"Disciple…" The word echoed in every mind present like a divine decree.

Even the veterans Kurozawa, Raiden, Zeke stared wide-eyed. For centuries, no one had ever heard the Keiryuu claim a disciple. The man who stood at the pinnacle, the honored one whom even Voidborn avoided, the living heart of humanity itself… had just chosen Khael.

Baek Suwon's voice cracked through the stunned silence, disbelief dripping from every syllable.

"Did… did he say disciple? I didn't mishear that, right?"

Saya's reply came quick, almost too quick, her own composure shaken. "No. You didn't. He said it."

Shigeo exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck, his lazy eyes half-lidded even in a moment like this. "What a complicated world…"

The weight of the declaration hung over them like a stormcloud. The battlefield itself seemed to still, as though the ruins, the chains, and even the air understood the meaning of Isen's words.

Matthew Lomwel turned, his throat dry, gulping audibly as his wide eyes flicked toward Andromeda Ban. His lips parted, but no words came. He only shook his head faintly, unable to process the enormity of it. Andromeda, usually loud and arrogant, was uncharacteristically silent his smirk gone, replaced by an unsteady line of uncertainty.

The others Milo, Izan, Saya, Andromeda, Matthew, even Baek stared in shock, their faces pale, their hearts caught between awe and fear.

All except five.

Kaen's expression was unreadable, his jaw tight, fists clenched at his side.

Rael's smirk lingered, but his eyes glowed sharp and calculating.

Juno's steady breath carried a weight of acceptance, his loyalty unshaken.

Ceyla's storm flickered faintly at her fingertips, her eyes refusing to leave Khael's fading form.

And Lira's soft, trembling hands pressed to her chest, whispering a silent prayer for her friend.

They already knew.

They were the only ones who had glimpsed the truth before this day: that Khael was different, destined, and now named disciple of Master Isen.

The rest of the rookies and veterans stood in awe, realizing that history itself had just shifted before their eyes.

The veterans bent their heads lower. For them, the announcement was more than shocking it was world-shaking. If Isen had taken this dragon knight as disciple, then Khael was no longer simply a boy. He had just become a cornerstone of history.

Isen's eyes swept the field, his calm gaze silencing all questions before they could be voiced. His tone was absolute, commanding yet strangely gentle:

"I take this child with me. As for the confusion you feel—why a Dragon Knight walks the earth once more—this clone of mine shall answer what it can. Do not waste yourselves on doubt. Your path is battle. Leave the rest to me."

A perfect copy of himself shimmering, golden, alive stepped forward, bowing once before standing at ease. Even the clone carried enough pressure to humble the strongest.

Then Isen's true body looked down at Khael, his hand hovering just above the boy's chest. His voice softened again.

"This child will be gone… perhaps for a year, perhaps longer. He requires training no battlefield can give. To temper fire into steel, one must remove it from the storm."

Ceyla staggered forward, voice breaking. "What… what do you mean?"

Isen's lips curled faintly, not in cruelty, but in knowing. His gaze pinned her in place. "I know you are fond of this boy."

Ceyla flushed crimson, lightning crackling faintly around her shoulders as she snapped, "No… who would be fond of him?!"

Juno snorted, shaking his head. "Not honest with your feelings again, Ceyla."

Her storm flared hotter. "Shut up!!" She shoved him with a burst of Shinrei, her face as red as her rage.

The veterans exchanged faint smiles despite the weight of the moment, the tension breaking for a heartbeat.

Rael, however, stayed silent. His luminous eyes narrowed as he watched Khael's unconscious form vanish slowly in Isen's light. In his mind, a cold thought whispered like steel.

"Tsk… By the time he comes back… he'll be far stronger than me. Strong enough to eclipse us all."

And though he smirked outwardly, deep inside, Rael felt something stir a mixture of rivalry, fear, and reluctant respect.

Kurozawa's finger remained fixed on Sloth's twitching, broken frame, his voice trembling between duty and dread. "Master… what about this one?"

Isen's gaze followed lazily, as if peering at an insect clinging to life. His true body's presence was suffocating, a weight pressing down on all gathered.

