A Voice from the Depths
«Time Remaining: 09:59»
Thalen did not move.
He stood there...
Like a statue carved from stone.
His eyes remained open.
Yet the life within them had vanished.
And everyone...
Could only stare at the scene in disbelief.
The strongest man in the world...
Had fallen.
Kaizen smiled.
Then slowly descended the steps of his throne.
"So..."
His gaze settled upon Thalen.
"This is what the world looks like without you."
He raised a hand.
And in the next instant—
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The entire capital shook violently.
The western section of the walls collapsed.
Thousands screamed in terror.
"The monsters have entered the city!!"
"Evacuate the civilians!!"
"They've broken through the defenses!!"
Kaizen, however...
Didn't even bother looking toward the city.
Because he had another target.
Tsukiro.
---
The leader of Gaya stepped forward.
"I won't allow—"
His words stopped abruptly.
Because Kaizen was suddenly standing before him.
No one had seen him move.
Tsukiro's eyes widened.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
"So fast..."
But it was already too late.
Kaizen seized his right arm.
Then, in a calm voice, he asked:
"There is something I've always wanted to ask you."
Tsukiro stared at him in silence.
"How did Solar feel..."
Kaizen's smile disappeared.
"...when he sealed a king?"
And in the very next moment—
BOOOOOOM!!
Blood scattered across the hall.
Tsukiro's severed arm fell to the ground.
Silence.
Then—
"Supreme Leader!!"
Akuro rushed forward.
Kaya followed.
Then Takeshi.
But all of them stopped.
Because a terrifying pressure erupted from Kaizen's body.
"Stay where you are."
Everyone froze.
Tsukiro looked down at his severed arm in silence.
Then he spoke.
"So..."
"You still carry that hatred."
Kaizen smiled.
"Hatred?"
He leaned closer to Tsukiro's ear.
"I've waited hundreds of years for this day."
---
Elsewhere...
Levi drew his sword.
"You bastard!"
He vanished.
Only to reappear directly above Kaizen.
"I won't stand by and do nothing again!"
He brought his blade down with all his might.
But...
Kaizen caught the sword between two fingers.
"You."
He looked at him.
"That boy's rival."
Levi gritted his teeth.
"His name is Jinsu."
"I didn't ask for his name."
Then—
He kicked Levi in the chest.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
Levi's body tore through three walls before crashing into the ruins.
"LEVI!!"
Kenji moved in the next instant.
"This time..."
"I won't lose!"
He struck.
Then again.
And again.
Dozens of blows.
But...
Not a single one connected.
Kaizen remained where he stood.
Dodging everything effortlessly.
"Slower."
"Weaker."
"And dumber."
Then he raised a finger.
And flicked Kenji on the forehead.
For Kenji...
The world stopped.
In the next moment—
He found himself buried deep within the floor of the great hall.
---
"Damn it..."
Akuro muttered.
"How did he become this powerful in such a short amount of time?"
Gerudo laughed.
"Become stronger?"
His eyes swept across the battlefield.
"You truly understand nothing."
He pointed toward Kaizen.
"Our king does not become stronger."
"He's merely returning to what he once was."
Silence.
And for the first time...
Everyone realized they were not fighting a monster.
They were facing a catastrophe.
---
Then...
Kaizen stopped walking.
His gaze fell upon the figure standing behind the frozen Thalen.
Yuna.
She was trembling.
Yet she had not run away.
"So..."
He slowly approached her.
"There you are."
Yuna lowered her eyes.
Kaizen stopped directly before her.
"You know..."
He placed a hand over his chest.
"I always wondered..."
"What kept that boy moving forward?"
Silence.
Then...
He smiled.
"And then I realized."
Slowly, he raised his hand.
"It was you."
Her eyes widened.
"What?"
"You're his weakness."
He stepped closer.
"Every time he wanted to give up..."
His hand pressed against his heart.
"I could feel something pushing him onward."
His voice grew quieter.
"And that something..."
He suddenly grabbed her by the throat.
"...was you."
Her body lifted off the ground.
She began to choke.
"J-Jinsu..."
"No."
He corrected her.
"Kaizen."
"Jinsu no longer exists."
Tears gathered in her eyes.
"You're lying..."
Kaizen's eyes narrowed.
"Hm?"
"I knew it..."
A single tear fell to the floor.
"I knew he was still there."
Silence.
"Jinsu..."
Her voice trembled.
"If you can hear me..."
Kaizen tightened his grip.
"How pathetic."
He leaned closer to her face.
"Do you think he'll return simply because you're calling his name?"
He laughed.
"Even if you scream until your voice tears apart..."
"He won't hear you."
Then he whispered:
"And even if he does..."
"There's nothing he can do."
Yuna closed her eyes.
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Please..."
"Come back."
Silence.
"I know you're still in there."
Kaizen's hand stopped.
"..."
He frowned.
"What?"
He tried to tighten his grip.
But his fingers...
Wouldn't move.
His eyes widened.
"What is—"
His hand began to tremble.
Then...
He heard a voice.
A voice he knew all too well.
«"Let her go."»
Time itself seemed to stop.
«"I said..."
"Let her go."»
For the first time since his return...
The smile disappeared from Kaizen's face.
"You..."
Yuna's eyes widened.
Because the hand choking her...
Was trembling more and more.
Then she fell to the ground.
Kaizen staggered several steps backward.
One hand clutching his head.
"Impossible..."
Suddenly, he screamed:
«"You bastard!!"»
The entire hall trembled.
«"Are you still resisting?!"»
And somewhere...
Far beyond that world.
Deep within the depths of Jinsu's mind—
Jinsu slowly opened his eyes.
He lifted his head toward the endless darkness.
And his eyes...
Were no longer the same.
Then, in a calm voice, he said:
«"I told you..."
"I won't let you lay a hand on anyone else."»
And in the final line of the chapter...
For the very first time—
Kaizen's eyes were wide with fear.
«Time Remaining: 05:30»