Silence consumed Training Sector Three.
Not ordinary silence. Not the silence of shock or fear. This silence felt unnatural, almost as though the entire arena itself had stopped breathing.
Smoke drifted slowly across the destroyed battlefield, while fragments of shattered steel floated through the air beneath unstable waves of spiritual pressure. Portions of Platform Seven no longer existed at all. Entire sections of reinforced combat flooring had collapsed inward, while emergency stabilisation barriers flickered weakly throughout the sector like dying lights.
At the centre of the destruction—Huang Ming stood motionless.
Chaotic spiritual energy spiralled around him in slow circular waves, while black mist drifted continuously from his body. Blood still ran from his nose and down his chin, yet despite his injuries—he no longer looked weak.
He looked wrong.
And his eyeWe're
Were glowing.
Not faintly. Not briefly. Fully.
Across the battlefield, Rex Hao remained frozen in place while cold terror spread throughout his entire body. His reinforcement instincts screamed at him to move, to attack, to defend himself—but none of those instincts mattered anymore because every deeper instinct inside him said the same thing.
Run.
The pressure radiating from Huang no longer felt human. It felt ancient. Predatory. Awake.
"… Huang…" Rex muttered weakly.
Slowly—Huang raised his head.
And the moment their eyes met—Rex felt his entire body go cold because something else was looking back at him.
Far above the battlefield, the observation room remained frozen in stunned silence. Nearly every holographic display had gone dark following the last eruption of energy, while warning systems continued malfunctioning throughout the sector. Yet nobody inside the room cared about the damage anymore because all of them were staring at Huang.
One instructor swallowed nervously.
"… His eyes…"
Another instructor's voice trembled slightly.
"That pressure output… it's still increasing…"
"No human body should survive that…"
The older instructor remained completely silent while staring toward Huang's profile. Cold realization had already settled across his expression because whatever stood down there now was no longer merely synchronizing.
It was transforming.
At the center of the battlefield, Huang slowly took a step forward.
CRACK.
The fractured platform beneath him split farther apart instantly.
Then another step.
CRRRKK.
Chaotic energy pulsed outward with every movement while black mist spiraled around his body more violently now. Nearby steel debris began floating higher into the air as though gravity itself had become unstable around him.
Rex instinctively stepped backward immediately.
He couldn't stop himself.
Because every second Huang remained standing—the pressure grew heavier.
Inside Huang's mind, the synchronization space continued collapsing. The gigantic chained entity remained partially obscured within endless darkness while fractured chains hung across its colossal body. Ancient pressure spread outward endlessly while fragmented whispers echoed through the void like distant screams.
And now—the entity was moving more clearly.
Not fully free.
But no longer motionless.
One massive arm had shifted slightly while glowing fractures spread farther across its restraints. Endless darkness distorted around its body while each movement caused shockwaves to ripple throughout the synchronization space itself.
Huang staggered backward internally while gripping his head.
"…Get out of my head…"
The entity's glowing eyes stared downward calmly.
Then—it spoke again.
"You opened the gate."
The voice echoed through existence itself rather than sound. Every word carried overwhelming weight behind it, almost like reality bent slightly around the entity's presence.
"I DIDN'T ASK FOR THIS!" Huang shouted desperately.
The entity remained silent briefly.
Then slowly—its massive head tilted slightly.
"No."
A long pause followed.
Then—
"You merely survived it."
Huang froze.
Before he could respond—another violent pulse erupted throughout the synchronization space.
THUUUUMPPP.
Back in reality, chaotic spiritual energy exploded outward from Huang again. Nearby stabilization barriers cracked instantly while several instructors were forced backward by the expanding pressure wave.
Students throughout nearby sectors screamed as emergency evacuation systems intensified further.
"ALL STUDENTS EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY!"
"REPEAT—IMMEDIATE EVACUATION IN EFFECT!"
Red emergency lights flashed violently across the entire training complex now.
But despite the panic spreading throughout the arena—nobody could stop staring at Huang because his appearance continued changing subtly with every pulse.
The darkened veins beneath his skin spread farther.
The black mist surrounding him became denser.
