Before Professor Su-yang could even react—before a single thought could form in her mind—See-hoo appeared before her like a glitch in the very fabric of reality.
> CRACK.
His fist collided with her face. No time to scream. No time to resist.
Her head detached cleanly from her body, spinning into the void, leaving behind a gory trail as her lifeless body collapsed like a discarded doll. The impact generated an explosion of shockwaves that rippled across the pocket dimension, fracturing entire planetary systems like fragile glass.
Silence blanketed the arena.
The Principal's eyes widened, his composed demeanor shattered by raw fury.
> "You've murdered three of my finest," he growled, his voice echoing like thunder across galaxies.
Then—boom. In a blur of motion that split dimensions, the Principal charged. His body warped space with every step, each movement faster than the speed of causality itself. Sparks of Aether ignited around his limbs as he clashed with See-hoo in an explosion of power that split the stars.
Finally—he landed a punch.
A seismic blast expanded outward, vaporizing entire star systems. The collision created a chasm in reality, splitting the battlefield like a cracked mirror.
Smoke billowed.
The crowd held its breath.
Then the haze cleared—and See-hoo stood there, untouched.
Not a scratch. Not a flinch. Only an unimpressed stare.
Then, he moved.
In a flash of blood-red light, See-hoo's fist collided with the Principal's chest.
> BOOM.
The force hurled the Principal across the multiverse, his body becoming a comet of destruction that obliterated dozens of universes in a single instant. Suns exploded in his wake. Planets fell like dominos. Time loops ruptured. Space curled into knots.
And still, See-hoo wasn't done.
In a blink, he arrived at the Principal's shattered form—unconscious, bloodied, barely alive—and dragged him back to the main battlefield, tossing his body atop the broken remains of Muhan and Ji-hoon.
Three bodies. Three heroes. Defeated.
Then came the sound of footsteps.
Light.
And defiance.
Mi-cha stepped forward, her eyes burning with tears and golden fury. Behind her stood Soo-ah, her face pale but determined. They faced See-hoo without hesitation.
> "You've gone too far," Mi-cha whispered. "You won't hurt anyone else."
> "Then come try," See-hoo said coldly.
Together, they charged.
The clash was magnificent. Mi-cha and Soo-ah blurred forward in tandem, a symphony of fists, kicks, and light-speed attacks. See-hoo barely dodged, letting them strike—but their blows were not meaningless.
Until he got bored.
With a dismissive slap, he sent Soo-ah hurtling through galaxies, her body trailing cosmic dust and blood.
> "One down," he muttered.
But Mi-cha… changed.
Her golden aura flared violently, now tinged with red—a hybrid glow that ignited the air itself. Her raven-black hair rose in strands of glowing fire, her pupils turning into golden stars.
She moved faster than light—no, faster than thought.
Every punch she delivered carried the force of a collapsing universe. Starfields buckled around her. Reality twisted. And for the first time since the battle began—See-hoo bled.
A single drop. Red. Rolling down his cheek.
His eyes darkened.
Enraged, See-hoo retaliated.
His fist tore through space and struck Mi-cha in the stomach. The shockwave disassembled a quadrant of the multiverse, and her scream was swallowed by the sound of collapsing timelines.
She crashed through dimension after dimension—until See-hoo, moving at light-speed, appeared behind her mid-flight. He caught her limp body by the throat.
Mi-cha's head drooped. Blood cascaded down her glowing black hair like red silk.
Down on the battlefield, Muhan's eyelids fluttered open.
His blurry vision slowly focused—on Mi-cha's broken body in See-hoo's hand.
And something inside him snapped.
> "Mi-cha...!"
His voice cracked with rage and agony. His iris pulsed with flickering neon blue, his aura thrashing violently around him like a hurricane made of pure will.
See-hoo's voice was a venomous whisper.
> "You're too weak to save your lover now."
Muhan's teeth clenched. His hands trembled. Not from fear—but fury.
Then—another voice.
Ji-hoon.
His eyes opened, golden irises blazing beneath blood-soaked hair. His gaze swept across the battlefield, landing on Soo-ah's unmoving body in the distance.
> "That's it," he muttered, voice deep and guttural. "This guy's going down."
He turned to Muhan. Their eyes met—electric with resolve.
Muhan nodded.
> "Together."
See-hoo laughed—a hollow, mocking sound.
> "Try me."
He tossed Mi-cha's body like discarded cloth. Muhan caught her mid-air, cradling her gently. He laid her down beside Soo-ah and reached into his system inventory.
A spray of light erupted from his hands as he retrieved two healing potions—ancient, divine-grade elixirs. He poured them gently into their mouths, and instantly, golden light enveloped the two girls, their wounds knitting together.
Mi-cha stirred. Soo-ah gasped.
Muhan stood.
So did Ji-hoon.
And then—it happened.
Auras erupted.
Ji-hoon's golden energy burst from him like sunlight made solid. His iris glowed with blinding brilliance. Divine Power pulsed in waves, forming golden rings around his frame.
Beside him, Muhan's body was engulfed in radiant neon-blue light. His hair stood on end—still black, but with two forward strands glowing faintly. His eyes shimmered with ethereal blue, brighter than ever.
Their chests were bare—shirts vaporized from the transformation. Muscles gleamed under the divine light. They were not boys now—they were warlords.
Mi-cha and Soo-ah, still recovering, watched in silent awe. Their hearts pounded, eyes wide with admiration and raw desire.
Muhan turned.
> "Let's end this."
Ji-hoon grinned.
> "No holding back."
The clash began.
They surged at See-hoo together, fists blazing with cosmic wrath. Every punch shattered dimensions. Every kick restructured time. Planets spun out of orbit. Galaxies folded in half. The very rules of physics screamed in protest.
Then—impact.
Their combined punch landed on See-hoo's chest with cataclysmic force.
> CRACK.
Four ribs snapped.
Two entire universes were annihilated in the aftermath.
Blood ran down See-hoo's face.
And he laughed.
> "Finally," he whispered. "Now we're playing."
Then, his body surged with energy. His transformation triggered.
Hair flared into a blazing red inferno. His eyes turned gold, glowing with insatiable bloodlust. His aura became a storm of red lightning.
A warning blared in both Muhan and Ji-hoon's systems:
> [⚠ ALERT: Enemy Power Level—Beyond Calculable Range.]
See-hoo's power had transcended logic.
But so had theirs.
Muhan's system chimed.
> [NEW STATE UNLOCKED: Aetherborn Ascendancy/ Aether Awakening]
He accepted.
His transformation intensified—his aura sharpened into geometric halos of neon blue. His veins glowed. His footsteps cracked space, his hair stood on end like it was shocked by a jolt of electricity, two strands of hair fell forward framing his face.
Ji-hoon's system followed:
> [NEW STATE UNLOCKED: Nova Limit Breaker/Nova Awakening]
His power surged—his golden aura now resembled the crown of a celestial king. His every breath exhaled raw Nova energy as his aura becomes as hot as a dwarf star.
Three warriors stood on a battlefield made of fractured stars and torn timelines.
The fate of the multiverse hung in the balance.
This wasn't a battle anymore.
It was a war between beings it's a war between Monsters.