You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

Compared to the Earth's enormous size, the area that humans have explored is merely the thinnest layer on the surface, and even this superficial understanding only accounts for a small portion of the surface area.

Spatial rifts not only exist in the vast outer space and atmosphere, but also in the deep underground where no one can reach, beneath that thin "eggshell".

They extend, destroy, and devour. Although the mass they shed is negligible compared to the entire Earth, the seemingly solid and thick crust is actually surprisingly fragile.

Humanity and their steel cities exist on a stack of dominoes; removing one or two from thousands of cubes could trigger a chain reaction that causes the entire city to collapse!

The spatial rift devoured rocks and soil with gaping maws, like a swarm of termites gnawing at a dam and its beams. When the crisis accumulated to a certain point, the fragile boundary was easily broken.

The collapse came sooner than Iori had imagined!

The collision between another dimension and Earth first caused a rift in Japan. A few specks of dust fell from Mother Earth, which, from a human perspective, appeared to be a massive catastrophe of earthquake and catastrophic collapse!

Minoru had imagined what the "giant wave" her teacher mentioned would look like, and she had made international calls to her parents in North America to be extra careful. She also told them to stock up on supplies in the name of intuition, which could be considered as giving her family (plus a dog named "Pochi") a good talking-to.

Deep down, he had a hidden expectation. For someone with a chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) who had longed for superhuman power for over a decade, the most painful thing was having the skill to slay dragons but having no dragons in the world. Power that cannot be displayed in a peaceful modern society can only shine when the end of the world comes and order collapses!

however!

As the earth cracked and the sky shattered, dark, twisted fissures appeared at the edge of the firmament above the clouds, accompanied by the tremors of the entire space.

This surreal scene is enough to destroy all the common sense a person has accumulated over decades!

Minoru Kageno's previously smug power seemed so powerless in the face of this scene of destruction, plunging him into a shock and frustration he had never experienced before... before he became spirited and invigorated.

Because he quickly realized that the source of the disaster must be incredibly powerful to create such an exaggerated spectacle.

Human abilities are limited by cognition. Minoru Kageno had previously set his sights on the level of "one against a thousand," but now he is striving for the even greater "changing the world."

This apocalyptic stage may not have been prepared for him, but in the eyes of this immature teenager, it certainly was!

So he changed into a black overcoat that he had prepared beforehand, decorated with a belt and thin rope of unknown meaning, and pulled up the hood to cover the upper half of his face.

Normally, someone dressed like this might be mistaken for cosplayers on the street, but in this time of disaster, no one has the time to judge what others wear. Buildings are collapsing, streets are cracking, and even steel and concrete buildings are as fragile as sandcastles...

Locals are very experienced with natural disasters like earthquakes, but even so, countless people were buried under the rubble the moment the city was destroyed.

As one of the most densely populated places, Nishino High School, where the person studied, naturally suffered heavy casualties, but fortunately, many students managed to escape in time and gathered on the open playground.

If it were just an ordinary earthquake, they would be temporarily safe, but the students clearly had no idea what despair awaited them in the future—

"what!!!!"

The first to scream was a girl, whose neck was bitten by a crimson monster the size of a calf. Its sharp teeth easily severed her trachea, and its powerful jaws tore apart her bones and muscles like a hydraulic press.

In just three seconds, a beautiful head with its eyes wide open in terror rolled to the ground, and then was stomped down by the monster's foot and exploded like a watermelon!

Buzzing—!

Like splashing cold water into boiling oil, the crowd suddenly erupted, a mixture of screams and cries of agony. Those who witnessed the bloody scene fled in panic, while those who didn't were quickly caught up in the atmosphere.

But they couldn't escape, because there was more than one monster appearing. A long, narrow spatial rift tore through the street next to the school, releasing a large amount of magical energy, as thick as a dark cloud.

One by one, strange and different-sized monsters emerged from the rift. Most of them died or were maimed during their journey for various reasons, but a few lucky ones arrived safely.

They have little intelligence and cannot discern their current situation. They act on instinct like wild beasts, which is the most dangerous thing at the moment because it prevents them from weighing the pros and cons or hesitating. As long as they see fresh flesh, they will pounce on it and bite and kill it!

The once spacious playground instantly became a sardine school being hunted by orcas!

No, it might be worse. Sardines have the agility to evade capture, but humans, accustomed to peaceful times, sometimes forget how to escape when faced with danger. The monsters have never encountered such foolish prey.

It was like throwing a crowd into a meat grinder. The students didn't even have time to figure out what was attacking them, or where they could escape. They just blindly dodged and blindly died. Limbs and torsos were everywhere, and blood filled the playground in the blink of an eye...

Nishino Akane, the young lady from a prominent local family, was one of the few who could maintain a shred of rationality. She knew that fleeing in a panic would only make her a target—but that was pointless!

