The demons began to leave.
Kondo's blood had already spilled from his body, staining the ground around him crimson. His head was turned toward Lawine, his lifeless eyes frozen in place.
Kondo was dead.
At least, he should have been.
Yet something strange began happening inside his body.
The green magical energy within him started to glow. However, an unknown force seemed to pull it toward itself. The torch-like green energy drifted through the air like smoke, flowing toward something unseen.
Tiny particles of light separated from the energy and began circling around a single point.
More and more particles gathered.
They spun faster.
Brighter.
Until the entire mass of energy transformed into countless glowing particles revolving around one object.
A black hole.
At the place where Kondo's heart should have been, black smoke suddenly began to emerge.
The smoke crawled along his arms.
It reached his fingers.
Then his fingers twitched.
The smoke continued downward from his chest to his legs, swallowing them completely. Slowly, it forced Kondo's body upright.
However, lacking balance, the upper half of his body remained bent backward unnaturally, like a broken puppet being pulled by invisible strings.
The smoke continued its journey.
It climbed from his legs to his back, then reached his head.
Finally, it straightened him completely.
His eyes still stared toward the ground.
There was no expression on his face.
No life.
Only a cold, dead stare.
The six demons were already walking away when Yina suddenly glanced over her shoulder.
Her steps came to a halt.
"Oy, Yirina," she called out. "You killed that kid, didn't you?"
Without turning around, Yirina replied,
"Yeah. Now let's get out of here."
Yina's eyes narrowed.
Then she shouted,
"Then why is that kid standing?"
The moment those words left her mouth, everyone stopped.
The five demons turned around.
And there he was.
Kondo.
Standing.
Black smoke covered most of his body. It coiled around him like a living shadow, leaving only parts of his chest and face visible.
For the first time, disbelief appeared in Yirina's eyes.
"Impossible..." Yokzo muttered. "I can't sense his presence at all. Then how is he standing?"
A faint smile appeared on Yirina's lips.
"I'd like to know that too."
As she spoke, the black smoke rose from Kondo's waist and completely swallowed him.
His entire body transformed.
Pitch black.
As though he had become the smoke itself.
Only two tiny white dots remained visible.
His eyes.
The six demons stared at the black figure's transformation.
Yirina suddenly shouted,
"Who are you?!"
Her eyes narrowed.
"You're not the child I killed just moments ago."
The black-smoke figure gave no response.
It simply stood there in silence.
Watching.
Waiting.
Yirina frowned and glanced at the others.
"No one attacks first," she ordered. "We'll observe and figure out what that thing is."
Her gaze returned to the black figure.
"Because the child I killed is already dead."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Everyone except Dolt.
Dolt scoffed and folded his arms.
"What? Is a dead kid supposed to kill us now?"
He looked toward the black figure and blinked.
The moment his eyes opened again—
Kondo was gone.
Dolt froze.
His eyes darted left and right.
"What—?"
Before anyone could react, Kondo was already standing beside Yirina.
Yirina's eyes slowly shifted downward toward him.
Kondo calmly extended his hand.
Then touched her.
For a brief moment, nothing happened.
Then a terrifying force exploded through her body.
Yirina's eyes widened.
Before she could even react, the impact hurled her backward.
She dug her feet into the ground, desperately trying to stop herself, but she continued sliding across the earth.
"Yirina!"
Yina immediately rushed forward and threw a punch at Kondo.
But before her fist could reach him—
Kondo appeared behind her.
He lightly touched her back.
The next instant, Yina vanished into the ground as if an invisible giant had slammed her downward.
The earth cracked apart around the point of impact.
Dolt's expression finally changed.
Without hesitation, he thrust his hand forward.
At once, dozens of massive tentacles erupted from the ground and lunged toward Kondo.
Yet Kondo didn't seem threatened at all.
He casually stepped around them.
Then black smoke spread across the ground beneath him.
The charging tentacles instantly sank into the darkness as though they had fallen into a bottomless swamp.
Within seconds, they disappeared completely.
Dolt's eyes widened.
"What?!"
His voice trembled.
"He nullified my magic?"
Kondo paid him no attention.
Instead, he suddenly appeared before Yokzo.
His hand reached out.
Just one touch away.
But Yokzo remained calm.
"Sorry," he said. "But you won't be touching me."
His body vanished.
In the next instant, he reappeared dozens of meters away.
Yet before Yokzo could even steady himself—
Kondo was already standing there.
Waiting.
Yokzo pupils shrank.
Impossible...
Is he moving faster than light itself?
Before the thought could finish forming, Kondo's fist slammed into his stomach.
BOOM!
The impact launched Yokzo across the battlefield.
He shot through the air like a cannonball before disappearing into the distance.
Kondo slowly raised his hand.
Black smoke flowed from his arm and drifted toward the floating box suspended in the air.
