Even as Makima quietly made up her mind about something, Chris, after a brief moment of thought, arrived at a decision of his own.
He would take Horikita Manabu with them.
It wasn't that Chris and Sakayanagi Arisu had suddenly grown soft-hearted.
It was simply that they didn't have much time left in this world, and since the chance had presented itself, they might as well haul their future brother-in-law out while they could.
That would spare them the trouble of burning extra S Points later just to lock onto the Chainsaw Man scenario specifically to fish him out.
As for whether this kind of 'snatching food from the tiger's mouth' might provoke Makima into striking back early?
They'd already weighed that possibility.
After all, Horikita Manabu now counted, for all practical purposes, as property already 'controlled' by Makima.
So really, all they needed to do was watch how Horikita Manabu reacted and behaved when the moment came — that alone would tell them plenty about Makima's attitude toward them.
Call it a probe, of sorts.
With everyone harboring their own private calculations, Chris used the Black Sphere Controller's full-map search function and quickly pinpointed Horikita Manabu's location. He appeared directly in front of him, Sakayanagi Arisu at his side.
At that moment, Horikita Manabu was carrying several neatly boxed pastries, walking alongside Hayakawa Aki, her hair done up in little braids.
Watching this scene of quiet, settled domesticity...
Honestly, it wasn't just Horikita Manabu who looked startled at suddenly running into familiar faces — Chris and Sakayanagi Arisu wore much the same expression.
They'd assumed he'd be walking on eggshells here. Instead, he seemed to be living rather... comfortably?
After a brief round of pleasantries, the group simply found a nearby café still open for the night, tucked into a secluded corner for a short conversation.
Of course, Chris and Sakayanagi both understood perfectly well that Makima was almost certainly listening in, so they made no move to expose her true nature outright.
They simply told him plainly that, while the exam floor was still open, there might be a chance to take him straight home — back to Advanced Nurturing High School.
And yet, faced with this once-in-a-lifetime chance at freedom, Horikita Manabu hesitated — rare for him.
He turned his head to look at the two bags of gifts on the table, originally meant for Denji, his glasses catching a faint gleam under the café's dim yellow lighting.
It was true — in this world overrun by devils, he couldn't hold onto the polished status of Student Council President the way he had at Advanced Nurturing, nor was there any clear path here for steadily building strength the way the Black Sphere Exam offered.
But during the time he'd been forced to stay, Horikita Manabu had felt something he hadn't in a long while — the genuine sense of being alive.
He'd learned a great deal from Hayakawa Aki. Even Denji and Power, that pair of squabbling idiots, had done a great deal to loosen the tension he always carried.
If he was honest, in his eyes, the Black Sphere Exam — which had ramped the difficulty from a Parasyte all the way up to the Special Grade Cursed Spirit Jogo, and then evolved at lightspeed into the fundamental Darkness Devil — hadn't given him half the sense of security he'd found going out on missions with Hayakawa Aki and the others.
But Hayakawa Aki also knew that Horikita Manabu was an 'outworlder.'
As someone whose family had been brutally murdered by the Gun Devil, walking his lonely road of vengeance alone, he secretly craved the bonds of family, deep down.
Even though, to him, Horikita Manabu was far more mature than Denji or Power, and could even serve as something like a partner he could trust to guard his back...
he didn't think it was right to let his own selfish wants stand in the way of the man's chance to go home.
Especially now, with countless top assassins from every nation gunning for Denji's heart, danger lurking everywhere around him.
Hayakawa Aki was genuinely afraid — afraid that he himself, or these 'family' around him, might meet with some disaster.
So after a moment's thought, he stubbed out his cigarette, walked into the café, and clapped Horikita Manabu firmly on the shoulder, offering a piece of advice.
"If you're facing a choice like this, you'd better think it through carefully before deciding — so you don't spend the rest of your life regretting it. Horikita..."
Hearing this, Horikita Manabu fell silent.
As a sharp man, he could easily see through to the true feelings this kind senior was hiding.
Though he badly wanted to say he could stay, fight alongside them, face those assassins together...
in the end, Horikita couldn't bring himself to say it — couldn't bring himself to keep imposing on people who'd already given him so much.
A man knows his own limits.
With only his Combat Suit and the Sianweistan, he couldn't even guarantee his own survival against opponents on the level of Quanxi or Santa Claus.
To claim he could actually be of much help would be nothing but self-deception.
In the end, Horikita Manabu stood and gave Hayakawa Aki a deep, formal bow.
Then he solemnly pressed the gifts — originally meant as a late-night snack for Denji and Power — into Hayakawa Aki's hands.
He turned and followed Chris, stepping into the spatial passage the latter had sliced open with the Enma Blade.
A wave of weightlessness washed over him, and the scenery before his eyes changed in an instant.
Only once their figures reappeared inside the pocket dimension of the the Mountains and Rivers Sovereignty Map, unfolded by Chris, did he finally stop holding anything back.
He gave Horikita Manabu a brief rundown of the Backrooms — its existence, and the danger it posed.
Hearing these reality-shattering secrets, Horikita Manabu couldn't help but freeze for a moment.
"So... you're saying that not only our world, but the world Senior Hayakawa lives in as well — has already been locked onto by the Backrooms?!"
Sakayanagi Arisu smiled and nodded.
"That's right. Though I don't think there's much point in you worrying about that for now, Council President."
"Rather than fretting over some far-off, world-scale catastrophe, you'd be better off worrying about Makima first."
"As a Control Devil, her goal is to control Chainsaw Man in order to build her own perfect world!"
Chris rubbed his chin and chimed in. "We're not entirely sure what Makima's actually planning, but she's signed a contract with the Prime Minister of Neon, tying any harm done to her to the lives of every Neon citizen."
"Just from that alone, I doubt she's someone you can reason with easily."
"Come to think of it — the reason you couldn't leave with us after last time's exam ended, is because Makima secretly 'controlled' you."
"...Controlled?" Horikita Manabu's brow furrowed slightly.
Because during his time in the Chainsaw Man world, he'd actually had very little direct contact with Makima. Most of what he'd seen of her had been in passing, whenever she came looking for Denji.
Influenced by Hayakawa Aki and Denji, Horikita Manabu's impression of Makima hadn't been particularly bad — he'd even once thought her a capable, powerful woman with real means.
After all, someone who could bring Quanxi to heel and pull examinees like Suzune Horikita back from the brink had to have something going for her.
He never would have guessed that the true reason he'd been stuck, unable to leave the Chainsaw Man world, was Makima herself.
Or... had he subconsciously chosen not to notice?
Seeing the doubt on Horikita Manabu's face, Chris and Sakayanagi Arisu nodded in unison, without needing to exchange a word.
The reason they'd waited until they'd fully left the Chainsaw Man world and entered the the Mountains and Rivers Sovereignty Map before revealing any of this — beyond not wanting to stir up trouble and waste time — was, at its core, that they wanted to test whether Makima's control would still take effect once they were out of her world entirely.
If Makima could somehow sense, through some kind of link, that they were saying things this close to exposing all her secrets, there was no way she wouldn't react.
But as it turned out, even if Makima really could see across worlds somehow, she had no way to actually do anything about it from that distance.
"So then, Council President Horikita... how about going to see Suzune?"
"I imagine she'd be overjoyed to see you safe and sound."
Chris offered the suggestion at just the right moment.
He tilted his chin, pointing down toward the massive valley beneath them.
Down there, Suzune Horikita was leading a squad of girls, using the terrain to their advantage to hunt down the monsters Ichinose had rounded up and brought in.
Horikita Manabu looked out over the scene.
Watching the sister who'd once done nothing but imitate everything he did, now gripping a blade with steely resolve in her eyes, hunting monsters...
he stared, stunned for a moment, then let out a long, quiet sigh.
Then he turned to Chris and asked, "Looks like... she's doing pretty well for herself these days?"
Sakayanagi Arisu covered her mouth and laughed softly beside them. "As the disciple Chris personally **-trained, he'd never let Horikita let herself fall into ruin."
"Only by staying alive, only by growing strong enough, do you earn the right to think about anything else — don't you agree?"
