Once a cheerful sky that brought warmth and comfort to many was now painted in crimson hues, crying blood-red rain.
The academy—a place of laughter, camaraderie, and treasured memories until mere hours ago—lay in ruins, reduced to an unrecognizable wasteland.
The vibrant cheers of spectators who had once gathered to witness tournament and celebrate triumphs were now replaced by anguished cries and hopeless sobs.
Bodies littered the grounds—lifeless, broken remnants of what were once students, teachers, and warriors.
The destruction stretched as far as the eye could see, a grim testament to the devastation that had unfolded.
Among the chaos, a few fortunate survivors remained, though their tears and trembling forms betrayed their despair.
They, too, could feel it—that suffocating aura of impending death that loomed over them.
Lucian Eryndral, his left hand hanging limp and mangled, forced his gaze upward. Pain wracked his battered body, but his crimson eyes burned with defiance.
Hovering above the ruins was a towering black humanoid figure. Its two menacingly curved horns and war armor gleamed with an eerie, otherworldly light, exuding an aura of overwhelming dominance.
This entity—an Umbral Soldier—had wrought the destruction that spanned more than ten kilometers. It called itself a nameless soldier, but the power it wielded was anything but ordinary.
Lucian's breaths came in ragged gasps as he stared at the figure. He had been reincarnated into this world, a world he once believed he understood.
With the help of the system, he had achieved what no one else could: the title of the youngest Specialist in history. But here, in the face of this monster, his accomplishments meant nothing.
The title he had taken pride in was worthless. He had been defeated in a single blow.
What good was all his progress if it amounted to nothing in the end?
A sharp pang shot through his chest, but Lucian clenched his teeth and pushed himself to his feet.
Each step was agony, his body protesting every movement, but he kept moving. His walk was unsteady at first, a painful struggle, but it grew firmer with each step.
The Umbral Soldier watched him, a flicker of amusement dancing in its glowing crimson eyes.
It descended slowly, its towering form settling on the shattered ground before Lucian. Its voice was sharp, a resonance that made the air itself tremble.
"You are an interesting human, aren't you?" it said, its tone laced with mockery.
"To think a mere Specialist managed to block my strike… If word were to spread, my reputation as an Umbral Soldier would be tarnished."
A chilling smile spread across its face. "But there will be no one left to tell the tale when I'm done here."
Lucian laughed bitterly, the sound dry and broken. "You think so?" he said, raising his trembling right arm, his sword pointed directly at the figure. "Try me, monster."
"How rude," the Umbral Soldier replied, feigning offense. "Calling a great Umbral Soldier a monster. You certainly lack manners, Lucian Eryndral."
The sound of his name on the creature's lips ignited a fire within Lucian.
He lifted his head, his crimson eyes locking onto the being's.
"I hate that look in your eyes," the soldier growled, its tone dripping with disdain.
"Will you keep talking," Lucian sneered, "or do you plan to fight?"
"Very well," the soldier said, stepping forward with deliberate menace. "If you're so eager to die, I'll grant you your wish."
As it advanced, a small smile tugged at Lucian's lips.
His grip on his sword tightened as he whispered, "Activate Chrono's Blessing."
In an instant, a transformation began.
Lucian's black hair slowly turned stark white, strands glowing faintly as if bathed in moonlight.
His crimson eyes dimmed, their color fading as they brightened into a piercing gold.
Above his head, a luminous halo resembling a clock materialized, radiating power.
The Umbral Soldier narrowed its eyes, unimpressed by Lucian's newfound form. Its aura grew darker, more oppressive, as it prepared itself.
They stood face-to-face, two opposing forces poised for battle.
And then the chaos began.