The ocean stretched endlessly before them, a silver-blue canvas beneath the pale morning sky. The quest had brought them far from the academy grounds, into a realm of vast waters and whispering winds. Floating platforms of enchanted stone drifted upon the waves, forming a path toward an ancient ruin that lay submerged beneath the sea. The ruin was said to hold relics of forgotten elemental magic—secrets even the professors feared to uncover.
Rio stepped forward first, boots crunching lightly against the wet surface of the floating stones. His fiery aura flickered faintly, more out of restlessness than necessity. Yin followed with his quiet grace, his torrents of water magic brushing aside any mist that clung to their path. Huo brought up the rear, steady and broad-shouldered, his shield strapped to his back and his eyes always scanning the horizon.
Koha walked at the center, silent. His expression was calm, unreadable, but his presence alone seemed to ripple through the very air. The ocean responded subtly to his steps; waves stilled when he walked, as though the sea itself bowed to his existence.
“Strange,” Yin murmured, narrowing his eyes at the horizon. “It’s too quiet. No gulls, no wind, no sign of natural sea-life.”
Rio smirked, though unease flickered in his fiery eyes. “Maybe they know Koha’s with us. Who’d dare come near?”
Koha said nothing, but the corner of his lips twitched at Rio’s attempt to lighten the mood. He clutched the book he had been reading since dawn—a tome of ancient elemental chants. Its leather cover was cracked, the pages yellowed, filled with incantations long thought impossible to master.
The air was tense. Too tense.
Then—
BANG!
The sound split the silence like thunder.
Time slowed.
A single bullet, forged of condensed dark mana, screamed through the air. It moved faster than lightning, cutting the distance in a heartbeat.
It struck.
The bullet slammed directly into Koha’s forehead.
Blood sprayed, a crimson arc against the pale sky. Koha’s head snapped back, the book slipping from his hands as his knees buckled.
“KOHA!!!”
Rio’s scream tore across the floating platforms, raw and broken. His flame aura flared violently, uncontrolled, scorching the stones beneath his feet.
Huo’s eyes widened in horror, his usually unshakable stance faltering as his shield clattered to the ground. “No… no, no, no…”
Yin froze, disbelief etched across his delicate features. His torrent aura wavered like a storm-tossed river. “Impossible… He—he was just beside us…”
Koha staggered once, blood dripping down his face, painting his pale skin. His eyes fluttered. For a moment, it looked as though he would fall into the sea.
The three rushed forward, desperation propelling them—
—but then, Koha’s body stilled.
His eyes snapped open.
They were no longer their usual calm, soft shade. They burned with a radiant, terrifying glow. In each iris, a magic circle spun, etched with runes none of them had ever seen before. The circles pulsed with blinding light, as though they were gateways to another realm entirely.
The sea began to tremble.
The wind howled.
And Koha’s voice—low, cold, unrecognizable—echoed across the ocean.
「天地を裂き、深淵を揺るがせ、我が怒りを見よ…」38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTl5XsuPfVr
“Tenchi o saki, shin’en o yurugase, waga ikari o miyo…”38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcoxgfqxT2m
“Rend the heavens, shake the abyss, witness my wrath…”
His tone was devoid of warmth, a dangerous monotone that froze their blood.
「我が血に刻まれし絶望の印、ここに解き放たん…」38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzXl0npEejc
“Waga chi ni kizamareshi zetsubō no shirushi, koko ni tokihanatan…”38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMGDPegdB5
“The seal of despair etched in my blood, I now release…”
The ocean beneath him darkened, swirling violently. Massive whirlpools formed around the floating platforms, dragging the sea downward as though the abyss itself had awakened. The air shimmered with mana so dense it became suffocating.
The sniper mage, hidden upon a distant cliff overlooking the sea, cursed under his breath. “Tch… He survived?!” He tried to reload the mana rifle, hands trembling. But when he pulled the trigger again, the bullet stopped midair, suspended before it could even cross the waves. A translucent barrier had enveloped Koha, impenetrable, absolute.
The sniper tried to move. He couldn’t. His limbs refused to obey, as though invisible chains bound him. He gasped, eyes darting wildly. “What… what is this pressure?!”
Koha’s voice deepened, every word vibrating with elemental resonance.
