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Void God.

There was no doubt—the entity’s attack was catastrophic.

However.

— Kwaaaaaang!

The massive sweep of its attack tore a gaping hole in the ground.

The Blood Witch, hanging onto my arm, blinked blankly.

“Ian, don’t tell me… you read that thing’s movements?”

“…No.”

“Then? I thought I was dead just now. It was so anticlimactic. I didn’t even get to see your last desperate struggle.”

Either way, I barely avoided it, and even I was taken aback.

That attack from the divine entity…

Somehow, I instinctively read the direction of its strike without realizing it.

‘Why?’

It felt natural.

My body moved before my brain could process it, allowing me to dodge.

An evasion that was too effortless.

Even I was startled by my own reaction.

“…”

I hadn’t observed and predicted its movement.

Predicting an opponent’s next action by analyzing their footing and center of gravity was possible—

It was second nature to me now.

But this thing wasn’t human.

It didn’t even have legs.

Its entire body simply supported itself like a tree.

‘…Ah.’

As I reviewed its movements in my mind, realization struck.

That attack just now…

I had seen it before.

But where?

‘…Richard Pierce’s swordplay.’

The straight-line strikes he unleashed—

They bore an uncanny resemblance to this divine entity’s attack.

Goosebumps ran across my skin.

I murmured unconsciously.

“…Pattern reuse.”

“Huh?”

“It’s nothing.”

I shook my head at the Blood Witch.

This wasn’t something I could share with her.

This world—Fantasy X Academy—

And the game.

‘Pattern reuse.’

It was something you encountered while playing games.

Sometimes, weaker enemies would have downgraded versions of a boss’s attack patterns.

Or, stronger versions of basic enemy patterns would appear in high-level monsters.

The reason for pattern reuse was obvious.

To reduce development effort.

To optimize gameplay.

For practical reasons dictated by the developers.

It was one of those inconvenient truths you realized after playing a game for too long.

‘…Of course, I can’t say for sure that this world is a “game”.’

The longer I lived here, the more I felt it.

This world was too vivid to simply dismiss as a game.

Danya, Silvia, Master, Elena, Lina…

They weren’t just game characters.

They were my comrades.

That’s why I couldn’t define this world as purely a game.

Rather, perhaps Fantasy X Academy was merely the medium through which my past self had glimpsed this world.

If that were the case…

Whatever the truth—

The patterns repeated.

I set aside all doubts and embraced that assumption.

Richard.

The Bloodstone Cult assassins.

Evan.

Two.

Four.

I recalled all the powerful foes I had fought.

I replayed their patterns in my mind.

— Shuuuuuk!

Another divine strike narrowly brushed past me.

Without blinking, I charged forward.

— □□□□!!!

The entity roared in divine tongues, shaking the world.

“Now!”

With the Blood Witch’s support, I leapt toward the divine being.

Pa-pa-pa-pak!

She unfurled her Blood Domain, guiding its massive limbs away.

Her form, compressed to the extreme, looked like a swirling crimson orb dashing through the air.

Thanks to her precarious aggro-tanking, I managed to reach one of the divine entity’s arms once more.

With my sword infused with Ether and divine power—

I carved a massive arc through the air.

— Kuuuuuuung!

Another one of its arms fell.

Using it as a foothold, I leapt high once more.

Every attack followed a pattern.

Twisting my entire body, I reached the peak of the divine entity.

— Kwa-dudududuk!

I tore through one of the wings attached to its arm.

Of course, my body suffered for it.

A mere human cutting down a god—such an act demanded a price.

“Kgh.”

My groan was faint.

— Gwoooooooooh!

The entity howled in fury.

Seizing the moment, I activated Super Regeneration to restore my body.

— Pazizizik!

I gathered both spellcraft and magic in my hands.

A fully unleashed Infinite Cataclysm was impossible.

One of its arms was already lunging at me.

1. It could only be used in close range.
2. It had a long casting time.

Those were Infinite Cataclysm’s greatest flaws.

So instead—

I condensed it into a fist-sized miniature version and drove it into the entity’s body.

— Whiiiiiik!

Its massive arm brushed past me.

And at the same moment—

The Miniature Infinite Cataclysm detonated within the entity.

— Pabababak!

A grotesque sound rang out as its flesh was violently shredded.

No.

Rather than flesh, what spilled out was a viscous, shimmering light.

— Goooooooooooooh!

Was it a scream of agony?

The entity unleashed an earsplitting wail.

But that wasn’t all.

