The silence inside the ancient sanctuary lingered long after Kronos had left. Dust still drifted through the pale light pouring from the shattered monuments, while the enormous chamber echoed with nothing but the faint sound of ancient stone settling after thousands of years.
Raizen rested his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist before glancing at the six members standing around him. A grin slowly crept across his face.
"...It's been too long."
Ayame brushed a strand of silver hair behind her ear and smiled gently.
"You look excited."
"I am."
Raizen laughed.
"After sleeping for thousands of years, don't tell me you don't want to stretch your body."
Kaizen remained seated on a broken stone pillar, his chin resting against his hand.
"...He's looking for an excuse to show off."
"I'm looking for entertainment."
"You always confuse the two."
Haruto leaned quietly against one of the towering pillars, silently watching the conversation unfold. Hiroshi folded his arms, while Yurota simply observed the chamber with his usual calm expression.
Raizen slowly walked toward the center of the sanctuary.
"You've all awakened..."
"...but you've yet to see whether I've gotten rusty."
Yurota sighed.
"Here we go."
Raizen chuckled.
"Watch carefully."
He placed one hand on the hilt of his weapon.
The atmosphere inside the sanctuary instantly changed.
An invisible pressure spread across the chamber, forcing ancient dust away from him. Even the silver light seemed to distort around his body.
Slowly...
He drew his sword.
It wasn't glowing.
It wasn't covered in energy.
It looked like an ordinary black blade.
But the space surrounding it...
Was breaking.
Tiny cracks spread through the air itself as if reality couldn't withstand the sword's presence.
Haruto narrowed his eyes.
"...The pressure alone..."
Hiroshi quietly nodded.
"His control improved."
Raizen raised the sword before speaking.
"This..."
"...is Dimensional Sword."
The blade emitted no light.
Instead...
Everything around it became unnaturally silent.
He casually swung it once.
There wasn't a loud explosion.
There wasn't a shockwave.
The slash appeared almost invisible.
For a brief second...
Nothing happened.
Then...
The entire sanctuary trembled.
A perfectly straight black line appeared across the enormous chamber, stretching farther than anyone could see.
The ancient stone walls...
Split apart.
The floor...
Separated cleanly.
Even the air itself seemed divided into two halves.
The cut continued moving until it reached the mountain behind the sanctuary.
Outside...
Stonefang Highlands shook violently.
A distant mountain slowly slid apart as though an invisible giant had sliced directly through its center.
No explosion.
No falling debris.
Just...
A flawless cut.
Back inside the sanctuary, Raizen calmly returned his sword to its sheath.
"...Dimensional Cut."
Silence.
Even Kaizen looked impressed.
"...Still ridiculous."
Ayame stared at the divided chamber.
"You didn't destroy the mountain."
Raizen smiled proudly.
"I cut the space the mountain occupied."
Haruto looked toward the opening where daylight now poured through the split stone.
"So..."
"...anything standing there would've been cut?"
Raizen shook his head.
"Not necessarily."
Everyone looked at him.
"My sword doesn't cut everything."
"It cuts what I decide."
Yurota finally stepped forward.
"Explain."
Raizen grinned.
"If I want to cut someone's arm..."
"...only the arm is separated."
"If I want to cut an entire battlefield..."
"...the battlefield splits."
"If I want to cut a dimensional barrier..."
"...the barrier opens."
He tapped the side of his head.
"The sword obeys my perception."
"It doesn't care about durability."
"It doesn't care about armor."
"It only asks one question..."
He smiled.
"...'What do you wish to divide?'"
The chamber fell silent once more.
Hiroshi adjusted his glasses before speaking.
"So your greatest limitation..."
"...is your own judgment."
Raizen pointed at him.
"Exactly."
"If my concentration breaks..."
"The cut weakens."
"If I misjudge my target..."
"The result changes."
Kaizen smirked.
"So even overwhelming power has flaws."
Raizen laughed.
"Every ability has flaws."
Yurota quietly nodded.
"...Otherwise, we'd already rule every dimension."
Haruto looked toward the massive opening left by Raizen's slash.
"...No."
He spoke softly.
"If there were no weaknesses..."
"...growth would lose its meaning."
Those words caused the chamber to become quiet again.
Even Raizen didn't joke.
For a brief moment...
Everyone remembered why they had continued seeking strength despite already standing above almost every living being.
Not because they were unbeatable.
But because there was always another peak waiting beyond the current one.
Raizen broke the silence with a grin.
"Enough philosophy."
He folded his arms.
"Hiroshi."
The polite man looked up.
"...Yes?"
"You're next."
Hiroshi smiled faintly.
"So..."
"...it's finally my turn."
His eyes briefly shifted toward the countless ancient shelves carved into the sanctuary walls.
"...Then I suppose..."
"...I'll show you why they once called me..."
"...the Keeper of the Endless Archive."
The others turned their attention toward him as a faint ripple spread through the air around his feet.
Somewhere...
Something ancient...
Was beginning to open.