The darkness wrapped around it.
Crushed it.
And shattered it completely.
The moment the box broke apart, the barrier surrounding the area collapsed.
Kondo lowered his hand.
Not far away, Yeld and Yonk silently watched everything unfold.
Yeld scratched his cheek.
"So..."
He glanced toward Kondo.
"How long do you think it'll take us to kill that kid?"
Yonk shifted his gaze toward him.
"Depends."
His expression remained calm.
"On how strong he really is."
At that moment, Yirina walked back toward them.
Dust covered her clothes, but the smile on her face remained.
"You got one thing right," she said.
"He's stronger than we expected."
She raised her hand.
A sword materialized within her grasp.
Dolt looked toward her.
"Don't tell me you're actually going to fight that kid yourself."
A smirk spread across Yirina's face.
"Of course."
Her eyes locked onto Kondo.
"After all..."
The smirk widened.
"He just threw me five hundred meters away."
The moment she finished speaking, Yirina was already in front of Kondo.
Her sword flashed toward his neck.
Just before the blade could reach him, a black sword materialized in Kondo's hand. Steel collided with steel.
CLANG!
The impact exploded outward, tearing chunks of earth from the ground behind them.
A smile spread across Yirina's face.
Then something strange happened.
Kondo suddenly let out a scream.
The sound sent a chill down Yirina's spine.
It wasn't merely loud—it felt as though the scream itself was clawing at her soul, threatening to tear it apart.
Instinctively, she stepped back.
And then, for the first time, the black-smoke being laughed.
A harsh, distorted laugh echoed across the battlefield, so grating it felt capable of rupturing eardrums.
"Wohahaha..."
Yirina pointed her sword at him.
"Stop that ugly laugh of yours and fight."
The instant those words left her mouth, Kondo shot forward.
His black blade came crashing down.
Yirina raised her sword and blocked.
A violent shockwave erupted from the collision, powerful enough to knock over nearby trees.
Kondo continued his assault relentlessly.
In a deep, distorted voice, he mocked her.
"What's wrong? You wanted a fight, didn't you? Then why are you backing away now...? Wohahaha..."
A vein bulged on Yirina's forehead.
"You filthy monster! Stop laughing!"
She swung her sword at his head.
Kondo effortlessly dodged and drove his fist into her stomach.
The blow sent Yirina sliding backward across the ground.
She quickly stabbed her sword into the earth to stop herself.
After carving a long trench behind her, she finally came to a halt and stood up again.
Suddenly, the ground burst apart.
Yina emerged from beneath it, brushing dirt from her clothes.
"Damn you! Who the hell sends someone that deep underground? For a moment, I thought I'd reached the planet's core."
She looked ahead.
Yirina stood with her sword in hand.
Opposite her was Kondo, holding a black sword that continuously released streams of dark smoke.
Without thinking twice, Yina charged straight at him.
The moment she entered his range, Kondo slowly turned his head toward her.
"Wohahaha..."
That dreadful laugh echoed once more.
At that instant, Yina felt it.
The sensation of Kondo's sword piercing straight through her body.
Her eyes widened.
She immediately leapt backward.
One hand instinctively grabbed her stomach.
For the first time in a very long while, she felt something she had nearly forgotten.
Fear.
Before she could speak, Yokzo appeared beside her.
"What you saw wasn't an illusion," he said.
Yina glanced at him.
"You merely witnessed your own future after getting close to him."
Even Yokzo's expression had become serious.
"I'm surprised myself. The longer this fight continues... the stronger that boy becomes."
Yina slowly nodded.
Biting her thumb nervously, she muttered,
"...Yeah. You're right."
A moment later, Yokzo teleported beside Yirina.
She glanced at him.
"What is it?"
"We need to end this quickly," Yokzo replied.
"That boy is becoming stronger with every passing second."
Yirina looked toward Kondo.
"Tch. Seriously? I was just starting to enjoy myself."
She sighed.
"Fine."
Then she raised her voice.
"Hey, kid! Looks like you can talk now. Before you die, at least tell us your name."
Kondo laughed.
"Wohahaha... my name?"
He tossed his black sword into the air.
The blade spun once before dropping neatly back into his hand.
He pointed it directly at Yirina.
"I have no name."
His white eyes gleamed within the darkness.
"I am merely the King's servant."
The next instant—
He was standing right in front of her.
"Woohoo!"
Yirina barely managed to block his strike.
At the same time, Yokzo summoned a sword and attacked from the side.
Kondo casually caught Yokzo's blade with one hand.
Then he looked at both of them and laughed.
"Wohahaha... What's wrong? Have the two of you become so weak that you can't even stop me anymore?"
Instead of answering, Yokzo smiled.
Suddenly, the sword trapped in Kondo's hand began to change.
Its metal softened.
