Night had fallen across the academy.
But sleep did not come easily anymore.
Not after the Rift.
Not after the word God Killer echoed through their minds.
Something had begun… and none of them could feel where it would end.
Outer Observation Wing — Dimensional Monitoring Sector
The hum of machines filled the chamber as layered projections rotated slowly in mid-air — complex spatial readings, Rift echo patterns, energy fluctuations mapped across invisible axes of space.
Kai stood quietly before the largest projection.
Watching.
Thinking.
Beside him, Elias adjusted a stream of data, eyes sharp and focused.
"…It's repeating," Elias said softly.
Kai didn't look away.
"The signal?"
Elias nodded.
"The Rift we fought wasn't a single breach. It left behind an echo — like something trying to reopen the fracture from the other side."
Kai spoke calmly.
"…Searching again."
Elias paused.
"Yes."
He expanded the projection — revealing a faint, pulsing core hidden within the dimensional echo.
"Look here."
Kai stepped closer.
"What is it?"
Elias hesitated.
"…Not a creature. Not a rift. Something else."
He tapped the console — ancient script fragments appeared across the projection, partially translated by the academy's archive system.
DIVINITY CONVERGENCE POINTCORE EXTRACTION EVENTENTITY DESIGNATION: DEVOURER
Kai's chest tightened slightly.
"…Divinity."
Elias nodded slowly.
"If Riftborn are drawn to energy… this 'God Killer' may be hunting something far more specific."
Kai looked at the pulsing signal.
"…Like me."
Elias didn't deny it.
Meanwhile — Main Combat Arena
"Still slow."
Kael's voice cut through the training field.
Ryo stood across from him, fists clenched, aura flickering faintly.
"Again."
Kael didn't even raise his guard fully.
Ryo lunged forward — fast, explosive, driving a heavy strike toward Kael's chest.
Kael moved once.
Minimal.
Precise.
Ryo's attack missed.
Kael's counter landed instantly — striking Ryo's shoulder and sending him sliding across the arena floor.
"Too predictable."
Ryo growled, pushing himself back up.
"You done talking yet?"
Kael's eyes were calm.
"You rely on force without refinement. That is why you remain beneath."
Ryo's fists tightened.
"Beneath who?"
Kael's answer was immediate.
"Me."
Silence.
Then Kael added, without hesitation—
"…And Kai."
That hit harder than any strike.
Ryo stood still.
Breathing heavier now.
"You think I can't reach him?"
Kael shrugged slightly.
"Right now? You cannot reach either of us."
Ryo's aura flickered stronger.
Unstable.
Angry.
"Then watch."
At that exact moment—
The arena lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then died.
A deep vibration rolled across the academy grounds.
The air tightened.
Ryo's eyes snapped upward.
"…You feel that?"
Kael's expression sharpened.
"Yes."
The ground cracked beneath them.
And darkness began leaking across the arena floor.
Back in the Observation Wing—
Elias froze.
"…Kai."
Kai already felt it.
The same pressure.
The same cold distortion.
Another Rift.
Opening.
But stronger than before.
Arena Floor — Rift Emergence
The ground split open violently.
A Rift formed — darker, denser, more stable than the previous one.
And from within—
Something stepped through.
Taller than a normal Riftborn.
More solid.
More aware.
Its body armored in layered void energy, eyes burning with predatory intelligence.
Vorthal Spawn.
It scanned the arena.
Then—
Locked onto Ryo.
Kael stepped forward instantly, aura igniting.
"Stay back."
Ryo scoffed.
"Not happening."
Kael didn't even look at him.
"You will slow me down."
Ryo's jaw tightened.
"I don't need your permission."
The creature moved.
Fast.
Violent.
Kael met it head-on — their collision shaking the entire arena.
Shockwaves tore across the shattered floor as Kael struck with precise, controlled force — each hit calculated, refined, powerful.
He was winning.
Dominating.
Driving the creature backward.
Ryo watched…
Fists trembling.
Teeth clenched.
He wanted in.
But Kael never looked at him.
Never needed him.
Then—
The creature evolved.
Its energy surged violently, armor thickening, movements sharpening.
Kael's next strike—
Missed.
The Vorthal Spawn countered.
Hard.
Kael was thrown backward across the arena, crashing through fractured stone.
For the first time—
He struggled to rise.
Ryo stepped forward.
Slowly.
Eyes burning.
"…You still think I'm beneath you?"
The creature turned toward him.
And the air began to burn.