Noble birth, beautiful appearance, excellent grades, extensive network of connections... all these glittering things are worthless when things collapse. The students, who are already completely terrified, probably won't listen to anyone's words, let alone pay attention to her cries and pleas. The halo around Nishino Akane can't give her even half a chance of survival more than others.

As the monster's sharp teeth opened towards her, the young lady, her eyes vacant and her skirt soaked, collapsed to the ground, utterly lost in despair.

call!

Just then, a gust of wind blew, and a black coat swayed and trailed behind the boy, revealing a mysterious figure in front of everyone.

No one saw how he made his move, but all they saw was that with a single swing of the jet-black (specially painted) longsword, the ferocious demon beast, as large as a water buffalo, was smoothly cleaved in two, and a large amount of its internal organs fell to the ground along the two halves of its body.

This scene not only shocked all the teachers and students, but also diverted the attention of the monsters. The beasts, which are not very intelligent but have strong intuition, will take care of the most threatening target in the first place. As a result, one monster after another abandoned the delicious food in front of them and rushed towards the mysterious man.

"Humph~"

The boy, whose face was half-hidden in the shadow of his hood, curled his lips into a disdainful smile.

His movements were simple yet efficient. His martial arts, which had already reached the pinnacle of mortal skill, were further enhanced after receiving instruction from Iori. His demonic sword, capable of cutting through iron like mud, carried a sharp wind pressure, with no power wasted. His seemingly straightforward and simple slashes left the demons unable to dodge, and they died one after another at his hands, as if they were lining up to die.

hum!

The sword pressure, like a wheel of blades, was released, and a circle of demons immediately fell around the mysterious boy. Even the most fearless beasts instinctively moved away from him, allowing the teachers and students to catch their breath for a moment.

From beginning to end, the mysterious boy did not utter a single word or even look at the survivors. His eyes seemed to be fixed only on those who needed to be killed. His inhuman combat power instilled deep awe in the teachers and students, and for a moment, no one dared to speak to him.

"You, you are..."

Akane Nishino's eyes widened. This wasn't the first time she had faced a life-or-death crisis, nor was it the first time she had been rescued.

Perhaps it was some kind of "aftereffect" that made her connect the back view of the person in front of her with the mysterious, burly man who had once saved her.

This is absurd. The two people have absolutely nothing in common, from their physique to their demeanor. The burly man's mental state seems a bit "crazy," but the mysterious man in black exudes an endless aloofness from the back.

"Um... I'm extremely grateful! May I ask who you are?"

Nishino Akane mustered her courage and asked, "Also, do you know what exactly happened?"

"..."

The boy didn't turn around, but just tilted his head slightly. Everyone could only see a sliver of the outline of his lower face, with a faint, indifferent sneer in his eyes.

"My name is... Shadow!"

You have too many questions, woman. I am neither your savior nor your companion, so there is no need to thank me.

It was just that my sword craved blood and slaughter, and my body moved naturally.

Ah, but don't worry, you won't be chosen by my sword—because it has the power to choose!

The cold words, "The weak are not even worth killing," sent chills down everyone's spines while also bringing a sense of relief.

Although they are beings even more terrifying than monsters, they don't seem to be their enemies (for now), which is great!

'Perfect! '

'What a perfect entrance! And those lines were incredibly cool! Controlling the trench coat's movement with magic was definitely the right thing to do!'

'Look, everyone is looking at me with awe; monsters and humans alike are all focused on me!'

'This feels amazing!'

'Teacher, what was the most glorious moment of your life? Was it becoming a dragon knight?'

And my most glorious moment is right now!

—Kageno Minoru was inwardly excited, but his actions and expressions showed no flaws.

For more than a decade, he has put in tremendous effort, investing countless amounts of money, time, and energy, and spending countless lonely nights designing costumes, lines, and moves. This dream is not something anyone can understand, and he has never even mentioned it to anyone, not even his family.

It can be said that he has been acting for more than ten years in order to become a "powerful actor in the shadows", all for the sake of being able to attract the attention of the masses even though his identity is unknown!

This emotion, accumulated over thousands of days, was released in an instant...

Even if he becomes stronger in the future and is active on a bigger stage, he will never get a greater sense of accomplishment than he does now.

This is a million times more pleasurable than ejaculation!!!

"But no matter what, thank you... After the army drives the monster away, in the name of the Nishino family, we will do everything in our power to repay you!"

I don't know if this kind of talk will work, but in short, I'll say it first and see what happens—Nishino Akane, as a young lady from a prestigious family, understands basic social etiquette.

But clearly, her common sense and rhetoric were no longer relevant at this point in time.

"The army... Ha!"

