The sky above Shibuya slowly returned to normal.
The distorted clouds settled.
The crushed streets stopped trembling.
And in the center of the massive разрушенный district, twelve exhausted students stood in silence.
The remains of Gravizy were already fading into light.
Small glowing fragments drifted upward like ashes.
No one spoke for a few seconds.
They were still trying to understand what they had just done.
A Semi Calamity Beast.
Defeated.
By students.
Daizen finally broke the silence.
"…We actually killed it."
Nyx sat on a broken pillar, breathing heavily.
"My legs still feel like they weigh a thousand tons."
Veliro had woken up and was leaning against Goru.
"That thing was bending reality like paper…"
Zenith looked at his fists.
"So that is what a real monster feels like."
Holo stared at Kaiser.
Kaiser was standing quietly, his green-yellow aura already fading.
His eyes looked normal again.
No overwhelming pressure.
No infinite mana.
Just… a boy again.
"…You saved all of us," Holo said calmly.
Kaiser scratched his head.
"Yeah… I guess the coin was feeling generous today."
Hiko walked closer.
"…That was not just luck."
"That was insane."
Kaiser smiled awkwardly.
"I do not even fully remember what happened. Everything just felt… inevitable."
At that moment, Rougen walked forward.
His coat fluttered slightly in the wind.
His expression was serious.
But there was something different in his eyes.
Pride.
"Listen, all of you."
Everyone turned toward him.
"You have just completed a mission that even most Rank 0 sorcerers would die attempting."
"You defeated a Semi Calamity."
"This is not just a success."
"This is history."
The group stayed quiet.
Rougen then looked directly at Kaiser.
"Kaiser Touya."
Kaiser straightened unconsciously.
"Yes, sir?"
Rougen spoke clearly.
"From this moment on, you are officially the President of the Chosen Class."
The words hit like thunder.
"…What?"
Daizen's eyes widened.
"President?"
Nyx blinked.
"Wait, that is a real position?"
Zenith laughed.
"Of course it is. Every strong group needs a leader."
Holo nodded.
"It makes sense."
Veliro looked at Kaiser.
"You literally carried the final battle."
Kaiser froze.
"Wait wait wait."
"President of all twelve?"
Rougen nodded.
"Yes."
"You demonstrated leadership, adaptability, and overwhelming potential."
"The Chosen Ones will now operate under your command during missions."
Kaiser stared at everyone.
"…This feels way heavier than Gravizy."
Hiko smiled faintly.
"You will get used to it."
Kaiser sighed.
"…I hope the coin helps with responsibility too."
Rougen then raised his hand.
"There is more."
Everyone focused again.
"For the entirety of summer break, you will not return to the academy."
Daizen frowned.
"…Then where are we going?"
Rougen looked toward the distant shrine.
"You will stay at Utotoka Riyo's temple."
Everyone froze.
"The shrine of the Eight Lords?" Nyx whispered.
"The place guarded by a Master Rank?"
Rougen nodded.
"You will live there."
"Sleep there."
"Eat there."
"Train there."
"For three months."
Maelstrom's jaw dropped.
"…That is basically a divine training camp."
Holo smiled.
"So Riyo becomes our teacher."
As if summoned by the words, the air shifted.
Utotoka Riyo appeared on top of the shrine gate.
Same calm expression.
Same impossible presence.
"Yes."
Everyone turned.
Riyo stepped down slowly.
"This summer, I will teach you personally."
Zenith's eyes shined.
"…We are about to suffer, aren't we."
Riyo smiled slightly.
"Yes."
They arrived at the temple that evening.
The Shrine of the Eight Lords was enormous.
Ancient white stone.
Floating platforms.
Massive carved pillars with symbols that glowed faintly.
The air itself felt different.
Pure.
Dense with mana.
Piero whispered.
"This place feels like the origin of magic."
Riyo led them inside.
They were given rooms.
Simple but clean.
Futons.
Open halls.
Gardens filled with glowing trees.
It felt less like a school.
And more like entering another world.
That night, they ate together.
Real food.
Not academy meals.
