The sun began to dip below the jagged skyline of Valefort City, casting long shadows over the metropolis. The calm didn't last.
Camera flashes lit the dusk.
Dozens of news vans screeched to a halt outside the colossal Chrono estate, gates overwhelmed by a tidal wave of reporters. Armed guards barely held back the crowd. Helicopters buzzed overhead. The world had caught wind of a miracle:
Seth Chrono… was alive.
And more than that — he had cleared an SS-ranked Gate alone.
The news was broken by none other than the most prestigious guild in the country: The Mist Slayer Organization.
Inside the marble halls of the Chrono estate, silence reigned.
The reunion between Seth and his family had already happened — a heart-rending moment days prior. His mother, the revered Saintess Slayer, had cried. His sister, the SS-ranked Swordmaster, had hugged him like she would never let go. His father, the intimidating Slayer Sword of Destruction, had simply placed a hand on his son's shoulder — and that was enough.
Now, they stood behind him — united as a family, ready to face the world.
In the estate's grand conference hall, lights flickered on. News crews broadcast the event live nationwide.
Seth stood at the center of the stage. His silver-white hair gleamed under the lights, and his pale golden eyes scanned the crowd. He wore a fitted black jacket, his posture relaxed, but his presence… overwhelming.
To the world, he was a walking anomaly.
A sharp voice cut through the tension.
"We at the Mist Slayer Organization officially confirm… Seth Chrono, son of the Sword of Destruction, has solo-cleared the SS-ranked Nerath Gate."
Gasps rippled across the hall.
"Such a feat has only ever been achieved by SSS-ranked Slayers… and Seth did it alone."
The press erupted in chaos.
"Wasn't he dead?!"
"How did he survive?"
"Did he awaken stronger than S-rank?"
"What happened to him?!"
A reporter in a crimson blazer managed to get the first clear question in.
"Seth, what happened to you this past year? Where have you been?"
Seth stepped forward, expression calm, almost gentle.
"I… don't have an answer that you'd understand."
Another voice followed.
"Did you die and come back to life?"
He smiled faintly.
"Maybe. Maybe not."
A third reporter shouted:
"Will you be joining the Mist Slayer Organization officially?"
Seth shook his head with a quiet laugh.
"No. I have my own path to walk."
His mother smiled from the side, her eyes full of pride.
His sister stood tall, arms folded, fiercely protective.
His father remained quiet, arms behind his back — watching.
Meanwhile, Seth's System flickered in his vision.
[SYSTEM UPDATE DETECTED]
Divine Energy Signature Tracked
God-Class Presence: ACTIVE
Caution: Several gods are on Earth.
He hid the tension behind his smile.
Of course they were here.
The gods — watching him.
Trying to find him.
Trying to erase the one who defied them.
The one who killed their own.
The one who now possessed two Divine Chains.
Another reporter, clearly emboldened, stepped up.
"Seth Chrono — what would you like to say… to the gods?"
The air shifted.
Seth slowly turned to face the cameras. His voice no longer soft — but cutting, every word sharp as a dagger.
"You're watching, aren't you?"
"I know you're here. I can feel you breathing behind this little glass screen."
"You tried to chain me. You tried to control me. One of you even dared to betray me."
He raised a hand — nothing in it, yet the pressure in the room dropped like a stone.
"You failed."
"I'm back. I'm stronger. And I remember everything."
His pale golden eyes flashed.
"Run, gods. Run, before I come for you next."
The reporters stood frozen, jaws slack.
The transmission cut to black.
Back inside the estate, away from the cameras, his sister whispered.
"You shouldn't have said that. You'll make enemies."
Seth smiled, walking past her toward the balcony.
"They were already my enemies."
He glanced up at the sky — quiet, cold, endless.
"Now they just know it too."