It became something resembling jelly.
The strange substance spread from the blade onto Kondo's arm like a living creature.
Within seconds it wrapped around his entire body.
The slime expanded, swallowing him whole.
Yokzo folded his arms.
"You continue to surprise me."
A confident smile appeared on his face.
"This is Slime Acid."
"Let's see how long you survive inside it."
Kondo stared at them from inside the mass of slime and let out a low, distorted chuckle.
"You think... this can stop me?"
Slowly, he raised a hand.
"Then watch my magic."
The moment he stretched his hand forward, the acidic slime began to move.
Like water being pulled into a drain, the entire mass flowed toward his palm.
Yokzo's confident expression froze.
The acid streamed into Kondo's hand and vanished.
Then, before anyone could react, Kondo consumed it all.
Every last drop.
The slime that should have melted flesh and bone disappeared completely.
Yirina immediately rushed forward.
Her sword flashed toward him.
CLANG!
Kondo blocked the attack with his black blade.
"Wohahaha... what's wrong?" he mocked in a deep, distorted voice. "Have you already lost your motivation to kill me?"
With a single swing, he forced Yirina backward.
Far away from the battlefield, Dolt watched everything unfold alongside Yeld and Yonk.
Damn it...
His expression darkened.
What kind of power is this? It just refuses to lose.
Unable to hold himself back any longer, he turned toward the other two.
"Hey, aren't you going to help them?"
Yonk glanced at him as if he had said something stupid.
"Are you really that much of an idiot?"
His voice carried open annoyance.
"The two of us fought that insane entity before."
He raised a finger, showing the ring on it.
"As long as these rings remain on our hands, we can't use our true power."
Meanwhile, the battle continued.
Kondo casually dodged one of Yokzo's sword strikes.
At the same time, Yina rushed in from behind, throwing a barrage of punches.
Without even turning around, Kondo evaded every single one.
Then he swung his black sword.
A massive wave of black smoke erupted from the blade.
The ground split apart as the attack surged toward Yina like a living disaster.
Yina's instincts screamed at her.
She immediately leaped backward, barely escaping before the black smoke tore through the place where she had been standing.
At that exact moment, Yirina moved.
She deflected Kondo's attack and seized the opening.
Her hand shot toward his chest.
But something strange happened.
Her arm passed straight through him.
As though there was nothing inside his body at all.
The instant contact was made—
A memory flashed before her eyes.
She was sitting on the ground.
Her entire body was covered in bandages.
Countless wounds marked her skin.
One of her horns was broken.
Cradled in her arms was a small child.
A crying child with two large horns.
Then a voice echoed beside her.
"This is my final fragment."
"Take good care of him."
Yirina looked down at the child.
The boy continued crying while clutching her clothes.
"Yirina!"
Yokzo suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her backward.
The memory shattered instantly.
"Where did you disappear to?" he shouted.
"You could've been killed just now!"
Yirina blinked several times before finally returning to reality.
Kondo watched them with amusement.
"Wohahaha..."
The distorted laugh echoed across the battlefield.
"What's wrong?"
His white eyes narrowed.
"Are you scared already?"
"The game has only just begun."
Yirina frowned.
"I don't know..."
She looked toward Yokzo.
"I just saw a memory."
"A memory where I was there... but I don't remember any of it."
Yokzo glanced at Kondo.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
His expression hardened.
"But before that, we need to defeat him."
His hand moved toward the ring on his finger.
"I'm taking this ring off."
His voice grew colder.
"I can't tolerate this thing any longer."
Yirina immediately shook her head.
"No. Wait."
Yokzo looked at her.
"Let's try one last time."
"If we still can't defeat him..."
His fingers tightened around the ring.
"Then we'll remove them."
Yina stepped forward beside them, cracking her knuckles.
A fierce grin spread across her face.
"Fine."
"Let's do it."
Only moments later, Yina was already charging.
Her fist shot toward Kondo's face.
Kondo calmly blocked it with his sword.
At the same time, Yirina appeared from the side, her blade descending toward him.
Before either attack could connect—
Kondo jumped backward.
A twisted grin formed on his face.
"This is so much fun..."
A deep, distorted laugh followed.
"Wohahaha..."
Suddenly, Yirina planted her foot forward and swung her sword from the ground all the way toward the heavens.
"Elza."
The moment the name left her lips, a terrifying crimson slash erupted from her blade.
The earth split apart beneath its path.
The air itself seemed to tear open, dyed blood-red as the attack surged forward like a raging tide.
Everything in its way was swallowed by its overwhelming force.
The crimson wave raced straight toward Kondo.
Kondo raised his black sword and attempted to block it.
The instant the two powers collided—
BOOOOM!
A deafening explosion shook the battlefield.
Even so, the attack didn't stop.
It drove Kondo backward, dragging him across the ground for hundreds of meters.
