The simulation's light stabilized.
The runes on the ground stopped vibrating, revealing a frozen landscape:
a field of floating ruins, suspended in a sky of motionless gray.
Diopha stood at the center.
Calm.
Straight.
Lucid.
Around the real arena, the giant screens displayed the standard data.
Simulation Type B+
Opponent: Autonomous Entity — Unknown Class
Objective: Survival and flaw analysis
Milim furrowed her brow slightly.
—"Unknown class…?"
Douriel remained silent.
Inside the simulation, Diopha immediately sensed something abnormal.
Not pressure.
Not an aura.
But an absence.
—"…They messed up their creation."
Mini-Zenkai, invisible at his side, smiled.
—"No."
—"They made what they could."
He raised a finger.
—"I just… corrected it."
Without noise.
Without alert.
The simulation rewrote itself.
Before Diopha, space contracted, then unfolded like a crumpled sheet.
A creature appeared.
Not monstrous.
Not human.
A vaguely humanoid form, made of overlapping layers of reality, as if multiple existences were trying to occupy the same space.
Its movements were not fluid.
They were logical.
—"…A corrector?"
The creature lifted its head.
Glowing symbols ran across its body.
[Simulation Entity]
Type: Convergence Guard
Function: Anomaly elimination
Diopha sighed.
—"You're doing this on purpose."
Zenkai's voice echoed, mocking.
—"The academy tests strength."
—"I test coherence."
A new notification appeared.
[System Notification]
Zenkai's Challenge — Active
Condition: Face an entity designed to erase what you are.
Reward:
• Synchronization Rate
• Validation of Lv 1 Skills
The creature vanished.
Then reappeared behind Diopha.
Not by speed.
By priority of existence.
Diopha tilted his head.
—"Bad choice."
He activated Artemis.
The world slowed.
But the entity…
didn't slow as much as it should have.
—"…Interesting."
The impact came.
Not a physical attack.
A corrective attempt.
The reality around Diopha tried to force him into an "acceptable" version.
His body crackled.
His skills reacted.
Spatial Compression (Lv 1) activated automatically, creating a zone of disagreement.
The creature stepped back.
First.
Around the arena, the spectators held their breath.
—"He pushed it back?"
—"But he did nothing!"
Diopha raised his hand.
—"So that's how you function."
He advanced.
Each step cracked space slightly beneath his feet.
The creature attacked again.
Multiplying axes.
Partial erasure.
Causal forcing.
Diopha responded without excess.
No flood of power.
Just precise application.
Lightning Pierce (Lv 1).
Not to pierce.
To desynchronize.
The entity wavered.
Zenkai burst into laughter.
—"There. You no longer hit harder."
—"You hit right."
The creature attempted one last correction.
Diopha inhaled.
—"End of test."
He activated a skill never before used in real combat.
Chaos Fusion (Lv 0).
Not at full power.
Just enough.
Space folded onto itself, creating an irreconcilable inconsistency.
The creature froze.
Then was deleted.
Silently.
The simulation stabilized.
The screens blinked.
—"Simulation… complete?"
Diopha remained still for a few seconds.
Then exhaled.
—…Tch.
Zenkai's voice echoed one last time.
—"Acceptable."
—"For a human."
The simulation dissipated.
Outside, no one truly understood what they had just witnessed.
But one thing was clear:
This fight was not in the program.
And Diopha had just passed a test the academy had never anticipated.
SYSTEM UPDATE — END OF CHAPTER 25
▶ Diopha Hitari
Synchronization: 38%
Condition: Stable / Test Passed
Stats
• Strength: 320
• Speed: 340
• Endurance: 360
• Perception: 430
Skills
• Artemis (Lv 2)
• Windstride (Lv 1)
• Lightning Pierce (Lv 1)
• Spatial Compression (Lv 1)
• Event Manipulation (Lv 1 — stable)
• Chaos Fusion (Lv 0 — partial activation)
Passives
• Immortal Body
• Impossible Fusion
Traits
• Gamer
• Systemic Anomaly
• Observed by Zenkai
Special Status
• Zenkai Challenge: In Progress (Next phase unrevealed)