A few moments earlier, Neil sprinted through the chaotic battlefield, his breath ragged as he approached Rem. “Rem, snap out of it!” he shouted, his voice barely cutting through the gusts generated by Coeus' wings. The winds howled, sending debris scattering, but Rem remained unmoved, her focus entirely on the primordial titan. Her usually bright blue eyes now glowed with an eerie cosmic light, her expression unreadable and distant.

Neil reached her, desperation etched on his face as he grasped her shoulders. “Rem, wake up!” he pleaded, shaking her gently, then more forcefully. But she didn’t react. Slowly, she turned to face him, her lips curling into a soft, almost serene smile. Her mouth moved as though speaking, but her words were drowned out by the roar of the battlefield. Before Neil could react, her dagger, radiating with cosmic energy, plunged into his chest.

The blade struck true, piercing his heart. Neil gasped, his body convulsing as he stared at her in shock. Rem twisted the dagger with precision before pulling it free, and blood gushed from the wound. “Why…why are you doing this?” Neil’s voice was faint, his strength ebbing as he clutched at the wound, trying in vain to stem the flow.

From a distance, Hans, Martin, Flo, and Ika froze in horror as they witnessed the scene unfold. Their disbelief quickly turned to action as they sprinted toward their fallen mentor. Meanwhile, Neil collapsed to his knees, his trembling hands still pressed against his chest. He struggled to stand, his determination unwavering despite the unbearable pain, but the weight was too great, and he fell.

Rem stood over him, her expression as enigmatic as ever. She leaned down, her lips brushing against his cheek in a fleeting, ghostly kiss. Then, with deliberate precision, she slid the Mirage Pearl ring from Neil’s finger. She gazed at the pearly-white artifact for a moment, her glowing eyes narrowing, before hurling it to the ground.

Cosmic energy surged from her hands, and the ring shattered under the force. As the pearl cracked, an immense ripple of energy spread across the battlefield, distorting the air and casting strange mirages across the sky. Inside the cavern, Rena’s Golden Nirvana flared with unease, the artifact reacting violently to the disturbance. Simultaneously, in the royal capital, the fresco depicting the thirteen emperor rings began to glow faintly. Standing beneath it, King Chris felt the Thunder Crown on his finger hum with energy, its golden light pulsing erratically.

Chris’ heart sank, a deep sense of loss washing over him. “Something’s happening,” he murmured, his voice tense. Without hesitation, he activated the power of the Thunder Crown. In a flash, arcs of lightning coiled around him, and he shot into the sky with blinding speed, streaking westward toward the ominous disturbance.

——

The group reached Neil’s fallen body, their hearts pounding with fear and confusion. Martin clenched his Tuning Blade so tightly his knuckles turned white. He looked at Rem, disbelief and betrayal heavy in his voice. “Why? Why are you doing this?”

Ika and Flo dropped to Neil’s side, their trembling hands glowing with healing energy as they desperately worked to save their mentor. Neil coughed weakly, his chest heaving as life drained from his body. “Stay with us, please,” Ika begged, her purifying flames flickering unsteadily. Tears streamed down Flo’s cheeks as she glanced at Rem, her voice breaking. “Why, Rem? How could you?”

Hans stood slightly apart, his stance defensive, his eyes locked on Rem. He was ready for anything, yet he couldn’t fully grasp what was happening. Before anyone could process her betrayal further, the ground trembled as Coeus descended, his colossal wings folding ominously behind him. A moment later, Motherglare leaped into view, her massive, spiked tail smashing into the ground. The two titans loomed over them, their glowing eyes filled with malice.

The air grew suffocating as the titans focused on the group. Yet, as if responding to an unspoken command, they paused. Rem raised her hand, and both creatures halted their advance. She stepped forward, her smile unnerving. “Why, you ask?” she said softly.

Her fingers moved to the hairpin she wore—a matching one with Flo and Ika. She held it up, her cosmic energy crackling to life. The delicate pin dissolved into nothing under her power. Flo and Ika gasped, staring at her in disbelief. “Why?” Flo repeated, her voice trembling.

“Because,” Rem said with chilling calm, “it is time for the titans to reclaim what is rightfully theirs.”

Hans' face hardened as anger burned in his eyes. “Why would you, an Elysian, betray your own kind like this?”

At that, Rem laughed—a cold, mocking sound that sent a chill through the group. “Elysian? I was never one of you. Not from the beginning.” Her eyes glimmered with cosmic energy, the blue facade fading to reveal her true iridescent gaze. “I have waited for this day for so long, the day I could reunite with my real family.” She turned to Coeus, her voice ringing with reverence. “Father.”

Her energy resonated with Coeus, their bond unmistakable. She removed the ring from her finger—the keeper ring that gave her cosmic power. It dissolved in her hand, its true worth nonexistent. “I never needed it,” she said. “All of this—my blue eyes, my loyalty to the academy—was just part of the lie.”