Horikita Manabu nodded, a note of unmistakable wistfulness in his voice.
"I suppose I was a bit too caught up in appearances before. If she's found her own path, that's more than enough."
He paused, then changed tack. "Though, come to think of it — once you use whatever method you have to strip Makima's control off me... does that mean I can't stay here in the Backrooms anymore?"
Chris's brow rose slightly, surprised. "Council President, from the sound of that... you don't want to go back to school? Why not?"
Horikita Manabu pushed up his glasses, settling back into his usual composed manner as he explained in a low voice.
"It's not that I don't want to go back at all."
"It's just that even if I went back now, I'd only be thrown right back into an endless string of Special Exams."
"Honestly, I wouldn't have any spare time to return to normal life, or even go visit my family."
"Given that, I think that staying here in the Backrooms, at this critical juncture, would actually be a more useful contribution to the bigger picture."
"Besides, even if I went back now, with my current equipment, I'd struggle to raise my combat strength much in any short amount of time."
"Rather than waste time going back for that, I'd rather stay here and try to gather intel on this dimension instead."
"Even though Sakayanagi and I have already been through quite a few floors, there are still plenty of unknown, dangerous places out there."
"And besides, you don't have that many powerful items on you either — this could be..."
Chris paused, unwilling to actually say the words: you'd just be walking to your death.
Horikita Manabu understood that much perfectly well, but his mind was made up.
"That's true enough."
"But if what you've told me is right, and our world is also facing the risk of being swallowed by the Backrooms, and won't hold out much longer..."
"then really, it's not just that I don't have time. Neither do you."
Horikita Manabu looked Chris straight in the eye, speaking earnestly.
"In the span of a single day's exploration, how much can you two actually accomplish?"
"Me staying behind — that's not really such a bad thing."
"As long as I can meet some of the explorers who come in through the White House and get word passed along, then even if something happens to me... as long as the information makes it out, it'll give you a lead to break the situation open later."
Watching Horikita Manabu's frank, ready-to-sacrifice-himself-for-the-greater-good expression, Chris sighed, knowing there'd be no talking this stubborn man out of it.
He stopped arguing. Instead, he raised his hand, unclasped the Black Sphere Controller from his wrist, and held it out to Horikita Manabu.
"In the Backrooms, only the Controller can even roughly determine your position, and identify friend or foe nearby."
"Since you've made up your mind, I'll lend you this."
"I'll bring over the Dragon Talisman and the Leo Cavalry's armored belt for you once I've put together the qi-cultivation data on the Backrooms and the Darkness Devil's dropped route. Beyond that, though, there's not much more I can do to help."
"Take care of yourself."
Horikita Manabu looked down at the Controller Chris held out to him, clearly not having expected such generosity.
"...Thank you."
Horikita Manabu accepted the Controller solemnly, then continued, "In that case, there's no need for you to bother clearing Makima's control off me anymore."
"Even if my luck runs out and I end up back in the Chainsaw Man world by accident while exploring..."
"I believe that once Makima learns about something as all-consuming as the Backrooms, she'd never want her own world caught up in it and reduced to a wasteland, or destroyed outright."
"There's no reason for the information on the Black Sphere Controller to lie to us — at the very least, Makima isn't the kind of madwoman who wants nothing but to end the world."
"So, Council President, aren't you going to go see Suzune?"
Beside them, Sakayanagi Arisu, watching the two of them settle something so heavy in just a few sentences, cut in with the question.
Horikita Manabu paused at that.
He glanced once more at the black-haired girl in the valley below.
"I think... there's no need to tell her. Seeing each other now wouldn't mean much — it'd just add to her worries."
"If we both manage to make it out alive, once the dust has settled, there'll be time enough to meet again."
Hearing this, Chris said nothing more.
He raised his hand and activated the the Mountains and Rivers Sovereignty Map's function for one-way observation of the outside world, opening a massive void-screen that filled the space.
Chris waved a hand at Horikita Manabu in farewell.
"We'll head out first, then. The mission objective for this exam still isn't finished."
