Hiro and Mizuki climbed up to the upper floor together. The corridor was filled with a tense aura and pressure that only those truly ready to fight could feel.
Mizuki glanced at Hiro, her voice serious.
"Hey, Hiro… Kaizo — Rank 1 — he's extremely dangerous. Don't underestimate him."
But Hiro just gave a crooked smile, his eyes shining with a rare enthusiasm.
"Tch… then this might turn out to be an interesting fight."
Their steps quickened as they headed toward the main arena on the upper floor — the place where everything would be decided.
In another corner, a fierce battle was underway.
Akira, Satou, Kazuki, and Renjiro faced Alexander Reinhardt, the second-ranked student in the entire country.
Name: Alexander Reinhardt
Title: Top 2
Ability: Chrono Dominion — the power to slow down, speed up, and stop time around him within a limited area.
Chaos erupted as Alexander activated his time field. Their attacks slowed, reactions were disrupted — as if fighting inside a heavy, suffocating dream.
Kazuki and Renjiro tried to strike at the same time, but their movements froze halfway. In an instant, Alexander appeared behind them.
"Your era is over," he whispered before smashing them with a wave of time energy that slammed their bodies against the wall.
BOOM!
Kazuki and Renjiro fell to the ground, severely wounded, blood trickling from their temples and lips.
Satou gritted his teeth, ready to activate his power — Archetype Override — the ability to copy the traits or unique techniques of opponents for a limited time. But copying a power like "Chrono Dominion" came with risks.
Meanwhile, Akira searched for an opening, using telekinesis to disrupt the stability of Alexander's chrono field.
Before they could counterattack...
"Hahaha…"
A familiar voice echoed from the end of the corridor. A tall figure with messy hair and a lazy smile appeared, walking calmly.
Kaizo Kurayami.
"Sorry I'm late," he said while scratching his head, "I was just having some fun with Rank 9… I was only playing around."
Silence fell. All eyes now fixed on Kaizo — the top-ranked student, a being labeled as a "destructive force in human form."
A thick black aura began to seep from his body, and the ground around him cracked little by little.
"So… who should I crush first?"
Kaizo stepped forward slowly, his dark aura suffocating the air around him. His sharp eyes locked onto a lone figure standing calmly in the center of the battlefield—Hiro.
A cynical grin spread across his face, as if he found something incredibly amusing.
> "Yo... weakling," he said, his tone dripping with mockery as he stared directly at Hiro.
"You're the one they call a threat to us?"
Kaizo let out a small, cold laugh—hahaha—then slowly raised his hand to his own face, as if trying to suppress a fit of laughter.
> "Pathetic. The world must really be crazy if a kid like you is considered dangerous."
But beneath his smile, something else was clear—curiosity, or perhaps... the instinct of a king sensing a true rival.
Suddenly, Kaizo vanished from sight. In the blink of an eye—BOOM!—he reappeared right in front of Hiro.
> "Too slow."
A powerful punch landed squarely on Hiro's chest, sending him flying backward into the wall with a loud crash.
> "ARGHHH!!" Hiro screamed in pain as his body slammed to the floor.
Before he could get up, Kaizo was already back—this time with a fierce kick to Hiro's ribs.
BOOM!
The sound of cracking bones echoed. Hiro rolled on the floor, blood trickling from his mouth.
> "Damn… he's too fast…" Hiro thought grimly, his body trembling from the pain.
The brilliant flash from Falling Star Dance illuminated the entire arena, blinding everyone who looked on. Dust and smoke swirled wildly—then, as the haze cleared—
Kaizo stood unscathed, untouched by any injury.
Mizuki gasped, eyes wide in disbelief. "Impossible…"
Kaizo merely smiled coldly.
> "That attack... was far too gentle."
With a swift motion—BOOM!—he was suddenly before Mizuki. His fist crashed into her stomach.
> "UGHK—!"
Mizuki's body was sent flying backward. Blood sprayed from her mouth, and a gaping wound opened in her abdomen. She collapsed to the floor, barely conscious.
> "MIZUKI!!!" Hiro shouted, eyes blazing with furious rage.
Kaizo laughed maniacally. "Hahaha! Is that all you've got, the so-called threat of your school?"
