The battlefield had fallen silent.

  Kazuki lay motionless, collapsed and drained after the battle of domains. His once-blazing red aura flickered like a dying ember, his breaths shallow, body scorched with strain. Above him, the stars wept light.

  And then…

  He descended.

  A violet rift tore open the sky, spiraling like an eye of divine wrath. From it, Kairyuuha emerged, his boots gently touching the ground with no sound—yet the entire field shook as if the earth itself knelt to his arrival.

  His hair shimmered in cosmic blue, eyes glowing—one crimson, one azure—burning like twin galaxies.

  Everyone stepped back. Instinct took over. The sheer pressure that radiated from him… it wasn’t just mana.

  It was authority.

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  It was power ancient and remembered.

  > “Who is he…?” a soldier whispered.

  > “That’s not just an adventurer…” another choked.

  Whispers began to scatter like wildfire through the armies—crackling in every direction.

  > *“It’s him…”*

  > *“The one from the old war…”*

  > *“The Demon Lord…”*

  Elara fell to her knees, unable to breathe from the pressure. Her wide eyes never left his figure.

  Garron instinctively drew his blade but didn’t raise it.

  > “Is this… the one the prophecies feared?”

  Drake stepped in front of Elara protectively but couldn’t hide the tremble in his hands.

  Rinara appeared behind them, her voice trembling.

  > “Kairyuuha… was never a name in history books. It was erased. I only heard it whispered once in the forbidden archives... as the demon lord of mana.”

  The aura of Kairyuuha pulsed, like a heartbeat felt across space. The armies—be they of guild, kingdom, or rebel—backed away instinctively, leaving a crater of silence around him and Kazuki.

  He gazed down at Kazuki, who lay broken beneath the stars.

  There was no arrogance in his expression. No joy. Only quiet sadness… and rage buried deep.

  > “You fought well… little hero,” Kairyuuha murmured, his voice heard by all though it was barely above a whisper.

  He crouched beside Kazuki and placed two fingers on his forehead—gently, almost like an old friend mourning a fallen comrade.

  And then…

  A radiant pressure crashed down from the heavens.

  Light flooded the sky—six divine pillars descending from the stars.

  The ground split.

  The clouds fled.

  Even the war paused.

  But Kairyuuha stood unfazed, already knowing.

  > “So,” he said, rising to his full height again, violet aura crackling like an unsheathed blade.

  > “You’re finally coming down to clean your mess.”

  His voice dropped.

  > “Come, Custodians.”