The orb rested on an altar of obsidian within the heart of the Duke’s private vault. Glowing softly with faint red and violet hues, it pulsed like a heartbeat. Surrounding it were triple-layered magic circles—each etched by royal-grade mages, reinforced with divine runes and alchemical sigils.

  The Duke stood before it with arms crossed, silent. Behind him, three of the court's most elite mages stood in formation, maintaining the enchantments.

  "I want an extra trigger," the Duke commanded. "If Kairyuuha's mana so much as brushes this vault, activate the seal and teleport Kazuki’s entire party—along with a squad of A-ranked knights—here immediately."

  The mages nodded and got to work, inscribing a new enchantment layer that shimmered golden.

  This was no ordinary orb. This was one of the five—the sealed fragments of Kairyuuha’s original power. And now, only four remained lost.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  The Duke’s gaze lingered on the orb, a weight in his voice.

  "The fall of a legend… and the rise of another."

  ---

  Meanwhile, back at the training estate, Kazuki stood alone under the moonlight, arms folded, cloak swaying gently. He looked down at his hand, clenching it tightly.

  "How… do I defeat him?"

  He pictured Kairyuuha—stronger than any monster, any foe. That effortless kill of the shadow dragon. His overwhelming presence, the terrifying calm, the crushing pressure of his words.

  "How did a human get that strong…? No, not just strong. How did he become... the Demon King?"

  Kazuki shut his eyes.

  Suddenly—

  A flicker.

  A faint whisper in the wind.

  A vision.

  The world shifted in his mind.

  A field, bathed in golden twilight.

  Two boys—one with wild blue hair and heterochromatic eyes, the other with black hair and a familiar soft smile—stood side by side, bloodied but grinning.

  “We did it,” the blue-haired boy said, grinning wide. “We’ve won, brother.”

  Brother?

  The memory ended just as fast as it came, like a gust of wind erasing footprints in the sand.

  Kazuki staggered slightly. His heartbeat slowed.

  That boy… that Kairyuuha… had called him brother.

  “What was that…?” he muttered aloud. “A memory?”

  He clutched his head, flashes of emotions—not his own—pressing against his mind.

  Was this a vision from his past life? A forgotten truth? Or a fabrication from the sealed magic still within him?

  No answers came.

  Only the uneasy feeling that what they knew about Kairyuuha… and perhaps even Kazuki himself… was just the surface of a much deeper abyss.