From within the haze, Alexander Reinhardt emerged slowly — sweat trickling down his face. He clutched his shoulder casually and let out a deep sigh.
> "Ugh… exhausting…" he muttered, his tone still calm, but with a mocking edge.
Hiro, bloodied and barely standing, looked around.
He saw Mizuki — unconscious and motionless on the floor.
Satou and Akira — collapsed, completely down.
> "Satou and Akira are down too…?" Hiro whispered, his voice low, filled with disbelief and frustration.
He clenched his trembling fist.
A powerful energy surged from within him — burning, roaring, wild.
> "Enough… I WILL NOT LET YOU WIN!"
Rising fiercely, an extraordinary aura burst forth from him. Clenching his fists, he summoned and combined four elements at once—water, fire, earth, and wind—through an imaginative power he never knew he possessed.
> "Combined Skill—Elemental Imagine: Total Cataclysm!"
A massive orb of energy formed in the air, hurtling toward Kaizo and Alexander like a cataclysmic meteor.
> 💥💥💥BOOOOOOOM!!!💥💥💥
The explosion shook the entire arena. Flames soared skyward, fierce winds raged, and the earth cracked into jagged fragments.
Yet...
> CRACK!!
Kaizo emerged from the smoke, one empty hand raised, effortlessly blocking the devastating attack without a single scratch.
> "What kind of attack is this?" he muttered softly before shattering the remaining energy with a single punch.
Hiro's eyes widened, blood rushing to his head.
> "WHAT?!"
But he refused to surrender. With a lightning-fast burst, Hiro vanished from sight—then reappeared right before Alexander!
> "Invisible Strike!"
WHACK!!!
His unseen punch slammed into Alexander's face, sending him flying backward.
> "URGH—What the hell was that attack?!" Alexander groaned, clutching his now bleeding cheek.
Hiro stood tall, bloodied but unbowed, eyes glowing with an unyielding spirit.
Alexander wiped a faint streak of blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes narrowing with irritation.
> "Tch… I let my guard down for a second, and this is what I get?"
It felt like something was touching Hiro's very soul — as if he saw a shadowy figure resembling himself, with black eyes and a sinister smile.
The figure whispered, "Yo, fool."
Suddenly, that shadowy presence took control of Hiro, transforming him into something different… something darker.
> "Imagine Skill – Draconic Soul Armor: Form of the Forgotten Wyrm!"
A blast of black-gold energy burst from Hiro's body. Around him, the spectral form of an ancient dragon emerged—like a forgotten god returning from the depths of myth. Golden scales formed across his body, his eyes burned with divine fire, and a dragon's tail of pure energy lashed behind him.
> "Dragon power?!" Kaizo's eyes widened, though a grin slowly spread across his face. "Heh… interesting."
Suddenly—BOOM!—Alexander shot down from the sky like a comet, cloaked in swirling temporal energy, a vortex of collapsing time orbiting his form.
> "Ultimate Skill – Time Collapse!"
Time compressed into a black singularity—dense, destructive, and absolute. Reality bent around it, and for a moment, everything froze.
> "This'll erase you from the timeline!" Alexander shouted.
But Hiro's eyes didn't waver. He reached forward and seized the very fabric of imagination.
> "Imagine Fusion Skill – Eternity Reversal!"
His entire body lit up with golden-white brilliance. Power surged—elemental, draconic, and boundless. With one strike, he drove his fist straight into the heart of the singularity.
> 💥BOOOOM!!!💥
A shockwave of time and energy erupted. Dimensional cracks split the battlefield, and time halted for a breathless instant.
Alexander was thrown backward, blood trailing from his forehead.
> "No way… You countered Time Collapse?!"
Hiro stood still for a second, breathing heavily, his body scorched and bleeding—but his eyes burned with unshakable resolve.
> "I still don't know who I really am…
But if it means protecting my friends—
I'll fight even a god."
"HAAAAAAAAAAAA!!" Hiro roared, his eyes glowing with crimson gold. Draconic aura exploded from his body. The ground trembled. The air grew heavy.
His right arm transformed—covered in shimmering dragon scales up to the shoulder, glinting like ancient metal. In his hand, a weapon took shape: the Dragon Blade—a long sword engraved with blazing dragon patterns, sharp enough to cut through reality itself.
