Lowtown lay swallowed beneath a storm unlike any other. A colossal tornado loomed above it, churning with thunder and blinding lightning, a divine tempest that screamed defiance at all who approached.
Yui, Giest, the High Priest, and Team Phoenix stood at the edge, shielding their eyes from the chaos. The wind howled, thick with pressure that bent trees and split stones. They couldn't take a single step forward.
Kevin stepped forward, robes whipping in the storm.
He raised his hands, voice strained over the deafening roar. A massive magic circle ignited beneath him, etched in glowing runes, each crackling with lightning.
He chanted. The sky answered.
A jagged bolt of light shot forth—
But the instant it struck the tornado—
CRACK!
The circle shattered. The magic dissolved into sparks.
Kevin stumbled back, coughing blood.
Presia was at his side in an instant, hands glowing with healing light. "This… this isn't ordinary magic," she whispered.
The High Priest stepped forward, his staff anchoring him against the wind. He closed his eyes and began to chant.
Light descended from the heavens.
A golden angel took form—blindfolded, armored, and wielding twin spears of divine light. Her wings spread, thunder crackling between each feather.
The High Priest's voice boomed: "Tear the veil! Break through!"
The angel soared into the storm, divine spears gleaming.
She pierced forward—
BOOM!
The moment her spear met the tornado, light exploded.
A thunderclap echoed across the sky.
And the angel... disintegrated. Torn apart, scattered into the storm like ash on wind.
The High Priest staggered back, color draining from his face.
A heavy silence fell among the group—fear, awe, and disbelief writ across every face.
But Yui stood firm. Her eyes burned with fury.
Giest stepped toward her. "Yui—don't be reckless."
"Yeah," Presia added, worried. "You're our leader. We can't lose you."
Ronald nodded solemnly. "Don't throw yourself away."
Yui clenched her fists. Her aura flared—gold and platinum entwining, sparking the air.
"What do you expect me to do?!" she shouted, voice breaking. "Just sit here and wait for this damn thing to fade away?"
She looked to Giest, desperation in her eyes. "Ryouma is in there. Alone. Maybe still alive. Maybe waiting for us."
Silence.
Inside the heart of the storm, hidden from the world, Ryouma's body lay lifeless, a soft beam of light falling over him, healing his wounds.
The constellation mark on his forehead glowed.
In a void of darkness, Ryouma's eyes fluttered open. He sat up, clutching his head.
"Ugh… where am I?"
He turned—and saw someone sitting beside him.
The figure looked… exactly like him.
"Who are you?" Ryouma asked, heart pounding.
The man smiled. "You don't know who you are?"
Ryouma narrowed his eyes. "Don't play games with me. Where are we?"
"I told you," the other said, smile widening. "I'm you. And this… isn't a good place for a chat."
With a wave of his hand, the void shimmered—melting into a surreal, dreamlike garden.
Flowers bloomed in impossible colors, their petals shimmering with hues no mortal eye could name. Light danced across leaves that defied the very laws of reality.
Ryouma sat in silence.
"You have questions," the other said. "But you're not sure which to ask first."
Ryouma sighed. "How do you know that?"
"I told you," he said, plucking a glowing flower. "I am you. I know everything you're thinking… and everything you're hiding."
Ryouma shook his head. "You're not making this easy."
"On the contrary," the other chuckled. "I'm as straightforward as it gets."
Ryouma's voice hardened. "Then why am I here?"
The other looked away. For a long moment, he stared into the nothingness.
"Can I ask you something?"
Ryouma nodded slowly.
"Why do you want to grow stronger so badly?"
There was a pause.
Then Ryouma spoke, voice low and shaking.
"What else is there?" he whispered. "Everything's gone. Even the one I trusted turned away because I was weak."
His fists clenched.
"So I'll become strong. Strong enough to make them regret ever doubting me. Strong enough to make sure no one ever looks down on me again."
He looked up, eyes fierce.
"Because in this world, weakness is death. Weakness is betrayal. Strength… is the only thing that gives this empty existence any damn meaning."
The other Ryouma watched him, satisfied. He turned, walking away.
"Will we meet again?" Ryouma called after him.
The figure shrugged. "Who knows."
And vanished.
Ryouma felt his consciousness fade once more.
Outside, the storm surged.
Yui's patience snapped.
She unleashed her aura, golden and platinum threads weaving into Valkyrie armor. She dashed forward, light trailing behind her.
"Yui, STOP!" Kevin's voice echoed.
The tornado suddenly shifted—growing darker, fiercer.