Horikita Manabu looked up at the sky, watching the image of the brutal battlefield reflected in the screen above, and said nothing in reply.
Meanwhile, in one of the valleys inside the the Mountains and Rivers Sovereignty Map.
Suzune Horikita, having just cut down a low-level Apostle shaped like a rhinoceros, caught the shift in color spreading through the clouds overhead.
She instinctively sought out Kei Karuizawa, who was keeping watch nearby, and asked, "What's going on? What is that, up there?"
Kei Karuizawa looked just as baffled, craning her neck to stare at the strange sight in the sky.
"No idea... the the Mountains and Rivers Sovereignty Map just suddenly started changing."
"Maybe Ichinose triggered some kind of mechanism over there?"
Before Kei Karuizawa could finish, Chris's voice cut in right on cue, sounding by both their ears.
"This is a built-in observation function of the the Mountains and Rivers Sovereignty Map."
"That said, this permission — besides the owner — only extends to holders I've specifically authorized. Only they can activate this one-way viewing effect on the outside world."
At the sound of the familiar voice, both girls turned toward it at once.
When they saw it was Chris, safe and unharmed, they both let out a long breath of relief at the same time.
"I'm so glad you're okay..." Kei Karuizawa muttered, patting her chest.
Chris nodded, his gaze sweeping over the mostly-cleared field of monster carcasses in front of them, and asked, "Why aren't you clearing the field with the Gravity Gun? That thing wipes out a wide area way faster than you two hacking through them one by one."
Kei Karuizawa shook her head, explaining with a helpless expression.
"We actually were using it, at first. Everyone got a decent score bump out of it while we could."
"But time's running short, and the exam's going to end before long."
"So Ayanokoji went into the map a little while ago and borrowed the Gravity Gun. Said he was going to use it against the Emperor of Fear, Griffith..."
"Speaking of which, Chris — aren't you going out there to help?" Suzune Horikita asked, puzzled.
Chris looked up at the mountain-sized monster in the void-screen and said casually, "That 150-point Emperor of Fear is being consumed by his own backlash of power right now — he's got no mind left to speak of. And Griffith, who does have a mind, is only rated at 180 points by the Black Sphere..."
"I'll hold off on helping for now. I've still got the Enma Blade — if anything really goes wrong, I can jump in later without a problem."
"Besides... I'm curious. With no safety net from me, just how far can they get on their own strength alone?"
At that point, Sakayanagi Arisu had already walked over, carrying the Dragon Talisman and the Leo Cavalry's belt.
Suzune Horikita's brow furrowed slightly at the sight, a little puzzled in her heart.
She could understand what Chris had said, but Sakayanagi Arisu... given her personality, and the fact that she already had access to plenty of high-value items in hand — shouldn't she have no reason to focus this much attention on something as relatively low-tier as a transitional piece of gear?
Sakayanagi Arisu clearly had no intention of explaining herself to her.
The girl simply walked right past a completely bewildered Suzune Horikita and handed the items to Chris.
"Here's the stuff." "Sending it out now?"
Chris thought it over for a moment before speaking. "Let's wait until Ichinose and the others finish their fight."
"After all, this stuff isn't entirely mine to give away — I should at least run it by the actual owner first, as a formality."
Listening to this cryptic, headless-and-tailless exchange...
Suzune Horikita tilted her head, more confused than ever.
Since when had Chris started picking up Sakayanagi's habit of talking in riddles too...? Was there some secret he wasn't allowed to let her in on for now?
Fortunately, this question didn't nag at her for long.
It wasn't that Suzune Horikita suddenly had some flash of insight, either.
It was simply that, right at that moment, the decisive battle outside had just begun with the descent of the Godhand!
Watching the storm of shifting fortunes unfolding on the screen...
Chris raised a hand, and the Enma Blade slid free of its sheath.
With a metallic ring, a pale blue arc of blade-light sliced a rift through the void, opening a path to the outside world.
He turned toward the rest of the group, still standing there dazed, and spoke.
"This is the last chance."
"If you're confident you can handle it, come out and get some real experience with me."