Kaizo and Alexander froze for a moment. For the first time, they felt it—true danger.
> "What is that…?" Alexander muttered, eyes narrowing.
> "He's changed… That's not the Hiro from before," Kaizo said coldly, his usual smirk gone.
Hiro stepped forward. Each step cracked the floor beneath him. His breath was ragged—like he was fighting himself from within.
> ""Tch... like this kid's losing control." — Kaizo
In a flash, he lunged at Kaizo. One swing—Dragon Blade slashing toward Kaizo's shoulder—but Kaizo narrowly dodged in time.
ZRAAAAK!!!
The wall behind him split in two. There was no contact—just the sheer pressure from the swing had torn the dimension behind Kaizo.
> "...Monster," Alexander whispered.
But Hiro didn't stop. With a fluid motion, his weapon shifted—morphing into the Claw Gauntlet, a dragon-forged gauntlet with blazing claws, fire seeping from every glowing crack.
He dashed straight at Alexander.
Alexander leapt back, activating his skill.
> "Collapse."
Time slowed… then shattered.
But Hiro—fueled by dragon power and raging spirit—punched straight into the collapsing singularity.
BOOOOOOM!!!
Temporal force and draconic energy detonated in unison. The battlefield turned gray. Light flickered like a broken signal.
Hiro stood in the thick smoke, staggering, breathing heavily. His clothes were torn. His eyes flickered with exhaustion and rage.
From the smoke, Kaizo and Alexander emerged—injured, but still on their feet.
> "He really is a threat," Kaizo murmured.
"But I like it.
Hiro…
You're entertaining."
Alexander, face fierce and body covered in battle wounds, launched himself toward Hiro. His right hand shimmered with fractured time, spinning rapidly like a vortex of collapsing history.
> "Get ready, Hiro! I'm ending this—right now!"
But just as Alexander closed in, Hiro shut his eyes. His hand slowly lifted—
—and the world felt like it stopped.
> "Imagine Skill: Black Hole Glare."
In front of Hiro, a single dark "eye" opened—roughly the size of a human head. It spun like a dimensional spiral, yet emitted no light. Instead, it devoured it. Every glimmer. Every trace of energy nearby.
🕳️ VOOOMMMM…
Alexander's time-based attack—a wave that could tear through reality—began to warp unnaturally. It twisted, then was dragged inward… toward the black hole.
> "What?!" Alexander's eyes widened as he felt himself being pulled, his balance breaking for the first time.
> "Black Hole Glare… I can only use it twice a day," Hiro muttered, his voice sharp, eyes still glowing.
"And you made me use one of them… Alex."
The black hole pulsed violently. Dust, shattered walls, raw elemental energy—everything nearby was sucked in. Even the pressure exuding from Kaizo and Alexander began to falter.
And then—
A blinding flash—
BOOM.
Silence.
The black hole collapsed into nothing.
Alexander stumbled back several meters, panting hard. Kaizo remained motionless, his eyes now narrowed with true interest.
> "You're no ordinary boy…" Kaizo spoke, his voice low and dangerous.
"You're an anomaly."
But Hiro dropped to one knee. His breathing grew shallow. His hands trembled. The aftershock of Black Hole Glare was kicking in.
> "Tch… Only one more shot left…"Dark Hiro whispered, clenching his fist.
Kaizo smiled faintly.
And in the blink of an eye—he vanished.
> "!?"
Hiro's eyes widened. He barely managed to turn halfway—
BOOM!
A devastating punch landed square on his chest.
Hiro was sent flying backward, crashing into the ground hard enough to crack it.
But strangely… he didn't fall.
Breathing heavily, blood trickling from the corner of his lips, Hiro pushed himself up again.
> "Tch… That all you've got?" he muttered, trying to sound calm.
Kaizo approached slowly. His hand rose—
—and the air around them began to fracture.
Not like breaking glass—no.
It was worse.
It looked like reality itself was tearing open, line by line.
> "Skill: Void Lines (虚線 – Kyosen)"
> "Those black cracks in the air… They're not fractures.
They're death incarnate."
Thin, black lines shimmered in the air—drawn by Kaizo's fingertips. One after another, they spread like threads of doom, interlacing into a deadly web around Hiro.