With a cold snort, Minoru Kageno didn't say much. He knew from Iori's description that this was a world-class disaster. Even his teacher, who could control the fire dragon, showed an extremely serious expression. He didn't think that a conventional army could do anything—let alone the Japanese Self-Defense Forces.

Ka!

Ka!

Ka!

A tearing sound, not loud but extremely penetrating, came from above. Everyone, including Minoru Kageno, looked up and saw a spatial rift, like a narrow pupil, splitting the sky in two!

Although many similar situations had occurred before, many people believed they were hallucinations or illusions caused by some kind of visual error. But now that the disaster was happening right above them, everyone could see it clearly and could no longer deceive themselves.

Is this... the end of the world?

"No way……"

"Dad, Mom, I want to go home!"

Being able to speak at all already indicates a good mindset; the vast majority of people just mumble and don't know what to do.

In fact, it wasn't just humans who were intimidated; even the demons trembled. Their previous ferocious aggression vanished without a trace, and instead they lowered their bodies, as if they were worshipping the sky.

Minoru Kageno noticed this and quickly realized the reason behind it:

A massive, indescribable, and terrifying magical power, beyond Minoru Kageno's comprehension, is slowly approaching this world from behind that rift!

"—!"

The boy took a deep breath, his body reacting instinctively, his right hand gripping the magic sword given to him by Iori tightly.

No chance of winning!

This isn't a question of whether or not to fight hard; it's that a human who has only recently gained superhuman power is simply no match for a super monster capable of destroying a city!

Even with technology pushed to its limits, it's impossible to contend with such a powerful being...

But he won't run away!

How could a powerful Shadow Realm warrior, making a dashing entrance, possibly flee just because the enemy is strong?

"Wow, looks like there's something big here!"

Minoru Kageno spoke in a deliberately relaxed tone, but his eyes were fixed on the crack. Countless plans flashed through his mind. These were the battle strategies he had designed for himself during his chuunibyou (adolescent delusions of grandeur) period, but none of them could cope with the current situation.

Ultimately, the difference in scale is too great!

However, if they could stall this guy for a while and let the ordinary people leave first, his disheveled state wouldn't be seen, and he could barely maintain his image as a Shadow-level powerhouse...

Just as he was thinking this, what happened next completely shattered his last glimmer of hope:

The obscure "tide" flowed slowly from the crack in a very viscous manner, and then dripped down, transforming into identical alien shapes in mid-air. These aliens flapped their wings and landed on the ground, mercilessly slaughtering and devouring the monsters that were originally there, quickly wiping out all the aliens.

At this moment, the playground was surrounded by hundreds of aliens of the same species!

'Oh no, it's a monster that looks like a swarm of bees and ants!' Kageno Minoru's heart skipped a beat.

This was undoubtedly the worst possible outcome. Judging from the strength these aliens were displaying, he would have no problem facing a single one, but he would struggle against two or three, and there were hundreds of them present...

He remained unmoved and mysterious, but the surviving teachers and students were already trembling with fear. Even though they couldn't tell the exact strength of these monsters, they could tell from common sense that Minoru Kageno alone couldn't hold off so many. Once the monsters swarmed in, they would be torn to pieces in just a few breaths!

The young man sighed softly, "A Shadow-level powerhouse... Is my dream only fleeting?"

"No, dreams never end!"

"Well!"

Kageno Minoru's pupils suddenly contracted. Beneath his and the many teachers and students' feet, a massive Bagua (Eight Trigrams) array unfolded. The complex lines, seemingly folding and locking together space, simultaneously shone brightly, engulfing everyone—

hum!

In an instant, nearly a thousand teachers and students within a radius of a hundred meters were transferred into mid-air. A semi-transparent barrier supported everyone; it was the advanced ghost path technique, "Severing the Void," which was astonishing in size compared to its normal dimensions!

Before anyone could react, looking down at the scenery below, their legs went weak. Kageno was the first to come to his senses and instinctively looked up to see a figure in white standing at the edge of the barrier.

The long, fitted trench coat fluttered in the airflow. Although the attire had changed drastically, Kageno Minoru immediately recognized the other person: "Teacher!"

“You did a great job, Shadow. Although it was limited to one place, you did your best.”

Iori tilted her head slightly, revealing a smile of appreciation: "The scale of the calamity is beyond expectations... but thankfully, the timing isn't too late."

Before the words were finished, a cacophony of flapping wings, louder than the buzzing of bees, erupted, and countless alien creatures flew out from the ground and sky, surging towards the small, pristine space in mid-air like a tidal wave... no, it "flooded" it.

The black tide even obscured the sun, and countless students, who had been shocked by the relocation, now looked around in despair.

This time, there's truly nowhere to escape, no matter where you go!

"Sorry, I have a lot of events to attend today, I don't have time to fool around with you guys."

Iori stretched out her hand, the incantation already completed in silence, and then casually snapped her fingers: