[Chp 16] The End is Here, and the Beginning Awaits

The throne room doors groaned open with a slow, echoing creak—dust shaking from their ancient hinges as warm daylight poured in from behind the silhouette that stood in the doorway. The guards tensed, unsure of who dared enter unannounced. Their hands drifted toward their weapons… until a single figure stepped forward. Boots tapped steadily against marble, each step sharp and deliberate. A breeze from outside followed him in, stirring the long crimson banners hanging from the ceiling. His presence was calm, but commanding—his aura not flaring, but felt. Kaku, seated atop his throne of obsidian and silver, leaned forward as if drawn by instinct. His eyes narrowed as they locked onto the figure now fully illuminated by the light. The hair—no longer long and wild—was cropped short, styled into sharp tufts like windswept blades. His outfit was streamlined and unfamiliar: dark battle robes lined in crimson, sleeved and refined, molded to his matured frame. A thin scar crossed the bridge of his nose, barely visible. But it was the eyes—steady, smoldering, evolved—that held Kaku’s focus. “…Zero,” Kaku said quietly, the name heavy with meaning. Zero paused at the base of the throne steps. His head tilted slightly. “You say it like I wasn’t coming back.” Kaku’s gaze darkened briefly, voice steady but edged with the weight of what he witnessed. “You were gone for two years.” Zero blinked. “Two years?” A pause. Then a slow shake of his head. “No… that can’t be right. It’s been eight. Eight years… in the Hollow Realm.” A heavy silence settled over the throne room. Even the wind seemed to still. Kaku’s eyes softened, a flicker of pain and respect crossing his features. “Time moves differently there. I’ve known that for some time.” Zero exhaled, thoughtful. “I thought the sun felt strange.” The two locked eyes—not as ruler and subject, but as men shaped by trials beyond reckoning. Kaku nodded slowly, the weight of unspoken respect between them. The boy he once knew was gone. This was someone else entirely. “Well… you’ve probably noticed,” Zero said, his voice calm but firm. “I’ve changed—physically, mentally… and in terms of power.” He took a step forward, eyes steady. “Kaku,” he said, his tone respectful but resolute. “I want to challenge you to a duel. Nothing serious—just a clash. One rule: no killing.” Kaku blinked, caught off guard by the request. “A duel?” he echoed, as if the word itself felt foreign coming from Zero. His gaze drifted over the young man before him—short-haired, calm-eyed, carrying a presence far more grounded than before. There was no arrogance in his tone… only intent. “You return after two years of silence… step into my throne room like a shadow from the past… and the first thing you ask is for a duel?” Kaku said, incredulous. “You’ve truly changed…” For a moment, Kaku said nothing more. His hands curled slightly at his sides—an old instinct stirring. Then, with a quiet breath, his expression softened, though his voice remained firm. “Very well,” he said at last. “If this is what you seek… then I’ll face you.” He took a step forward, eyes narrowing, not with hostility—but with wonder. “Let’s see how Zen has made of you, Zero.” Zero’s start emitting a red aura glow, “Kokai...” crimson flames erupted around Zero, his form shifting in a flash. His outfit darkened into a sleek black jacket and crimson sash, heat radiating from him as his eyes burned brighter. “Now what is this?” Kaku asked, “It’s something called Kokai,” Zero said, his voice calm yet edged with heat. “I can access it using my own Spiritual Energy—or Zen’s G Energy. But with G Energy…” He exhaled slowly, flames flickering at his fingertips. “It becomes something far greater.” He raised his hand as particles of G Energy swirled, gathering and crackling with force. “Blade black as midnight…” he muttered. The energy pulsed violently, surging outward. “A blade meant for death…” The air trembled as the energy exploded into shape—fiery and unstable. “Shinku… The Blade of Hell’s Guardian!” In his grasp, the black blade materialized—alive with power, its edge humming with lethal intent. He then raised his hand across his face and moved it down forming his hollow mask. “Now I’m ready… I won’t hold back, you know!” Kaku’s voice dropped into a deeper, more primal tone as a faint blue aura began to swirl around him. The air turned frigid, frost webbing across the ground beneath his feet. His body began to grow—not hulking, but broader, more defined. Muscles tensed and expanded, his frame towering slightly taller with every second, radiating a cold-blooded might. His nails sharpened into translucent, curved claws that shimmered like sculpted ice, extending from his fingertips with a chilling crack. Jagged ice-dragon scales began to push through his skin, spreading across his arms, shoulders, and neck in layers of glacial armor—each scale edged like frozen obsidian. From his back, with a thunderous snap, two massive wings erupted—each one nearly twice his height, webbed with a membrane of dark, icy blue that glowed from within like moonlight