[Eos Magic Academy – Midnight]
Moonlight spilled over the courtyard like silver blood. The wind was too still, the silence too perfect. Something was about to break.
Lohan waited at the center of the dueling arena, cloak billowing behind him. His eyes were closed—but his senses were sharp. His heartbeat had slowed. Every breath felt like it echoed across dimensions.
She was coming.
> Step.
> Step.
> Step.
He opened his eyes.
Justine stood across from him—disguised in a student's uniform, her divine aura masked, her once gentle gaze now cold and calculating.
> "Master," she said softly. "You've changed."
> "So have you."
They faced each other like strangers reunited at the edge of a battlefield. No tears. No warmth.
> "Why?" he asked. "Why did you betray me?"
Justine's lips curved into something between sorrow and cruelty.
> "Because I believed in you more than the gods did. But you... you became a threat even I couldn't protect."
> "So you stabbed me in the back?"
> "I saved you from something worse," she whispered. "You were losing yourself in power. You would've become a monster."
Lohan's fists clenched.
> "You don't get to decide what I become."
> "Then prove it," she said, summoning her divine spear.
> "I will."
---
[Outside the Arena – Shadows in Waiting]
Winter and Elric stood hidden among the trees, watching the duel from afar.
> "She's going to kill him," Elric muttered. "She's not holding back."
Winter's eyes glowed faintly.
> "Neither is he."
---
[Dueling Arena – Minutes Later]
Their clash lit the night sky.
Divine spear clashed against dark flame. The air split with every strike. The earth cracked beneath their feet.
> [System Alert: You are experiencing combat with a divine-ranked entity]
[Skill: Ancient Resonance – 48% Synced]
Lohan weaved between strikes, copying her movements mid-fight. Justine's eyes widened.
> "You're using my own techniques against me?"
> "You taught me well," Lohan said, sliding under her next swing and slamming his palm into her chest.
She flew back—skidding to a halt with blood dripping from her lips.
> "You could have ruled heaven."
> "I will," Lohan said darkly. "But on my own terms."
He raised his hand—and summoned a blade of pure anti-divine energy.
Justine stared at it, eyes trembling.
> "What… did you bind with?"
> "The thing you were afraid I'd become."
He lunged.
---
[Scene Cut – A Shatter in the Sky]
Far above, the clouds split.
The gods were watching.
And one of them whispered:
> "He remembers too much."
---