And the effect?
Merciless.
Anything that touched those lines—vanished.
Not cut.
Erased.
> "Don't move, Hiro," Kaizo said flatly, as if commenting on the weather.
"Touch even a single line… and your body will disappear without a trace."
Hiro now stood at the center of the void web, surrounded by silent, deadly fractures in space.
> "Insane…" Hiro gritted his teeth.
"With this, I can't use any powers. Not even a spark. Everything would just be deleted."
Kaizo grinned.
> "You're quick to understand.
But that won't save you."
Kaizo's finger hovered, ready to draw the final stroke—
The one that would close the trap and seal Hiro's fate.
Kaizo's hand hovered midair, ready to carve the final line—
the one that would erase Hiro from existence within the void web.
But in that moment—
Hiro closed his eyes.
His fists clenched tightly, and within his mind…
he summoned the soul of an ancient dragon.
A fiery blue aura erupted around his body—
and a new form began to materialize before him…
💠 Skill: Dragon Soul Veil (Tatsumai no Tate) 💠
> A shield shaped like a dragon's head manifested, its eyes glowing an intense azure, jaws wide open in a ferocious grin.
It deflected all power-based attacks—
and absorbed enemy energy… to fuel Hiro's next strike.
> "You won't touch me, Kaizo," Hiro whispered—his eyes now burning with the will of a dragon.
CHRAAAKK!!!
Kaizo's Void Lines collided with the dragon shield—
but instead of erasing Hiro…
…the Void Lines were absorbed.
Kaizo flinched.
> "...What?"
The dragon shield began to rumble, each etched scale glowing with searing blue energy.
> The energy absorbed… was now at its limit.
Hiro shouted, "Now it's my turn!"
Slamming his foot into the ground, he burst forward, launching himself out of the deadly web—
his right hand charged with the condensed might of the dragon soul…
and Kaizo's own void energy.
> "Dragon Fang Impact!!!"
The punch tore through the air, wreathed in swirling flames and spectral fangs.
Kaizo raised an arm to counter—
But the strike crashed into his shoulder—
BOOOOM!!!
The ground cracked. The wall behind shattered. A cloud of dust surged outward like a wave of shock.
Kaizo staggered back—
and for the first time… blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.
He laughed softly.
A low, chilling sound.
> "You managed to hurt me, Hiro…
Interesting.
But this—
this is only the beginning."
Hiro lunged forward with fury blazing in his eyes—not with power, but with an unshakable resolve.
> "INVISIBLE STRIKE!"
The unseen punch struck Kaizo square in the chest, pushing the Rank 1 student back slightly.
Kaizo raised an eyebrow, mildly surprised.
> "Damn, that punch really hurts," Kaizo said
Before Kaizo could counter, Hiro unleashed a relentless barrage of strikes—
each one crashing down like a storm that refused to end.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Kaizo attempted to lift his arm to retaliate—
but Hiro didn't give him the chance.
Each blow carried something raw.
Anger.
Sorrow.
Frustration.
And a deep-rooted pain Hiro couldn't even fully understand.
> "This… is for everything I've gone through!" Hiro roared, slamming his fist into Kaizo once more.
Kaizo chuckled under his breath, even as the hits kept raining.
> "Haha… you really are interesting, Hiro."
Suddenly—
a dark aura began to seep from Kaizo's body.
His playful expression vanished, replaced by a cold, focused stare.
He slowly raised his arm—
> "Playtime's over.
Now… it's my turn."
Kaizo raised his fist to the sky.
> "Black End Fist (黒終拳 – Koku Shūken)"
In that instant, the world fell silent.
As if all sound had been devoured by space itself.
His hand was cloaked in pure darkness—pulsing, like the heartbeat of death.
> "One punch.
And the world ends."
Fine cracks spread—not across the ground,
but through reality itself.
Far away, Kazuki—still lying injured—felt his entire body tremble.
Even Renjiro, bleeding and barely conscious, forced his eyes open.
> "Don't... let him release that..."
Kaizo pointed the obsidian-coated fist toward Hiro.
> "Disappear from this world, Hiro."
He launched his punch—
and time itself seemed to shatter.
But at that moment, Hiro let out a fierce roar:
> "IMAGINE OVERBURN: SOULFIRE FANG!"
