Snow turned red.
The war had begun.
Across the frozen plains outside Umbra Citadel, energy blasts lit the sky like fireworks—fiery orange, crackling blue, and blinding white as Wielders unleashed their Wills in desperate combat against Kurojin's monstrous army.
Hana flipped through the air, slashing down a corrupted beast twice her size with her ribbon-enhanced blade. "Ryuu, Tetsu—behind you!"
Tetsu spun just in time, deflecting a spiked gauntlet with a reinforced Will-plate, while Ryuu drove his lightning-charged blade through two soldiers with a single sweep.
"This is insane!" Ryuu shouted, breathing hard. "We've barely made a dent and they just keep coming!"
"They're enhanced beyond reason," Seraphine growled, launching a storm of crystal needles from her Will, impaling five enemies who kept moving like puppets even after falling. "Kurojin's using forbidden tech... these aren't just soldiers—they're reanimated weapons."
Magnus Kreel cleaved a line through ten with a swing of his gravity-forged hammer. "Hold your ground! Buy time until we find the commanders!"
Above them, Raven dove down, sending a sonic wave that cracked the ground and sent shockwaves through the Wielders' ranks.
"Heads up!" shouted Zhen Kairo.
Ryuu leapt to meet Raven midair, their blades clashing in a flurry of blinding speed. "You again?!"
Raven grinned. "Still alive? Good. I want to break you properly this time."
Elsewhere, Lilith descended from the cliffs. With one gesture, she distorted time around herself—dodging every attack before it happened. Tetsu and Hana charged her, barely able to keep up as she twisted reality in circles.
But they didn't back down.
Back at the Academy, long-abandoned dorm halls sat quiet—except for one empty room… Kael's.
Meanwhile, high on a distant mountain miles away…
Kael stood with Raizen, fists glowing black and electric blue. A boulder behind him had exploded from the force of his new move.
"…It's close," Kael muttered, his breath sharp. "Something's happening."
Raizen opened one eye.
"You feel it now, don't you?" he said.
Kael clenched his fist tighter. "The war's begun."