The sun's pale gaze cast a silvery glow over the snow-covered forest, high above where the children of the Sanctuary trained—unaware that divine eyes watched from the heavens.
Suspended in the sky upon radiant platforms of golden light stood the celestials, draped in flowing robes that shimmered like starlight.
Among them stood Lucifer, his eyes flickering downward toward the world below. Like the others, his feet rested lightly upon the divine plane, untouched by the mortal realm. Their task was simple: Observe.
They had gifted weapons, masterworks forged by their own immortal hands, to the students of the Sanctuary. Now, they would see if the children were worthy of such divine power.
Lucifer extended a hand, catching a drifting snowflake between two fingers. It melted instantly against his warmth. His gaze narrowed.
The force I felt when I marked that student…
It hasn't faded. That presence still lingers…
Troubling, I must say. Truly troubling.
Beside him, Luciela glanced sideways at her teacher. She noticed the subtle tension in his posture, the slight furrow of his brow, and rare signs of unease. But she said nothing.
They were not here for things so mundane.
They were here to watch.
Below, the students moved across the forest with blinding speed.
Luciela exhaled softly. A serene smile touched her lips as she whispered, her words weaving gently into the wind:
"Let the match begin."
#
Harold sat cross-legged atop a jagged boulder, his eyes closed, fingertips pressed together in quiet focus. He listened to the rhythmic trickle of a nearby waterfall, each breath in harmony with its soothing cadence.
Slow… steady…
—whip—
A blade tore through the air, whistling toward his face.
His hand shot up, fingers snapping around the tip of the blade just inches from his closed eyelids.
"Years of our masters ambushing us in our sleep," Harold muttered, a smirk tugging at his lips. "And you think that would work on me?"
He reached for the claymore resting behind him but paused.
Something was off.
He spun with a grunt, catching a blur mid-sprint, a man who seemed to materialise from thin air. Harold seized him by the throat with one hand, lifting him effortlessly off the ground. The smirk never left his face.
"You'll have to try harder than that to kill a giant."
His aura flared suddenly, wild and radiant.
In response, the forest around him stirred.
Dozens of figures emerged silently from the trees. Shadows among shadows, the students had circled him without a sound, poised like hunters closing in on prey.
Harold glanced around, then chuckled as he slammed his captive into the snow. The body went limp. Without a second thought, he tossed him aside.
"Commendable," he said, standing tall. "But if you lot want to take down the giant… you'll need a really big weapon."
He pulled out his claymore, resting it casually on his shoulder.
"Come on then. I'll be gentle. Promise."
One of the students stepped out from the circle, face twisted in a sneer. He walked over to the fallen man and kicked him repeatedly until he groaned and struggled to stand.
"This isn't like the match years ago, Harold," the student said, voice low, hand tightening on his sword. "We're not the ones standing in the shadows anymore. You might be strong like the others but this time, we won't let you win."
Harold tilted his head, his expression sharpening. With one hand, he pointed the claymore forward.
"Alright then. Let's see what you've got."
A roar erupted from the students as they charged.
Harold didn't move.
Not yet.
Then he swung.
The air cracked like shattered glass.
A single arc of his blade cleaved through trees, split the earth, and sent tremors through the ground. Snow exploded into the sky as the very world shuddered beneath his power.
And yet, they kept coming.
Unshaken by the chaos around them. Eyes locked on him like wolves starved for blood.
Their energy flared as explosions of flame and aura burst through the trees surrounding the gentle giant.
This time, they wouldn't fall so easily.
#
Darkness crept through the snowy forest like a living thing, curling between the trees with clawed fingers. The hoot of owls echoed in the distance, and the shadows slithered across the ground as if watching.
The students stood close together, forming a defensive circle, weapons drawn.
"Damn it," one of them hissed, eyes darting around. "We were chasing him just a minute ago. Where the hell did he go?"
Another student exhaled slowly, her eyes scanning the treeline. "Levi's the stealthiest among us. He hunted down the instructors, remember? I told you this was a bad idea. But nooo, you all had to follow him into the creepy, dark forest."
She let out a dry chuckle.
No one joined her.
"But seriously, guys, we should be very careful around Levi. He gives me the creeps"
The air grew heavier, thicker and still, like the forest itself was holding its breath.
She chuckled again, turning. "Guys?"
Everyone was gone.
The very students who had stood beside her just moments ago now lay sprawled across the snow, unconscious…and some missing.
"What the...?"
She stumbled backwards, straight into someone.
Levi stood behind her, his face partially hidden by messy black hair. His voice was a whisper, low and near playful. "My blade, Umbra, performs better in darkness," he said, the cold edge of his weapon brushing lightly against the nape of her neck. "You all lost the moment you stepped into the shadows."
She spun and swung her sword, but he was gone.
