The moment the Dread Monarch claimed the throne; the very fabric of the Abyss began to tremble. It wasn't just a shift of stone or air—it was as if existence itself bent to acknowledge its new ruler. Shadows coiled around him, twisting like serpents before bowing in silent reverence. The abyssal winds that once howled with chaos now carried his name as a whisper.
Every command the beast gave—whether to the beasts, the abyssal flames, or even the darkness itself—was obeyed without hesitation. The Abyss, a realm of eternal torment and war, knelt before its new sovereign. The thrones of fallen monarchs crumbled, and the countless armies of nightmare bowed their heads, united beneath one ruler.
And then, something no one could have imagined began to unfold.
The darkness… began to lighten.
A faint glow rippled across the endless skies, like the ghost of dawn peering through centuries of night. The black rivers calmed, their crimson reflections fading into glassy stillness. The once-constant roars of beasts turned to uneasy silence. For the first time in its ancient, cursed history, the Abyss seemed—peaceful.
But peace in such a place was never meant to exist.
Above, the Earth began to react.
Cracks tore open the continents, glowing with molten light. Cities shook as towers collapsed and oceans churned like beasts waking from slumber. The once-blue heavens burned red and gray, streaked with storms of lightning that split the clouds apart. Mountains groaned as the ground beneath them convulsed. It was as if the two worlds—Abyss and surface—were no longer separate, but mirrors of each other's suffering.
High on a ridge overlooking the chaos, Haru, Kuro, and Daiki stood against the raging wind. The crimson sky reflected in their eyes.
"What's happening to the world?" Haru muttered, his voice nearly lost in the storm. He gripped his blade tighter, the lightning glinting across its edge.
Daiki's communicator crackled violently. The Organization's panicked voice cut through the static.
"Daiki! The readings are impossible—tectonic shifts across the continents, atmospheric collapse! What about Ren? Is he still down there?"
Daiki's reply came through gritted teeth. "We don't know. Everything started the moment the Abyss changed. The earthquakes, the weather—it's like the world's reacting to him."
The voice on the other end hesitated, trembling.
"Then bring him back. Whatever it takes… We—" the speaker swallowed hard "—we want to ask for forgiveness."
The line went silent.
Daiki lowered the communicator, his expression unreadable. "We shall," he said quietly.
Far away, at the Organization's headquarters, Ichiro stood before a window that trembled with every rumble of thunder. The sky outside was consumed by black clouds laced with violet lightning. Down below, people screamed and prayed, clutching each other beneath the roaring heavens.
All across the world, hunters—especially the S-rank elites—were mobilizing. They stood atop skyscrapers, city walls, and ruins, watching the crimson storms. For the first time, even they looked uncertain. Because if the Dread Monarch's rise could make the Earth itself tremble… what power could stand against him now?
Meanwhile, deep in the Abyss, the Beast—Ren's other half, his curse and his power—was assembling its armies. Armored monstrosities, creatures born of shadow and flame, gathered in endless ranks. The air quaked beneath their presence. It was as though the Abyss itself was preparing for war against the heavens.
Days later.
Yume, Kuro, Haru, and Daiki finally reached the edge of the ancient city—the one said to house the true Abyss Gate. Dust clung to their coats, fatigue darkened their faces, but none of them slowed.
"This is it," Kuro whispered, staring at the massive obsidian gates that loomed before them like a sleeping god. "The path to everything we lost."
They stretched, exhaling the weight of their endless journey. Haru placed a hand on Yume's shoulder. "If anything happens down there," he said quietly, "come back alive."
Yume didn't answer. Her eyes were locked ahead—filled with resolve, yet shadowed by fear. Somewhere deep within, she could feel it—Ren's presence, faint and fractured, calling to her like an echo from a dream.
Haru stayed behind as the others entered the hidden corridor. The air grew colder with every step. Shadows clung to their boots like living things.
And then, silence.
The kind of silence that swallowed sound and thought alike.
Kuro's eyes darted around. "This… can't be the same place," he muttered. "It's too still."
Daiki frowned. "What did he do to the Abyss?"
The landscape around them was unrecognizable. The rivers of blood had dried into silver stone. The skies above shimmered faintly, not in flame—but in strange, ghostly light. The screams, the growls, the eternal chaos—it was all gone.
"No wonder the surface is reacting," Kuro said softly. "Even the Abyss itself has gone quiet."
Suddenly, a faint light flickered ahead—small and fragile, like a soul caught between worlds.
"Ren…" Yume whispered, her breath trembling.
Ren's soul hovered before them, glowing faintly, as if fighting to exist. Then, without warning, it began to move.
