[Academy – Lower Wing, Forbidden Section]
Winter took a cautious step back.
Elric's body shimmered—golden runes etched along his arms, divine symbols floating behind his back like phantom wings.
> "You're not Elric…" she whispered.
> "I was," he replied, voice distant. "But the gods chose me. Reforged me."
His hand moved slowly toward the Codex.
Winter slammed it shut.
> "You knew what they planned. You were watching him from the beginning."
> "Of course." His expression twisted with pity. "Do you know what Lohan is? What he really holds?"
> "He's a man you're all afraid of," she snapped. "Because he's stronger than your heavens."
Elric's aura flared.
> "Because he carries the key to the End Tower. And because one day… he'll erase us all."
Winter gritted her teeth, magic surging to her fingertips—but Elric vanished.
Only his whisper remained:
> "Tell him… if he climbs the tower again, he won't just face gods. He'll face me."
---
[Rooftops – Midnight]
Lohan stood alone beneath the stars, his eyes closed. He felt it—subtle as a blade's whisper.
> "Someone's watching…"
A pulse of divine pressure crashed down like a hammer.
A figure descended from the sky—draped in white robes, face masked, a sigil of the Sun God glowing behind them.
> "Lohan Ardyn," the assassin's voice echoed, calm and final. "By decree of the Ten Thrones, you are sentenced to oblivion."
> "Finally," Lohan muttered, drawing a rune-etched blade. "A warm-up."
---
[System Alert]
> [Heaven-Tier Combatant Detected]
[Initiate Battle Protocol: YES/NO?]
> "YES."
---
The rooftop exploded in light.
Wind howled. Metal clashed. Fire met divine light as Lohan moved like a phantom, weaving through strikes, reading the assassin's footwork, countering with savage precision.
Every skill he'd copied. Every instinct from his past.
All unleashed.
> "You're too slow."
A reverse slash cut through the assassin's barrier. Blood sprayed.
> "You're not him…" the assassin muttered, gasping.
> "No," Lohan said. "He died 50 years ago."
He slammed the hilt into the assassin's head, knocking them unconscious.
> "I'm what came back."
---