BOOM!!
A shockwave exploded across Arena Three.
Kael and Lucien’s wooden practice swords collided in the center of the arena, creating a gust powerful enough to send dust swirling through the stands.
The audience fell silent.
“What…?”
“They’re using practice swords!”
“So why does it sound like two magic weapons colliding?”
Both young men pushed away simultaneously, sliding several meters apart.
Kael narrowed his eyes.
“His swordsmanship…”
It was flawless.
Not the technique of a talented student.
Not even that of a veteran hunter.
It was the technique of someone who had survived countless life-or-death battles.
Lucien smiled faintly.
“I was wondering when I’d finally meet you.”
Kael’s grip tightened.
“…Who are you?”
Lucien chuckled.
“I think you already know.”
The referee frowned.
“Continue the match!”
Neither contestant moved.
Instead, Lucien spoke quietly enough that only Kael could hear.
“You remember the end of the world.”
Kael’s pupils contracted.
“So…”
“I’m right.”
“You regressed too.”
For the first time since returning to the past, Kael felt genuine uncertainty.
He wasn’t the only one who had returned.
History had already changed once.
Now it had changed again.
Inside the Infinite Sword Archive…
The legendary swords erupted into chaos.
“I DON’T LIKE HIM!”
“He smells suspicious!”
“Master, stab him!”
“Challenge him to a duel!”
Astra sighed.
“Could everyone please remain quiet?”
“No!”
“We’re trying to protect Master!”
Kael rubbed his forehead.
“Not now…”
Lucien suddenly attacked.
His wooden sword blurred through the air.
Kael blocked.
CLANG!
Blocked.
A third.
A fourth.
Within seconds, dozens of exchanges echoed throughout the arena.
The spectators could barely follow their movements.
Professor Roland stood in disbelief.
“Those aren’t academy techniques.”
“No.”
The Headmaster’s expression became serious.
“They’re battlefield techniques.”
Kael suddenly stepped forward.
Instead of blocking, he twisted his body and struck Lucien’s wrist with the side of his blade.
Lucien smiled.
“You remembered.”
Kael answered with another strike.
“So did you.”
Neither explained.
To everyone else, their conversation made no sense.
High in the stands, Lyra watched every movement.
Her heartbeat accelerated.
She had seen those sword forms before.
Not here.
Not in training.
Somewhere else…
A battlefield covered in fire.
A lone swordsman protecting countless people.
The image vanished before she could understand it.
She pressed a hand against her temple.
“What is happening to me…?”
Nearby, Mira looked between Kael and Lyra.
She noticed Lyra staring at Kael with unusual intensity.
Mira puffed out her cheeks.
“She’s looking at him an awful lot…”
Then she shook her head.
“W-Why do I even care?”
Back in the arena…
Lucien leaped backward.
“I’ll stop holding back.”
Golden mana erupted around him.
The crowd gasped.
“So much mana!”
“He’s incredible!”
Kael remained calm.
Inside the Infinite Sword Archive, Astra spoke.
“Master.”
“I know.”
“One percent?”
Kael shook his head.
“Too much.”
Astra sighed dramatically.
“You really enjoy making my life difficult.”
A tiny silver light gathered around Kael’s practice sword.
It was so faint that almost no one noticed.
Except…
Lucien.
His smile disappeared.
“So you’ve already awakened her.”
Kael said nothing.
The two charged simultaneously.
Their swords met.
CRACK!!
Lucien’s practice sword split cleanly in half.
The broken tip spun through the air before embedding itself in the arena floor.
Silence.
The entire stadium froze.
Lucien looked at the broken weapon in his hand.
Then…
He laughed.
A genuine, carefree laugh.
“So it’s Astra.”
“I wondered which Divine Sword chose you first.”
Kael’s eyes widened.
“You know about the Infinite Sword Archive?”
Lucien met his gaze.
“Not everything.”
“But enough.”
Before Kael could ask another question, a shrill alarm echoed throughout the academy.
WOOOOO!!
Every crystal in the arena flashed crimson.
The announcer’s voice was replaced by an emergency broadcast.
“Attention all students and faculty!”
“An unstable dimensional gate has appeared beneath the academy!”
“All combat personnel report immediately!”
Kael’s expression darkened.
“Impossible…”
According to his memories…
The first gate wasn’t supposed to appear for another six months.
Lucien looked toward the distant mountain where black clouds were gathering.
“It seems…”
“…the future is changing faster than either of us expected.”
Deep beneath the academy, hidden in a chamber older than history itself, a pair of crimson eyes slowly opened in the darkness.
A deep voice echoed through the underground ruins.
“At last…”
“The Sword Archive’s Master has returned.”
“And this time…”
“I shall witness whether he is worthy of becoming the Sword Sovereign.”