When the constellation appeared, the force that descended upon White created such an exhilarating feeling that his mind suddenly went blank.

What followed was like his soul being drawn out of him and into the body of something else.

The feeling was never clear due to the state of euphoria his brain was in, but when he finally felt himself fused with whatever that body was, he naturally stepped out of the bind that held him, and in doing so, stepped out of the cocoon.

The first thing he did was look around.

There were a total of seven stars, all passing energy through him, filling him with a power so great he couldn’t put it into words.

He looked up at the star hanging over his head, and there he found his body inside it, strings of astral energy wrapped around it, seemingly preserving it.

"YOU BASTARD!"

The roar came from the sky as a figure flashed forward with speed, standing on a massive crimson blade.

A cloud of crimson blades followed Punisher Isaac, along with two more large blades as he rushed toward White.

RIIIIIIIIIIIP!

RIIIIIIIIIIIIP!

RIIIIIIIIIIP!

RIIIIIIIIIIIIP! 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

A total of four massive crimson arcs cleaved toward him with incredible piercing power, as Punisher Isaac cleaved with both hands twice before the cloud of crimson blades tore downward, falling onto White.

It was a bombardment attack that should have been impossible to dodge, yet—

"Zero Crown."

The words were silently called out, peaceful and calm, yet the world came to a screeching halt.

All of the falling blades, the four massive arcs of crimson energy, all of it came to a stop exactly twenty meters above White, frozen in their attacks.

Punisher Isaac saw it too late as he continued rushing forward, only for the blade he was flying on to halt too.

The sudden stop sent him flying off it, soaring downward, and in that moment, White’s hand reached forward.

Punisher Isaac landed right within his palm, eyes painted in shock.

"DIIIIIEEE!"

He screamed in the next moment as he raised his blade with both hands and cleaved down at White’s shoulder, intent on severing both arms, but then they also came to a screeching stop, just ten centimeters from making contact.

In that moment, an amazing force descended on Punisher Isaac, freezing even his breathing.

’I... I can’t move.’

The realization hit him as White slowly took back his hand, and then it reached to the side, grabbing onto both of Punisher Isaac’s arms, and then—

"ARGGGGGGGGGH!"

A chilling cry of pain echoed through the entire academy, followed by the sound of bone cracking, then tearing.

"YOU DON’T DARE!"

The roar blasted from the side as Punisher Jolie rushed forward, her massive blade bursting furiously with light, yet twenty meters away she suffered the same fate, suddenly pausing mid-motion.

White never moved his head, his astral eyes on Punisher Isaac, and then he began to pull both hands to the side.

The tear started from his clothes, which were burned away by the astral light, and then a line appeared on his chest.

"WHITE! DON’T DO THIS!"

Instructor Iritis’ words echoed from the distance, but it was too late.

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP!

The inexplicable sound of a body being ripped into pieces rang out, and Punisher Isaac was split into two parts, organs spilling from the sky onto the ground.

"NO!"

Jolie could do nothing but watch as he was ripped apart, and emotionlessly White threw the body to the side before his astral eyes turned to her.

He resumed floating toward her direction silently, wordlessly, his hand grabbing onto one of the blood-red blades as he quietly made his way toward her.

"STTOOOOOP!"

A powerful roar burst forth from the distance as a beam of darkness flashed forward.

Massive chains wrapped in black mist burst outward toward White, reaching for his neck, only to once more stop a meter before his head.

White never stopped walking as even more and more Punishers came from all directions, surrounding him.

None were able to bypass Zero Crown, and in the next moment White reached Punisher Jolie with one of the blood-red blades in his hand.

Like a surgeon performing delicate surgery, he raised it up to her neck.

PSSST!

The sound of the slice pierced through all of the noise, and in the next moment—

SPLURRRRT!

Blood slipped out softly from Jolie’s lips as White tore the blade quietly through her neck until it fully ripped out from the back.

The hold on her dispersed after that and she fell quietly to the ground, gaggling on her blood, hands reaching for her throat to pull the blade free, but she was too weak to do so.

His eyes moved away from her struggling for life to some of the Punishers who had been frozen in their tracks by Zero Crown, trying to escape.

But they never did.

PSSSST!

A slice into the neck and a third Punisher fell on his back, gasping on his blood.

PSSSST!

...a third.

PSSSST.

A fourth.

PSSSST.

PSSSST.

PSSSST.

"How many more will you continue to kill?"

The words echoed behind him as two delicate fingers gripped onto the blade, stopping White from burrowing it any deeper.

He turned his head from the Punisher to look at who was responsible.

It was a female, long golden hair trailing down to her waist, wearing a flowing golden robe that floated in the sky around her.

The sight of her made White’s eyes crease.

She had been able to bypass the halt effect of Zero Crown, but still, he moved.

His blade yanked forward with fast speed, cleaving toward her neck, but she dodged by leaning backward to the floor, her legs moving and appearing behind White, one hand over his chest while another held up his outstretched hand holding the blade.

"There’s no danger anymore, White Sinclaw. Wake up."

The whisper made the body hanging above in the star shake slightly, but then—

RIIIIIIIIIP!

A massive blade tore out from behind, cleaving through the woman behind him and also out of White himself.

"Runic Lullabies won’t work on me."

The voice that came from White was nothing like human, and in the next moment, the golden-haired lady smiled as golden blood spilled out of her lips.

"Parting Serenity."

She whispered, and in the next moment golden leaves came whooshing through both of them, and when they passed into the distance... they were both gone.