
Rio of Earth lowered his gaze.
"…Maybe nothing ever mattered."
His voice sounded hollow.
Quiet.
"…If in the end…"
"…it's just me alone."
The endless void remained silent afterward.
Cold.
Empty.
Yet beside him—
Rio Valen remained there quietly.
Not leaving.
Not disappearing.
Just sitting beside him within the darkness.
Then slowly—
the Rio of Aetheria finally spoke.
"…You're wrong."
Rio of Earth slightly froze.
The white-haired boy beside him quietly stared into the endless void ahead.
"…You think you're alone because you spent your whole life surviving alone."
"…But surviving alone and being alone are different things."
Silence followed afterward.
Then—
Rio Valen slowly glanced toward him.
Those crimson eyes held no mockery.
Only understanding.
"…You called this world cruel."
"…And maybe it is."
"…But despite that…"
A faint smile slowly appeared on his face.
"…you still kept going just like me."
Rio of Earth silently trembled slightly.
Because no one had ever said that to him before.
No one had ever looked at his suffering and acknowledged it.
Not as weakness.
Not as something pathetic.
But as proof that he endured.
The endless void remained quiet afterward.
Then suddenly—
Rio Valen spoke once more.
This time softly.
Almost gently.
"…You survived long enough for us to reach this place."
Rio of Earth slowly widened his eyes.
"…So rest now."
The white-haired boy beside him smiled faintly.
"…Live as me."
Those words made Rio of Earth freeze completely.
"…And for me too, Rio."
For the first time in his life—
the boy from Earth felt something crack apart inside him.
Not pain.
Not despair.
But the unbearable weight he had carried alone for years.
His trembling hands slowly tightened.
"…I…"
His voice broke slightly.
Because deep down—
he finally understood.
The life he lived on Earth had meaning.
Not because it was fair.
Not because it was happy.
But because despite everything—
he kept moving forward.
And that path eventually led him here.
To this world.
To these people.
To this moment.
Slowly—
tears began falling silently from Rio of Earth's eyes.
Yet strangely—
he was smiling.
Then—
Rio Valen slowly stood up.
The endless void around him began turning into countless glowing fragments of light.
His body itself slowly started fading away.
Rio of Earth instantly widened his eyes.
"Wait—"
But Rio Valen only smiled softly.
A peaceful smile.
The kind neither of them had ever truly been able to make before.
"…You don't need me anymore."
The glowing fragments continued scattering endlessly throughout the darkness.
Then—
the Rio of Aetheria slowly extended his hand one final time before gently tapping Rio of Earth's forehead.
"…So show me."
His fading crimson eyes held warmth.
Hope.
Trust.
"…the smile you promised to make for me."
And then—
he disappeared completely.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The endless void shattered apart instantly.
[Synchronization 100%]
[The Crown Of Eternity laughs]
[Finally]
...
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The endless void shattered apart instantly.
Rio's eyes suddenly opened.
The first thing he saw—
was the collapsing battlefield of Event Horizon and Solar Dominion.
Darkness and golden flames still tore across the ruined arena while shattered fragments of stone floated endlessly through the distorted atmosphere.
Samuel Crimson stood across from him breathing heavily.
Yet Samuel's expression slowly changed the moment he looked at Rio properly.
Because something about him—
had changed.
Rio slowly stood upright within the darkness of his domain.
His long hair no longer remained purely white.
Now—
streaks of black mixed together within it unnaturally.
As though light and darkness themselves had fused into his existence.
Then—
Rio slowly glanced down toward his own hands.
Black and white energy continuously spiraled around his fingers.
A strange mixture.
Opposites intertwined together perfectly.
It felt warm.
Yet cold.
Gentle.
Yet horrifying.
Like life and death themselves had merged into one existence.
Samuel's eyes widened immediately.
Because the pressure radiating from Rio no longer resembled mana.
It felt absolute.
Ancient.
Beyond understanding.
Even Samuel's system instantly began malfunctioning.
[WARNING!!! WARNING!!!]
[Unknown Phenomenon Detected]
[Analysis Failed]
[ERROR]
[ERROR]
Meanwhile—
Rio slowly raised his hand toward Samuel.
The black and white energy gathering around him intensified violently.
Darkness and light spiraled endlessly together compressing into a single point before his palm.
Then—
Rio spoke softly.
"Twilight."
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
A gigantic beam erupted forward instantly.
A beam made of eternal darkness and blinding light intertwined together as one.
Everything in its path disintegrated.
Space shattered.
The overlapping Sword Fields collapsed instantly.
The battlefield itself vanished beneath the overwhelming force.
Samuel's pupils instantly contracted.
Death screamed throughout every instinct within his body.
Yet before the beam could fully reach him—
two terrifying mana signatures descended instantly.
FWOOOOOOOSH!!!
Aurelia Lioren appeared first.
Beside her—
Vice Headmaster Mitch Rozenberg landed heavily before Samuel.
Both immediately raised their hands.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
A gigantic black spatial barrier erupted from Aurelia while Mitch's overwhelming crimson mana reinforced it instantly afterward.
Two monstrous defensive barriers overlapped together directly before the incoming beam.
And then—
Twilight collided against them.
CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!
The barriers trembled violently.
Several professors throughout the academy instantly widened their eyes in horror.
Because despite two monsters defending together—
the beam was still crushing through everything.
The surrounding atmosphere shattered endlessly.
The remains of the stadium completely disintegrated.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The beam suddenly reflected upward toward the heavens.
And the sky itself split apart.
A massive streak of black and white energy tore endlessly through the clouds destroying everything in its path while the entire kingdom trembled faintly beneath the pressure.
For several terrifying moments—
the world itself seemed to go silent.
Then slowly—
the energy faded.
Within the ruined battlefield—
Rio's glowing eyes slowly lost focus.
The black and white energy surrounding his body disappeared gradually.
Then—
his body collapsed forward.
And Rio lost consciousness.
....
Far above the shattered skies of Nexus Academy—
beyond the clouds split apart by Twilight itself—
two figures silently stood watching everything unfold.
As though the destruction below meant absolutely nothing to them.
One was a man with long silver hair flowing endlessly behind him while ancient golden markings glowed faintly across his skin as he wore a dark cloak.
The pressure surrounding him alone distorted the atmosphere itself.
Retainer Xeno.
Beside him stood a woman wrapped in black robes adorned with countless star-like patterns.
Her pale eyes quietly stared toward the unconscious Rio below.
Retainer Nephius.
For several moments—
neither spoke.
Only the remains of the destroyed heavens reflected within their eyes.
Then slowly—
Xeno grinned.
A grin filled with overwhelming excitement.
"…Finally."