Chapter 61: The New False God

A few minutes earlier, the students of Tokyo Magic Academy had already received their mission: capture the enemy’s flag while defending their own.
Reiga stood at the center of the training field, his voice ringing through every communication crystal across the island.

“No matter the risk, your goal is simple—take the enemy’s flag to claim total victory and a perfect score!”
He paused, his expression firm and commanding.
“And one more thing: fight! Those who refuse to fight will never survive!”

The mock battle began. Spells flashed, barriers rose, and laughter mixed with the roar of explosions echoing across the tropical island.

Team Black Dragon established their base in a ravine near the coast. Akechi crouched behind the barricade, his eyes glinting mischievously.
“Haruma, pretend to surrender. I’ll track their camp through my ocular spell.”

Haruma frowned.
“That’s reckless. We need real intel before we strike.”

Rio calmly adjusted his glasses, speaking like a seasoned strategist.
“Information wins wars. We don’t act blindly.”

Akechi smirked.
“Then how about this—an exchange of intel between teams?”

Rio grinned.
“Brilliant. With that, we’ll map every opponent’s position before they even move.”

Minutes later, the plan was set.
Team Eagle, believing Black Dragon’s camp was unguarded, launched a surprise assault—only to slip instantly across a wide field of frozen ice.

“What the—?!”

They crashed into an icy pit as Celestine appeared, her hands glowing blue.
“You really should’ve known better,” she said coolly.
The trap had worked perfectly.

Haruma, still “captured,” secretly activated a tiny crystal lens hidden in his right eye.
Rio received a live image of the enemy’s camp through his monocle, giving orders like a commander.

Moments later, Haruma cast a small explosion spell—BOOM!—to cause confusion.
In the chaos, Rio and Akechi sprinted toward the flagpole and tore down the Eagle team’s banner.

“Team Eagle eliminated!” announced the referee crystal.

But their victory celebration ended abruptly when a massive explosion thundered from deep within the island.

“What was that?!”
“Was that part of the exam?”
“No way... that came from the center of the island!”

Every student turned toward the dark column of smoke rising beyond the trees, fear spreading through their ranks.

Deep below the island, the two Kanatas—past and future—stood apart, both breathing heavily after their fierce clash.

“Itsuha? Wait—you’re not the Itsuha I know…”
“And you’re not the Kanata I remember!” she cried, tears in her eyes.

The alternate versions—A.R. Itsuha, A.R. Aine, and A.R. Celestine—appeared beside them, the air thick with confusion and dread.

Then came the sound of slow, deliberate footsteps echoing from the shadows.

CLACK... CLACK... CLACK.

A mocking voice followed.
“My, my... it seems I’ve arrived just in time for the feast.”

Caine emerged from the darkness, his wicked smile gleaming under the pale blue light.

Kanata from the future clenched his fists, his aura burning black.
“You... bastard… CAINE!”

He lunged forward, his blade cutting deep into Caine’s shoulder. Blood sprayed across the floor.

“You’ll pay for everything you’ve done!” he roared.

But before the killing blow could land, Kanata from the present stepped between them, blocking the strike with his cyborg arm. Sparks erupted as metal clashed with steel.

“Move! He’s the reason our world burned!”
“Killing him won’t fix anything!” Kanata shouted.
“You can’t change the future by adding more blood to it!”

The two versions glared at each other, ready to fight again—
until a slow clap echoed from the far corridor.

CLAP... CLAP... CLAP.

From the shadows stepped Klaus Eirenwald, the Archbishop himself.
Kanata blinked in shock.
“Klaus? What are you doing here?”

But the man only smiled—a cruel, hollow smile that didn’t belong to the Archbishop they knew.
Then he laughed.

“Oh, forgive me. I’m not your Klaus. Your beloved Archbishop is already dead.”
He spread his arms proudly.
“I am Klaus A.R.—the one who survived long enough to understand the truth.”

The room fell silent. Even Caine’s eyes widened.

Klaus A.R. strode forward, grabbed the weakened Caine by the collar, and slammed him into the ground.
“And you... you worthless creation. You were never meant to exist.”

He kicked Caine aside like broken trash.

Kanata’s voice trembled.
“Why... why are you doing this?”

Klaus grinned with divine madness.
“Because I have transcended mortality. I gathered every timeline here—every version of you—to erase them! To cleanse this world of paradox and imperfection. I will become what humanity always desired—
a Titan! A god who writes destiny itself!”

Caine spat blood and laughed bitterly.
“You’ve lost your mind, Klaus. Even I wouldn’t fall that far.”

Klaus chuckled darkly.
“Spare me your moral lectures, failed god. You sought control through order. I am god through chaos.”

He raised his staff—but before the strike could fall, a magic bullet tore through it.

BLAM!

“<Burst Shoot>!”

The blast shattered Klaus’s staff to dust.
From the far end of the chamber, two new figures emerged—
a one-eyed Kanata A.R., his pistol smoking, and Caine A.R. walking beside him.

“We came to end this, Klaus,” said the one-eyed Kanata, his voice cold and broken.

Both the younger and older Kanatas froze, staring in disbelief as yet another version of themselves stepped out of the darkness.

The air quivered.
The Fountain of Eternity pulsed, reacting violently to the convergence of timelines.

And for the first time, Klaus A.R. stopped smiling.