A dragon's breath—burning in blue and black flames—
erupted from Hiro's mouth, splitting the air.
But this fire didn't just burn.
It invaded.
It reached into Kaizo's spirit—into his intent—
trying to scorch his very will before the punch could land.
A clash.
An explosion.
> BOOOOOOM!!!
A shockwave consumed the battlefield—
ripping through the ground, the walls, even the sky.
For a moment, everything turned white.
From the smoke, Kaizo stepped forward—slowly.
His face was covered in ash and small wounds.
For the first time…
he smiled seriously.
> "Tch… flames that burn intent?
That's… interesting, Hiro."
But Hiro's eyes burned just as fiercely.
His breaths were ragged, his body close to collapse—
but he stood his ground.
> "Don't think… I'll fall before you do."
A small orb of light pulsed at Hiro's chest.
"You think… I'll just fall… like this?" Hiro's voice trembled, almost a whisper—but his eyes began to glow—an eerie, ancient violet-blue light.
Kaizo smirked.
"Oh? Still alive? How interesting."
Suddenly, the ground beneath Hiro exploded with black and gold auras—unstable waves of energy swirling around his body.
> [Imagine Core Awakening: Phase Two – Soul Ascendance]
Hiro's body was engulfed in the aura of an ancient dragon, interwoven with vague, shifting shapes of imagination—as if time and reality were merging around him.
His right hand transformed into a dragon-forged weapon—Dragon Blade Type-Z, sharp and pulsating like living sinew.
Hiro's lips moved slowly…
"I… will never lose to someone who only knows how to destroy."
BOOM!
In an instant, he vanished—only to reappear right before Kaizo, unleashing an unrelenting combo of attacks, each strike blazing with the power of imagination and dragon energy!
Smoke and shards from the dragon's assault still hung in the air. But from within the swirling chaos came a chilling laugh...
"Hahahah... intriguing. Very intriguing."
Kaizo stepped out of the dragon-imagery vortex, a sharp smile on his lips. His body was veiled in fractures of void energy, yet he stood firm.
"If this is your final form... then I have no reason to worry."
Meanwhile, Hiro's breath grew heavier. Sweat dripped down his face. The dragon aura from the Dragon Dimension was fading fast.
"Tch... my dragon form... won't last much longer."
But Hiro didn't back down. He clenched his right hand—illusive flames and surging pressure condensed into a solid mass.
"If this is the end... then let it leave scars on this world."
> Tetsuryū Ken: Break Fang Variant – Activate!
His hand transformed into a steel dragon's jaw, glowing dragon sigils blazing along his arm. With a final burst of speed, Hiro lunged forward, stomping the ground with thunderous force.
"ARGHHHHHHHH!!!"
BOOOOMMMM!!!!
The punch was unleashed—an 'X'-shaped shockwave erupted from the impact, demolishing everything nearby like a tsunami of draconic energy!
Kaizo raised his Void Shield, but…
CRACK!!!
The shield shattered, and the second wave blasted through Kaizo's body! He was thrown far back, rolling on the ground, carving a crater in the dust.
Hiro collapsed, knees hitting the earth. Breath ragged. Body trembling.
"Haaah... haaah... is this... over?"
The smoke hadn't cleared yet. But the entire arena was silent. Every watching eye was wide open.
Kaizo still hadn't risen.
Dust still swirled in the air, but an aura… was growing fiercer by the second.
thump… thump… thump… DUAARRRGHH!!!
The atmosphere suddenly darkened. The sky cracked open, and the earth trembled violently. In the heart of the crater, Kaizo rose again. But this time… it wasn't the Kaizo anyone knew.
"A-What… is that…" Hiro gasped, eyes wide with shock.
Kaizo's body had transformed completely. His skin looked like shards of black glass, glowing purple cracks pulsing across every inch. His eyes were void, yet blazing with fire. Behind him, a silhouette of a dark throne emerged—a throne fit for the king of a vanished world.
> Final Void: Zero Origin Collapse – Activate!
"I will return the world… to its original void."
BOOMMMM!!!!
Everything around Kaizo shattered—trees, soil, even the air itself—obliterated as if they had never existed. Reality cracked and trembled like a fractured mirror.