through glacial ice. The bones were ridged with frost-tipped spikes, and as the wings spread wide, snowflakes spiraled into the air around him. His spine shifted, and from his lower back burst a long dragon tail, plated with scale ridges and ending in a brutal, spiked tip. It slammed into the ground with a heavy crash, cracking the stone floor beneath them. Frost immediately spread out from the impact. Two sleek, curved horns grew from either side of his head, arching slightly backward like an ancient wyrm's crown. His hair turned snowy white, flowing slightly with the cold wind that now encircled him. His face remained human, but beneath it, there was no mistaking the draconic ferocity. Kaku’s eyes blazed like twin glaciers, locked on Zero with predatory focus. “Draconic Hybrid Form… Awakened.” The entire throne room quaked slightly under the pressure of his presence—an apex predator cloaked in ancient, elemental power. “Come at me with your best shot!” Kaku roared, wings flaring behind him like a storm. Zero narrowed his eyes, gripping Shinku tighter. In a blur, he leapt into the air—soaring high above the throne room. His eyes locked on Kaku below… but in the blink of an eye—nothing. Then—CRACK! A massive tail slammed into him from the side, catching him mid-air. The force sent Zero crashing into the ceiling, stone and ice exploding around him before he was launched even higher, completely blindsided. Zero spat blood out of his mouth, Kaku reappeared behind Zero in a flash—his massive tail whipping forward again and slamming into Zero’s back. The impact launched him downward like a meteor, crashing through the castle roof and smashing into the stone floor below. Zero groaned, driving Shinku into the ground to slow his momentum. He pushed himself up, dust and rubble falling from his shoulders. “Damn it, Zen… you didn’t tell me Kaku was part dragon,” Zero muttered, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. Zen’s voice echoed coolly in his mind. “Yeah, well… you’re not even using your full power.” “Oh, shush up…I’m just getting started you know?” Zero picked himself up, dust and rubble falling from his shoulders. “Instinct Veil…” he muttered. His eyes shimmered with a faint, eerie blue as time briefly distorted around him. For a heartbeat, the world slowed—his gaze piercing seconds into the future. A sly smirk curled across his face. In a blink, Ashen Step—a blur of motion and smoke—he vanished. He reappeared behind Kaku, his blade already drawn back, crackling violently with G-energy. “SHINKU ZETSUHA!!” A massive crimson crescent of energy erupted from his blade, sharp and burning like hellfire. It wasn’t just a wave—it roared like a demon’s cry, layered with spiraling streams of black-red particles. The sheer force bent the air, carving a glowing arc through the battlefield as it surged toward Kaku’s back. The ground split beneath it, the very stone scorched and fractured in its wake. The slash left behind a glowing red trail, humming with chaotic energy as embers rained down like falling stars. Zero’s body crackled with raw energy as he soared higher into the sky, the clouds parting before him. His arm shot upward, fingers clawing at the very heavens as a blazing crimson light spiraled around him. “From the endless skies… from the depths of the cosmos…” Zero’s voice thundered, echoing across the battlefield. A swirling sphere of molten fire and crackling energy formed above his palm, pulsating with ancient power. “I call upon the wrath of the stars… the falling flame that shatters worlds!” With a fierce roar, he thrust his arm forward, releasing the blazing orb into the sky. “DRACO METEOR!” The meteor streaked downward like a blazing comet, trailing sparks and roaring flames—an unstoppable force hurtling straight toward Kaku. Kaku smirked, eyes gleaming with cold confidence. “Kamui…” he whispered. A swirling spiral vortex materialized around him, pulling him in like a whirlwind. In the blink of an eye, Kaku vanished—only to reappear directly in front of the blazing meteor. “Sorry, Zero…” he said calmly, palm extending forward as the same spiraling vortex formed there. “KAMUI DIMENSIONAL RIFT!” The vortex sucked the meteor with fierce force, distorting the air as it began to unravel and tear the fiery projectile apart. The meteor shattered, its flames extinguished by Kaku’s mysterious dimensional power. Zero’s eyes snapped open, blazing with fierce determination—like burning coals in the darkest night. Time seemed to slow, the very air thickening with raw energy. Zen’s voice thundered inside his mind, a commanding roar that shook his soul. “Use it! The power you forged beyond limits, the force born from agony and fire. You were made for this. No more holding back— UNLEASH IT!” A surge of crimson energy erupted around Zero, igniting the very air and setting the sky ablaze as the world trembled under the weight of his awakening. Shadows collided with light in a violent dance—black and white flames spiraling upward like twin storms locked in eternal battle. Zero’s body blurred, dissolving into a shifting silhouette cloaked in roaring