Ken had always imagined coming home from college as something peaceful—a break from exams, late-night study sessions, and cafeteria food. But the moment he stepped through the doorway of his childhood home, a strange heaviness settled in his stomach.
Something was wrong.
The house was too quiet. No hum of the TV. No sound of his mom calling out his name.
"Mom?" he called, stepping deeper inside.
He found her in the living room.
Lying still.
Unmoving.
His breath caught, his vision tightening as confusion twisted into panic—but before the moment could fully settle, a cold presence formed behind him.
A shadow.
A figure holding a gun.
Ken didn't even get the chance to turn completely.
A flash.
Pain.
Darkness.
The next time he opened his eyes, everything was enormous—faces, hands, rooms, voices. A couple leaned over him with warm smiles, wrapped in clothes that didn't belong anywhere on Earth.
He couldn't speak.
Couldn't move properly.
He wasn't supposed to.
He was a baby.
I… died. And I'm… reborn?
The realization hit him slowly, strangely calmly.
Somewhere far away, on the galaxy he had been born in before his death, researchers tried to understand the sudden destructive event they had witnessed. They found no trace of the attacker—until one scientist discovered something, something frightening enough to report directly to their village chief.
Four Years Later
Kagenashi stood before a massive glowing sphere, a cosmic map radiating hundreds of thousands of lights—each one a galaxy. A top commander stood behind him, giving strict instructions.
"Destroy only the marked targets. One mistake could ruin an entire sector."
Kagenashi nodded.
He had done this training a hundred times.
But today—something in the sphere reacted too strongly to him.
The moment his hand touched the energy surface, the lights shook. A pulse spread outward like ripples through water…
And a giant cluster of light vanished.
An entire galaxy.
Gone.
The commander's face drained of color.
"This… this is a disaster."
The Courtroom
The next morning, Kagenashi and his foster parents stood before the village council. The grand hall echoed with whispers the moment Kagenashi stepped inside.
The chief rose, his voice deep and stern.
"You destroyed a major universe fragment. Do you accept responsibility?"
Kagenashi stood tall, shoulders straight.
"Yes."
The room gasped.
Not out of respect, but fear.
He wasn't even apologizing.
The chief scowled.
"Very well. You may choose your punishment: exile from this galaxy… or 150 years of imprisonment."
Before Kagenashi could answer, the hall doors burst open.
A scientist stumbled in, panting.
"Wait—wait! There's more!"
He pointed at Kagenashi with shaking hands.
"That boy… he's descended from the dark malevolent oni! A creature capable of cosmic destruction!"
Chaos erupted.
The chief slammed his staff on the floor.
"Then the punishment increases. 850 years."
MC didn't react.
Not fear.
Not anger.
Just silence.
Nightfall
That night, his parents were on edge. They whispered fast, worried words, pacing. But MC simply lay down and closed his eyes.
He wasn't afraid.
But the village head wasn't willing to wait for a decision.
As midnight crept in, the door creaked open silently.
A masked assassin stepped inside, moving like a shadow.
He didn't expect anyone to be awake.
But Kagenashi's father suddenly froze.
His eyes narrowed.
He sensed it.
Someone else was in the house.
And the real battle was only beginning.