A whisper caressed her ear, so close it made her freeze.
"It also… plays with your senses."
"HEY!" someone shouted from afar. She looked up to see the once-fallen student waving her over, surrounded by the others just moments before. "What are you doing over there? We're here!"
But something was wrong.
Their voices were colder than usual.
She squinted. The students behind him stood too still, their eyes... empty, hollow, black.
"Come," another whispered. "Let's get Levi together."
Her breathing quickened.
She stumbled back again into another figure.
But fear anchored her feet.
Levi leaned over to her ear. "It works like poison," he said, voice low. "A courtesy of my friend Jin, he did make me the knife"
Her blade trembled in her grip. "W-When… When did you even cut me?"
A fading whisper reached her ear.
"Just now."
She raised her arm. A shallow scratch bled down her skin.
She bit her lip, forcing the panic down. "No… I won't let you win," she said, voice cracking but defiant. "If you want to put me down, you'll have to do more work than that—"
Darkness.
Levi stood over the fallen students, their bodies collapsed in a heap beneath him. The girl lay at the top of the pile, her fingers twitching.
He rubbed his temple. "Umbra usually just knocks them out… maybe gives 'em nightmares. But this girl…" He watched her arm jerk slightly.
"Yeah, I definitely overdid it. Jin's knife did help as well, but I shouldn't have lied about the whole poison thing."
He slung the black blade over his back and leapt into the trees, vanishing into the canopy with a whisper of wind.
"Last thing I need," he muttered, "is to fight an angry girl when she wakes up."
#
Krissy sat beneath a tree, her back resting against the bark, a thick book balanced in her lap. Snow crunched softly under her boots as she flipped a page, her glasses catching a glint of morning light.
A voice interrupted the stillness.
"Hey."
She didn't look up.
A towering, broad-shouldered student loomed over her, his shadow stretching across the page. His sharp eyes scanned her from head to toe.
"You're Harold's fiancée, right?"
She gave no response.
He tilted his head. "Then you must be strong too."
Still nothing. She simply turned another page, eyes tracing the lines of text.
The student's jaw clenched. He let out a low growl and unsheathed his blade with a metallic hiss. "I didn't come here to hurt you. Was just gonna scare you off... make you quit. But now you're ignoring me?"
Krissy adjusted her glasses.
He took a threatening step forward.
But then, her voice, soft and measured, cut through the cold and also stopped him in his steps.
"Your blade," she said, eyes still on her book, "is interesting. But even with it, you'll never defeat me."
He was in front of her in an instant, steel kissing her throat. The wind howled between them, acting as the only sound.
Krissy raised her gaze.
The student narrowed his eyes. "You people act like you're untouchable just 'cause you stood against the Sanctuary. But this isn't the early days. There are stronger people now. Better fighters."
Krissy exhaled through her nose. "You're right," she said, rising to her feet with quiet grace. "It isn't like before. And yes, you've grown stronger. All of you. But you still don't understand what real strength is."
She brushed a speck of dust off her cloak.
"After Lily's father died, we feared she would be next. Fighting the Sanctuary meant one thing: death. So we trained, not for glory, not to be the best. We trained because we had no choice. We did it for each other."
His sword stayed at her neck.
"You even have better weapons than us," he said darkly. "But this is where it ends. Surrender now, and I won't slit your throat."
"You can't," she said simply.
He blinked. "What?"
Krissy's gaze sharpened. "You breathe with control, but your aura flickers under stress. You're fast, but your movement leaves echoes. Even if you swing now, you won't kill me."
The student growled. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"I don't dream of being some legendary swordswoman," Krissy replied, her fingers closing around her hilt. "I just want to live quietly… maybe be the darling of that annoying giant. But since you're in my way—"
He lunged, and her sword flashed.
In a blink, her blade spun and deflected his strike, sending him stumbling backwards.
He clenched a fist. "You little—!"
Crack.
She stepped forward.
"You have improved," Krissy said calmly. "But you're still chasing the idea of being number one. You don't need to. Just be the best version of yourself. That's enough."
She walked back to the tree, sat down, and reopened her book.
The student seethed. "So now you're just going to ignore me?"
She turned a page.
He snapped. "Fine!" He charged at her again.
But the air shifted, freezing him mid-step.
Even as she sat cross-legged, flipping through her book, he could feel it—her lifeforce, vast and radiant, pulsing like the calm heartbeat of a divine force. Knowledge, control, and power all wrapped in silence.
He staggered, just from the presence alone.
Krissy didn't miss a beat. She picked up a small stone beside her, flicked it with her finger—
Crack!
The stone shattered his coating on impact, knocking him flat on his back.
She sighed, flipping another page. "Most warriors instinctively increase their aura when pressured. It's a survival instinct," she said without looking at him. "But if you're not careful, it leaves you wide open and your coating becomes nothing more than glass, even to the smallest impact."