Its form flickered—then turned a deep crimson.

‘Damn it.’

Did I trigger something?

It looked just like a boss fight entering its second phase.

— Whiiik, whiiik!

Its remaining arms lashed out wildly, like writhing tentacles.

“Sh*t.”

Reacting to its attack patterns had been manageable before.

Now, its frenzied movements made that impossible.

Uncontrolled as they were, they still carried immense power.

One of its arms shot straight toward me.

“This isn’t a pattern I know.”

I raised my shield.

But that was all I could do.

“Ian!”

The Blood Witch’s cry barely reached me before—

— Puuuuck!

A blinding impact.

…It seemed I had blocked it, but—

The sheer difference in power was too great.

My ribs were probably shattered—

— Kwaaaaaang!

Pain flared across my back.

Had I been slammed into the ground?

F*ck.

A moment ago, my arm and chest had burned with pain.

Now, I felt nothing.

Even with my sluggish thoughts, I knew what that meant.

Either my nerves had been destroyed,

Or my body had severed all sensation, unable to endure the pain.

Neither was a good sign.

“I…an…!”

My hearing was muffled.

Sounds reached me as if through water.

Super Regeneration wasn’t kicking in anymore.

It had likely run its course.

“Hmm.”

So, this was how I died?

I blankly gazed up at the sky.

And my first thought—

Was worry.

…Would the others make it to this scenario’s ending?

‘I hope so. Please…’

Still, since everyone had gathered, maybe—just maybe—they could resolve this somehow.

The thought struck me as oddly amusing.

At some point, I had begun to think more about the people I met here than about returning home.

…Yeah.

Perhaps, without realizing it, I had grown deeply attached.

“…It’s a shame.”

My eyelids grew heavy.

Darkness crept in, like sinking into water.

Even the effort I put into keeping my eyes open, trying to take in this world one last time, faded.

— Paaaat!

Suddenly, my vision was filled with white light.

◆

South of the Academy.

Danya, the Dessert Research Club members, Asilia, and Aria were fiercely battling against the advancing void creatures.

The fight was intense but manageable.

The problem was—

— □□□□!!!

Every time that eerie, unknowable voice rang out, the void creatures grew more frenzied.

“Watch the flank!”

Asilia broke through the void creatures’ formation at the front line.

“Kugh! They’re too strong, nyah!”

“Elena, move aside, nyah! I’m shooting!”

A barrage of vines, followed by a massive wave of fire, swept through the void creatures.

Aria provided support and healing from the rear.

They were holding the line efficiently—until—

— Goooooooooooooh!

A massive tremor reverberated through the battlefield.

Even Danya, who had been focused on her bow, instinctively covered her ears, dropping her weapon.

A cry of undeniable agony from an otherworldly being.

— Pabababack!

Several void creatures burst apart.

“Something… something big must have happened!”

“It came from where Ian is, nyah!”

The unsettling situation spread unease among them all.

Asilia made a swift decision.

“We can clear this area within 30 minutes. Miss Aria, please go and support Ian.”

“M-Me…? Am I really the right person…? You all should—”

Aria hesitated.

Guilt weighed heavily on her.

There was no doubt—she wanted to see Ian.

No, it was more than that—it was an almost religious yearning.

But at the same time, she felt unworthy.

She hadn’t been the one by Ian’s side all this time.

That role belonged to the others.

Seeing her hesitate, Asilia smiled and nodded.

“Take care of Ian for us.”

“We’ll finish up here and follow, nyah!”

Their voices were resolute.

“Y-Yes!”

Without wasting another second, Aria sprinted westward.

She passed through the thin barrier—

And suddenly, her vision shifted.

“…Ah.”

Aria came to a halt, unable to move.

Right before her—

A towering catastrophe, like a physical manifestation of a Demon God, writhed ominously.

“Ugh!”

Nausea churned in her stomach.

No matter what anyone said—Aria was a Saint.

And that thing—

It stood in absolute opposition to the divine.

Every glance at it made her feel as if her very soul was being eroded.

She lowered her head toward the ground, trembling.

Then, someone grabbed her hand.

“What are you doing?! Run!”

Aria instinctively obeyed and sprinted.

Glancing to her side, she saw golden hair.

“Emilia…?”

The words—’Why are you here?’—never left her lips.

Emilia’s face was tense—

But also brimming with excitement.

“To think he made it to the Divine Wrath Phase… Unbelievable.”

Muttering incomprehensible words, Emilia surged ahead.

Aria quickly followed in her footsteps.