Sinish's epicenter had transformed into a cathedral of impending death. Akos stood alone in the crater, wearing a red jacket and surrounded by a black tide that stretched to the horizon. The Million-Devils Swarm acted without hesitation.
They lunged, letting out a collective roar that shattered the city's remaining windows. Thousands of devils from the sky, earth, and shadows attacked him at the same time, forming a crushing mountain of claws, fangs, and hatred.
Akos did not move. He did not draw his blade. He simply lowered his head, his silver hair shadowing his eyes, and whispered the word that had been etched into his DNA before the Fake World even existed.
"Zamka."
The word was not a shout but a command to the universe.
The laws of physics gave way as soon as the syllable left his lips. The devils' frantic screeching vanished, leaving a heavy, unnatural silence.
Time itself started to bleed. The monsters' forward momentum slowed to a crawl, with their twisted faces frozen in mid-snarl.
Then the world lost its weight.
The shattered concrete beneath Akos' feet, the rusted skeletons of cars, the uprooted trees, and the millions of Devils themselves—all began to detach from the ground. A localized anti-gravity field erupted, dragging thousands of tons of debris and flesh upwards.
It was a slow and haunting ascent. The devils thrashed in the air, their limbs flailing as they were captured by an invisible celestial magnet. Above Akos, a single point of complete darkness appeared.
The ascending mass—the stone, steel, and screaming monsters—started to twist. They were bent and crushed by massive gravitational pressure, spiraling towards the center like water down a drain.
The mass had condensed. Buildings were reduced to dust, and devils were combined into a single, agonizing heap of organic matter.
High in the sky, a Great Sphere of Destruction formed. It was a nightmare sun, pulsating with a rhythmic, heavy thud similar to a heartbeat.
The sphere's surface began to leak black energy, thick and viscous, dripping into the sky like celestial ink. It did not fall; rather, it dissolved the air it came into contact with.
As the Zamka technique approached the end of its cycle, the sky around the sphere became bruised purple and void-black.
Akos looked up, his white eyes reflecting the apocalypse he had triggered.
The sphere has reached its limit. It did not simply break; it detonated.
However, this was no ordinary explosion. There was no heat, flame, or sound. It was an extension of Pure Nullification. A shockwave of savage black energy rippled outward in a perfect circle, sweeping through the city like a reaper's scythe.
Anything the energy touched, whether it was a skyscraper, a high-tier devil, or a stray blade of grass, remained unbroken. It no longer exists.
The molecules were ripped apart at the subatomic level and erased from reality, as if they had never existed in the world's history.
The million-devil swarm, the black wave that threatened to drown Sinish, was being disassembled. Thousands vanished every second, leaving only a haunting, empty wind. The "ZAMKA" was more than just a trap; it was a cosmic eraser, and Akos was the one who held it.
Akos is in the middle He looks around and everything was empty There are no buildings or devils Akos starts to run. Blood comes out of his mouth He puts his hands on his mouth to stop it but the blood comes out a lot
Akos feels so much pain in his throat and falls to the floor He looks at the sky The sun hits his face His mouth is still bleeding Akos with a look full of pain, whispers, Where will my end be?
The silence of the wasteland was broken only by the distant, haunting sound of the wind. Akos lay in the dust, watching a line of birds fly high across the clear sky. The pain was a heavy anchor, dragging him toward the dark. He felt his heartbeat slowing, the coldness of death beginning to creep into his limbs.
"So this is it," he thought. He slowly closed his eyes, welcoming the fading light.
Suddenly, he felt a warm, wet sensation on his cheek. Something was licking the dried blood from his face. Akos forced his eyes open.
Staring back at him was a small ginger cat with eyes like polished amber. It tilted its head, its tail flickering in the dust.
Cat: "Mew... mew."
Akos let out a weak, raspy laugh. He reached out with a trembling hand and stroked the soft fur behind its ears. "I don't... I don't have any food for you, little one," he whispered.
Cat: "Mew! Mew! Mew!"
The cat began to paw at his stomach, precisely where a loud, hollow growl erupted from Akos's own belly. Even at the edge of death, his body was demanding fuel.
"Hahaha... you want food? I want some too," Akos chuckled, the sound turning into a cough.
