Kenji stepped through the now crimson portal, the drone a silent, observing companion. He emerged into an entirely different world from the vibrant, if dangerous, B-rank dungeons. This was a pitch-black dungeon, an oppressive void where visibility was almost zero. The air was heavy, damp, and tasted of dust and primordial fear. He could barely discern his own hand in front of his face.
Almost immediately, formless, shadowy figures began to lash out. Kenji found himself struggling against enemies he couldn't see. They were fast, their attacks precise, driven by a primal malice. He deflected blows he couldn't track, relying on instinct and the faint hum of his Spiritual Sense (A-Rank). He parried blindly, narrowly avoiding strikes that would have left deep gashes.
This is it, he realized. This is why this one escalated.
He gritted his teeth, pushing his Spiritual Sense to its absolute maximum. He focused, not on seeing, but on feeling. He let his spiritual energy expand, mapping the contours of the darkness, sensing the spiritual ripples of his unseen assailants. Slowly, painstakingly, he began to perceive their attacking lines—the subtle shifts in spiritual pressure, the faint trails of malevolent intent, the almost imperceptible air currents disrupted by their movements.
It was a grueling, frustrating fight. He moved through the inky blackness, a crimson phantom now capable of striking back. He learned to anticipate, to react to unseen threats with precision. His Agility (S-Rank) was pushed to its limits, allowing him to weave through attacks he still couldn't visually track. He sustained minor injuries—shallow cuts, painful bruises—and the constant drain of fighting blind left him visibly fatigued.
It took him 40 minutes of relentless, high-tension combat to finally navigate the labyrinthine darkness and reach the boss door. He leaned against the rough, cold stone, panting, his spiritual energy dangerously low.
Back on Earth, the live feed showed Kenji, bruised and clearly exhausted, leaning against the ominous A-rank boss door. The world, and especially his team, watched with bated breath. Fear gripped them.
"He's never looked like this before," Akari whispered, her voice trembling.
"That A-rank upgrade was brutal," Goro murmured, his face grim. "He's running on fumes."
"The boss… it might kill him," Renji said, a raw edge of terror in his voice.
Kenji looked at his internal System overlay. The timer for his solo mission glowed ominously: [TIME REMAINING: 40 MINUTES]. He had to clear this last dungeon to complete the challenge. Forty minutes to kill an A-rank boss, in his current state.
Instead of dread, a fierce surge of hope and defiance swelled within him. He wouldn't give up. He wouldn't fail. Not after everything. Not when the stakes were so high.
He reached into his pouch, pulled out another Essence Breakthrough Pill, and swallowed it without hesitation. A faint warmth spread through him, a subtle reinvigoration. It wasn't enough to fully replenish his energy, but it was enough to reignite the embers of his core.
With a primal roar that echoed through the dark dungeon, Kenji pushed the massive boss doors open. Ataraxia, his ancient blade, was already in his hand, humming with a low, blue light. He was ready.
The boss chamber was a vast, cavernous space, even darker than the winding paths that led to it. And from the inky blackness, a new horror emerged.
It was a viper the size of a full-grown elephant, its scales shimmering with a sickly, iridescent green, its massive head swaying ominously. Its fangs, thick as Kenji's arm, glowed with a malevolent, phosphorescent light in the gloom. Its aura, as a high-ranked A-class spiritual demon, was palpable, oppressive, radiating raw power and ancient cunning.
The viper struck first, lunging with terrifying speed, its fangs aiming for Kenji's chest. Kenji reacted, weaving to the side, Ataraxia flashing defensively. The battle began, a desperate dance in the suffocating darkness.
The viper was relentless, its coils striking, its massive body crushing, its venomous breath filling the air. Kenji fought with everything he had, every ounce of strength, every flicker of his spiritual energy. He dodged, parried, and struck back, his crimson aura flaring with defiant resolve. Ataraxia hummed, its blue light cutting shallow wounds on the viper's thick scales. He was pushing himself beyond all limits, the injuries and fatigue slowly mounting.
The world watched, captivated, the drone's feed capturing every terrifying moment. Kenji was clearly on the ropes, his movements slowing, his breath ragged.
Suddenly, the viper coiled back for a final, decisive strike, its glowing fangs lunging for Kenji's exposed throat. It was the perfect attack, inescapable.
Kenji closed his eyes. No. Not now. Not like this.
In that split second, everything coalesced. The pressure, the danger, the fear for his teammates, the promise to Hanae, the looming threat of the Archbishop and the Seven Deadly Sins—it all converged. The Essence Breakthrough Pill, the relentless training, Kaito's lessons on the Inner Sun, and his own indomitable will.
A blinding light erupted from Kenji's body. Not the crimson of his Solar Flare Manifestation, nor the blue of Ataraxia. This was a pure, searing golden brilliance, as bright as the sun itself. He had done it. He broke through mid-fight.
The viper, just inches from its kill, froze mid-strike, its glowing eyes wide with primal terror. The sheer, overwhelming power radiating from Kenji, the raw, unfiltered essence of an Ultra SS-rank breakthrough, paralyzed it. It was caught in a moment of pure, petrifying awe.
Kenji's eyes snapped open, blazing with the power of a thousand suns. His gaze, now emanating the raw spiritual force of an Ultra SS-rank, was enough to freeze the viper solid, holding it suspended in the air.
"Too slow," Kenji's voice resonated, no longer strained, but deep and resonant with untold power. With a single, fluid movement, he brought Ataraxia up. The ancient blade, now shimmering with a golden-blue fusion, sang through the air.
With a clean, decisive stroke, Kenji cut the viper's head off. The massive body crashed to the ground, disintegrating into glittering dust as the dungeon, finally cleared, began to stabilize.
The world erupted. A single S-rank, a new S-rank, had just broken through to Ultra SS-rank in the middle of a battle, against an A-rank boss, and still managed to clear the dungeon within the time limit. The legend of Kenji Tanaka had truly just begun.