The sky didn't change.
It didn't darken.
It didn't crack.
But something… shifted.
So subtly that normal people wouldn't notice.
But everyone standing there felt it.
A pressure.
Not heavy.
Not crushing.
But absolute.
Leo stopped walking.
His eyes lifted slightly.
"…They're here."
Kai frowned,
"…What do you mean 'they'?"
No answer came immediately.
Because the answer… arrived on its own.
The space above the academy distorted.
Not violently.
Not like before.
But precisely.
Controlled.
Three figures appeared.
Not descending.
Not falling.
Just… there.
Standing in the sky as if reality itself accepted them.
No aura exploded.
No energy leaked.
And yet—
Everything felt wrong.
Ryu's voice dropped,
"…This is worse than the last one…"
Milan adjusted his glasses slowly,
"…No… this is something else entirely…"
Luna didn't speak.
Her eyes were locked onto them.
"…Observers…"
Leo took a step forward.
Calm.
But focused.
"…So you finally came down."
The three figures didn't react immediately.
They simply watched him.
Like he was an object.
A subject.
Something to be studied.
Then—
One of them spoke.
"…Subject confirmed."
Another followed,
"…Energy signature matches anomaly."
The third tilted its head slightly,
"…Authorization granted."
A pause.
Then—
"…Proceed with removal."
The air tightened instantly.
Kai stepped back,
"…I don't like this…"
Leo stepped forward instead.
"…Then leave."
Luna shook her head,
"…Not happening."
The three figures moved.
Not attacking.
Not rushing.
But positioning.
Forming a triangle around Leo.
Perfect.
Intentional.
"…Containment field established."
The space around Leo shifted.
Closed.
Sealed.
Invisible walls formed.
Cutting him off from everything else.
Kai tried to step forward—
And was instantly pushed back.
"…What the hell?!"
Milan's expression darkened,
"…They isolated him…"
Inside the field—
Leo looked around once.
Then back at them.
"…Smart."
The first figure raised its hand.
And the world… bent.
The ground beneath Leo twisted unnaturally.
Angles shifted.
Distance distorted.
Up felt like down.
Forward felt like nowhere.
Leo's body tilted slightly—
Then steadied.
"…Spatial rewrite."
The second figure moved next.
Time around Leo slowed.
Not stopped.
But dragged.
Every movement became heavy.
Delayed.
"…Temporal suppression."
The third figure spoke last.
"…Energy restriction applied."
Leo's aura flickered.
Weakened.
Not gone—
But limited.
Outside the field—
Luna's voice shook,
"…They're controlling everything…"
Ryu clenched his fists,
"…That's not a fight…"
"…That's execution."
Inside—
Leo exhaled slowly.
"…So this is your level."
The first figure responded,
"…You will not resist."
Leo's eyes sharpened slightly.
"…Watch me."
He moved.
Slowly at first—
Because of the time suppression.
Because of the spatial distortion.
Because of the restriction.
But then—
Something changed.
The space around him trembled.
Not breaking.
But resisting.
Leo took another step.
Faster.
Then another.
Normal speed.
The second figure paused.
"…Temporal override?"
Leo raised his head.
"…You're not the only ones who can control it."
His aura flickered again.
Then stabilized.
Not fully free—
But no longer suppressed.
The first figure acted instantly.
The distorted space collapsed inward.
Trying to crush him.
Erase him.
But Leo raised his hand.
And the collapsing space… stopped.
Just stopped.
Like it had reached a boundary it couldn't cross.
The third figure spoke,
"…Energy resistance exceeding limits."
Leo clenched his hand slightly.
The distortion shattered.
Gone.
"…You call this control?"
Silence.
Then—
The three moved together.
Perfect synchronization.
Attacks layered across dimensions.
Not visible.
Not avoidable.
Not survivable.
Leo didn't dodge.
Didn't block.
He stood still.
Closed his eyes for a split second.
Then—
Opened them.
Golden light burned deeper than before.
Not wild.
Not unstable.
But absolute.
The attacks reached him—
And vanished.
Not deflected.
Not resisted.
Removed.
The field trembled violently.
The three figures stopped.
For the first time—
Uncertainty.
"…This is no longer within acceptable parameters."
Leo looked at them calmly.
"…Now you understand."
The world around him shifted again.
But this time—
It wasn't their doing.
It was his.
The space aligned.
The distortion faded.
The suppression weakened.
Everything… adjusted to him.
The second figure whispered,
"…He is stabilizing the field…"
The third stepped forward slightly,
"…Then we eliminate him now."
Leo took a step forward.
And the world… bent with him.
"…You talk too much."
And in the next moment—
He disappeared.
The real battle had begun.