Yui froze.
Then—
BOOOOOOM!
The tornado exploded.
The sky cracked open. Wind roared. The ground twisted and rose.
Mountains of earth were flung like toys. Trees shattered.
Kevin, Giest, Ronald, Presia, and the High Priest shielded themselves beneath a deep barrier.
Farther away, a massive boulder shielded Yui—dust and debris crashing around her.
Then—stillness.
The sky cleared.
Light returned.
Yui was the first to dash forward, her boots barely touching the scorched earth as she sprinted into the now-calm field. The others followed quickly behind.
"Ryouma!" she cried frantically, her voice echoing through the silence. Her eyes scanned every direction, desperate for a glimpse of him. Each passing second tightened the weight in her chest.
"This isn't funny, Ryouma! If you're mad, then come out and scold me! Just... come out! I know you're hiding somewhere... please!"
"This isn't funny, Ryouma! If you're mad, then come out and scold me! Just... come out! I know you're hiding somewhere... please!"
But no answer came. Only silence.
The stillness pressed in, cruel and unrelenting.
Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision—but she didn't stop. Her feet moved on instinct, searching every scorched patch of ground, every overturned stone, as if sheer determination could pull him from hiding.
"Please..." she whispered again, voice cracking. "Don't do this to me..."
"Giest!" Kevin called out, kneeling over something. "I found something."
Yui bolted toward him, hope rising in her chest—only to freeze in place when she saw what Kevin had found: bones. Blackened. Burnt to a crisp.
Her breath caught. Her heart felt like it had stopped.
"Did… did Ryouma end up like that too…?"
Just as despair gripped her, Ronald's voice rang out from another direction."Hey! Giest! I found another trace—this one looks fresher!"
Before anyone else could react, Yui darted toward him, a storm of emotion in every step.
On a stone nearby, smeared in blood and clinging with torn pieces of cloth—familiar, and unmistakably his.
"Ryouma…" she whispered.It felt like the world tilted beneath her feet.
Yui fell to her knees. "No…" Her voice cracked. "Because of me... Ryouma ended up dead. I... I'm the one who killed him…"She sobbed, hands trembling, unable to lift her head.
Giest stepped forward and placed a firm hand on her shoulder."Don't jump to conclusions, Yui. Things aren't that simple."
The High Priest moved beside them, staff in hand. "Giest is right. This is no ordinary tragedy. A dragon burned to bone… a divine storm that even angels couldn't pierce… and now Ryouma missing? Something doesn't add up."
He raised his staff and chanted. The blood on the stone shimmered, and a translucent image flickered above them—only to shatter the next second like glass under pressure.
The High Priest frowned, eyes narrowing."Something is blocking us from seeing the truth… deliberately."
Yui looked up, voice shaking. "Then… Ryouma… is he still alive?"
The High Priest exhaled slowly. "I cannot say anything for certain. But one thing I know—Ryouma is alive. Where he is now, or what happened here... only he can tell us."
The tension in Yui's chest eased slightly. Giest gave her a small, comforting pat on the shoulder.
"Don't be so hard on yourself," he said. "This isn't your fault. This… this is just a tragedy."
Yui wiped her tears and gave a small nod. "Yeah… I think so too." She clenched her fists."This whole incident made me realize… how weak I am. When Ryouma returns—I'll apologize properly."
Somewhere far away…
A soft breeze rustled the leaves as birds sang in the distance.
Ryouma opened his eyes.
He blinked against the sunlight filtering through the canopy above, his breath shallow as he scanned the unfamiliar forest. His body ached, his mind foggy. He slowly sat up, the cold touch of the earth grounding him. His upper body was bare—his clothes tattered, his skin dirt-smudged and scraped.
His hand went instinctively to his chest—Right where the Abyss Dragon had struck him.There had been a hole. A fatal wound.Now… smooth skin. Whole. Not even a scar.
Ryouma's brow furrowed. What happened to me…?
And then—Ding.
A translucent blue screen blinked into existence before him.
[ Welcome, Player, to the Stellar System. ]
Before he could even process the words, another message followed.
[ You have been chosen to inherit the Will of the Cosmos. Your awakening begins now. ]
Ryouma stared at the messages, silent.A cold wind passed, rustling the trees, as if the world itself had shifted.
He knew now—the Stellar System his skill had awakened.
But his brows furrowed as he read the words again:
"Inherit the Will of the Cosmos?"
He had no memory of such a thing. No knowledge of what it truly meant.
Yet deep in his gut, he knew—His life was no longer the same.The path ahead had changed.