Everything… broke.
The flicker in Kai's eyes—
Gone.
The moment of hesitation—
Gone.
The voice inside him?
Won.
The Underlord lifted his head slowly.
"…Enough."
That one word didn't sound loud—
But it shook the entire room.
Kai's body straightened.
No shaking.
No weakness.
No pain.
Like everything that made him human… had been pushed aside.
Axel felt it first.
That pressure.
That presence.
"…Leo," he whispered, fear creeping into his voice, "that's not Kai anymore…"
Leo didn't respond.
Because he knew.
The glow in Kai's eyes burned deeper now.
Not faint.
Not unstable.
Pure.
Cold.
Power.
The Underlord stepped forward.
The ground cracked slightly beneath his foot.
Every step felt… heavy.
Like the world itself was reacting.
The man from rehab finally looked serious.
"Interesting…" he said. "So this is what happens when he loses control."
The Underlord tilted his head slightly.
"You speak… too much."
In an instant—
He moved.
Faster than before.
Faster than anyone could react.
The man barely raised his arm—
Too late.
He was slammed across the room, crashing into the wall with a force that shattered it.
Axel shouted, "KAI STOP!!"
No response.
More guards rushed in—
Weapons firing.
Energy blasts.
Commands shouted.
The Underlord didn't dodge.
Didn't block.
Didn't care.
The blasts hit—
And disappeared.
Like they meant nothing.
"…Pathetic," he said.
He raised his hand—
And everything exploded.
A massive wave of energy burst out.
Walls cracked.
Ceilings shattered.
The entire floor shook violently.
Guards were thrown like paper.
Weapons crushed.
Glass turned to dust.
Axel and Leo were pushed back hard, barely staying on their feet.
"This is bad—this is REALLY bad!" Axel shouted.
Leo grabbed his arm. "We need to stop him or he'll destroy everything!"
But how do you stop something…
That isn't human anymore?
The Underlord stood in the center of destruction.
Calm.
Untouched.
Unstoppable.
"…This world," he said slowly, looking around, "is weak."
His gaze shifted.
To Axel.
To Leo.
For a second—
Everything froze.
"…You matter to him," the Underlord said quietly.
Axel stepped forward despite the fear.
"Yeah… we do," he said. "And he matters to us."
Silence.
Then—
The Underlord walked toward them.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
Axel clenched his fists. "Kai… I know you're in there! Fight it!"
Leo added, "You've fought worse than this! Don't let it take you!"
For one second—
Just one—
The glow flickered.
But then—
It snapped back.
Stronger.
Colder.
Final.
"…He is gone," the Underlord said.
And with that—
He raised his hand toward them.
Energy gathering.
Power building.
Enough to end everything.
Axel didn't move.
Leo didn't run.
Because if this was the end—
They weren't leaving him.
Inside—
Deep inside—
Kai screamed.
But no one heard it.
Outside—
The Underlord unleashed the power.
And the world…
Shattered.