[Timeline: Day 3 of the Tournament – The Invasion]

[Location: The Central Continent – The Imperial Capital]

The Imperial Palace was usually a place of noise, bureaucrats arguing, guards marching, nobles plotting.

Today, it was silent.

In the centre of the Throne Room, a massive magitech crystal screen floated in the air. It was broadcasting the feed from the Academy.

It showed the ruined arena. It showed the monster, half-dragon, half-shadow, hovering above the destruction.

And it showed the corpse of Prince Nero lying in the dirt like garbage.

Emperor Aurelius, Ruler of the Central Empire, sat on his throne. He was a 7th-Order Grand Mage, a man whose mere presence usually forced people to bow.

He didn't move. He didn't speak. He stared at the screen, watching the masked man, Zero, declare war on the world.

"He..." The Emperor's voice was a dry whisper. "He killed my son."

"How dare he! Does he think the central continent is like the dwarves, where he can run amok!" growling, the Emperor's face was visibly red

The Imperial Advisor, trembling on the floor, dared to speak.

"Your Majesty... the Academy reports a demon invasion... the Prince fell in battle against the—"

BOOM.

The Advisor didn't finish. His head exploded. The Emperor hadn't even raised a hand; his mana simply crushed the man for speaking.

The Emperor stood up. The air in the throne room began to boil.

"He killed the Future King," Aurelius said, his eyes burning with a cold, apocalyptic rage.

"Not only that, but they displayed him like some sort of trophy."

The Emperor walked down the steps of the dais.

"General."

The Commander of the Imperial Army stepped forward, sweating.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Open the Vaults," Aurelius ordered.

The General paled. "The... The Vaults of the First Era? Your Majesty, those are forbidden! The War Golems... the Bound Spirits... they are indiscriminate! If we wake them, the collateral damage—"

"I DO NOT CARE ABOUT COLLATERAL DAMAGE!"

The Emperor's scream shattered the windows of the palace.

"That mask... that 'Zero'... I want him erased. I want the Academy erased. I want the ground he stands on turned to glass!"

Aurelius pointed a shaking finger at the screen.

"For a long time, I have overlooked that academy just because a few demigods were there to guard it; however, it's time to let the world know that even gods bleed"

"That bitch Astra, let's see if you can stop me this time!" he paused

"Declare him Enemy of Existence. Unlock the Titans. If the world has to burn to kill him... then let it burn."

…...............

[Location: The Dragon Empire – The Eastern Palace]

While the Central Emperor screamed in rage, another royal was laughing.

In a dimly lit room filled with communication crystals, the Second Prince of the Dragon Empire watched the broadcast.

He swirled a glass of wine, a smile stretching across his face.

"Beautiful," the Second Prince whispered. "Simply beautiful."

He looked at the corpse of Nero on the screen.

"The Golden Prince has fallen," he chuckled.

"The Central Empire has lost its heir. Aurelius will be blinded by rage. He will empty his capital's defenses to hunt this 'Zero'."

The Second Prince turned to his shadows. Dozens of assassins and spies materialized from the darkness.

"The balance of power has shifted," the Prince announced.

"The Central Empire is distracted by this. This is the moment we have waited for."

He placed a black chess piece on the map, knocking over the piece representing the Central Capital.

"Activate the sleeper cells. Send the Wyvern Riders. While Aurelius chases a terrorist... the Dragon Empire will swallow his lands."

As he spoke, his void mark throbbed with excitement.

….............….

[Location: The Kingdom of Light – The Grand Cathedral]

The Pope knelt before the massive statue of the Goddess of Light. He was praying for salvation.

CRACK.

A sound echoed through the holy chamber.

The Pope looked up.

The statue of the Goddess, an artefact that had stood for a thousand years, had cracked.

A fissure ran down her porcelain face, right under her eye. It looked like a tear.

"The Balance..." the Pope whispered, horror dawning on him.

He looked at the scrying pool, which showed Zero wielding the Pantheon Sword.

He looked at the sky and saw the void cultists in full swing, and from the earth, the sealed abyss pulsating with excitement.

"The End Times are not coming," the Pope realized, clutching his rosary until it snapped.

"They are here."

He turned to the Paladins guarding the doors.

"Mobilise the Crusade. The Anti-Christ has risen in the Academy. We must purge him before he breaks the sky completely."

…......................

[Location: The Dragon Peaks – Western Continent]

Ignis, the Fire Dragon King, lay on his hoard of gold. He was watching the broadcast on a stolen magical tablet.

He saw the Shadow Dragon transformation. He saw the vertical slit of the golden eye.

Ignis burst out laughing. A roar of fire erupted from his throat, shaking the cavern.

"HAHAHA! The kid actually did it! He poked the hornet's nest!"

Ignis stood up, shaking off tons of gold coins. His scales glowed with excitement.

"But those void bastards seem to be becoming more and more active; it seems even we dragons need to prepare"

Ignis walked to the edge of his cave, looking east toward the Academy.

"He's going to die, of course. The Humans will swarm him. But..."

Ignis spread his massive wings.

"...I can't let my investment go to waste, can I?"

…......................….

[Location: The Southern Forge – Dwarven Territory]

Brokk, the Dwarven Elder, dropped his hammer.

He was staring at the screen. Specifically, at the suit Zero was wearing.

"The Armour.." Brokk whispered. "And the Pantheon Sword."

He turned to the massive army of Dwarves working in the magma forges.

"BOYS!" Brokk bellowed. "STOP MAKING WEAPONS AND WATCH!"

The forges went silent.

"The Young Master has started the party!" Brokk grinned, grabbing his battle-axe.

"And he's wearing our gear! Prepare the Ironclads! Load the cannons!"

"We're going to war!"

….........................….

[Location: The Academy – The Arena]

Zero didn't know the world was moving. He didn't know armies were marching.

He only knew one thing.

The sky was getting heavier.

The 5th-Order and 6th-Order soldiers he had vaporized were gone. But the pressure wasn't lifting. It was crushing.

"Boss!"

Leona's voice cut through the hum of his Domain.

Zero looked down. Leona and Alpha had moved during his attack. Leona was carrying the massive, unconscious form of Alaric over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

Alpha and Lyra were dragging Lukas's stretcher from the West Tunnel.

They dumped the two boys onto the dirt next to Elena.

"Recovered the packages," Leona grunted, slamming her shield down to cover them.

"Everyone is accounted for."

Zero nodded. He extended his Domain, ensuring the destructive mana rippled harmlessly around his students like water around a stone.

Above him, the battle between the Headmistress and the Twilight Lich stopped.

A golden light, purer and colder than Nero's sun, began to descend from the tear in the sky. It pushed back the purple clouds of the Abyss.

It wasn't salvation, no, it was something much worse, it was containment.

[System Alert: Divine Interference Detected.]

[The Kingdom of Gods is establishing a Quarantine Zone.]

Yes, unlike domains that separated seventh orders from the rest, at demi-god level, your domain becomes a kingdom of god!

A small world which allows you to bend the rules of reality to an extent within it.

Zero looked up. A golden barrier was forming around the Academy, sealing it off from the rest of the world.

It locked the demons in. It locked the students in.

"They aren't trying to save us," Zero realized, the white porcelain mask gleaming in the golden light.

"They are locking us in with the monsters."

It seems he might have been set up by Astra and the others.

He looked down at Class F. Broken, unconscious, and terrified.

"Well," Zero whispered, gripping the Pantheon Sword.

"If we're locked in... that just means they're locked in with me!"

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