Hiro was thrown back, his body stained with blood. He tried to stand, but his knees buckled beneath him.
"Ghhk… I… can't fall now."
He closed his eyes.
Within the realm of imagination, a colossal golden dragon roared. It coiled around Hiro, merging with his very soul.
> Imagine: Dragon Ascendant Form – Ryūkōjin Hiro!!!
BOOOMMMM!!!
A burst of sacred dragon light exploded from Hiro's body! Radiant dragon wings unfurled behind him. His hair turned shining silver, eyes glowing like those of an ancient dragon, and his form clad in ever-shifting illusionary dragon armor.
"If you want to destroy the world…"
"…then I will protect this world with all my soul!!"
Two titanic auras clashed — Void King vs. Dragon Ascendant.
The sky split apart. The earth cracked open. Even the air seemed to reverse its flow.
The final battle was about to begin.
Before the final clash could erupt…
Suddenly—the sky turned pitch black. The wind stopped dead. It was as if the very fabric of the dimension was being pulled away.
"What… is this now?" Hiro and Kaizo both froze.
BOOOOOM!!!
From above, a pillar of dark light crashed into the center of the battlefield. Emerging from that light was a man with long black hair and eyes shimmering like a moonless night. His cloak billowed as if parting space itself with every step.
> Yuuyami-sensei.
The Supreme Discipline Master.
Ruler of the Learning Dimension.
With a calm voice that sent chills through the soul, he spoke:
"Enough. If you two continue…"
He raised a finger, and the half-ruined battlefield began to mend itself. The cracks from Kaizo's assault faded away. Hiro's dragon aura slowly dimmed.
"…the entire school system will be destroyed."
Kaizo furrowed his brow. Hiro was still panting, but stood firm.
Yuuyami stepped between them.
"This fight… is a draw. And that is my final word."
Kaizo clicked his tongue but did not argue. Hiro clenched his fist—knowing he was also pushed to his limits.
"Your training isn't over yet, Hiro."
"And Kaizo… break the rules again, and it won't be Hiro you face—it will be me."
Silence fell. All the students and monitors watching from afar were stunned into stillness.
Yuuyami turned, his silhouette dissolving into shadow.
The battle was over. But a new beginning… had only just begun.
Kaizo smiled widely. "Hahaha… feeling tired, Hiro?"
Hiro's body trembled, the toll of overwhelming power weighing him down. His breath was ragged, and his dragon form was beginning to fade.
But still, he clenched his hand.
"I… haven't lost yet."
Kaizo activated his final form.
Final Void: Zero Origin Collapse (終焉零界 – Shuuen Reikai)
Kaizo's body merged with the void itself. Now the Void King, an absolute entity capable of erasing the very concept of reality.
The pressure from this form nearly made Hiro collapse. His wounds were severe, but he stood once more.
His eyes glowed fiercely. His breath was heavy.
"Imagine Form — Dragon Ascendant: Ryūkōjin Hiro!!"
A blazing dragon aura erupted from Hiro's body. The dimension trembled. Yet before they could launch their next strike—
BOOM!!
Someone appeared at the center of the arena, shrouded in smoke.
"Enough!!"
Yuuyami-sensei stood with a stern face.
"If you two continue, the school's protective system will be destroyed!"
He looked directly at Kaizo and Hiro.
"This fight… is a draw."
Kaizo's expression twisted as if losing control, but before he could make another move—
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Unfamiliar footsteps approached.
"Wow… what an interesting fight you've had."
Hiro turned, eyes wide.
"No way…!"
From the smoke, Jeison, Satou, Akira, and Hanako emerged.
"Eh!? You're still alive!?" Hiro shouted.
Satou raised an eyebrow, grinning.
"We're not dead. Just… kicked out early."
Hanako walked slowly toward Hiro, her face somber.
"Sorry… my plan failed."
Hiro smiled weakly.
"It's okay… as long as you're safe, Hanako."
Hanako grasped the torn edge of Hiro's shirt.
Her cheeks flushed.
"B-baka…"
Satou patted Hiro's shoulder.
"As always, you never stop surprising us."
Hiro looked at all his friends.
"Looks like… we need to prepare now. For an even bigger monster."
Jeison smirked slightly.
"Yo, sensei… long time no see."