Kyoketsu no hikari [ English ]

Several seconds passed...

But Kaizen did not move.

He continued to stare at Jinsu.

At those eyes that no longer held despair.

For a reason he could not understand...

He felt irritated.

"..."

For the first time in a very long time...

He didn't like the way someone was looking at him.

As for Jinsu...

He had already returned to silence.

As though Kaizen's presence no longer meant anything to him.

"Hm..."

Kaizen slowly approached him.

"Are you trying to provoke me?"

No answer.

"Or have you finally lost your mind?"

Nothing.

Kaizen lowered his gaze.

Then smiled.

"Very well."

"We still have plenty of time."

The place vanished.

And Kaizen disappeared.

Leaving Jinsu alone.

But this time...

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He did not close his eyes.

---

In the outside world...

Within that hidden realm...

Kaizen stood atop the highest tower of Yami no Enma.

The entire world lay beneath his feet.

Cities.

Armies.

Thousands of followers.

And only four months...

Had been enough to build all of this.

One of his men appeared behind him and knelt.

"My Lord."

"Speak."

"We have reached the required number."

Silence.

"And what is our total now?"

"Four thousand, eight hundred and ninety-two."

Kaizen closed his eyes.

"Still too few."

The man trembled.

"But, my Lord... we've surpassed all our expectations."

Kaizen turned toward him.

"Do you believe I am building an organization?"

The man's body froze as sweat rolled down his face.

"N-No, my Lord."

Kaizen lifted his gaze toward the black sky.

"I am building a world."

Silence.

"And a world does not require thousands."

"It requires millions."

---

At that same time...

Inside Gaya Headquarters.

Tsukiro stood before the window of his office.

"How many?"

A member of Gaya knelt on one knee.

"Twelve villages."

Tsukiro's hand stopped.

"What?"

"Twelve more villages disappeared during the past week."

He closed his eyes.

"Did they leave anything behind?"

"Yes."

The man placed a piece of paper upon the table.

Tsukiro looked down at it.

Written upon it were the words:

«"Tell the world..."

"That the King has awakened."»

Silence.

Then Tsukiro slowly opened his eyes.

"Call Thalen."

A few minutes later...

Thalen entered the room.

He looked at the paper.

His expression did not change.

"So, it has begun."

Tsukiro raised his head.

"Do you know what he's doing?"

Thalen answered without hesitation.

"He's gathering followers."

"And why?"

Silence lingered for several seconds.

Then he spoke.

"Because Kaizen does not wish to destroy the world."

"He wishes to rule it."

The entire room froze.

And for the first time...

Tension appeared on Tsukiro's face.

"If what you're saying is true..."

He paused.

"Then we are not facing a catastrophe."

His voice grew quieter.

"We are witnessing the beginning of an era."

---

Elsewhere...

Yuna stood before a symbolic grave.

A grave with no body.

Only a single name.

Nairobi.

She stared at it in silence.

Then sat down before it.

"I miss you, big brother..."

"Jinsu was taken from us."

She lowered her gaze.

"It's been four months since then."

No one answered.

"You know?"

A sad smile appeared on her face.

"Kenji trains harder than ever."

"And Levi still insists he'll be the one to defeat Jinsu."

Her voice softened.

"As for me..."

Silence.

"I'm still waiting for him."

She placed her hand over the engraved name.

"So..."

She closed her eyes.

"I just hope he comes back."

---

Far away...

Levi swung his sword thousands of times.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Until blood began dripping from his hands.

Yet he did not stop.

"Jinsu..."

His blade halted for a brief moment.

"Don't die."

"Because I still haven't defeated you."

Then he raised his sword once more.

"If you ever return..."

"I'll be the first to stand before you."

---

At the end of the chapter...

The scene returned to Kaizen.

He stood before a colossal black gate within the hidden world.

It was larger than anything his followers had ever seen.

Then, calmly, he spoke:

"Open it."

Everyone trembled.

"My Lord... are you certain?"

Kaizen smiled.

"The time has come."

The massive gate slowly began to open.

And the moment the first crack appeared...

A spiritual pressure erupted from within, forcing thousands of followers onto their knees.

Kaizen's eyes widened.

Then, for the first time since his disappearance...

He smiled.

"Awaken."

"Your King has returned."

And everyone stopped breathing.

Because something...

Had begun to emerge from beyond the gate.