Zack, Charles, and the male students—who had been suspended helplessly in the air by the sudden entanglement of wind chains—came crashing to the ground, colliding with chairs and tables, gasping for breath, just as Lag, the man who had been trying to kill them, was violently thrown far away.
But they had no time to recover.
Suddenly, the sickening sound of bones snapping echoed through the classroom, followed by a blood-curdling scream that sent icy chills racing down their spines.
Charles, being the closest to the scene, slowly—ever so slowly—lifted his eyes.
But the instant he caught sight of what lay ahead, he swallowed hard. The sight before him was like something ripped straight out of a horror movie. Gruesome. Bloody. And in the center stood the familiar ash-brown haired youth with his back turned to him.
"Skyler...?"
He muttered weakly, his voice barely more than a whisper—tentative and hoarse from the cruel chains that had strangled his neck moments before. Yet, the ash-brown-haired man didn't so much as glance back. Sitting on his shoulder, Riruru remained calm, her crimson eyes indifferent to the scene.
She was a beast and had killed others to survive, so dispatching those who sought to harm her was nothing new. After all, it was an effective way to eliminate pests—and to ensure they would never return.
Lag, having regained his footing, saw his twin legs being crushed by the ash-brown haired man and bellowed with fierce rage.
"Stop!"
He lunged at Skyler with desperate speed, but before his fingers could even graze him, those ominous, black, smiling eyes locked onto him, burning with a cruel, sinister light. The dark lines radiating from the kid's eyes thickened, shadows swirling like venomous tendrils around his irises, crackling with an almost electric fury. Without warning, a big bolt of silver lightning emerged out of thin air, slamming into Lag's chest, tearing his attire and flesh with bone-shattering force.
He screamed as the current neared his elemental crystals, the crackling energy threatening to shatter them into pieces.
Skyler watched him, tilting his head, an unsatisfied flicker in his dark gaze.
"Cataclysmic Thunderclap... I only used a fraction of that skill—just one lightning bolt instead of the full barrage. And yet, you are still alive? You are a 18-star. No wonder. No wonder. Don't worry, I'll make sure you both die a painful death. Why? Because I simply want to—since you two are ugly. Haha."
He moved toward Lag, but at that moment, his leg was grabbed. The screaming man beneath him glared up at him with hatred burning in his sunken, bloodshot eyes.
Skyler immediately kicked him aside and leapt back just as multiple corpses surged out of the storage ring on the man's finger.
His dark eyes lit up with amusement as he watched the dead assemble before him.
Their bodies were a grotesque sight—skin torn and half-rotted, bones jutting through decaying flesh, their dark tattered clothes clinging to them like funeral shrouds.
Yet despite their ghastly appearance, they all radiated powerful auras, a testament to their strength before death. It was revolting to utilize the bodies of once-mighty Lights who had died as mere puppets, but Skyler only smirked with a mocking grin.
"Necromancy, huh? It's been a while since I've seen it. But your puppets... they're so weak. If only you could see my army."
He laughed coldly and, in the blink of an eye, disappeared before the stunned eyes of all those watching him in the classroom.
Zack and Charles were glued to their spots, mouths hanging open, utterly dazed by the terrifying scene unfolding in front of them.
Their thoughts raced, struggling to make sense of what was actually going on. Was what they saw real or some illusion? Were they all truly witnessing Skyler battling two men powerful enough to kill them all with a flick of their fingers? And had Skyler really wielded lightning and vanished using the space element just moments ago?
What the hell? How the hell???
Meanwhile, the other three students in the class scrambled frantically toward the back of the room, crawling between the tiny gaps in the desks and chairs lined up in the class in a desperate bid to find any way out.
Though they were equally shocked by the scene, they had no intention of becoming collateral damage in the ongoing battle!
They would rather flee than be dragged into the blood-soaked chaos of the battle—no matter how spectacular the fight might be!
Skyler didn't reappear. Yet, the puppets summoned by Error—who, along with his injured twin, was scanning the classroom with a racing heart—began to freeze into eerie ice statues. Moments later, without warning, each frozen corpse exploded into multiple tiny, jagged fragments, clattering loudly to the ground in a brittle cascade.
Just like that, the summoned dead were obliterated—without even a chance to lift a finger in battle. The air thickened with dark Evol, but this time, it was far more potent and clearly did not belong to the twins.
Skyler finally reappeared behind Error, his hand shooting out to seize his neck. Error struggled fiercely, a devastating pressure radiating from his body—enough to shatter everything around them—yet the tight grip on his throat didn't loosen an inch. In the next second, he was lifted off the ground.
His twin rushed to assist him, but he shook his head, silently urging him to flee with a desperate look in his eyes. At least one of them had to survive and return for revenge. Yet, his twin refused to retreat and instead charged forward defiantly toward Skyler.
Everyone froze as a calm, chilling voice echoed through the classroom. The usual scratchiness had vanished, replaced by a sharp, clear tone that cut through the air, making every word impossible to ignore.
"Ah… still so weak."
Lag and Error both felt their blood run cold, certain the ash-brown-haired youngster was sneering directly at them. Zack and Charles shared the same realization as the cursed twins. Yet, they were all dead wrong.
Skyler raised his other hand and wiped the crimson blood dripping from his nose. The darkness in his gaze slowly began to fade.
He had believed that after his current self awakened his race, his body would become strong—but it remained painfully fragile. He hadn't even possessed it for a minute and had only tapped into a bit of his remaining power, yet the body he was in was already beginning to crumble under the pressure.
"Annoying..."
His grip on Error loosened, and the man dropped to his knees. Skyler staggered back as a faint whisper echoed in the air.
"Heal him before he dies."
Skyler's eyes glazed over, and the darkness within them faded entirely—only for a white, ethereal glow to light up both of his irises.
Riruru stared at him with worried eyes. She had remained perched on his shoulder the entire time. Something about Skyler felt off to her. His tone, his aura—they had changed too drastically. Yet, he was still him.
It was confusing for her small brain.
Still, she was relieved. Even though he was weaker than her, he was strangely powerful and capable of handling those who wanted to harm him. Well, even if Skyler hadn't been able to, she would have gladly handled the two men daring to threaten him without a hint of hesitation—no matter the cost.
Skyler raised his gaze.
His white eyes locked onto silver ones. Zack gasped, eyes wide with shock, then quickly looked away, his heart pounding. Now he was sure—Skyler wasn't human!
He tried to call the Keeper of Time, but the damn higher being was always nowhere to be found whenever he needed answers!
'What kind of higher being is that jerk even? Skyler is clearly such a big wild card in this world, and that bastard had no clue at all!'
Zack muttered a curse under his breath. Unlike him, Charles was just too stunned to care about what was going on with Skyler.
Yet what happened next left them utterly speechless—not just Zack and Charles, but even Lag and Error looked dumbfounded, their eyes flickering with confusion.
Skyler's expression softened with genuine concern as he quickly bent down to inspect their injuries—completely ignoring the fact that he was the very person who had just mercilessly beaten the hell out of them.
"OMG! Are you okay? Wait, I will heal you! I never meant to! This isn't what I did at all. Believe me, I despise violence!"
Golden Evol erupted from his whole body, engulfing both men and himself, healing their injuries at a speed visible to the eye.
Skyler smiled. However, his transformation had a terrifying effect on Lag and Error. The twins thought he intended to heal them, only to beat them both again—mercilessly. They believed he was so cruel, he would repeat the cycle over and over until they begged for death... before finally granting it.
As Dark Lights, they were well-acquainted with brutal methods of execution. Skyler's sudden shift in demeanor startled the duo so much, they actually fainted on the spot.