fire. His hair whipped wildly, now a cascade of flame and smoke flickering between deep obsidian and pure white. His eyes ignited—one a burning abyss, the other a searing blaze—piercing through the chaos with fierce determination. The ground cracked beneath him as the flames surged outward, ripping the air apart with their raw power. His cloak erupted behind him in a tempest of black and white fire, swirling and snapping like living smoke caught in a gale. In his hand, Shinku flared to life, no longer just a blade but a roaring inferno of balanced fury—a massive sword forged from the union of shadow and light, pulsating with unstoppable energy. As the flames roared to life, Zero’s entire being shifted into something otherworldly. His hair ignited into wild, flickering flames, cascading like a storm of obsidian black and pure white smoke, twisting and swirling with every breath. The swirling black-and-white flames enveloped his body, dancing and snapping like living shadows caught in a raging storm. His cloak billowed behind him, a tempest of fire and smoke that seemed to breathe with raw energy. His battle attire melded perfectly to his form—sleek, dark, and accented with crimson pulses that echoed the rhythm of his power. Beneath the fiery tempest, his muscles tensed, skin subtly glowing with molten cracks that shimmered like cooled lava beneath ice, embodying the perfect balance of opposing forces. Shinku transformed in his grasp—a massive blade wreathed in intertwined black and white flames, radiating unstoppable energy that promised devastation and control in equal measure. Zero’s voice cut through the crackling inferno, low and unwavering: “Kokushiro Tenshō.” With a deafening roar, he surged forward, the dual flames trailing like a comet’s tail, eyes locked on his target—a living storm of shadow and light incarnate. The very sky seemed to split as he raised Shinku high, channeling the relentless storm of power into one devastating strike—a slash that could rend worlds and shatter fate itself. Kaku’s scaled chest rose and fell steadily, his icy blue eyes locking onto Zero with a cold, unreadable gaze. “So you chose to erase your emotions... just for more power?” His voice was a low growl, echoing with primal strength. As Zero’s blade began to glow brighter, charging with fierce energy, Kaku’s massive wings spread wide, casting a shadow over the battlefield. His razor-sharp claws dug into the ground, and his dragon tail twitched with anticipation. “Heavenly Hell Slash…” Zero breathed, his voice steady and unwavering. In one swift, fluid motion, Zero swung Shinku, unleashing a devastating slash of black and white flames roaring like a tempest. The blade cut through the air, trailing sparks that crackled like thunder. Kaku’s instincts screamed—there was no time to evade. He planted his feet firmly, claws digging deep into the cracked earth, and faced the oncoming storm head-on. The slash collided with his scaled chest, igniting a brilliant explosion of black and white fire. The force tore through his tough dragon hide, sending shockwaves rippling from the impact. His powerful wings flared, catching the blast as molten cracks glowed faintly across his icy blue scales. Kaku’s breath hitched for a moment, a deep rumble of pain mixed with fury vibrating through his throat—but he did not falter. With a fierce roar, his tail lashed out, ready to retaliate. Kaku hovered midair, smoke curling from the scorch marks etched across his dragonic armor. The skies had quieted, the clash of gods fading into whispers. His piercing eyes fixed on the lone figure suspended in the fading embers. “What do you call this form?” Kaku asked, voice steady but curious. Zero didn’t respond. His eyes slowly shut, and then—without sound—his form cracked. Fragments of black and white flame broke away like glass in the wind. The overwhelming energy unraveled. His transformation shattered, dissolving into dying sparks. The cloak of fire faded, his burning aura vanishing as he returned to his base form. And then he fell. His body dropped like a meteor burned out in the sky—no resistance, no strength left. Kaku’s expression shifted, just slightly. With a powerful beat of his wings, he surged forward and caught Zero mid-fall, one arm sliding behind his back, the other beneath his legs. The heat still radiated faintly from Zero’s body, but his breathing was shallow—exhausted, not defeated. Kaku looked down at him, eyes narrowing—not with pity, but with understanding. “…You really gave it everything,” he muttered. Holding him firmly, Kaku ascended once more, rising from the battlefield as silence fell around them—two warriors, one unconscious, the other quietly impressed. Kaku’s dragonic form disappeared, He teleported Zero to his room, allowing him to rest, he Then teleported himself to his throne room. “Now Zen…” he muttered, gaze fixed on the scorched battlefield where remnants of black and white flames still danced in the air. “That form… what was it?” Zen said nothing. Kaku continued, his tone darkening. “The energy. The duality. The way his flames moved like a storm of light and