"The the Mountains and Rivers Sovereignty Map can only shelter you for so long. There's no guarantee this kind of safe rear base for farming points will always be here."
The moment he said this, Suzune Horikita was the first to move.
She discarded every small, tangled thought running through her head and, gripping the Black Sphere Combat Blade in one hand, stepped forward without hesitation.
With her leading the charge, the others followed.
Amasawa Ichika, Kei Karuizawa, Amikura Mako, Hayasaka Ai...
and finally, even Hiyori Shiina, who never much cared for fighting, drew a deep breath, made her choice, and stepped after them onto the battlefield.
Meanwhile, out in the real world.
In the ruins of what had once been the bustling capital of the continent's foremost kingdom — now utterly unrecognizable — the New Band of the Hawk, led by the Hawk of Light, Griffith, was carving a bloody path through what looked like a black ocean of surging monsters.
Griffith himself stood atop the towering, minotaur-like Apostle, Zodd.
As Zodd carried him aloft on beating wings,
Griffith gazed on with cold indifference as Zodd dodged the massive tentacles wreathed in black miasma writhing through the sky, carrying him straight toward the head of the towering, monstrous giant the Emperor of Fear had become.
Seeing this 'protagonist,' so favored by the Emperor of Fear, finally join the battle...
Ryuuen and his group, who'd been lying low at the edges searching for their chance, prepared to advance toward the spot where the two monsters clashed, hoping to profit from the chaos.
But the moment the Apostles clearing monsters on the ground for the Band of the Hawk sensed these strangely dressed humans meant trouble, they immediately dropped what they were doing — slaughtering minor mobs — and turned their attention elsewhere.
"You dare disturb our lord's holy war!"
The demon archer Irvine drew his bow, loosing a black arrow made from his own hardened body-hair straight through the sky, aimed directly at Ryuuen and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka as they soared overhead!
Right after that, the Fire Dragon Apostle Grunbeld, his body covered in countless hard corundum crystals, launched himself into the air.
He opened his jaws and unleashed a torrent of terrifying flame hot enough to melt steel, ready to vaporize these interlopers threatening to disrupt Griffith's plans!
"Tch. Annoying watchdog."
Ryuuen scoffed, twisting his body to sidestep the incoming arrow.
But right on its heels came the dragon and its wall of fire, blanketing the sky and rushing straight at him.
Ryuuen clicked his tongue.
After a split-second of thought, he weighed two options — pulling out the Poor Man's Rose to clear the field outright, or calling on Ichinose to summon reinforcements from the the Mountains and Rivers Sovereignty Map — and chose the latter without hesitation.
It wasn't that Ryuuen was stingy about using the item.
He simply wanted to save the Rose as his final safety net.
If this Godhand, Griffith, really did have some special trick up his sleeve, Ryuuen intended to feed him a nuclear-scale surprise, up close and personal!
Combined with a proper combo alongside Little Peanut, he'd be able to rattle that white-haired birdman down to his very skull!
So, right as the Fire Dragon Apostle's flames were about to engulf him.
Ryuuen activated the Sianweistan's bullet-time and pulled back decisively, turning his head to call out to Ichinose to summon help through the the Mountains and Rivers Sovereignty Map.
Only to find—
Just as the sea of fire crashed down onto the spot he'd occupied a moment ago,
the massive fire dragon suddenly slammed into the ground as if struck by something invisible—
"BOOM——!!!"
The earth shook. Hard crystalline scales shattered and scattered, kicking up a curtain of dust into the sky.
Thanks to his mechanical body's enhancement, Ryuuen ran a high-precision scan through his artificial eyes.
He detected an energy signature that felt reassuringly familiar — Chris's.
He turned to look at Honami Ichinose, who still looked utterly baffled.
Seeing her stunned expression, he knew instantly this wasn't something she'd arranged.
"That's... Chris?!"
Honami Ichinose caught sight of the silver-white figure stepping out of the smoke.
At that moment, it wasn't just Chris.
On the ground beneath them, shadows began surging and rising up in a frenzy.
Countless blade-wielding warriors of the Dark Shadow Legion poured out like a tide, instantly clashing with the surrounding Apostles and monsters.
