Not yet.

Not yet, it said. Yuto’s face twisted savagely. That voice sounded like a child throwing a tantrum, unwilling to have its toy taken away.

But it was no child spouting those words. It was a constellation, one of the beings the people of Callisto worshipped as gods.

They truly possessed divine authority akin to that of gods. By bestowing protection only upon nobles, the constellations established humanity’s hierarchy and cemented the divide between social classes.

The words Yuto had just heard laid their nature bare. They bestowed protection under the pretense of caring for humanity, but ultimately, all they sought was amusement and entertainment. They watched human lives, built a stage, and ruined those upon it. In Callisto, humans were no different from puppets the constellations manipulated to suit their tastes and broke whenever the whim struck them.

That was what Yuto had been in his previous life. He had become a hero because the constellations wanted a hero, and his life had ended in tragedy because they wanted a tragedy.

Now those three young students were in that position. They howled in pain, yet could not stop, because the constellations did not want them to. Yuto’s score would not rise because the constellations were not satisfied, and those students had to keep fighting until they were.

‘That’s right.’

Yuto tightened his grip on his sword. Hatred blazed in his eyes.

‘That’s what you were.’

Shiro had killed him in his previous life, but the beings Yuto had truly yearned to destroy, even then, were the constellations. He could not tolerate beings that played with this world and regarded humans as worthless.

In that world, the constellations had killed his father for discovering the truth. Once, Yuto had believed there was good and evil even among the constellations. If some saw humans as mere entertainment, he had believed, surely others genuinely cared for them. He had believed that defeating those evil constellations would bring true peace to Callisto.

He no longer thought that way. There was no point in distinguishing good constellations from evil ones. As long as they existed, Callisto would be subject to their whims. As long as they existed, there could be no true freedom. This world was nothing more than an enormous stage controlled by the countless strings the constellations dangled down upon it.

Then the right thing to do was to sever every last string. Confronted with their true nature, Yuto felt anew what it was he yearned for.

It was a dream he had once shared with Shiro.

“U—uaaaagh!”

The student with two broken arms charged, howling through his tears. Pain felt no different in this virtual space. When would a boy born into a noble family ever have experienced suffering like this? The agony of gripping a sword with broken arms, of swinging it at angles his arms were never meant to bend.

His eyes rolled back as he screamed himself hoarse, but his constellation would not permit him rest. Here, Yuto was the only one who could grant it.

THUD!

Yuto slipped inside the bizarre sword stroke and drove his blade into the boy’s chest. The boy howled again in agony. His body had not yet died. His twisted arms raised his sword high, ready to drive it into Yuto’s back.

Before it could fall, aether exploded from Yuto’s sword.

BOOM!

Swept up in pitch-black aether, the boy’s body was enveloped in light.

[“Oh, what a shame.”]

[“I wanted to play some more...”]

The constellation’s voice tickled Yuto’s ear. Grinding his teeth, he spun around. His score was still stuck at 199. Two students under the constellations’ protection remained alive.

“S-stop! Please, please...!”

The sword-wielding student cried out desperately, but his legs ignored his wishes and carried him toward Yuto in bounding strides. Behind him, blood poured from the eyes, nose, and mouth of a girl holding a staff.

“Gah... gaggh... gagagagh...”

Her lips trembled as grotesque moans escaped them. Aether had been forced into her in quantities her body could not withstand, rupturing her from within.

“G-g-ggh...!”

Her staff rose. She had not lifted it herself. The constellation’s power gripped her hand and forced her to aim the staff at Yuto.

WHOOOOSH!

Light burst from the staff. This was no mere aether bullet; the constellation’s own light shot toward Yuto. Grass evaporated in its path, and the soil hardened like glass.

Yuto raised his sword to meet it.

BOOOOM!

Pitch-black aether collided with the constellation’s light, scattering sparks in every direction. His arms went numb. He was driven back, his feet dragging two furrows through the ground.

This was on an entirely different level from the divine authority the students had unleashed earlier. This magic far surpassed anything a student could produce. The constellation was manifesting it through the student’s body.

The other student rushed at Yuto as the beam pushed him back. Light in front, a sword to the side. Yuto twisted the blade braced against the light and deflected it sideways. The beam veered off course toward the other student.

“Aaaaagh?!”

The sword-wielding student twisted in alarm. No—the constellation manipulated his body to dodge the light. Its response was a fraction too late, and the beam grazed his shoulder.

“Aaaargh!”

The student screamed as his shoulder burned, but the constellation did not stop. An arm that should have been incapable of movement lifted the sword and brought it down at Yuto. Yuto slipped sideways, evading the blade.

BOOM!

The sword struck the ground. The tremendous force shook the earth. Instantly, the blade swept upward toward Yuto.

CLANG!

Sword met sword. Pitch-black aether shuddered, and Yuto was flung into the air.

This was no easy fight. His opponents were not students, but constellations borrowing students’ bodies. Unleashing his Void Skills would make it easy, but he could not do that.

‘I can’t use the Belkain royal family’s secret swordsmanship, either.’

Yuto glanced at the sky.

Shiro’s dot was nearby. He was watching this fight. There was no chance Shiro would fail to recognize Belkain’s swordsmanship. Yuto had far too much to conceal in this battle. He had to hide both his Void Skills and Belkain’s secret swordsmanship. All he could use was swordsmanship honed through actual combat—the sort an adventurer might wield.