"Grandfather! Daiki!" Yume shouted. "It's leading us—to his body!"
They ran.
Through the vast halls of the Abyss, following the flickering light that never slowed. The air grew thick with power, pressing on their skin and bones. Each step echoed like a heartbeat. The deeper they went, the more the silence felt alive—like something ancient was watching.
Layer after layer passed beneath their feet. The old thrones were shattered, the corpses of ancient kings turned to dust. Daiki's voice trembled. "He conquered all of this… in mere days."
Kuro's expression hardened. "That's what it means to become the Dread Monarch."
Daiki clenched his fists. "But are we doing the right thing? Bringing him back, after what he's become?"
Yume stopped and turned sharply. Her eyes burned. "What do you mean?"
"Look around you!" Daiki shouted. "For centuries, this place was chaos. Now it's silent. No monsters. No war. Just… nothing. He didn't save the Abyss, Yume. He erased it."
For a moment, no one spoke. The air itself seemed to hold its breath.
Then Kuro raised a trembling hand, pointing toward Ren's soul. "Look closer," he whispered. "It's responding to something. Maybe he's lost in the dark, but… part of him—his humanity—is still fighting."
Yume's chest tightened. Her eyes softened, her voice quiet but steady. "Then we follow that light. Until the end."
Hours passed. The further they descended, the older the world became. The stone turned to bone; the walls carved with runes that pulsed like veins. The path narrowed until it felt like they were walking through the heart of a living thing.
Then—
The soul stopped. It shuddered, flickered… and changed direction.
"What's going on?" Daiki asked, his voice echoing in the hollow corridor.
"I don't know," Kuro said. "But something's waiting ahead."
The air thickened, vibrating with the low growl of movement. Far in the dark, shapes shifted—massive creatures stirring in the distance.
Suddenly, a blur of light tore through the shadows.
"Get back!" Yume shouted.
The impact hit like a meteor. The earth cracked, debris exploded outward. Smoke swallowed the corridor.
Two crimson eyes pierced the haze.
Kuro drew his blade. "What—what is that!?"
A figure emerged—tall, armored, the air around him trembling from sheer presence.
Althric.
The commander of Ren's abyssal knights.
"Who dares trespass here?" His voice thundered like a god's judgment. "Who are you, shadows?"
Daiki's eyes widened. "That armor… you're from Ren's army!"
The moment Ren's name left his lips, Althric's aura flared. His blade ignited with dark light. "You dare speak His Majesty's name so carelessly!?"
In a blink, he charged. The clash of steel and magic shook the cavern. Daiki barely raised his arm before the sword came down—
"STOP!" Yume's scream split the air.
Time froze.
Althric halted mid-swing, his sword trembling inches from Daiki's throat. Slowly, his burning gaze turned toward Yume's voice.
As she stepped from the smoke, the light around her shimmered with faint shadow—the mark Ren had once bestowed upon her.
"…It's you," Althric whispered, lowering his blade.
Kuro and Daiki stood in shock as the armored knight dropped to one knee. His armor clanged as he bowed his head.
"Kuro Daizen. Daiki Raikuro. And you… Lady Yume." He lowered his gaze. "Forgive me. I did not recognize you in the dark."
Yume stepped forward, urgency overtaking hesitation. "There's no time. Tell us—how is he? Where is Ren?"
Althric was silent for a long moment. When he finally spoke, his voice trembled. "He is gone. Consumed… by the Beast."
The words hit like a blade through Yume's heart. Her knees buckled. She gripped the ground, tears streaking her face. "No… That's not possible."
Althric looked past her, toward the faint light hovering in the air. "What is that?"
Kuro followed his gaze. "It's his soul. We brought it here. It led us to you."
The knight's eyes widened. "Impossible… If the Beast devoured him, no soul should remain."
He stepped closer, his armored hand trembling as he reached toward the light. It pulsed gently against his palm—alive, defiant.
"There's still a part of him left," Daiki whispered. "We can bring him back."
Althric stared for a long, silent moment. Then, he turned. "Follow me. If there's even a chance to save our king… I'll take it."
But before they could move, Kuro's voice stopped him cold. "Wait."
Althric turned.
Kuro's tone was sharp, eyes narrowed. "Why help us? You don't know us. You serve the beast that took him. So why risk everything?"
The knight's crimson gaze dimmed. The silence that followed was heavy—filled with something deeper than loyalty.
Finally, he said, his voice low but firm:
"Because even monsters can be saved… and I believe the king we followed is still in there—waiting to return."
And as those words echoed through the Abyss, Ren's faint soul flickered—
once, twice—
and then flared, burning brighter than before.
The world trembled once more.
The war had only just begun.