Darkness veiled the ruined encampment as Kairyuuha stood motionless, gazing into the flickering void that had just absorbed the fading remnants of the shattered gem. His eyes glowed crimson and cerulean, power swirling behind their glint like a storm biding its time.
"It’s been long… too long," he murmured.
Zalfus, the massive beast-type demon that had emerged from the crushed gem, knelt before him. With fur as black as abyssal oil, claws that could shred steel, and eyes glowing an infernal red, the demon exuded menace—but before Kairyuuha, he was merely a servant.
“I have returned, my Lord,” Zalfus spoke with reverence. “Command me.”
Kairyuuha’s expression remained unmoved, but his voice echoed with ancient strength. “Before the great battle… before Kazuki stood against me—I was the Demon King. The strongest to ever exist… and the strongest that ever will.”
His hand lifted toward the stars, which seemed to dim in his presence.
“I had twelve loyal demons—my Pillars. You were one of them, Zalfus. But the Custodians, fearful of my rise, interfered. They sealed me… and fractured my power across five sacred orbs scattered through this corrupted timeline. Not only that,” he growled, “they defaulted my essence—locking me into this limited form.”
He stepped forward, the air warping around him as he neared the demon. “The orbs must be retrieved. But more importantly, the eleven remaining Pillars must be unsealed. I entrust this to you.”
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Zalfus lowered his head further, crimson energy flaring from his mane. “I shall not fail.”
Without another word, Zalfus vanished into black mist.
Kairyuuha looked up at the starlit sky and with a sudden crackle of magic, disappeared, reappearing high above the capital on a twisted tower cloaked in shadow.
“The Arch Weaver,” he muttered, sneering. “They praise him like a hero. But Kazuki… he still doesn’t know the truth. He isn’t ready to regain his memories. Not yet.”
He clenched his fist tightly. “They call him a genius, but the system—this world’s core—I was the one who created it. And yet, Kazuki basked in the spotlight meant for me.”
His cloak fluttered in the wind, and the tower trembled from his surging power.
---
Meanwhile...
Kazuki stood beside his party at the edge of the mission site. The last beast crumpled to the ground, dissolved by shadowy blades and coordinated attacks. Status screens flashed before them, announcing success.
[MISSION COMPLETE]
Kazuki's Combat Stats: 1,524
INT: 684
Dark Army Count: 1,704
The rest of the party cheered, but Kazuki remained quiet, his eyes staring off, lost in thought. That seal… the structure, the layering… it was almost identical to my “Dimensional Forecast” spell. His brows furrowed. But it was far more refined… far more ancient.
Could someone else have used a more advanced version of my own spell against me? Could there be someone stronger…?
Before the thought could settle, a blood-curdling scream echoed from the west.
“Elara!” Garron yelled. “That came from the village outskirts!”
The team rushed toward the source, arriving to find armored knights locked in combat with a hulking Elder Orc, twice the size of a normal one, with jagged tusks and blood-red eyes.
Kazuki’s memory flashed—another time, another battle. Just like when we saved Arin and Drake.
This time, though, there was no hesitation.
Before anyone could blink, Kazuki stepped forward.
“Stay behind me.”
In a blur of white hair and black steel, he vanished—and in the next heartbeat, the Elder Orc collapsed, severed into countless pieces. Its body didn’t even have time to fall—just dissolved into dark ash.
The knights stood frozen in shock.
Kazuki turned back toward his group, silent as ever, the wind brushing past him. His presence was different now. Dominating. Unfathomable.
He walked past the knights as if they weren’t there.
The boy who was once lost… was back. But changed.
And in the shadows above, somewhere unseen, Kairyuuha watched.
“He’s getting stronger…” he said. “But not strong enough.”