And alongside the shadows appeared the girls, now transformed into Kamen Rider Verde, Kamen Rider Zolda, Kamen Rider Knight, and Femme.
Seeing this group of girls — who should've been hiding safely inside the the Mountains and Rivers Sovereignty Map watching from a distance — instead fully suited up and charging into battle,
Ryuuen grinned wide. "Now that's more like it! What's the point of hiding?"
At that moment, Sakayanagi Arisu, transformed into her magical-girl form, appeared nearby using Bukujutsu.
She pointed a finger up at the oppressive storm clouds overhead, smiling as she reminded them.
"While the Apostles are tied up and the fight isn't fully over yet, let's hurry and keep moving."
"No need to worry about the people below, either — Chris is holding the line down there."
Sakayanagi Arisu's eyes gleamed as she stared at the light gathering above the clouds.
"I don't think a 150-point boss who's lost all reason and is running on pure instinct can hold out very long against a 180-point absolute superior like the Godhand."
"We don't have much time left... any longer, and it'll be too late to matter."
Hearing this, Ryuuen and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka didn't waste any more time second-guessing.
Neither asked why Chris wasn't coming along.
After all, though the students had a large number of the Phantom Legion backing them up,
the shadow soldiers summoned before full transformation into darkness had, in the end, limited numbers and strength.
Facing that tsunami-scale swarm of monsters below, while simultaneously dealing with several elite Apostles worth dozens of points apiece,
if they didn't leave an absolute powerhouse behind as insurance, it really would be something to worry about.
And besides, just as Chris had said before,
his original assignment had been to go out as a scout, gathering intel.
He'd never been counted from the start as mandatory combat power against the Godhand.
If they ended up unable to clear a scenario worth less than two hundred points just because they were missing one man, Chris,
then everyone present would have every right to look down on themselves, deep down!
Meanwhile, in a deep crater atop the Emperor of Fear's head, several kilometers tall,
this was also the final gathering point of every scrap of massive demonic essence in his body.
The raging wind had condensed here into liquid magic in physical form, crackling with thunder and lightning.
The minotaur Apostle Zodd knelt respectfully on a flat patch of flesh some distance from the edge of the crater.
He bowed his head slightly, silently seeing off the master he served, as the man went to fulfill his grand, predestined fate.
Griffith, clad in white robes pristine as snow, stepped forward slowly.
In the shadow of his broad cloak,
the Shadow Demon Rakshas, hidden within, watched everything around him with narrowed, calculating eyes, on constant guard for any assassin who might strike.
At that moment,
at the very center of the gathered magic essence,
the Emperor of Fear — who had gained incomparable, boundless power through his second rebirth, only to have his sanity utterly devoured by that same power —
was sinking deep into confusion.
As the pure, sacred presence of the Hawk of Light drew ever closer,
memories he couldn't suppress began flooding through the Emperor of Fear's chaotic mind — recollections of a past soaked in blood and betrayal.
He should have been the rightful heir to the throne, ascending in the proper order.
But his mother, wanting her doted-on younger son to take the crown instead, had cruelly chosen to poison him—
Though he'd seen through the plot in his agony and struck back to survive, from that day forward, not only did the nobles around him look upon him like something venomous.
even his own father grew deeply wary of him, filled with revulsion, always looking for a chance to have him removed.
To survive, the Emperor of Fear struck first, orchestrating his father's assassination, and climbed onto the throne over the bones of his own family.
And to secure that throne, to protect the kingdom he'd won at such cost, and above all, to erase the very real fear of being murdered by kin that he'd once known in childhood—
he began leading his armies on endless campaigns of conquest.
He would become the one who inflicted fear! He would let the shadow of war hang over the hearts of everyone in the world!
He would make everyone kneel before him, trembling!
Because only by seeing others more afraid than himself could he find even a moment's peace.
Even later, when he followed royal custom and took a princess from a neighboring nation as his wife, and had children of his own,
he still ignored his family's hopes, remaining a tireless killing machine, forever off at war.
But only he knew the truth in his own heart.