The cat began to jump playfully on his chest, hitting his stomach as if trying to find the source of the growling noise. The small creature's energy was infectious. Gritting his teeth against the searing agony in his muscles, Akos pushed himself up. Every inch of his body screamed in protest, but he managed to sit and then slowly stand.
He looked around the empty crater. "Where did you come from? Who do you belong to?" He checked for a collar, but there was nothing. Just a stray, alone in the ruins. "No name, huh?"
Suddenly, the cat leaped from his arms and dashed toward a scorched object lying in the dust. It was a tattered, soot-covered book. The cover was barely legible, but the title stood out in bold, fading letters: NEVER GIVE UP.
Akos: "Eh? What do you want with that?"
He limped over and picked it up. The cat sat on its haunches, looking at him expectantly.
Akos: "Seriously? You're just a cat. All you know is 'mew mew.' What could you possibly want with a book?"
The cat didn't blink. In one swift motion, it scrambled up Akos's leg, climbed his red jacket, and perched itself firmly on his shoulder. It leaned over, staring down at the pages.
Akos: "Fine, fine. I'll open it."
He began to flip through the pages. As he went to turn to the middle of the book, the cat let out a sharp, commanding hiss, almost like a human telling him to stop. Akos froze. He looked at the cat, then back at the page.
The golden-eyed stray leaped down, knocking the book from Akos's hands. It landed open on the ground. The cat walked onto the paper and began to lick a specific, underlined sentence near the bottom of the page.
Akos knelt down, his breath catching in his throat as he read the words the cat was pointing to.
Akos reads the sentence, his voice trembling as the words hit home:
"My child, life is difficult. Everyone has their own path, their own purpose, and their own goals. Betrayal is everywhere. Your only true enemy is yourself. If you do not conquer yourself, you will never defeat the darkness. Follow your heart."
Akos stands frozen, clutching the book. He whispers a single word: "Grandpa..."
FLASHBACK
The sun is shining. Flowers and trees make the place beautiful, filled with colors of yellow, blue, red, and pink. There is a house sitting on a mountain, surrounded by an open field covered in colorful falling leaves.
Akos is sitting on the stairs, watching the leaves. He stands up and goes inside. His grandfather, Jinzo, is lying in bed.
Akos: "Grandpa, do you want me to make you some tea?"
Jinzo: "No... I just want you to stay by my side for a little while."
Akos: "Come on, Grandpa. I know these tricks. I've grown up with you scaring me that you're going to die. It's useless. You'll be fine with some tea. You'll be jumping around like a monkey in a few days. We're almost in the New Year. Come on, Grandpa, get up! Grandpa?"
Akos goes closer to check on him.
Jinzo looks at him and speaks softly: "My child, I raised you since you were little. I gave you everything I knew—and all the love I had."
Akos interrupts him: "Forget what you wanted! Just get up now. Stop joking around."
Jinzo: "Stop. I am speaking. Listen to me until the end."
Akos: "Fine... tell me."
Jinzo: "I wanted to keep you away from our own clan, the Tasaku. I wanted to keep you away from this world. This world is full of violence. I always tried to stop you from continuing this role as a sorcerer. I want you to follow your heart... nothing else."
Akos: "Alright, 'philosopher.' Are you finished? I'm going to make you some tea. I won't be long."
Jinzo watches him leave, a single tear falling from his eye.
A little while later, Akos brings the tea.
Akos: "Come on, Grandpa, your tea is ready. Grandpa? Argh, here we go again. Get up, I'm telling you! Come on, Grandpa... eh? Grandpa?"
He moves closer. Jinzo has his back turned toward the wall. Akos gently turns him over. His eyes are closed.
Akos (whispering): "Grandpa..."
His voice becomes very quiet. Akos steps back in shock.
Akos: "Grandpa?"
He closes his eyes in deep grief. Jinzo has passed away. Akos walks outside and sits on the stairs, staring at the ground.
"You were the only one who understood me in this world," he says, as the colorful leaves fall silently beside him.
END OF FLASHBACK
Akos is in total shock, filled with sorrow. He looks at the small cat, realizing it was no coincidence. It felt as if his grandfather's spirit was right there, guiding him through the eyes of the stray.