Far beyond the mortal realm, beyond the ruined Earth where Ren trained, lay the Celestial Spire, a vast, sprawling domain that existed across dimensions.
It was neither heaven nor hell, but something greater, older, more absolute.
The Spire stood at the heart of the Higher Worlds, a place where gods, champions, and ascended warriors gathered.
And in the grandest of halls, surrounded by golden fire and shifting constellations, the Celestial Order convened.
A group of twelve entities, each draped in ethereal robes, their faces obscured by divine masks. Power surged from their very existence—these were the beings who governed the fates of lower worlds.
And they were not pleased.
A holographic projection of Astaroth knelt before them, his golden eyes calm, unshaken.
"You were given an order, Astaroth."
The voice came from the Central Seat, a towering figure cloaked in light.
"The Forgotten One must be erased."
Astaroth smirked. "You're all so afraid of one human?"
Murmurs rippled through the council.
Another voice spoke, sharper, colder. "We do not fear him. We fear what he represents."
The projection shifted, revealing a floating scroll, covered in golden runes.
It unraveled on its own, revealing a prophecy.
"When the world is abandoned, a Forgotten One shall rise.
He shall wield no divine mark, no chosen fate.
And yet, he will defy the order of gods.
The balance shall break. The cycle shall shatter.
And all we have built… shall fall."
Astaroth's smirk deepened.
"You're saying this random nobody is destined to destroy you all?"
The Council was silent.
Astaroth chuckled. "That's ridiculous."
But deep inside, something gnawed at him.
He had faced Ren himself.
And for all his arrogance, for all his weakness… the kid had survived.
And in that survival, there was potential.
Astaroth met the gaze of the Central Seat.
"I will handle him in my own way."
The council stirred in anger.
"You dare defy us?"
Astaroth's golden aura flared.
"I dare to see how far he can go."
Ren stood on the rooftop of a skyscraper, staring out at the ruins of his world.
The night air was cold, but his body burned with resolve.
He had barely survived his battle with Astaroth.
And the next time they met? There would be no escape.
Ren opened his status screen.
[STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Ren Kisaragi
Level: 2
Class: Spellblade
Sub-Class: Void Striker (NEW)
HP: 45/120 (Recovering)
MP: 50/80
Skills:
Mana Edge (LVL 2) – Enhances cutting power of blade with mana.
Accelerated Perception (LVL 1) – Temporarily slows down time perception.
Blink Step (LVL 1) [Void Striker] – Short-range teleportation (5m).
Void Slash (LVL 1) [Void Striker] – A spatial slash that bypasses armor.
Ren clenched his fists.
Void Striker.
A teleportation-based combat class. A way to move faster, strike unexpectedly, to be everywhere and nowhere at once.
He needed to master it.
Ren started small—teleporting short distances.
At first, it was clumsy.
The moment he activated Blink Step, his vision would distort, his body would feel weightless for a fraction of a second, and then—he'd reappear elsewhere.
It was disorienting.
He miscalculated his first attempt, blinking too high and slamming into a rooftop air vent.
[HP: 38/120]
[System Message: Warning! Spatial movement requires precise calculations.]
"Yeah, no shit," Ren muttered, rubbing his bruised shoulder.
Again.
He focused.
Activated the skill.
This time, he blinked forward five meters—his body seamlessly shifting from one place to another.
No wasted motion. No delay.
A grin formed on his lips.
This is it. This is how I'll fight.
Not as a warrior. Not as a knight.
But as something faster. Something unpredictable.
Ren set up a challenge for himself.
He looted a grocery store, grabbing a dozen empty soda cans and balancing them on various surfaces.
His goal?
To blink between them, cutting each one down in a single movement.
At first, he missed.
His attacks were sloppy, imprecise.
But each failure taught him something.
His muscles adapted. His instincts sharpened.
Within hours—
[Skill Level Up! Blink Step → LVL 2: Distance increased to 8m.]
[Skill Level Up! Void Slash → LVL 2: Can now cut through minor magical defenses.]
By the time the sun began to rise, Ren stood surrounded by shredded cans, his sword humming with newfound power.
He was getting faster.
But training alone wasn't enough.
He needed a real opponent.
And so, Ren activated the System's combat simulation function.
[Generating Opponent Based on Combat History…]
[Simulated Enemy: Astaroth (Weakened Form)]
A holographic projection materialized before him—an illusory copy of Astaroth.
Ren tightened his grip on his sword.
This was it.
A second chance.
He charged.