The morning bell of the shrine did not sound like metal.
It sounded like space itself vibrating.
A deep, low tone echoed through the entire temple, passing through walls, floors, and even the mountains beyond. Every student felt it inside their chest before they heard it with their ears.
Hiko opened his eyes slowly.
The ceiling above him was glowing faintly with ancient symbols.
"…That bell feels illegal," Daizen muttered from the next futon.
Goru sat up and stretched.
"My bones feel heavier than yesterday. That is not normal."
Outside, the shrine courtyard was already filled with mist. The air was thick with mana, far denser than the academy ever was.
When the Chosen Ones gathered in the main hall, Riyo was already waiting.
He stood in the center of the zodiac circle, arms folded, eyes calm.
"You are awake faster than expected," Riyo said.
Zenith yawned.
"We did not really have a choice. That bell attacked my soul."
Nyx rubbed her eyes.
"I swear I dreamed about falling through space."
Riyo nodded slightly.
"That is because the shrine's mana density increased by thirty percent during the night."
Everyone froze.
"…You can just do that?" Kaiser asked.
Riyo replied casually.
"Yes."
Silence.
Riyo then turned toward the massive wall behind him. With a single motion of his hand, ancient glowing symbols appeared in the air.
Strange letters. Not any known language.
"These are fragments of what we call World Scripts."
Holo's eyes sharpened.
"…Those look older than the Zodiac symbols."
Riyo nodded.
"Because they are."
He tapped one of the glowing symbols.
"Humanity only knows twelve point eight nine percent of the Zodiac Era's history."
Daizen blinked.
"…That specific?"
"Yes."
"Everything else is lost."
Maelstrom frowned.
"So all those legends, gods, wars… we barely know anything?"
Riyo looked at them.
"You know the surface."
"The real history is sealed within stone tablets."
"World Scripts."
Nyx whispered.
"…So the truth of magic is literally hidden."
Riyo nodded.
"And the only way to recover it is to find them."
Veliro crossed her arms.
"And where are these tablets?"
Riyo smiled faintly.
"Everywhere."
"Buried in ruins."
"Hidden in beast territories."
"Sealed in dimensions."
"And guarded by things that do not want humanity to remember."
The atmosphere shifted.
Hiko felt the devil inside him stir.
"…Of course it is guarded. Knowledge is always dangerous."
Riyo continued.
"That is why your training will now become real."
Riyo raised his hand.
The entire zodiac floor lit up.
Twelve glowing portals opened around the circle.
Each one radiated a different pressure.
"Each of you will face a Rank 0 Beast."
Everyone froze.
Zenith's eyes widened.
"…Individually?"
"Yes."
"No teams."
"No interference."
"If you die, I will save you."
"But I will not help you win."
Silence fell.
Daizen swallowed.
"…That is not reassuring."
Riyo's voice remained calm.
"Only those who defeat their beast will continue to the next phase."
"How many will succeed?"
Riyo looked around.
"Usually, half."
The portals began pulling.
Before anyone could say anything else, the world twisted.
Hiko felt his body tear apart into light.
And then he landed.
Hard.
He was in a massive field of floating stone islands.
The sky above was black.
A roar echoed.
In front of him stood a monstrous beast.
A giant armored lion with six glowing eyes and crystal spikes growing from its spine.
Rank 0.
Its mana pressure alone made Hiko's legs shake.
"…You are kidding me."
The beast charged.
Hiko barely rolled to the side as the ground exploded.
Cursed flames ignited around his fists.
He punched.
The beast's armor cracked slightly.
But it did not stop.
It slammed him into a floating rock.
Hiko coughed blood.
"…So this is Rank 0 alone."
The devil whispered.
"…Now you understand the gap."
Across different dimensions, the others fought.
Daizen was buried under a mountain-sized scorpion made of pure stone.
Goru was slicing through a void serpent that erased space around it.
Nyx fought a shadow angel with wings made of darkness.
Zenith was barehandedly clashing with a horned giant that moved faster than sound.
Maelstrom battled a storm dragon that controlled lightning and wind simultaneously.
One by one, the battles became brutal.
Some students fell.
Some screamed.
Some barely survived.
After hours that felt like days, only six returned to the shrine.
Hiko.
Goru.
Daizen.
Kaiser.
Holo.
Zenith.
The others collapsed unconscious.
Riyo looked at the six standing.
"Six."
"As expected."
Everyone was covered in blood, bruises, and burns.
Daizen dropped to his knees.
"…I hate Rank 0."
Kaiser laughed weakly.
"I think my coin has trauma now."
Riyo nodded.
"Now comes the real lesson."
The ground shook.
The air warped.
A new presence appeared.
Time itself felt distorted.
In front of them stood something humanoid.
Tall.
White body with black markings.
A golden crown floating above its head.
Six rotating clock-like halos behind it.
Its eyes ticked like clocks.
Hearen.
Rank Semi Calamity.
Time Magic.
The air froze.
"…That is not funny," Goru whispered.
Hearen tilted its head.
The world suddenly skipped.
Hiko felt himself move without realizing.
Daizen was already bleeding.
Time had advanced three seconds without them noticing.
Hearen disappeared.
Goru's chest was suddenly slashed.
Blood sprayed.
"Goru!" Hiko shouted.
Hearen reappeared behind Hiko.
Its hand pierced through his shoulder.
Pain exploded.
Time reversed.
Hiko was suddenly standing again.
Uninjured.
But the pain memory remained.
"…It rewound."
Hearen spoke.
"You cannot defeat what you cannot reach."
The world fractured.
Multiple Hearens appeared.
All attacking at different times.
Past.
Present.
Future.
Daizen slammed the ground, creating massive earth walls.
They shattered instantly.
Goru activated his claws, slicing through dimensions.
For a moment, space itself bled.
One Hearen was cut in half.
But time rewound.
It reformed.
Hiko felt his head spinning.
"…We cannot kill it normally."
The devil whispered.
"…Then stop fighting time. Burn it."
Hiko looked at his hands.
Cursed flames ignited.
Not outward.
Inward.
Around his own body.
He stepped forward.
Time tried to freeze him.
But the flames resisted.
For the first time, Hearen paused.
"…Impossible."
Goru realized it.
"Hiko, your flames are ignoring its timeline!"
Daizen roared and punched the ground.
A massive earth spear launched Hearen into the sky.
Goru followed with a dimensional slash that locked space.
Hiko jumped.
Cursed flames spiraled around his fist.
He punched through Hearen's chest.
Time shattered.
Hearen screamed.
Its body cracked like glass.
The crown fell.
The halos collapsed.
And the Semi Calamity dissolved into light.
The world returned to normal.
Hiko collapsed to his knees.
Blood poured from his nose.
Goru fell beside him.
Daizen lay flat on his back, breathing heavily.
Riyo appeared.
He looked at the remains of Hearen.
"…You defeated time itself."
He looked at Hiko.
"Your cursed flame is not just a counter."
"It is a lawbreaker."
Hiko looked at his trembling hands.
"…I almost died."
Riyo nodded.
"So did history."
The devil laughed inside his mind.
"…Welcome to the real Zodiac Era."