It wasn't until around an hour later did Kazuki return with everyone. When they arrived, they were all immediately dumbfounded.

"Wait, what the heck happened?!"

Kei yelled out as he felt the mana surrounding Kai, Erina, Yoko, Natsumi, and Angelina.

"...Well, we've become S-class?"

Natsumi didn't know what else to say. It was truly a bizzare experience. Just less than an hour ago, she was around A-class after training when Kai and the others left for the other continents and wanted to brag about it but just a month after, she had already become S-class, a level that only a few have reached.

The gap between B-class and A-class was large, but not as large as the gap between A-class and S-class. She even felt that she wouldn't be able to become S-class in her lifetime had she gone with her current pace. Yet, despite the pain she felt because of the mana invading her body, the outcome was worth it.

"Mana in its purest form can be said to be the one with the greatest connection the world. That's because this world, like many others, is created by a Supreme Being who governs over a certain authority. The authority of this world is 'mana' and the supervisors are the Gods and Devils."

Kai looked at Emi who was sound asleep. The necklace she was wearing was still being filled by the excess energy.

"The blood of an angel and a demon, it was originally impossible to achieve. Angels, like Gods, had an innate hate for Devils and demons. But with that barrier passed, what was left was something that should never have been allowed to exist in a mortal body in the first place, pure, unadulterated mana. And, in her case, darkness."

Kai neared Emi and took more of the mana and then gestured for Kei to come closer. The mana was pushed into his body and after struggling in pain for a few seconds, his mana spiked.

"Using outside mana to empower oneself permanently is impossible, or at least, it should have been. But, I've finally realized the true potential of my body, and it's thanks to the Soul Thief who was enlightened with souls."

The process of injecting Emi's pure mana into Kei ended and when he stood up, he was already at S-class.

"The reason I can use mana as freely as I can but not use it to grow myself is because I'm a pathway. Like Emi who is blessed with the purest mana, I was made with the intention to stop and control mana."

In a sense, he was like a valve. He decided when mana needed to stop flowing. The reason he could take in mana from the surroundings is because he's connected to the world itself. The world provides him, the pathway, mana for him to use freely.

"If I knew this before... then there wouldn't have been so many unnecessary sacrifices."

Kai made a self-deprecating laugh as he remembered the other timeline. If he had known that he could have used mana like this, Emi wouldn't have needed to sacrifice herself, many people wouldn't have needed to be abandoned all to give humanity another day to fight.

"A pathway to mana, huh... First I've heard of it. Even the former hero wasn't capable of being so in touch with mana. I suppose only the King of Gods and the Demon King are that closely connected."

Even Kai's grandmother was incapable of using as much mana as Kai. Despite being the Goddess of Frost, second only to the King of Gods, her connection with mana was weaker than Immortal Ki.

Gods and Devils are beings made of mana. The only reason Immortal Ki can kill divinity is because life is stronger than mana. It's like using your nails to cut paper compared to using scissors.

While Kai's grandmother was strong, her body was limited by the amount of mana she could use. Kai, the King of Gods, and the Demon King are all exceptions to that rule. And, the former hero, Howard Greylock, was also capable of breaking the rules of mana to an extent.

"The war is near. I don't know when it'll come, but it will. At that time, I won't be able to guarantee everyone survives. But, at the very least, I'll give you the power you need to fight for it."

A chance to live.

For a few hours, Kai gave them all of the mana their bodies could handle before setting up an appropriate siphon for Emi's mana.

In the end, with the exception of Erina who was nearly SS-class, everyone was at the entrance of S-class. It wasn't through their own efforts like what has happened thus far, but it was their power.

"Well then, do you guys want to spar again?"

Kai smirked.

With this increase in power, everyone was levels ahead that of their power when they first sparred together.

For once, they were actually all looking forward to it.

"This place again... but, it looks better than before."

Date commented as he touched the ground. Being able to control water like Umi, he could sense the moisture in the air more than Arata and the others.

The ground was scorched and the air was dry, that was the overall evaluation he had given this place when they first came here.

"Those were fresh marks after all. The rain and wind brought back the needed source."

Kai stretched his body. He was doing his regular stretches and while he wouldn't have needed to do so even after not exercising for a month because of mana, it had already become a habit at this point.

"Same rules as last time?"

Kei asked, eager for a rematch.

"Sure. Considering the power gap, that's probably the best option we can do."

It was just a few months since their last bout, but they didn't just get a little bit stronger. If they were to fight their past selves, then it wouldn't even be a contest. That included Kai himself, who had many cards up his sleeve.

Kai set up a makeshift firework using the items in his pendant and magic, then took a spot around fifty meters away from anyone else. Without anyone else there to watch over them, they had to use something to mark the start.

It was a distance negligible to any of them so it was just a courtesy though.

As for the firework, in his past life, like many others, he searched the web for anything he was curious about like how everyday items like paper were processed, how do you make a makeshift flare, and many others. A firework just happened to be one of them and using magic, he was able to recall those memories.

