“That’s good. Good boy. I’ll be taking my leave now.” The swordsman retracted his hand, and it returned to normal.

“Till later…” The Swordsman looked in another direction and gave an amused smile.

“How curious… someone has been watching everything this entire time.”

>VWUUUUSSSHHH<

In a gust of blue energy, the swordsman vanished, and a distortion appeared immediately after.

Within the distortion came a group of people who sought after the truth… only to meet the Beast Kingdom in ruins.

****************

“Amazing… simply, unbelievably amazing,” Neron murmured, watching in his Timeless State.

He, who had witnessed every single thing that happened, had no better word to use in describing what he saw.

“That power…”

Neron couldn’t interact with his surroundings during Time Immersion, so he wasn’t able to use his senses.

However, he understood how Mana and Miasma functioned, and the energy being used by the swordsman was neither.

“… Just what is it?”

Neron found his heart racing after experiencing everything. What got his excitement peaked was when he was noticed by the swordsman.

He and the swordsman actually made eye contact.

Whoever the mysterious man was, he knew Neron had been watching everything all along. It was a mystery, yet…

“I’m getting excited.”

… Neron couldn’t help himself from trembling slightly.

It would seem that he found an object of interest. Still, the young man was bothered about something… something darker.

His expression turned grim, and he gazed high into the sky.

“Is it going to happen soon? Had it happened already? I have no idea…”

He was referring to something only he could understand.

With a sigh, Neron placed his hand in his pocket while using the other to scratch his black hair. There really was no use in asking questions that got him nowhere.

“I should be returning now.”

With that, he vanished from the past and claimed his place in the present.

***************

“What?!”

After Neron told us what he saw, I found myself thrown into a sea of questions.

We were all astounded by the strangeness of the situation, and the man who just appeared to destroy the Beast Kingdom.

“At this point, we can’t even be sure he’s a part of the Organization, since his goal didn’t seem to align with theirs…”

Of course, there was also the possibility of that all being an act.

He knew Neron was watching him, after all.

“….Crazy…” Someone behind me murmured.

I recognized that sound well.

Out of everyone here, he was probably the most surprised by Neron’s sudden revelation and our current predicament.

“This is crazy… another swordsman practicing the Martial Blade God Technique…” Edward couldn’t stop mumbling to himself.

Edward had thought he was the only one left who inherited the Martial School, yet he was now hearing of some other existence.

Not only was he slightly frightened, considering there seemed to be a gap in their abilities, but Edward also felt a strong sense of curiosity.

He truly wanted to meet this person.

“Neron, be honest with me here, based on all you’ve seen…” I asked, looking at the empty expanse around us, as well as the devastated area beyond the massive crater.

“… Who’s stronger? You or him?”

Neron’s expression was stoic, and calm. Despite the fact that I had known so many people, none were even close to this man in terms of power.

I was also far behind as well.

His abilities were simply too powerful, and he was growing stronger rapidly.

The obvious answer to my question would be—

“I don’t know…” Neron’s response caught me off guard.

“Eh…?”

“… To be honest, I don’t know.”

This was the first time I had seen Neron unsure about anything. Was the swordsman that powerful?

“He used a different kind of energy… almost similar to the Arcana in Serah’s possession.”

“Ah… so you think he’s using an Arcana too?”

“No. It didn’t seem like the work of an Arcana. I couldn’t sense anything, since I was only a spectator in the stream of time. But, I could watch how it was manifested. It looked like it came from him.

“I see.”

Someone with a unique energy… this was becoming more than I bargained for.

Still, some good news came out of Neron’s shared experience, and that was Asa’s special ability.

If we could all learn how he achieved that, then we had a better chance at withstanding the enemy’s assault.

“Is this truly the end, though… the end of the Beastfolk Civilization?” Serah Crimson murmured.

I knew she had a complicated relationship with Gerard, the Beast King—well, it wasn’t so complicated.

Still, our group had stayed here for a few days back when we were preparing for the war.

It was only natural that she would grow attached.

I glanced at Neron after Serah asked her question, and he simply shrugged.

“Haa, I guess I should show you guys.” With another teleportation Magic, I teleported everyone to another location.

A few of my Automatons were left behind for reconnaissance and surveys. Of course, all of them had the Unknowable Spell on them.

>VWUUUUSSSHHH<

In a flash, we appeared in a white hall, surrounded by blank walls, tiles, and ceilings.

The smell of disinfectant swirled in the air, and I could feel my body being cleansed by Magic and science.

‘It’s probably the same for the others…’

“Where are we?” Ana asked first, observing the nitty gritty of her surroundings.

“It’s a disinfecting room. I could have teleported directly to the main area, but this is simply protocol.”

“Main area? Where are we going exactly?”

“Just be patient. You’ll soon see for yourself.” I sighed.

My reasoning was getting calmer now that more time had elapsed since the Soul Shock.

‘It’s just as Neron said. I just needed to calm myself a little.’

The agitation and impatience I was feeling were most certainly still present—and they weren’t manifested due to the Soul Shock.

However, I usually kept my emotions in check and acted as the situation demanded. For me to lose a grip at that crucial moment… it was pretty lame.

>DDDRRRIINNNGGG<

NOTICE!

~Disinfection Done~

You May Proceed

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Happy Mass Release, everyone!!!