The forest no longer felt like the same place.
The suffocating pressure was gone, the sky had cleared, and the broken land slowly settled into silence—but something invisible had changed.
Something none of them could explain.
Leo stood quietly, his sword already lowered, his expression calm… almost too calm for someone who had just cut apart a divine-level existence.
In front of him, Luna's question still lingered in the air.
"Who… are you?"
For a brief moment, time seemed to pause.
Kai, still lying flat on the ground, slowly raised his head.
Ryu stopped laughing.
Milan looked between them, sensing the tension.
Leo looked at Luna.
Her eyes were different from others.
They weren't filled with fear.
They weren't blinded by shock.
They were searching.
Seeing.
Trying to understand something deeper.
Leo finally spoke.
"…Just someone who wants to live quietly."
Kai immediately shouted,
"QUIETLY?! YOU JUST CUT A GOD-LIKE THING IN HALF!"
Ryu sat up, pointing at Leo.
"Yeah, brother, quiet people don't do THAT!"
Leo didn't react.
Luna didn't look away.
She stepped closer.
One step.
Then another.
Now she was standing right in front of him.
Close enough to hear his breath.
Close enough to feel the faint, almost invisible energy around him.
"…You're lying."
Her voice was soft, but certain.
Leo's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I didn't ask you to believe me."
Luna tilted her head slightly.
"No… but I can see it."
That sentence made the air feel heavier again.
Kai blinked.
"See what?"
Luna didn't answer him.
Her eyes were still locked on Leo.
"…Something inside you is sleeping."
Leo's grip on his sword tightened for just a fraction of a second.
Too small for most people to notice.
But Luna noticed.
"…And it's not human."
Silence.
Even the wind seemed to stop.
Inside Leo, something stirred.
A faint warmth.
The divine blood reacted.
Not violently.
But… attentively.
As if it had heard her.
Leo turned away.
"That's enough."
He began walking.
"Mission is over. Let's return."
Kai immediately jumped up.
"YES! LET'S GO! I DON'T EVER WANT TO SEE THAT THING AGAIN!"
Ryu followed quickly.
"Agreed. I like being alive."
Milan hesitated for a second, then followed them.
Only Luna remained still.
Watching Leo's back.
Her fingers tightened slightly around her staff.
"…I will find out."
She whispered softly.
---
The journey back to the academy was unusually quiet.
No one joked.
No one argued.
Even Kai was silent for once.
Because what they had witnessed…
Was far beyond their level.
Ryu finally spoke.
"That thing… was definitely not an A-rank."
Milan nodded slowly.
"That was at least… S-rank… maybe even beyond."
Kai looked at Leo.
"…And you just handled it like it was nothing."
Leo didn't respond.
Ryu smirked slightly.
"You know… if you wanted, you could probably become the strongest in the academy instantly."
Leo replied calmly,
"I'm not interested."
Kai groaned.
"WHY NOT?!"
Luna finally spoke from behind.
"Because being seen… means being targeted."
Everyone went silent again.
Kai blinked.
"…That actually makes sense."
Ryu crossed his arms.
"Yeah… with power like that, you wouldn't just become famous… you'd become a problem."
Milan added quietly,
"For humans… and maybe for things like that creature too."
Leo didn't confirm.
But he didn't deny it either.
---
As they reached the academy gates, something felt off.
There were more guards than usual.
Teachers were standing outside.
And the atmosphere was tense.
The moment Leo's group entered, a senior instructor rushed toward them.
"You're back!"
His eyes quickly scanned them.
"…You're all alive?"
Kai raised his hand.
"Barely."
The instructor's expression turned serious.
"What happened in the forest?"
Ryu answered,
"Mission data was wrong. That wasn't an A-rank zone."
Milan added,
"There was… something else."
The instructor frowned.
"…Explain."
They all looked at Leo.
Just for a second.
But it was enough.
The instructor noticed.
"…Leo."
Leo looked at him calmly.
"You were leading the team. Report."
Leo spoke without hesitation.
"There was an unknown entity. It attacked. We survived. It disappeared."
The instructor narrowed his eyes.
"That's not enough detail."
Leo's voice remained steady.
"That's all that matters."
The instructor stared at him for a few seconds.
Trying to read him.
But Leo's expression gave nothing away.
Finally, the instructor sighed.
"…We'll investigate."
He turned to the others.
"You all will submit a full report."
Kai groaned again.
"More work…"
Ryu smirked.
"At least we're alive to do it."
---
Later that night.
Inside his room.
Leo sat alone.
The window was slightly open.
Cold air entered quietly.
The academy was silent.
Peaceful.
But inside him…
Nothing was peaceful.
He closed his eyes.
And focused inward.
Darkness.
Then…
Light.
A faint golden glow appeared in the void of his consciousness.
The same presence.
The same ancient feeling.
The voice spoke again.
"You revealed too much."
Leo responded calmly.
"I had no choice."
The voice remained silent for a moment.
Then said,
"That was not a fragment of a normal god."
Leo's eyes opened slightly.
"…I know."
"It recognized you."
Leo's expression darkened.
"…That's a problem."
The golden light flickered slightly.
"The seal is weakening."
A pause.
Then—
"Others will come."
Leo stood up slowly.
His eyes now sharper than before.
"…Then I'll deal with them."
The voice responded:
"You are still incomplete."
Leo looked at his hand.
For a moment…
He felt it again.
That power.
That overwhelming, endless depth.
"…Not for long."
---
Elsewhere.
Far beyond Earth.
Beyond space.
Beyond dimensions.
In a place where even light did not exist.
Something moved.
A pair of eyes opened.
Ancient.
Endless.
Terrifying.
A voice echoed in the void.
"…I felt it."
Another presence responded.
"…So it has begun."
The first voice spoke again.
"The blood… has awakened."
A long silence followed.
Then—
"Prepare."
---
Back on Earth.
Leo stood by the window.
Looking at the night sky.
The stars looked normal.
Peaceful.
But he knew the truth.
War was coming.
Not just between humans.
Not just monsters.
But something far greater.
And this time…
He would not fall again.
His eyes glowed faintly in the darkness.
Very faint.
Almost invisible.
But enough to prove one thing—
The sleeping god within him…
Was slowly waking up.