「炎よ、氷よ、雷よ、影よ、大地よ、風よ、全てを統べよ…」38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygwSwL6ydU
“Honō yo, kōri yo, kaminari yo, kage yo, daichi yo, kaze yo, subete o subeyo…”38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvQuIzKQJKv
“Flames, ice, thunder, shadow, earth, and wind—bow to me…”
The sea surged upward, waves forming jagged spires of frozen water, then immediately igniting into molten flame. Lightning cracked across the sky, weaving into the pillars like glowing serpents. The very elements twisted and screamed under his command.
「命を奪うは刃、世界を裂くは矢、破滅を呼ぶは声…」38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiahO1kt8Gy
“Inochi o ubau wa yaiba, sekai o saku wa ya, hametsu o yobu wa koe…”38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Y6EVXpZBI
“The blade takes life, the arrow rends the world, the voice summons ruin…”
“Koha, stop!” Rio shouted, tears mixing with the sweat on his face. He could barely keep his balance; the very stones beneath them cracked under the weight of Koha’s aura. “You’ll kill yourself if you keep going!”
Yin raised his torrent magic to form a protective barrier around the three of them, but even his strongest ward groaned under the sheer pressure radiating from Koha. “This… this isn’t the Koha we know. This is something far beyond us…”
Huo grabbed his shield, slamming it into the platform to anchor himself as the ocean threatened to drag him under. His jaw clenched, fury mixing with fear. “Whoever dared to shoot him… they won’t survive this. Not with that look in his eyes.”
Koha lifted a hand, palm glowing with blinding energy. His hair floated wildly, his entire body radiating heat and cold in alternating bursts, the raw force of all elements merging chaotically.
「終焉を刻む印よ、我が眼を通じて標を撃て…」38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu5Jdxc24Hu
“Shūen o kizamu shirushi yo, waga manako o tsūjite shirushi o ute…”38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgFSDniPskV
“Mark of ending, through my eye strike your prey…”
His right eye blazed.
A second magic circle appeared inside his iris, rotating faster than the first. From it extended a beam of pure light, invisible to all but him. It reached across the waves, straight toward the hidden sniper mage, locking onto him like a predator upon prey.
The sniper’s breath caught. “He… he can see me?! From this distance?!”
Koha’s chant continued, the rhythm of destruction itself:
「千の矢を束ね、万の刃を重ね、深淵の名の下に撃ち貫け！」38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfIuOWi24Tr
“Sen no ya o tabane, man no yaiba o kasane, shin’en no na no moto ni uchitsuranuke!”38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ22iYzOehcD
“Bind a thousand arrows, layer ten thousand blades, under the name of the abyss—pierce through!”
The sea roared. The floating platforms cracked apart. The sky split with lightning.
Koha spread both arms wide, as though embracing the entire ocean. His aura expanded outward in concentric waves of blinding light, drawing in the water, the fire, the air, the very essence of nature.
The sniper screamed, struggling against the invisible chains pinning him. “No, no, no! I won’t die here—!”
But it was useless.
Koha’s final words for the chant fell like a death knell.
「大海を干上がらせ、虚無を刻め！ 終焉の大呪――」38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbB2C7xTus8
“Taikai o hiagarase, kyomu o kizame! Shūen no daiju—”38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡND9oLMU0wJ
Abyssal Devastation!
The ocean itself obeyed.
Water surged skyward, spiraling into a massive dome above Koha. Waves drained from miles around, leaving the seabed cracked and dry. Within moments, the once-vast ocean was gone, transformed into countless blades of sharpened crystal, flame-tipped spears, thunder-forged arrows, all swirling around Koha in a colossal halo of annihilation.
The three students clutched at each other, shielding their eyes from the blinding glow. Yin’s voice shook. “This is… it’s like he’s rewriting the laws of the world itself…”
Rio trembled, fists clenched. “If that sniper doesn’t die instantly, I’ll be damned. Koha… he’s not just angry. He’s wrath itself.”
Huo grit his teeth. “But if we don’t intervene, he’ll take everything with him.”
Koha lowered his glowing eyes, the ocean-blades orbiting him like a divine arsenal. His right eye focused once more upon the sniper, the target locked inescapably.
The mage screamed again, voice hoarse with terror. He could see it, the incoming storm of annihilation, inevitable and absolute.
Koha raised his hand.
The world seemed to hold its breath.
[To Be Continued in Part 2…]
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