Once Kai confirmed that they were all ready to go, he set up the firework. The moment it exploded, Kai was wrapped in lightning. He took a step forward and traversed the entire fifty meters in an instant but before he could land an attack on anyone, a dagger neared his face.

"『Celerity』"

He heard Yoko's voice as he leaned back.

"You got even faster."

"Isn't that only natural? We've all powered up after all."

The two of them exchanged a hundred blows in an instant. Their talk wouldn't even register to the others with how fast they were moving.

Just as Kai was preparing to blow Yoko away however, dozens of icicles pierced the ground he stood on. He used Flash Step to dodge a few meters away and looked at Erina.

"...You managed to react quicker than I thought."

"My magic eyes have also evolved somewhat."

Those eyes of hers that could see the truth perceived his speed.

With his pace broken, everyone else finally managed to react. Arata slammed his shield on the ground and sent a huge chunk crashing towards Kai like a stone spear. Using his speed again, Kai managed to dodge before being cornered by Yoko again.

"Innate Abilities are really troublesome to fight against."

Though Kai said that, the smile on his face was the brightest it's been the past few months. He took his scythe, the Enchanted Gear: Harvester and swung it once. The stone spear was cut apart and Arata was sent flying. Kei and Date tried to intercept the attack but they were also flung along with him.

But at the very least, their plan worked. Kei, Date, and Arata were mostly unharmed and Umi began healing them from afar.

"[Speed]!"

Natsumi yelled out and a dim green light enveloped everyone except her and Kai. While only Yoko could keep up and Erina could barely react before, now the all went up a level. Yoko's speed was actually giving him trouble and Erina was becoming more of a threat.

He tried his best to block and cut with his scythe but everyone's teamwork was impeccable. Arata was the shield of the team, but he wasn't invincible. Whenever he faltered, Kei and Date would back him up. Umi would also stay close behind him.

Kazuki and Natsumi were attacking from afar to keep Kai in check while Erina and Yoko who were the only ones who could fight him while he's coated in lightning.

In terms of attack power, however, Erina, Kazuki, and Kei held the most power in that order. However, in terms of combat, the one who would win in a fight would be Erina, Yoko, then Arata.

Erina was a given since she had more power than everyone originally to begin with, and she controlled the Eternal Frost, a power that none of them could stand against even in a hundred years.

Yoko had just unlocked her innate ability and made up for her lack of raw power with speed, she could cut apart her foe before they could even blink, which was much more useful than being all muscle.

And Arata was the toughest one. Even if Kei and Kazuki could pierce his defenses, they would sacrifice a lot to do so and would end up defeated by his stamina alone.

In a sense, everyone finally figured out how to play their team's strength and weaknesses properly. Kei and Date used to proactively charge ahead, Kazuki typically went solo, Natsumi and Umi were too passive, Erina and Yoko were too aggressive. Arata was the only one who consistently played from start to finish, as Kai expected of him.

Soul Aura.

Kai decided to use one of his strongest weapons. Yoko immediately faltered and was knocked aside by Kai. Erina who was charging with her wasn't affected by the sudden ability but was still caught off-guard due to her flank being unguarded.

With his arm bursting with golden flames, Kai launched a hit at Erina who took everything she had to block it. And while she was fighting the Empyrean Flames, Kai quickly dealt with the rest who were all affected by the aura.

Natsumi's buffs had ran out the moment he activated Soul Aura and she could only kneel down on the floor. Umi was in a similar state to her.

With their support gone, Arata, Kei, and Date were all easy pickings to Kai's raw power.

Using Telekinesis, Kai pulled Arata to him and then slammed him into the ground. He then hit Kei in the stomach with the handle of his scythe. Date tried his best to fight back with him being in a state where he could unlock his Innate Ability at any moment but despite his best efforts, Kai still managed to easily knock him out.

Kazuki was left to guard the two remaining members. He swung his great sword and used everything in his arsenal to hold Kai back, he was hit by a Knockback Shell, the one he used against Lion in the past when he was negotiating for Angie. This one however, was a modified version and didn't send Kazuki flying into the distance.

It just sapped his consciousness with a single hit and sent him crashing into the ground a few dozen meters away.

With Kai being only a few meters away from Natsumi and Umi, they could no longer bear the pressure from the Soul Aura and gave up.

Erina had just dispersed the Empyrean Flames and was about to send a giant sword of ice spanning fifty meters at him but Kai used shadows to swallow the ice and transfer it to someplace else. Then, he knocked Erina out by hitting her at the back of the neck.

Yoko had just recovered in that instant but seeing everyone already down, she raised her hands in surrender.

Kai, seeing that everyone had already given up or was out of commission, took a deep breath and exhaled. Soul Aura disappeared and Natsumi and Umi could finally breathe normally again.

The strongest still remained the strongest.