Or so it appeared.

Two seconds after, White’s image began to disperse into motes of light, and Jolie turned her head, finding White standing on the arena, his eyes looking into the distance.

"Hey, Instructor Iritis..."

White shouted from above to the Instructor.

"The runes on the barrier have dimmed. Does that mean the Punishers using it decreases its energy, and there’s a limit to how long they can deactivate a person’s technique?"

White asked, and Instructor Iritis’ eyes furrowed as he muttered.

"It’s not absolute. It runs out of energy with every Sever, and should be empty after seven or eight orders."

He mused beneath his breath, but shouted to White.

"It’s no use. Fighting them will only escalate things. We can talk our way out of this."

He said, but then—

BURSSSSST!

Energy burst through the sky, piercing through the clouds, and White turned his head, finding a figure brimming with crimson energy floating in the air.

It was none other than the Lead Punisher whom he had slapped out of the arena.

His eyes burned furiously with energy as the space around him began cracking apart in different areas.

"So that’s the reason for the hate, huh? You’re a Malevolent Man."

White mused.

He had seen how the man seemed to hate both him, Zeras, and Instructor Iritis for some reason, and now it was clear.

Somehow, he had found himself in the feud of the Limitless and Malevolent Families once again.

---

He had been slapped.

He had been slapped out of the arena, not by a third-year student, but by a bloody newcomer.

An ordinary Outcast of the Limitless Family.

And with such force that he had crushed the arena walls and carved open a human-shaped trench on the ground.

All of that too in front of the woman whose favor he had been trying to court.

Punisher Isaac couldn’t believe his eyes, and without restricting his strength, he burst out with his full power before stretching both hands upward and slamming them down toward White.

The space before White shattered into pieces as massive crimson blades came raining down upon him.

"Activate Zero—"

"SEVER!"

Punisher Isaac shouted after severing White’s technique, but that only made White grin instead.

The force hit his throat, but there was no blood.

The command was getting weaker.

He jumped back, spinning in the air, but he couldn’t avoid it all.

Cuts quickly peeled across his skin, and as he dodged the last one, his coat had been torn to pieces, leaving only his shorts, which were soon drowned in crimson.

A crimson ray of light flashed from the side as Jolie sped toward him after, cleaving forward with a scarlet beam.

"Activate Zero—"

"SEVER!"

She shouted, and once more the technique was deactivated as White faced the crimson ray head-on.

He jumped high up, the ray streaking behind him only to suddenly take a detour.

White whipped his leg downward like a beam, slamming into the ray, but then—

RIIIIIIIIP!

Blood burst into the air.

A leg flew into the sky.

And the beam exploded.

BOOOOM!

BOOOOM!

BOOOOM!

White slammed into the ground three times before he was eventually able to bring himself to a stop—

But only on one leg.

Jolie crouched to the ground, preparing to rush forward once more when Punisher Isaac appeared before her.

"Stay back, Jolie. I’ll handle this."

He said, and hearing that made White scoff.

"Idiot."

He muttered beneath his breath as blades came flashing toward him once more.

"Activate Zero."

"SEVER!"

With no force striking his throat this time, White was able to quickly call out once more before the blades reached him.

"Activate Zero..."

"SEVER!"

Punisher Isaac ordered, sprinting toward White as the first blade reached him.

He dodged his head downward, a line appearing on his nose, before he landed on the ground, somersaulting three times while dodging four more blades.

VROOOOOOOM!

The air shook and Punisher Isaac appeared to the side, a massive red blade in his hands which he leveled forward toward White’s neck.

White dodged by dropping his head, only for a kick to smash into his ribs.

BOOOOM!

BOOOOM!

He slammed into the ground twice, managing to throw himself out and land back on his feet.

A blade instantly appeared before him.

"Activate Zero—"

"SEVER!"

RIIIIIIIIP!

A hand soared into the sky right after, blood spraying into the air.

Punisher Isaac flashed forward, appearing above White as both hands raised the red blade high before cleaving downward with every ounce of his power.

"Activate Zero Crown!"

White shouted as Punisher Isaac cleaved down while roaring out—

"SEVER!"

The blade landed right in the middle of White’s head and tore downward in an instant, cleaving open a three-meter-deep abyss in the ground.

But then Punisher Isaac froze as he looked beneath the slash and saw no trace of White.

GRAAAAB!

The sound of a grab reached his ears and he raised his head.

There, at the edge of his vision, was White standing right behind him, his left hand gripping Punisher Isaac’s clothes.

He had teleported right behind him.

Meaning one thing.

Sever didn’t work.

"Your time’s up."

White said.

And in the next moment, he took a single step forward—

VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The air blurred with insane speed as Punisher Isaac was flung upward into the sky, his blood bursting into flames from the friction as he punched a hole through the purple clouds.

White calmly stepped forward, muttering:

"Activate Astral Monarch."

The sky above White’s head changed in that moment.

Space shattered apart like glass, and what emerged was an entire constellation holding a total of seven gigantic blue stars, along with an entire sky of its own that instantly replaced the purple light.

It was so bright it was like a second sun had risen.

In the next moment, rays were cast out from the seven large planetary bodies onto White, who felt his feet slowly levitating off the ground.

Astral light covered him fully, forming a cocoon, and all seven planetary bodies rearranged themselves, forming a circle around him.

The being that stepped out of the cocoon next?

Two words.

...Beyond Humanity.