The student groaned on the ground.
Krissy continued reading, her voice trailing off softly. "You should've studied that... instead of chasing a fight."
#
Lily sat atop a snow-covered tree, humming a soft tune as she took crisp bites of roasted corn. The golden kernels cracked between her teeth in rhythm with her melody.
Below, the other students stood among the broken trunks and fallen branches, their faces tight with frustration.
"Would you just come down already?" one of them snapped, gripping her blade with growing impatience. "We're sick of your games!"
Lily glanced lazily down at the group. To them, it looked like she was toying, teasing with smug indifference, but her sharp eyes were calculating every detail.
Twelve in total. Seven with access to the second power. And at least four showing stronger control of their commandments… possibly stronger than mine.
She took another bite, chewing slowly.
If I fight them head-on, I'll be overwhelmed. But if I drag this out, things could get worse. Hmm. What to do, what to do…
A student growled and charged, leaping into the air. With a heavy kick, she slammed into the tree's base, sending it crashing down.
But Lily didn't fall.
She flipped midair, the corn still clamped between her teeth as tiny silver and golden bells attached to her belt jingled with her spin.
She landed with poise, knees bent, free hand brushing the snow.
The snow around her erupted like a silent storm. Under her command, it twisted and surged, engulfing the world in blinding white, but to her eyes, it was all in shades of grey.
She glided through the swirling mist like a dancer. Her blade didn't slice, it flicked, flipped, and spun, striking the backs of necks and pressure points with the flat. Light shimmered off each blow, her movement a blur of grace and force.
One by one, the students dropped, unconscious, before they even hit the ground.
When the storm cleared, Lily stood in the centre of the field, not a speck of snow on her, unscathed, and having a corn between her teeth.
She let out a yawn, stretching her arms before taking another bite.
"Now then," she murmured, voice muffled slightly, "back to breakfast."
#
Maki strolled through the silent forest, her hands clasped loosely behind her back. Frost crackled beneath her boots, but she barely made a sound.
She paused beneath a tree where a small bird balanced on a fragile branch. It noticed her, and for a quiet moment, they mirrored each other—both tilting their heads in the same direction, again and again.
"I wonder how Jin's doing," she murmured, still swaying her head with the bird. "He's been spending more time in the libraries and the forge. Lately, it's like dragging a mountain just to get him to train or hang out with the rest of us."
A soft breath escaped her lips, the cold air curling around her face like a whisper. Her eyes went downcast as six students stepped out, circling her like hungry wolves.
"We'll finish you off fast and help the others deal with Hades," one said with a low chuckle.
Another twirled his blade lazily. "Please don't take offence, but… You are the weakest one in Hades' group, right? Then we're gonna take you down." He turned to his friends, smirking. "Did I say it right, guys? I feel like that came out right."
The others nodded, playing along. "Yeah, sounded perfect. Really professional."
One of them drew out his blade. "Okay, just give up and we'll call this a day"
Maki's fingers curled around the hilts at her hips.
"I may not be as fast as Lily, as smart as Jin, or as strong as Hades," she said, lifting her eyes, now burning with quiet fire as she crossed her twin blades before her. "But I am the most unpredictable."
They laughed but were caught offguard immediately.
Maki dashed forward. Her first blade lashed out at the closest opponent, aiming for his eye. He blocked just in time, but the second blade struck with brutal speed, slamming into his gut and hurling him to the ground.
Before the others could fully react, the second and third attackers charged. But Maki slipped past the second entirely, going straight for the third.
He raised his blade, but she kicked snow into his face and followed it up with a sharp spin-kick to the jaw, dropping him like a stone.
The second turned just in time to see a single strand of his hair float past his eyes. He froze, then turned slowly to find one of Maki's blades embedded deep into the tree behind him.
A thin red line marked his cheek.
She gave him a cold stare.
"Sit."
He dropped to the ground without hesitation, blood trickling down his face.
Maki calmly walked past him, yanked her blade free, and turned to the remaining three.
"Well?" she said, tilting her head. "Don't be shy. I can handle three of you at once."
They roared and lunged.
She moved like mist—untouchable, shifting between them with fluid grace. Each step, each spin, each flick of her wrist was too erratic to follow, too precise to counter.
But then her eyes flashed.
The world slowed, drained of colour, but just for a heartbeat.
And she struck.
Her blades found every weakness—shoulders, knees, ribs, dropping the last three before they knew what hit them.
Silence fell once more.
Maki sheathed her blades. The final thuds of unconscious bodies hitting the snow echoed behind her.
Above, the same bird chirped again, still perched on its branch. It tilted its head.
Maki smiled, mirroring it once more. "Okay… this is way more fun than I thought."