The earth shattered beneath his feet as he was pushed farther and farther away.
When the attack finally faded, Kondo was still standing.
Not a single visible wound covered his body.
Then he threw his head back and laughed.
"Wohahaha...!"
His deep, distorted voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Is that all?"
Still laughing, he began walking forward.
Then—
His foot bumped into something.
Kondo paused.
Slowly, he looked down.
Lying there was Lawine's corpse.
Silent.
Motionless.
Exactly where she had fallen.
For a brief moment, Kondo simply stared at her.
Then he raised his gaze toward the demons.
"Fine."
His voice remained cold.
"Let's end this game quickly."
But at that very moment—
A crack appeared across the black smoke covering one side of his face.
Like glass shattering.
More cracks spread through the darkness.
The black smoke trembled.
Then a voice spoke.
"...Looks like the King has awakened."
The cracked half of the smoke began peeling away.
Beneath it, part of Kondo's real face became visible.
His gaze returned to Lawine.
And when he spoke again—
His voice was no longer distorted.
It was trembling.
Broken.
Filled with grief.
"Please... stop..."
Tears welled in his eyes.
"I just want to go see my mom and dad..."
For a moment, the battlefield fell silent.
Then the other half of his face—the side still covered by black smoke—twisted into a cruel grin.
Its voice emerged as a low, monstrous growl.
"Go see your mom and dad?"
It laughed mockingly.
"Worthless loser."
The darkness around it writhed violently.
"Just go back to sleep for a little longer."
The white eyes within the smoke narrowed.
"I'll kill every single one of them..."
Its grin widened.
"And take your revenge for you."
Kondo slowly dropped to his knees beside Lawine's body.
His gaze never left her motionless face.
"...I don't want revenge."
The words came out quietly, almost like a child pleading to be left alone.
The black smoke covering the other half of his face immediately twisted in irritation.
"Ahh... would you just shut up already?"
The darkness writhed violently.
"Just hand this body over to me."
Not far away, Yirina and Yokzo had heard the entire exchange.
Yokzo narrowed his eyes.
"This is our chance."
Yirina glanced at him before letting out a small sigh.
"Honestly..."
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"I was actually enjoying this."
Then she lowered the sword she had been using.
"Fine."
Her gaze settled on Kondo.
"We'll end this game here."
Yina folded her arms and snorted.
"End the game?"
She cracked her knuckles.
"Then hurry up. Otherwise, I'll finish it myself."
Yirina ignored her.
She stretched out her hand.
A new sword materialized within her grasp.
Unlike her previous weapon, this one possessed an elegant butterfly-shaped hilt.
She held the sword upright before her.
Then, with her other hand, she grabbed the blade itself.
The edge immediately cut into her palm.
Blood flowed down her hand and spread across the steel.
Yet she didn't let go.
Instead, she tightened her grip.
Crimson blood slowly coated the blade.
Then she whispered a single name.
"Aka-Shi."
The moment those words left her lips, intricate patterns began appearing across the sword.
The blood was absorbed into those markings.
One by one, the patterns lit up.
A crimson glow spread throughout the entire blade.
The pressure radiating from it caused the surrounding air to tremble.
Yirina released the blade.
Then she moved.
In a single instant, she appeared before Kondo.
The glowing crimson sword shot toward his neck.
Kondo raised his head.
His eyes widened slightly.
The blade was already there.
Close enough to cut through him.
Close enough to kill him.
Then—
Everything stopped.
The world froze.
The leaves drifting through the air halted.
The wind vanished.
Even the dust suspended above the battlefield became motionless.
Silence swallowed everything.
Kondo stared ahead.
Yirina stood frozen in place.
Her crimson sword remained suspended mere inches from his throat.
Nothing moved.
Nothing breathed.
Then a voice reached his ears.
"Do demons truly have no hearts?"
Kondo blinked.
Slowly, he turned around.
Behind him stood a black figure.
Its body was cloaked in black smoke, much like the darkness covering Kondo himself.
Yet something about it felt different.
Older.
Far older.
Its feet touched the frozen ground as it calmly walked toward him.
The entity glanced at the motionless demons.
"It seems they feel no pity."
Its gaze swept across the battlefield.
"Whether the victim is a small child..."
The voice remained calm.
"...or an old man."
Kondo silently watched the strange being approach.
After a moment, he finally asked,
"Who are you?"
The entity stopped.
For a few seconds, it genuinely seemed to think about the question.
"Who am I...?"
A faint smile appeared beneath the darkness.
"What a troublesome thing to answer."
It looked up at the frozen sky.
"I have been called by countless names."
Then its gaze returned to Kondo.
"But people usually call me by only two."
The smile deepened.
"God."
A brief pause followed.
Then the second name echoed through the frozen world.
"Or..."
"Sanatan."