‘That’s... enough.’

Yuto’s eyes flashed. He remembered every bit of the swordsmanship he had honed on countless battlefields in his previous life. Even if his opponents were constellations borrowing human bodies, those bodies could only contain so much of their power.

He could not afford to struggle against a mere opponent like this. Rotating in midair, Yuto swung his sword again. If his opponent ignored pain to swing at angles human joints could not achieve, Yuto would execute movements at the very limits of human ability.

RUMBLE!

The pitch-black aether layered over Yuto’s slash severed the sword-wielding student’s right arm. A scream of agony poured out of him along with his blood. As he staggered back, his left hand caught his falling right arm.

“Aaaargh!”

Amid his screams, his left hand swung the severed arm. It was nothing but a desperate last struggle.

THUNK!

Yuto’s thrust pierced the student’s head.

[“Tsk... If only this body had been a little bigger...”]

The constellation grumbled regretfully amid the scattering light.

One left.

Only the girl remained. When Yuto turned, she was slumped on the ground.

The arm holding her staff was still aimed at him, but the rest of her body had already collapsed. Her legs were folded beneath her, her back bent, her head hanging.

Most of her bones had splintered, and her muscles and organs had burst and melted. Yet she could not even die. The constellation held her consciousness captive, demanding that she cast more magic.

Her body shone brilliantly. It almost looked beautiful. The constellation’s light filling her was now burning her body away.

“Uhh... ah... aaah...”

A hoarse voice escaped her blood-dripping mouth. The light consuming her began gathering in the staff held by the only arm still permitted to function. The constellation was concentrating the maximum amount of aether her body could contain into a single point.

Yuto did not charge. He stood firm, gripping his sword in both hands as he glared at the girl—no, at the staff where the constellation’s will was concentrated.

RUMBLE!

Just as the constellation concentrated its light in the staff, Yuto concentrated aether in his sword. He poured his full strength into a single strike. At some point, the aether blazing pitch-black froze cold and grew still. The absolute darkness it formed seemed to drink in all the surrounding light.

The girl’s constellation burst out laughing at the sight. Good heavens, this human intended to challenge a constellation in a head-on contest of strength. And without the protection of a single constellation!

[“Wonderful!”]

The constellation cheered. At that very moment, the light in the staff reached its limit.

BOOOOM!

Light erupted from the staff.

As the light erupted, Yuto swung his sword. His pitch-black slash collided head-on with the constellation’s light.

The world turned white, then black. The two lights tangled together and filled the world until white and black were indistinguishable.

And then—

The light split.

The pitch-black slash cleaved the beam in two. The divided light swept past on either side of Yuto, erasing the forest.

Panting, Yuto lowered his sword.

CRUMBLE...!

Unable to withstand his aether, the blade disintegrated into dust.

He looked ahead. The recoil from firing the light had bent the girl’s body backward. Her spine was broken, and her staff and right arm had melted away. The constellation’s light was fading, too. No matter how much more it tried to squeeze out of her, there was no aether left in her body. It could no longer move, even by force.

Yuto strode toward her. She was still alive. Bloody froth welled up in her hollow eyes. Drawing his dagger, Yuto drove it into her forehead.

“Th—thank... you...”

Her lips parted and worked, releasing a hoarse whisper. Words of gratitude that she could finally die. Amid the crumbling light, the constellation burst out laughing.

[“You’re so much fun!”]

The cackling laughter faded.

There were no living students around Yuto now. Steadying his breathing, he looked up at the sky. A voice flowed from the red crystal.

[“We have our first successful candidate.”]

The voice was mechanical yet playful, with a trace of regret.

[“Yuto is the first student to reach 200 points. Congratulations on passing.”]

[“You may stay longer if you wish. Please choose whether to remain or leave.”]

GRIND.

Yuto bit down hard on his lip. Apparently, the constellations wanted him to stay and fight some more. If he chose to remain, they would take direct control of the students’ bodies and attack him, just as they had moments ago.

“I’m leaving.”

Yuto spat the words as he glared at the crystal. Aside from his sympathy for the students, he had not the slightest intention of indulging the constellations in the game they so desperately desired.

[“Oh dear... What a shame...”]

A long sigh escaped the crystal.

[“Transferring successful candidate Yuto outside.”]

[“Yuto, our sincere congratulations on passing. We look forward to seeing you at the academy.”]

Without replying, Yuto looked toward the riverbank. Calipha was peeking out from the barrier where she had been hiding.

“Calipha.”

He called to her, glancing at the magic circle appearing beneath his feet. Startled, she hurried over to him.

“L-Lord Yuto, congratulations on passing!”

“See you at the academy.”

Yuto held out his hand. Calipha stared blankly at it for a moment, then gave a sheepish giggle and took it.

“Y-yes. I’ll do my best to stay hidden and make it into the final hundred...!”

As he listened, Yuto turned his head toward the location of Shiro’s dot on the map in the sky. He could not see Shiro, but he was certain Shiro was watching him now, too.

“I’ll be going on ahead.”

Yuto twisted his lips as he spoke, certain that Shiro would hear those words as well.

The magic circle’s light enveloped Yuto, and he vanished from the virtual space. At the same moment, Flokai disappeared from it as well.

The entrance exam was over.