#
"This is the worst!"
A voice thundered through the forest, scattering birds into the pale sky.
Bon dragged a hand down his face with a long sigh.
"My friends are out there getting ambushed by overconfident students who think they're so powerful…" He paused and stared at the towering beast in front of him. "And here I am."
The diamond-coated monster let out a deafening roar, its crystalline hide gleaming with unnatural brilliance as if daring the world to fear it.
Bon squinted at it with mild disinterest. "Why in the name of the Living Celestials do the other students consider them strong and not me?" He threw his arms into the air and started pacing. "I'm strong, I'm powerful, and have you seen this body? The girls should be—" He paused, and coughed. "I mean, the students should be lining up to ambush me, too."
The beast snarled and charged, its claws cleaving through trees like paper.
Bon unsheathed his blade and slumped his shoulders, still sighing. "As long as I'm among the last ones standing, I guess that's fine. But why—"
A glimmer of light shone above him a the beast's claw came crashing down.
Clang.
It stopped, frozen in midair.
Bon had blocked it with nothing but the tip of his blade.
"Not cool," he muttered, still not even looking at it. "A guy shouldn't have to be this lonely. Even my best friend has someone." His voice cracked a little, and he turned to the beast with glossy, misty eyes. "Don't tell me… It's me. I'm the problem. I'm the freaking worst right? Come on, tell me I can take it."
The monster let out another thunderous bellow, slashing furiously now. Claw after claw tore through the air, but Bon barely moved, parrying each strike while mumbling to himself and wiping away the occasional tear.
Then… his eyes sharpened mid-swing.
"Alright, alright! I get it! You wanna fight, huh? Let's fight!"
In a blink, Bon sprang back, his feet planted against the side of a massive tree.
He took a deep breath and then exhaled like a cannon blast.
BOOM.
The air exploded beneath him.
He launched forward with a shockwave of compressed wind, blurring past the tree line as the ground cracked from the force.
The diamond beast roared again, launching crystal spears in desperation. Shards the size of javelins flew toward him, but each was shattered in a flash of steel.
In a single breath, Bon was above the creature.
Their eyes met, one filled with fury, the other with heartbreak.
He spun mid-air.
SLASH.
The monster's head detached cleanly in a single stroke.
Bon landed with perfect grace atop its crumbling body, sliding down its back before sitting on the massive head as it hit the ground behind him with a final thud.
He let out one last sigh.
"I just want a girlfriend, man. Life freaking sucks."
#
The air twisted violently, rippling with such force it felt like a whirlwind about to consume the world.
Across the great waterfall, a group of students stood frozen in place. They could only watch, bodies trembling, and legs refusing to move.
"I thought we came for Hades and Jin…" one of them whispered, eyes wide with disbelief. "Can someone please explain why they're fighting each other?"
Above them, the sky bled red.
Thunderstorms raged as lightning cracked like shattered glass across the heavens. A colossal hand, its rocky skin carved like molten stone, tore through the clouds. Its eyes, burning pools of lava, observed the chaos below in silence with a wide, sinister grin.
Jin and Hades clashed at the heart of the storm.
Steel screamed against steel, every strike echoing like thunder. The storm howled around them, and then more blades joined the fray, hurtling toward Hades from every angle. Yet his movement was beyond human. He parried them all and met every blow from Jin without faltering.
A massive explosion rocked the sanctuary, swelling like a fiery inferno across the forest. Within it, the two swordsmen still stood, refusing to yield, locked in a storm of power and will.
Wind tore through the battlefield, lightning struck the earth again and again.
Darkness spread across the sanctuary and the village of Heathens like a living shroud.
The students who watched were barely conscious, sweat rolling down their faces as their knees buckled. The sheer pressure in the air made it hard to breathe.
And still, Jin and Hades fought on.
Then, in a single instant, the flames vanished. The clouds above parted, and the storm fell silent.
The two stood across from each other, breathing heavily as silence hung between them.
And then, smiles cracked on both faces.
Hades lowered his sword and stretched out a hand. "We almost wiped out the forest," he said with a grin.
Jin shook his hand. "Next time… maybe pick a less... flammable location?"
"Of course."
Jin turned toward the group of stunned students.
"Looks like they plan to team up against us," he said with a smirk. "How about we return the favour?"
Hades let out a short laugh, his aura flaring like a beast waking from slumber. "Tch. I won't need your help, but sure, sounds fun. Let's make it quick. I need to find Lily after this."
The students drew their weapons, eyes flickering with fear and some with anticipation.
Then, with a battle cry, they lunged forward.
High above the battlefield, the celestials watched in silence.
Their judgment was complete.
Though not all were impressed, the spectacle was… acceptable for now.
Without a word, they turned and vanished into the clouds, their glowing forms dissolving into mist.