The group staggered at her revelation. Martin’s voice cracked as he asked, “You… you planned this? All of it?”

Rem nodded, her expression smug. “From the very beginning. The murders? They were sacrifices, necessary to weaken the chains holding the titans. Lorenzo? He wasn’t part of my plan—he was merely a convenient scapegoat, allowing me to operate without anyone questioning me. Honestly, I didn’t expect the academy to be so gullible, jumping to the conclusion that the Cult of Cerberus had returned.”

She took a deliberate step forward, her dagger catching the dim light, and gestured toward the group. “And you all,” her voice dripped with mock gratitude, “have been so helpful in getting me this far. Especially you, Martin.” Her cosmic-powered gaze locked onto him, a predatory glint in her eyes.

Martin flinched as she pointed the dagger at him, her smile sharp and cruel. “You help me retrieve the last artifact: the Cosmic Plumage. Without you, I couldn’t have completed the ritual.”

Hans, still reeling, found his voice. “But if you are part of the titan, why? you… you tried to destroy the Jar of Pandora! How does that make sense?”

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Rem’s laughter rang out again, filling the chilling air. “Destroy it? Oh, Hans, I was never trying to destroy it. I was fortifying it. Those chants you heard? They weren’t a spell to break the jar—they were the incantation needed to summon a greater titan.”

Flo and Hans exchanged horrified glances as the weight of her betrayal sank in. “You were trying to kill us….,” Flo whispered, her tears now a mixture of anger and despair.

Every event now clicked into place with chilling clarity: the deaths of Stanley and Leonardus, her teammates on inauguration day, had been no coincidence. The missing body of the boar titan, where she had supposedly delivered the final blow, had been another calculated move. The setup with Arae’s doll that framed Lorenzo, steering the academy’s suspicions toward him and igniting theories about the return of the Cult of Cerberus, was part of the same intricate scheme. Even the Jar of Pandora unexpectedly gaining the ability to summon a greater titan wasn’t a twist of fate—it was her doing. And when she offered Martin the mission scroll for the Cosmic Plumage, it had been the final piece in her carefully orchestrated plan. Every step, every sacrifice, had been engineered to serve her ultimate goal.

Rem tilted her head, feigning pity. “Oh, don’t look so hurt. It’s nothing personal.” She stepped closer, her cosmic energy flaring ominously. “Now… it’s time to end this, don’t you think?”

Her smirk widened as Coeus and Motherglare moved behind her, their malevolent presence filling the battlefield. The group braced themselves, knowing the battle was far from over.

Neil lay on Ika’s lap, his breaths shallow and labored. Blood seeped through his tunic, pooling beneath him. His trembling hand reached up toward Ika, his lips moving weakly. “Run… all of you,” he rasped, his voice barely audible. His gaze lingered on each of the four students, a glimmer of pride and sorrow in his eyes. Then, with immense effort, he turned his head toward the shattered Mirage Pearl that lay just out of reach.

As his life ebbed away, Neil summoned the last reserves of his strength. The pearl emitted a faint, otherworldly glow, responding to his desperate will. The light brightened, enveloping Neil as his image appeared in the minds of Hans, Martin, Flo, and Ika. “Run,” the phantom Neil urged, his voice clear and commanding in their heads. The glow intensified, casting an iridescent light across the battlefield.

The radiance startled Rem, causing her to falter. Even the two titans paused, momentarily distracted by the brilliance of the Mirage Pearl. This fleeting moment of hesitation ignited the students’ survival instincts. Hans leapt back, grabbing Ika by the arm and dragging her away, her hands slipping from Neil’s lifeless body. Martin pulled Flo to her feet, clutching her hand as the four sprinted for their lives.

Behind them, the Mirage Pearl created an illusion of their forms standing still, perfectly poised at their last spot. A cloak of shimmering distortion concealed their retreat as they bolted toward the rocky outcrops. Rem’s gaze narrowed as she sensed something was wrong. “No…” she muttered, then shouted, “Not so fast!”

Motherglare snarled and pounced, shattering the illusion in a flurry of claws and fury. The titanic beast’s tail lashed the ground, scattering debris as Rem’s eyes scanned the battlefield. In the distance, she spotted the four retreating figures. Her smile faded, replaced by cold determination. “You won’t escape me,” she hissed.

Coeus spread his colossal wings, creating a powerful gust that swept across the battlefield. With a mighty flap, he ascended into the storm-filled sky, his silhouette casting an ominous shadow over the fleeing students. Motherglare lunged forward, leaping after them with terrifying speed.

Rem turned to Neil’s lifeless body one last time. Her expression remained unreadable as she stood over him, her cosmic eyes flickering with strange emotion. “Goodbye, Professor,” she said softly, before turning away. She began walking, her dagger glinting in her hand as she moved to join the chase.

