The battlefield froze.
Time itself seemed to stop.
The prison doors continued opening.
Slowly.
Heavily.
Ancient chains dragged across reality.
Golden light poured outward like an ocean.
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Because standing within that light—
was the Old King.
Thousands of chains still pierced his body.
His black royal cloak hung in tatters.
Ancient wounds covered his skin.
His hair had grown long.
Yet despite centuries of imprisonment—
his presence alone silenced the battlefield.
The void trembled.
The King's Road shook.
Even the World Between Worlds bent around him.
The Old King slowly lifted his head.
Golden-black eyes scanned the battlefield.
Adrax lowered his gaze.
Luxion became completely still.
Millions of enemy soldiers unconsciously stepped backward.
Fear.
Pure instinctive fear.
Null stared.
For years—
he had searched for answers.
For years—
he had chased fragments of a dead man.
Yet now—
his father stood before him.
Alive.
Real.
Breathing.
The Old King's eyes found him.
For a moment—
the terrifying ruler vanished.
Only a father remained.
A faint smile appeared.
"Null."
Null couldn't speak.
The word caught in his throat.
Then the King's gaze shifted.
Toward Aizeno.
The smile disappeared.
Silence returned.
Aizeno stood motionless.
Looking directly at his father.
Neither moved.
Neither spoke.
The tension alone split nearby space apart.
Finally—
The Old King spoke.
"Aizeno."
Aizeno closed his eyes.
"...Father."
The battlefield erupted.
Everyone froze.
Even Hyung.
Even D U.
Even One and Zero.
Father.
Not creator.
Not king.
Father.
D U blinked twice.
Then pointed.
"Wait."
Nobody answered.
He pointed harder.
"WAIT."
Still nobody answered.
D U looked genuinely shocked.
"HE'S HIS SON TOO?!"
The Old King never looked away from Aizeno.
"Tell them."
Silence.
Aizeno remained still.
The King repeated:
"Tell them the truth."
The battlefield became deathly quiet.
Aizeno slowly opened his eyes.
Then—
for the first time—
he looked tired.
Not evil.
Not manipulative.
Tired.
"I was first."
Nobody spoke.
"I was the first son."
Null froze.
Hyung froze.
The King remained silent.
Aizeno continued.
"Before Null."
"Before Hyung."
"Before the fragments."
"Before everything."
The void trembled.
"My father wanted a perfect heir."
His eyes darkened.
"I failed."
Suddenly—
memories appeared in the air.
The King's power was showing the past.
A young Aizeno.
A child.
Training endlessly.
Bleeding.
Fighting.
Falling.
Standing again.
And again.
And again.
The Old King watched from afar.
Cold.
Distant.
Demanding.
Aizeno's voice echoed.
"I spent centuries trying."
The memory changed.
A younger King.
A younger Aizeno.
A broken battlefield.
Countless dead.
Aizeno kneeling.
Covered in blood.
Then the King's voice appeared in the memory.
"You are not enough."
Silence.
The battlefield shook.
Null's eyes widened.
Aizeno laughed softly.
A bitter laugh.
"So I searched for another way."
The memory changed again.
A laboratory.
Ancient machinery.
Fragments.
Experiments.
The beginning of everything.
"I thought I could create perfection."
Aizeno looked toward Null.
His eyes held no hatred.
Only regret.
"And then you were born."
Null remained silent.
"You weren't supposed to survive."
The battlefield froze.
"You weren't supposed to become a person."
The King's expression darkened.
Aizeno continued.
"But you did."
His gaze softened slightly.
"You became better than my design."
Null felt his chest tighten.
Because for the first time—
Aizeno wasn't lying.
Then Hyung stepped forward.
"What about me?"
Aizeno looked toward him.
A faint smile appeared.
"You ruined every calculation."
Hyung blinked.
"What?"
"You chose family."
The smile vanished.
"That was never supposed to happen."
The Old King finally moved.
One step.
Reality cracked.
One more.
The battlefield shook.
Every chain connected to his body began breaking.
SNAP.
SNAP.
SNAP.
His power surged higher.
And higher.
And higher.
Adrax suddenly stepped forward.
Darkness exploded.
"Enough."
The ancient entity's voice shook worlds.
The sky split open.
The void screamed.
"The King should have remained imprisoned."
The Old King looked toward him.
Just looked.
Nothing more.
BOOOOOOM.
Adrax was launched across the battlefield.
Entire dimensions shattered behind him.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The King lowered his hand.
"Still annoying."
D U immediately whispered:
"That was the coolest thing I've ever seen."
Then—
the King looked at Null.
Then Hyung.
Then Aizeno.
Three sons.
Three paths.
Three futures.
His voice became heavy.
Serious.
Ancient.
"The Final Door is opening."
Nobody moved.
"The thing beneath it has awakened."
One's face went pale.
Zero cursed.
The Guardian tightened its grip.
Even Aizeno's expression changed.
The Old King continued:
"Only one path remains."
Null frowned.
"What path?"
The King's eyes glowed.
The chains around him shattered completely.
At last—
he was free.
And his full power began awakening.
The World Between Worlds started collapsing under his presence.
Then he spoke the words that changed everything.
"The three of you must become one again."
Silence.
Null.
Hyung.
Aizeno.
All froze.
The King pointed toward the darkness beyond reality.
Toward something approaching.
Something enormous.
Something ancient.
Something that made even him serious.
A colossal eye opened beyond the Final Door.
Watching.
Waiting.
Hungry.
The monster had arrived.
And for the first time—
the Old King looked worried.
TO BE CONTINUED...