Fresh rice.
Fish.
Strange glowing fruits that restored mana.
Daizen ate three bowls immediately.
"…Why does training food taste this good."
Nyx smiled.
"Because it is probably blessed."
After dinner, Riyo gathered them in the main hall.
A massive circular room.
The floor was engraved with zodiac symbols.
Twelve massive signs.
Each one glowing faintly.
Riyo stood in the center.
"This is where the Zodiac Era began."
Everyone sat down around him.
"The Zodiac Era was the peak of sorcery."
"Not just for humans."
"But for beasts, spirits, and even devils."
Hiko felt something react inside his mind.
The devil stirred.
Riyo continued.
"In that era, power was not measured by ranks."
"There were no Semi Masters. No Radiances."
"There were only legends."
Holo leaned forward.
"So who was the strongest?"
Riyo's eyes sharpened slightly.
"There was only one answer."
"Renzen Hironoma."
The name echoed strangely in the hall.
Even the air seemed to respond.
Kaiser whispered.
"…That name feels heavy."
Riyo nodded.
"Renzen Hironoma possessed Mass Magic."
Daizen tilted his head.
"Mass Magic?"
Riyo raised his hand.
"Mass Magic allowed him to control the mass of any part of his body."
"Not weight."
"Mass."
"Meaning he could make a finger as massive as a mountain."
"Or his entire body as light as air."
The students stared.
Nyx whispered.
"That breaks physics."
Riyo smiled.
"In the Zodiac Era, physics obeyed sorcerers."
"Not the other way around."
Veliro spoke softly.
"So he was above Master Rank?"
Riyo looked at her.
"There was no rank system that could measure him."
"He was a walking singularity."
Holo swallowed.
"…Then where do the Eight Lords come in?"
Riyo pointed to the symbols on the floor.
"The Eight Lords were Renzen's servants."
Everyone froze.
"…Servants?" Daizen repeated.
Riyo nodded.
"They followed him."
"They learned from him."
"They protected the world under his command."
"The Radiances you know today are echoes of their legacy."
Hiko felt chills.
"…So Renzen was basically above everyone."
"Yes," Riyo said.
"Even above devils."
At that word, something inside Hiko laughed faintly.
The devil spoke inside his mind.
"…Heh. I was a baby back then."
Hiko's eyes widened slightly.
Riyo continued.
"There was a war."
"A war between sorcerers and devils."
"The Devil General at that time was named Satan."
The devil inside Hiko reacted.
"…Yeah. That guy was terrifying."
Riyo spoke calmly.
"Renzen defeated Satan."
"Completely."
"Crushed his army."
"Broke his core."
Everyone stared.
Zenith whispered.
"…Then why do devils still exist?"
Riyo's expression softened.
"Because Renzen forgave him."
The hall went silent.
"…Forgave?" Nyx said.
Riyo nodded.
"He spared Satan's life."
"He allowed him to return to his planet."
"He believed that even devils deserved another path."
The devil inside Hiko laughed again.
"…That idiot hero. He really did that."
Hiko thought back.
"…So even Satan owes Renzen his life."
"Yes," Riyo said.
"Every devil lineage remembers his name."
"Not as an enemy."
"But as a god they could never surpass."
Holo clenched his fist.
"…That is the kind of strength I want."
Kaiser smiled slowly.
"So the Zodiac Era was basically the golden age."
Riyo nodded.
"And it ended when Renzen disappeared."
"Some say he ascended."
"Some say he died."
"Some say he became something else entirely."
Hiko whispered.
"…Do you think someone like him can exist again?"
Riyo looked directly at the twelve of them.
"That is why you are here."
The air felt heavier.
"But not with his power."
"With your own."
Riyo walked to the center of the zodiac circle.
"This summer, I will not teach you how to become strong."
"I will teach you how to surpass the limits of eras."
Zenith smiled.
"…So we are not just students anymore."
Riyo smiled back.
"No."
"You are the beginning of the next legend."
And deep inside Hiko's mind, the devil whispered:
"…Heh. This era might actually be fun."