"Hoh… still breathing," Isen said at last, his tone casual yet cutting.

Sloth's grotesque flesh writhed, knitting itself together again and again. His body trembled, torn between destruction and the unnatural resilience of a Sin.

The voidborn's lips peeled back into a jagged grin, black blood dripping. "I've been waiting for you…" His voice gurgled, thick with both reverence and hatred.

Isen's eyes narrowed, unblinking. "You fear me."

Sloth's grin widened, his cracked teeth glistening. "I am… afraid. Terrified. But more than fear… I want to feel it. The power of the one they call the strongest… the human who even voidborn whisper about."

Isen's cloak shifted, the air splitting faintly around him like paper under a blade. His voice was quiet, absolute. "You are weak now. Their efforts have already broken you. Ending you would be effortless."

But instead of striking immediately, Isen crouched briefly beside Khael. His hand hovered once more, a faint warmth pulsing into the boy's chest, sealing the fractures of his Shinrei before dissipating. Khael's shallow breaths steadied, though his body remained limp.

Only then did Isen rise, his gaze cutting back to Sloth. His lips parted in a murmur, but the battlefield itself seemed to freeze at the sound.

"Eclipse Art: Severance Sky."

He lifted one finger, pointing at the Sin.

The world screamed.

A single slash tore reality open, descending without flourish or warning. The ground fissured, air folded in on itself, and Sloth's body convulsed violently as the blade of light ripped across him.

The Sin reeled back, ichor spraying, his mind flashing in raw disbelief.

"(So… this is him… This is Isen. The Keiryuu. The one who reached the peak… the very pinnacle of human strength…)"

Sloth's grin faltered, his body convulsing under the weight of the celestial slash. His flesh tried to heal, veins crawling like worms across torn skin, but the wound from Severance Sky was not of this world it was absolute.

Sloth staggered forward, black ichor spilling in rivers. His many voices the stolen souls that once laughed, cried, and cursed in unison began to scream.

"No… no… my body… won't…" His tone was broken, frantic, his arrogance shattered.

Isen didn't move. He simply lowered his hand, his gaze cutting colder than death itself. "You are already finished. Cling to your fear as your last companion."

Another step, and the sky itself dimmed. The pressure of his Shinrei compressed everything, the stones cracked, trees bent, and even the Void in the air recoiled like a beaten animal.

Sloth thrashed, tried to raise his hand, and roared:

"VOID ART: SOUL—"

But before the words could complete, Isen's voice overrode him, quiet yet thunderous:

"Eclipse Art: Severance Sky… Second Verse."

A line of pure annihilation cut through Sloth, this time not just his flesh but the writhing souls inside. One by one, they shrieked as they were severed from existence, their echoes burned away in white fire.

Sloth fell silent. His form split cleanly into fragments that dissolved like ash in a gale. Not even a stain remained.

The battlefield froze.

Kaen's fists clenched, his breath ragged. "…He erased him. Completely…"

Ceyla stood motionless, her eyes wide, lightning sparking faintly in disbelief. "That… wasn't even a fight."

Juno whistled low, though his usual cockiness was gone. "Guess that's what happens when he moves seriously…"

Rael's smirk was gone too, replaced by a bitter silence. His pride twisted inside him, realizing just how small he was before that man.

The veterans, however, didn't flinch.

Kurozawa exhaled slowly, a faint, grim smile on his face. "As expected… The Keiryuu."

Raiden's eyes narrowed, neither awe nor fear showing—only respect for a power he had already accepted long ago. "Even the Sins are nothing before him."

Zeke Kurosawa's hands trembled slightly, but he lifted his chin with a grin. "He hasn't changed… he's still a monster."

Matthew Lomwel, Saya, Andromeda Ban, Lira, Baek Suwon all stared with a mixture of awe and disbelief, struggling to comprehend what they had just witnessed.

Isen didn't acknowledge any of them. He merely brushed his hand through the air as though wiping dust away. The battlefield, scarred by chaos, now felt hollow in the silence he left behind.

To be continue

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