He was, in fact... simply running away.
The trauma of his childhood was a wound that never healed, one that made him flinch away from anything symbolizing family and trust — the words 'mother,' 'son.'
He was terrified of being betrayed again.
Years later, having swept across every battlefield and swallowed the territory of every neighboring nation that dared resist him, he finally became the true king of kings.
Power over all, with no equal!
But no matter how brutal and unstoppable he appeared on the battlefield, he could never dispel the shadow of fear that had always loomed over his heart.
In the end.
As if by some cruel twist of fate,
at a grand victory banquet, the Emperor of Fear once again lived through the very same betrayal he'd suffered at age six.
His own son, following the exact same playbook, slipped poison into his wine cup...
As the poison took hold and he collapsed, his life nearing its end,
in an endless, seething refusal to accept it, he grasped the crimson Behelit in his hand.
He sacrificed everything, and became the being now known as a symbol of calamity and ruin — the Emperor of Fear.
From that moment on,
he came to understand that this world was nothing but an abyss of darkness and betrayal.
People in that abyss suffered the agony of fear, and in turn, spread that same fear endlessly to others without end.
Tearing each other apart, devouring one another.
That was the wretched truth of this world.
That was the fate no living thing could escape.
But.
In the midst of this endless darkness and exhaustion.
What if — what if there really existed a single, pure ray of light, capable of illuminating every shadow in this world...?
High above the clouds, the Emperor of Fear slowly opened eyes clouded murky by demonic essence.
What he saw
was no longer a hopeless abyss, but a vast, warm, sacred radiance.
That blinding light made his soul — one that had hidden in darkness for so long — instinctively want to close its eyes and flee.
But the warmth he felt from that light, a feeling he'd never once experienced in his entire life, drew him back like a moth to flame, forcing his eyes open again against his own will.
This time, he finally saw it clearly.
It wasn't any illusion.
It was a warm hand, glowing with a soft white light, reaching slowly out toward him.
The owner of that hand was a being who existed within this abyss of pure evil, yet carried salvation and light upon his shoulders.
Perhaps... just letting go of everything, dropping his guard, and accepting whatever fate had in store—
wasn't such a bad choice, after all.
The Emperor of Fear thought, weary to his very core.
Perhaps it was only in the deepest darkness that one could finally find the light that truly shone brightest.
He slowly closed his eyes, waiting quietly to be touched by the Hawk of Light, to receive the salvation meant for him.
Right at that moment!
"SHRIEK — BOOM!"
A homing rocket, screaming through the air with an ear-splitting whine, exploded violently right beside Griffith without warning!
Flames erupted skyward!
It was Rakshas, the shadow demon hidden in Griffith's cloak, who'd sensed the danger in that split-second and thrown himself into harm's way to shield Griffith from the blast.
But Rakshas himself had half his body torn apart by the shockwave.
He crumpled to the scorched ground, screaming, all combat ability lost.
Zodd, waiting respectfully nearby, was first shocked, then immediately consumed by fury at the sight.
How dared some worthless ant use such a cowardly trick to attack the supreme master he'd sworn his allegiance to, right in front of him?! This was an outright insult to the undying Zodd himself!
"UNFORGIVABLE!!!"
Zodd let out a roar.
He spun around, his legs exploding with force, launching himself forward like a cannon shell.
He slammed straight into Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who'd just steadied his footing!
The two locked into combat instantly.
Meanwhile, the Emperor of Fear — who had already utterly given up resistance, his spirit worn to exhaustion, ready to accept release — was jolted violently awake from his hypnotic dream state by the deafening blast so close by!
It was that single instant of clarity.
It was enough for the Emperor of Fear to suddenly recall the very reason he'd chosen his second rebirth in the first place.
No — that wasn't right!
He hadn't come here to accept some bullshit salvation!
He was Emperor Ganishka! He was the undefeated emperor of the Kushan Empire! The one and only king of kings on this entire continent!
He was the man destined to bring fear and submission to the entire world!
How could he possibly bow his head and beg anyone for mercy?!