shadow… it’s almost identical.” He glanced down at Zero, the boy’s body trembling from the sheer force he had just unleashed. “It’s completely like Zarif’s Soulflame State—clothing forged from inner chaos, flames that don’t burn the world but rewrite it. The balance of destruction and harmony, shadow and light… That wasn’t just power.” Kaku’s jaw tightened. “That was inheritance. Not by blood… but by fate.” Kaku said, Zen stood at the far end of Kaku’s throne room, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the storm-lit skies beyond the stained-glass windows. “I explained it to Zero seven years ago… His fate is bound to Zarif’s.” Kaku’s brow furrowed, he leaned forward on his throne. “So it’s true then… That form—Kokushiro Tenshō—it mirrors Zarif’s too closely to be coincidence.” Zen nodded slowly. “He carries the same weight. The same destiny. He has two choices: combine all Nine Realms into one… or restore balance to them all. That path… is his alone to walk. We can’t interfere with fate.” A heavy silence fell between them, broken only by the distant rumble of thunder. Zen’s expression darkened as he continued. “But this realm… it’s not safe. There’s something stirring—an ancient force. I can feel it.” He turned to face Kaku, his voice grim. “And if I’m right… not even Zero will be enough to stop what’s coming.” Zero stepped out from the shadow of a towering pillar, his voice steady but laced with quiet resolve. “I be fine Kaku…” His hand gripping against the pillar cracking it, blue flames faintly appearing around his hand, “We wait till it comes, have it Come to us…” Zero smirks, his eye turning from his usual blue eye color to a yellow bright color. “If I lose…then the ninth realm falls right? Then I won’t lose!” he breaks the pillar with his hand. Kaku’s eyes narrowed. “You’re reckless, Zero... Do you even understand the weight of what you’re saying?” His voice was low, edged with warning but also a trace of something deeper — worry. Zen’s lips curled into a faint, knowing smirk, his gaze calm and almost amused. “That fire in your eye… It’s not just defiance. It’s something more. You’re ready, whether you believe it or not.” His tone was steady, unshaken, like a shadow that watches patiently, certain the outcome will shape itself as it must. “Come on, Zen. Back into my body,” Zero said coolly, his voice calm as he turned and walked away. “Tch… fine.” Zen’s voice echoed faintly as his presence faded, merging back into Zero. Zero made his way toward the edge of the kingdom, his steps slow, deliberate—his aura still radiating embers of blue flame. As he reached the outer gate, he paused. “You can come out now…” he called out, his voice cutting through the stillness like a blade. From the shadowed trees beyond the clearing, a presence stirred. A tall, cloaked entity emerged, cloaked in eerie silence. “And how did you know I was here?” the entity asked, voice smooth and sharp like polished obsidian. Zero’s eyes locked with theirs, one still glowing that intense yellow. “Something called Instinct Veil,” he replied with a small smirk. “Let’s just say… I don’t need sight to see you, Zero paused, his voice cold and sharp. “Now… who are you? And what do you want from me?” The cloaked entity remained silent, simply staring at him from behind the shadows of his hood. Zero’s eyes narrowed, irritation rising. “I said—who are you and what do you want!?” he snarled. In a flash of crackling energy and fury, Zero vanished—then reappeared directly in front of the figure, his hand clamped around the entity’s throat. Flames and ice erupted from his body, swirling violently, hissing and snapping like warring serpents—pure power wrapped in tension. “Answer me.” His voice was a low growl—no longer a question, but a demand that cut through the stillness like a blade. The wind around them froze, the trees silencing their rustle, as if the world itself held its breath. The cloaked entity began to laugh—slow, raspy, and hollow. A sound that didn’t just echo but seeped into the earth, crawling through the shadows like a plague. It was dark, cold, and unnatural, each chuckle distorting the air like a sick melody from a forgotten nightmare. “I am the one that will make this Realm collapse!” the entity bellowed, his voice rising into a crescendo of madness. “The End is Here, and the Beginning Awaits!” The final word rang out like a death knell, as if time itself shuddered in acknowledgment. His body began to dissolve, shadows swallowing him whole. Wisps of black smoke coiled around where he stood, then scattered into the wind like whispers of doom. Zero’s eyes widened—his breath caught, his chest rising and falling with strained rhythm. The flames around him flickered violently, as if reacting to his rising fear. For the first time in ages, a chill laced his spine. His body tensed, and his grip tightened. Shock. Dread. A sinking weight in his chest that no amount of training or power could immediately dispel. The air remained heavy with the presence that had just vanished. And though he was gone, his words echoed endlessly through Zero’s mind—an omen of what was to come.