In the Last Chapter...
Ren effortlessly defeated every assassin who stood in his way while an unknown shadow continued to follow him through the darkness. Meanwhile, Ekai and Akaio finally reached the mysterious floating mountains, where countless people worked together to protect the beautiful paradise above the clouds.
Little did they know that peace was about to end.
---
Present Time
The floating mountains drifted peacefully among the clouds.
Gentle waterfalls poured from the cliffs into the endless sky while colorful flowers danced in the wind. Workers carefully cleaned the stone paths, repaired ancient bridges, and planted new flowers across the floating islands.
Ekai smiled.
"This place is incredible."
Akaio nodded.
"I've never seen so many people working together."
As they continued walking, one of the workers suddenly looked toward Ekai.
His face immediately turned pale.
"H-Hey!"
Another worker turned around.
His eyes widened.
"Run!"
"Everyone, run!"
"The Dark Warriors have come!"
Within seconds, panic spread across the floating mountain.
Families grabbed their children.
Workers dropped their tools.
Everyone began running in every direction.
Ekai quickly raised both hands.
"Wait!"
"No!"
"We aren't Dark Warriors!"
"We're not here to hurt anyone!"
The frightened workers stopped and looked at them more carefully.
One elderly man stepped forward.
"...You're not?"
Ekai shook his head.
"We're travelers."
"We only came to explore."
The old man let out a sigh of relief.
"I... I'm sorry."
"We thought you were someone else."
Before anyone could continue talking...
The peaceful sky suddenly changed.
Dark clouds covered the sun.
A powerful wind swept across the floating mountains.
BOOM!!
A loud explosion echoed across the island.
Everyone looked toward the horizon.
Dozens...
Then hundreds...
Of terrifying dark creatures rose from the clouds and charged toward the floating mountains.
"They're attacking!"
"Protect the villages!"
The peaceful paradise instantly became a battlefield.
Without hesitation...
Ekai rushed forward.
"I'll stop them!"
He leaped into the air and struck the first wave of creatures with incredible speed.
One after another...
The invading entities were knocked back.
Akaio smiled.
"Leave some for me!"
The two warriors fought side by side, protecting the innocent people.
Suddenly...
A powerful presence descended from above.
A massive Demon Captain landed between them.
The ground cracked beneath its feet.
Its glowing eyes locked onto Ekai.
Ekai rushed forward and launched a powerful kick.
But the Demon Captain calmly caught the attack with one hand.
"What?!"
The demon twisted its body and hurled Ekai across the battlefield.
He crashed into the stone ground before quickly standing again.
Akaio's eyes narrowed.
"My turn."
Dark energy surrounded him.
His body transformed into his demonic form.
Black energy burst into the sky.
With a roar, Akaio summoned his enormous war hammer.
"Take this!"
He swung the hammer with all his strength.
The Demon Captain raised one arm.
CRACK!!
The massive hammer shattered into countless fragments.
Before Akaio could react...
The demon struck him with a devastating punch that sent him crashing backward.
Ekai clenched his fists.
"This thing is powerful..."
Golden light suddenly surrounded him.
"My Guardian!"
A giant Guardian began to appear behind him.
"Destroy the Demon Captain!"
Before the Guardian could attack...
Akaio quickly stood and blocked its path.
"No!"
Ekai looked confused.
"Akaio?"
"If your Guardian is destroyed..."
"You'll lose your power."
"We can't risk that."
Ekai slowly lowered his hand.
"...You're right."
Meanwhile...
The Demon Captain slowly raised one arm toward the sky.
Dark energy gathered above its hand.
Clouds spun violently.
Thunder echoed across the heavens.
A gigantic demonic katana slowly formed in the air.
The entire floating mountain trembled.
The wind became stronger with every passing second.
Even the bravest warriors stepped back.
Then...
Everything became silent.
A cold breeze passed through the battlefield.
From the deepest shadow...
A single figure slowly appeared.
One...
Step...
Another...
Step...
The sound of wooden geta echoed across the broken stone.
Every eye turned toward the mysterious swordsman.
A black haori moved gently in the wind.
A wide kasa hat hid his face.
Only his calm, unwavering eyes could be seen beneath the brim.
At his side rested a single katana.
The battlefield itself seemed to fall silent.
One frightened warrior whispered,
"...Who is he?"
Another answered with a trembling voice,
"The King of Combat..."
"The swordsman who mastered both swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat..."
"...Ren."
Ren slowly reached for the handle of his katana.
The blade reflected the dark sky above.
Without saying another word...
He vanished.
A powerful gust of wind swept across the battlefield.
The next instant...
Silver flashes appeared everywhere.
Ren moved faster than anyone could follow.
His sword danced across the battlefield with perfect precision.
Dark creatures were defeated one after another before they could even attack.
Within moments...
The battlefield had completely changed.
Only the Demon Captain remained.
The demon roared and lifted its gigantic demonic katana.
Ren calmly looked at his opponent.
"...You're in my way."
The Demon Captain charged.
Ren stepped forward.
One clean swing.
Silence.
The battlefield froze.
A second later...
The enormous demonic katana split apart.
The Demon Captain collapsed.
No one could believe what they had witnessed.
Ekai and Akaio stood speechless.
Ren calmly walked toward the fallen weapon.
He picked up the strange demonic katana and examined it.
"Hm..."
Without another word, he turned toward Ekai.
His cold eyes met Ekai's.
"I know you possess the Golden Key."
"Give it to me."
Ekai frowned.
"The Golden Key?"
"Why do you want it?"
Ren answered without hesitation.
"I seek the Gate of Kasagito."
"The treasure hidden beyond that gate belongs to whoever reaches it first."
Ekai remained silent for a moment.
Then he smiled.
"So... what's your name?"
"...Ren."
"Nice to meet you, Ren."
Ren looked confused.
"You aren't afraid of me?"
Ekai laughed.
"If you continue working alone..."
"You'll never collect every key."
Ren folded his arms.
"I don't need help."
Akaio crossed his arms with a grin.
"Really?"
"Then how many keys do you have?"
Ren answered honestly.
"...None."
Ekai smiled.
"Exactly."
"We already have the Golden Key."
"If we work together..."
"We'll find the rest much faster."
Ren remained silent.
After thinking for a long moment...
He finally spoke.
"If we succeed..."
"The treasure will be divided equally."
"Fifty percent for you."
"Fifty percent for me."
Ekai smiled and held out his hand.
"Deal."
Ren looked at the offered hand before shaking it.
Their alliance had begun.
Ekai then asked,
"Do you know where the Gate of Kasagito is?"
Ren shook his head.
"No."
"But I know one thing."
"It lies somewhere on a secret island."
"No map shows its location."
"No one knows where it is."
Ekai looked toward the endless ocean below.
"So..."
"It's somewhere across the sea."
Ren nodded.
"Yes."
Akaio smiled excitedly.
"Then we'll search every island if we have to!"
Ekai laughed.
"We'll need a ship."
Ren adjusted his kasa hat.
"Tomorrow."
"We leave at sunrise."
The next morning...
The three warriors purchased a strong sailing ship.
As the sun rose above the ocean, they stood together on the deck.
Ekai looked toward the endless horizon.
Akaio smiled with excitement.
Ren silently stood at the front of the ship, his eyes fixed on the sea.
No one knew what challenges awaited them.
No one knew where the legendary Gate of Kasagito was hidden.
But one thing was certain.
The greatest adventure of their lives had finally begun.
TO BE CONTINUED