And his glowing eyes no longer looked unstable.
They looked focused.
Rex Hao's breathing became uneven while reinforcement energy flickered around his trembling arms.
"…What… are you…"
This time—Huang answered.
But the voice that came out no longer sounded entirely like his own.
"…I don't know."
The moment those words echoed across the battlefield, several students visibly paled because there were two voices layered together.
One belonged to Huang.
The other—
Did not.
Inside the synchronization space, Huang immediately realized it too.
His eyes widened.
"No…"
The entity stared silently downward.
And then—it smiled again.
Not cruelly. Not angrily. Knowingly.
Another chain cracked.
CRRRRKKK.
This time multiple fractures spread simultaneously across the restraints binding the entity's chest and arms. Ancient pressure exploded outward while endless darkness trembled violently around it.
Huang immediately felt overwhelming pain surge throughout his entire body.
"AAAHHH—!"
Back in reality, Huang dropped to one knee again while chaotic spiritual energy spiraled upward violently around him like a storm. Pieces of shattered arena flooring lifted into the air while nearby steel beams twisted under unstable pressure.
Far above, the older instructor finally moved.
"Seal the sector," he said immediately.
Several instructors turned toward him in shock.
"Sir, there are still students evacuating—"
"NOW!"
The sheer urgency in his voice stunned everyone silent because fear had finally appeared in his eyes.
Not concern.
Fear.
Meanwhile, deep inside the synchronization space, Huang collapsed while breathing heavily. The gigantic entity slowly leaned slightly forward now while broken chains dragged across the darkness beneath it.
CLAAAAANG.
The sound echoed endlessly through the void.
Huang's instincts screamed at him to run.
But he couldn't.
Because the synchronization space was part of him now.
And the thing inside it was becoming more awake with every passing second.
Then suddenly—the entity's glowing eyes narrowed slightly.
"They fear me."
Huang forced himself upward slightly.
"…Good."
For the first time since the entity awakened—its expression changed.
Not anger. Not amusement.
Interest.
The gigantic silhouette slowly lowered its massive head farther toward Huang while endless darkness distorted violently around its body. Cracked chains trembled continuously beneath overwhelming pressure while fragments of ancient energy drifted from the entity like burning ash.
"You hate them."
Huang immediately clenched his fists.
"…I didn't say that."
The entity remained silent briefly.
Then—
"But you thought it."
Huang froze because deep down—part of him knew the entity was right.
All the humiliation. All the weakness. All the years spent surviving while everyone stronger looked down on him—the anger had always existed.
Buried.
Hidden.
Ignored.
And now—something inside the synchronization was pulling it to the surface.
Back in reality, Huang's spiritual pressure surged again.
THUUUMPPP.
The entire battlefield shook violently. Several already-damaged stabilization barriers shattered completely while nearby instructors were forced to reinforce themselves against the expanding pressure waves.
Rex Hao instinctively raised his arms defensively because the pressure coming from Huang had started feeling heavier with every emotional fluctuation.
Almost as though the entity inside him was feeding on his instability.
Far above the battlefield, emergency containment doors sealed shut throughout the sector one after another.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
Massive reinforced barriers locked into place while evacuation sirens echoed endlessly across the academy.
Inside the observation room, one instructor stared at the readings in horror.
"…His synchronization percentage just increased again…"
Another instructor immediately turned.
"That's impossible. His body should've collapsed already."
The older instructor slowly clenched his fists because the truth had become obvious now.
Huang's body was no longer adapting merely to survive.
It was adapting to contain the thing inside him.
Meanwhile, deep within the synchronization space, the gigantic entity slowly shifted again.
This time—multiple chains snapped simultaneously.
CRRRRRAAAAAKKKK.
The entire void trembled violently.
Huang immediately felt overwhelming pain erupt throughout every part of his body as ancient pressure surged through the synchronization link connecting them.
And then—
For the first time—
The entity took a step forward.
The movement nearly shattered the synchronization space itself. Endless darkness collapsed inward while violent shockwaves exploded across reality within Huang's mind.
Huang screamed instantly.
Back in reality—
The academy lights went out.