The news spread like wildfire. Reporters screamed into their mics, their helicopters circling above the destruction like vultures. Sirens wailed across the city as the world watched in disbelief. Below, the battlefield had become a living nightmare — two towering, armored figures clashing with enough force to shatter the earth itself.
Each strike thundered through the air, sending quakes rolling across miles. The shockwaves toppled buildings, split asphalt, and rippled through the clouds. Cameras captured every moment — two shadow knights, locked in a godlike duel that blurred the line between man and myth.
"Take the barrier down! We have backup, let us help!" Yume shouted, her voice trembling from the pressure and despair.
"Not now!" Ren's voice boomed across the battlefield, sharp as a whip. The command alone froze even the most hardened hunters in place. "Instead—tell the hunters to touch the barrier! It'll unleash their power to its fullest!"
Daiki's eyes widened. "You heard him! Everyone, touch the barrier — now!"
One by one, the hunters obeyed. As their palms met the obsidian wall, a surge of shadow exploded through them. Their bodies convulsed as power poured into their veins. Darkness wrapped around their armor like liquid metal, their eyes glowing faintly violet.
Whispers spread through the ranks."This power… it's too much…""Did he just—give this to us?"
Daiki silenced them with a furious roar. "Stop talking and fight! Help Ren!"
From above, the cameras captured what no one could believe — an army of humans turning into silhouettes of pure darkness. To the world, they looked like demons. To Ren, they were his last hope.
Across the globe, news anchors stuttered, their voices shaking as the live footage aired."W-what's happening… are those… people?"
The streets erupted in panic. Some prayed. Others cursed the name Ren Akatsuki, branding him the harbinger of the end.
And then—Raviel lowered his weapon. The crimson gleam in his eyes cut through the storm.
"Look, Ren," he said with a calm smile, mocking, cruel. "I'm not here to play. I'm here to talk."
Ren paused, sword half-raised, his aura flickering like dying fire. "Stand back," he ordered quietly. Everyone froze — even Yume and Daiki felt it: that shift in his tone.
Raviel's smirk deepened. "Finally listening, are you? Good. I want you to do what your bloodline has always done — betray the kings. Join me, Ren. Rule beside me. Together, we'll enslave the world."
Ren's eyes narrowed. "And if I refuse? If I stand with the Eight Kings and fight you to the end?"
"Then you'll fail," Raviel said simply, his voice dripping venom. "Just like your ancestors did. Your family destroyed this world long before I arrived."
Ren stiffened. "…What?"
Raviel's grin widened. "Your ancestors betrayed the Eight Kings. They opened the Shadow Gate. They brought ruin to humanity. This world bleeds because of you."
Ren's knees hit the ground, the words striking deeper than any blade. His weapon clattered beside him.
Kuro rushed forward, panic in his voice. "Ren! Don't listen to him!"
Ren's trembling fingers dug into the dirt. "Kuro… is it true?"
Kuro froze. His silence was an answer of its own. Finally, he bowed his head. "…Yes. It's true. But they were deceived—"
"Deceived?" Raviel barked out a laugh. "A pathetic excuse."
Ren's vision blurred. The battlefield vanished as a voice thundered inside his mind.
"Do not let his words consume you, Ren!"
The Ninth King's presence ignited within him — radiant, divine. "Yes, your ancestors erred. But they were not monsters. Do not inherit their guilt."
Ren's breath trembled. Am I even protecting humanity? Or am I just repeating their sins?
The shadows around him twisted. And then — eight colossal figures appeared within his mind's eye, each wrapped in ancient light.
"Ren Akatsuki…" the First King began, his voice heavy as thunder.
"Why didn't you tell me?!" Ren roared, eyes burning with fury and anguish.
The Third King spoke softly, "Ren, you are being too harsh—"
"Shut your damn mouths!" Ren screamed, voice breaking, tears mixing with blood. "You made me your weapon — your puppet!"
"Enough." The First King raised a hand, silencing the realm.
Ren's shoulders heaved. "Am I worthy to be your chosen king? Or am I just another curse on humanity?"
The Ninth King stepped forward, his massive form shimmering with gentle light. He knelt beside Ren and embraced him — a god comforting a broken soul. "You are neither curse nor savior. You are hope itself, born in darkness."
Ren's lips trembled. "…Why is it always me? Why do I keep falling?"
"Because you rise, Ren Akatsuki," the Ninth King answered. "You were spat on, abandoned, and broken — but you never turned your blade against humanity. That is why we chose you."
