Chapter 31: Ren Enters the Battlefield (Part 0)
The air was thick with tension, every breath laced with the scent of burning mana.
Ren Kamizuki stood at the edge of the shattered plaza, his black coat fluttering against the rising winds. Before him, the Academy of Chains had become a warzone—sigils clashing, weapons gleaming, and spells tearing through the sky like falling stars.
Students from House Veylor charged in disciplined formation, their blades imbued with blood-red auras. House Ardent stood their ground at the northern flank, shields linked and spears drawn.
The Nullborn faction—Ren's faction—stood at his back. Small in number. But bound by something far more dangerous than oaths.
Voidbound loyalty.
"Targets confirmed," muttered a voice from his system interface, Codex Nullum flickering inside his mind. "Eliminate or subjugate as necessary."
Ren tightened his fist. The Codex's eerie hunger pressed at the edge of his consciousness, but he pushed it down. He would not become a monster. Not yet.
Across the battlefield, Kael Veylor raised his sword and pointed it directly at Ren.
Challenge issued.
A duel that would decide the fate of this war's opening battle.
Ren's lips curled into a slight, almost invisible smile.
"Fine," he said under his breath, stepping forward as the world seemed to slow around him. "Come and try."