With that thought,
the Emperor of Fear — his senses somewhat restored —
immediately marshaled the vast, overwhelming demonic essence coursing through his entire body, aiming it all at the Hawk of Light before him — a being he hated to his core, yet secretly coveted.
He unleashed a terrifying, awe-inspiring surge of power!
In an instant.
The sky above everyone darkened at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Ink-black storm clouds churned endlessly across the heavens, as if the end of the world had arrived.
Countless bolts of silver-blue lightning, thick as barrels, whipped and coiled madly through the clouds, crackling with a sound that chilled the soul.
"DIE! ALL OF YOU!!!"
As the Emperor of Fear's roar of rage rang out,
the storm of thunder overhead condensed into a dense, torrential downpour of lightning, indiscriminately striking down every living thing within sight!
Just at that moment,
Honami Ichinose, who'd just arrived from the battlefield below to lend support,
seized her opening and raised the Ruby Staff high in her hands,
aiming a surprise strike at Griffith, who stood at the very center of the lightning storm, seemingly with nowhere left to dodge!
Zodd, locked in fierce combat with Ayanokoji, and Rakshas, sprawled helpless on the ground, both saw the coming doom and their eyes bulged with rage.
They roared, desperate to throw themselves recklessly into the attack's path, to shield their master from this certain-kill strike.
But—
Griffith remained utterly unmoved, that same lofty, detached expression on his face.
He didn't even bother turning to look at the attack closing in on him.
Completely indifferent.
Because he knew that the one he'd been waiting for here had finally arrived.
Just as the barrel-thick lightning bolt and Ichinose's pink petrifying beam were about to strike Griffith simultaneously—
"CRACK——!"
Space itself shattered like a mirror.
A greatsword, its blade studded with bone-spikes, its form monstrous beyond description,
sliced through the void without warning.
A Skull Knight, wrapped head to toe in armor of woven thorns, riding a bone-white steed with hooves wreathed in pale flame, materialized out of nothing like a messenger of death—
flickering into existence right behind Griffith!
The Water-Calling Sword in his hand, forged from countless Behelits, its blade blood-red and radiating killing intent,
not only instantly shredded the incoming lightning and petrifying beam apart,
but in the very swing that cut them down, tore straight through the void,
and, carrying with it the finality of severed fate, swung down straight at the back of Griffith's skull!
"Hawk of Light! Meet your end here!"
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Zodd, consumed by helpless fury, exposed a fatal opening in his desperation to protect his master.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, wielding his Parasyte bone-blade, took the opening and severed one of Zodd's thick arms in a single stroke.
Blood sprayed violently.
But Zodd paid no mind to the pain of his severed limb.
Eyes blood-red, he lunged upward again in a reckless fury, ready to hurl his massive body forward to smash apart this Skull Knight who dared draw a blade against his master!
Facing this guaranteed killing blow,
Griffith merely turned his head slightly, a cold gleam flickering through his eyes.
"The Godhand's eternal foe, forever wandering the seams of time — the Skull Knight."
"I've been waiting for you. For a very long time."
With that said—
faced with the Water-Calling Sword's terrifying strike, capable of severing space itself and erasing all existence,
Griffith simply extended his right hand, slowly.
His palm closed slightly.
And space itself twisted and folded in strange, impossible ways, following the motion of his hand!
The space-cutting strike, one that should have split him clean in two, was forcibly deflected off its original path.
And under the Skull Knight's shocked gaze,
Griffith reached back with his other hand and, as though gripping a physical blade, seized hold of the jagged black rift left lingering in the air by the Water-Calling Sword's strike!
In the next instant, he thrust his hand forward, shoving the raging spatial rift straight into the Emperor of Fear's body!
"This blow has finally ripened the fruit of the causality that's bound us together for a thousand years."
Griffith lowered his head, gazing down at the Emperor of Fear, twisted in agony, and spoke softly.
"Through this rebirth, granted a second time..."
"and a single strike, reaching into the depths of the Astral World beyond..."
A blinding flash of white light erupted, centered on the Emperor of Fear's very body, and in an instant, swallowed the entire world whole.
"The world's door."
"Has opened."
____
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