The First King bowed his head. "You are the one true king we believe in — the light hidden within the abyss."
Ren clenched his fists. Slowly, the despair faded from his eyes, replaced by the glimmer of resolve. "Then I'll protect them — all of them — no matter the cost."
The Nine Kings bowed in unison. "Then go, Dread Monarch. Protect those who cannot fight. Let your will be our command."
The world around him shattered — and Ren stood once more.
A dome of pure shadow erupted from his body, swallowing the battlefield whole. The earth trembled as the darkness thickened, a storm of energy tearing through the air.
Raviel smiled faintly. "Oh… he's serious now."
And then — chaos.
The beasts screamed and lunged, driven mad by the surge of energy. Hunters, now infused with Ren's shadows, met them head-on. Blood painted the ground; every blow, every death cry echoed across the ruined city.
Civilians miles away clutched each other, praying for the end of the nightmare.
Kuro parried a claw swipe, gritting his teeth. "Ren… whatever you're doing in there, do it faster!"
A ripple of crimson light slashed through the air. Raviel appeared behind Kuro, laughing. "Still breathing, Fourth General? You always did know how to annoy me."
Kuro spun, his blade colliding with Raviel's. Sparks of shadow and flame filled the air. "You'll pay for every life you've taken!"
Daiki leapt in beside him. "Together!" he shouted, his sword flaring with black light.
The two moved as one — a symphony of fury and desperation. But Raviel was faster. His blade became a blur, striking with inhuman precision.
"You're strong," Raviel sneered, "but you're still human."
A crushing blow sent Daiki sprawling. Another slammed into Kuro's ribs, cracking bone.
Daiki roared, defying the pain. "Midnight Requiem!"
A spectral wolf, vast and black as midnight, materialized behind him. Its howl shook the heavens. Daiki charged again, blade and beast as one. His strike cut Raviel's cheek — black blood dripped.
Raviel touched the wound… and smiled. "Impressive. But futile."
He destroyed the wolf with one brutal swing. Daiki's body collapsed, crushed under the impact.
"DAIKI!" Kuro's scream tore through the battlefield.
Blood pooled beneath Daiki as he rasped, "Everyone… get out of here…"
Raviel appeared behind him, hand crackling with energy, and slammed him down again. Bones shattered.
Yume's voice trembled. "Ren… I can't hold back anymore." Her eyes blazed with tears as she raised her Eternal Eclipse.
But before she could release it—
"Monarch's Decree."
The words echoed like a divine command.
Shadows erupted from the ground, twisting into an army of skeletal knights clad in obsidian armor.
"Protect the humans," came Ren's voice — cold, absolute. "Slaughter every beast that dares to move."
The army obeyed. Within seconds, beasts fell in waves, their roars drowned in the chorus of death.
And then… Ren stepped out of the black dome.
But he was no longer the same.
His aura was darker, heavier, divine and monstrous at once. The air warped around him. Even Raviel paused, sensing it — the pressure of a being walking the line between god and void.
Ren knelt beside Daiki and Kuro. With a touch, their wounds sealed. Mana surged into their bodies until they stood again.
"Take everyone and leave," Ren said quietly. His voice was calm, too calm — the calm before oblivion.
Kuro hesitated. "Ren, what about—"
"Do not question me," Ren cut in. His glowing eyes burned with shadow. "I'm selling my soul to the Shadow Realm."
Kuro's face twisted. "No, Ren, don't—!"
Ren turned his gaze to the horizon, to the broken world beyond. "There's nothing left for me to lean on anymore… so I'll become the very thing I was meant to destroy."
Each step he took made the ground quake. The air itself bent under his power.
The shadows whispered inside his mind, ancient and hungry. If you do this, we will not walk beside you. We will walk through you.
Ren didn't flinch. He raised his blade and began striking the ancient seal beneath the battlefield. Each impact sent waves of darkness rolling outward.
Crack.Crack.The seal split — 39% broken.
"That's enough," Ren whispered, his voice trembling with exhaustion and resolve. His aura flared, shaking the heavens.
Heart Power: 50%.
Inside him, the Heart pulsed violently. Wait… what?! You're ready to fuse?
Ren's voice was quiet — but it carried across worlds. "Yes, Heart. Fuse with me."
The Heart hesitated. Once we begin, there is no turning back.
Ren smiled faintly, shadows curling around him like wings. "Good… that's exactly what I want."
The ground split beneath him. The sky bled crimson. And as the fusion began, Raviel whispered in awe and fear—
"So… this is what it means to become a monarch."