——

The four sprinted across the barren plain, jagged peaks of Aetheris rising ominously in the distance. Dust and ash swirled around them, stirred by Coeus’ massive wings as the titan loomed above, its glowing eyes fixed on its prey. Hans ran at the front, leading the group with determined urgency, his mind racing for a strategy to keep them alive.

“We have to make it to the caverns!” he shouted over the howling winds. Glancing back, he raised his hand, and the air around them thickened, a dense mist billowing out from his control to cover their tracks.

The swirling fog enveloped the battlefield, distorting visibility for both their pursuers and themselves. “Martin!” Hans called out, his voice cutting through the haze. “Can you track them while we move? We need to know their position!”

Martin nodded, his face pale but resolute. He closed his eyes, focusing on the faint vibrations in the ground, sending out sonic pulses through his tuning blade. “They’re close!” he gasped, his voice strained. “Too close!”

Hans gritted his teeth and turned to Flo. “Spread your vines—make decoys! Use the mist to our advantage and confuse them!”

Flo nodded, extending her glowing hands as twisting tendrils sprouted from the dry, cracked earth. The vines took on humanoid shapes, mimicking their movements to mislead their enemies.

“Ika!” Hans barked, his voice sharp. “Get ready with your flames! We’ll need a barrier if they break through!”

But before Ika could respond, Coeus’ wings flared, unleashing a powerful gust that ripped through the mist like a blade. The fog dispersed in an instant, revealing their positions. The vines scattered like paper, the decoys obliterated in the same breath.

From above, Motherglare descended with a bone-chilling shriek, its enormous body casting a shadow over the plain. The titan’s claws raked the ground, carving deep furrows as it landed with a thunderous crash.

“You have no chance!” Rem’s voice rang out, sharp and cold. She stood atop a jagged outcrop, her cosmic eyes glowing with eerie light. “The age of men is over. It’s time for the titans to rule again. Your deaths will mark the beginning of their reign!”

The four skidded to a halt, their breath catching in their throats as Coeus’s enormous form loomed above them, its celestial glow casting an ominous light over the barren plains. Behind it, Motherglare advanced, its piercing shriek echoing through the jagged mountains of Aetheris. Fear coiled around their hearts as the titans’ combined malice seemed ready to crush them under its weight.

Before the final blow could fall, the heavens erupted with a deafening roar. The sky split apart in a cascade of electric light, and a blinding streak of golden lightning tore through the clouds. The sound of thunder crashing in its wake reverberated across the battlefield as the bolt struck Coeus squarely, the sheer force of the impact sending shockwaves through the ground.

The primordial titan faltered, its colossal form crashing down momentarily under the weight of the divine strike. Crackling tendrils of energy snaked across its shimmering body, forcing it to recoil. The intensity of the lightning strike illuminated the battlefield, momentarily halting the onslaught as all eyes turned skyward.

Descending amidst the storm’s fury, the unmistakable figure of King Chris Elysionsonn emerged, his axe alight with arcs of raw power. Electricity danced around his golden hair, and his eyes burned with the determination of a ruler who would not yield. He landed with a resounding impact, the ground trembling beneath his might.

“Enough!” Chris’s voice boomed, commanding the battlefield. Coeus stirred, struggling to rise, but the Thunder King strode forward with unrelenting purpose, his presence a beacon of hope to the embattled four.

The students froze, hope rekindling in their hearts as their king stood tall against the monstrous foes. Chris moved like lightning itself, his axe cleaving through the air with devastating precision. His first strike cracked against Coeus’ massive frame, sending a surge of electricity through the titan’s body.

Motherglare lunged ferociously, its jagged claws slicing through the air toward Chris. The Thunder King stood firm, meeting the titan’s feral attack head-on. With a single powerful swing of his crackling axe, he struck through Motherglare’s defenses, sending it staggering back, sparks dancing around its massive frame.

From the other side of the mountain, Doloros, summoned by Coeus' call, entered the fray. Its presence darkened the sky, and it unleashed a beam of destructive energy aimed directly at Chris. Without hesitation, Chris raised his axe, and with a single decisive motion, split the blast into two, the energy dispersing harmlessly into the barren plains around him.

With the battlefield charged with electricity, Chris shifted his focus to Doloros. Summoning the full force of his Thunder Crown, he charged forward, lightning coursing through him like a living storm. His every step shattered the ground beneath him. As he closed the distance, he swung his axe with unparalleled force, the arc of energy trailing behind it illuminating the heavens.

The blow struck Doloros with devastating precision, sending it reeling. In a coordinated follow-up, Chris summoned a colossal lightning strike from the heavens, the bolt splitting into two streams that struck both Doloros and Motherglare simultaneously. The force was overwhelming, their massive forms collapsing to the ground, momentarily subdued under the sheer might of the Thunder King.

The four students, tears streaming down their faces, found the strength to stand. Their hope reignited, they prepared to fight once more under the protection of their sovereign.