How long has it been?
How long must I walk this thorn-strewn path?
I gave everything to this world… yet I was cast aside.
I thought she favored me despite my power. But in the end, she whispered the lie of "the greater good" and slaughtered me.
No. I will not accept this.
I will kill her.
I will destroy this broken world.
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Gasp!
I lurched upright, breath ragged. A dream? A vision? The face of a man burned in my mind. His fury still clung to me like a shadow. Yet what did it matter? All I wanted was to go home. But first—I had to claw my way out of this cursed abyss.
Since my battle with the Reaper, I had changed. My body could now stitch closed minor wounds. Thoughts not my own whispered at the edge of my mind. Fear itself fed me, filling my veins with strength. Yet the thought gnawed at me—must I survive by feasting on the terror of others? Power without effort was a hollow strength. I wanted more. Strength that was mine alone.
"Well spoken… boy."
The voice slithered through me like frost. My blood turned cold.
"Who are you?" I demanded.
"Me? Call me… the final boss."
She appeared before me without warning, her face inches from mine, her presence suffocating.
"Hmmm." Her lips curled in cruel amusement. "I wonder how I should kill you."
Rage boiled, drowning fear.
"Shut up!" I roared and struck.
For an instant I thought she would fall like the others. But then pain seared across my face—a sudden cut, deep and merciless. I stumbled back, stunned.
Why hadn't she fallen?
Her smile widened. "Let me show you what real fear looks like."
The world bent. My body froze. Something pulled me downward—like a maw of endless quicksand, swallowing me whole. I screamed, unleashed every shred of power I could summon—but it was useless. My vision dimmed, my heart stilled.
Dead.
…Or so I thought.
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I awoke with a ragged breath. She loomed above me, smirking.
"Oh? You didn't die? That's impressive. Most would have perished. Tell me… what are you? You reek of the Undead King, yet you are not him."
"I told you." My voice was hoarse, defiant. "I'm not him."
Her eyes gleamed. She leaned close, whispering words in a tongue I did not know:
Ngudah no rikoyoto.
The syllables tore at my skull, scratching at something buried deep within me. She studied me, then sneered.
"Hmmm… asleep, are you?" Her smirk widened. "Don't flatter yourself. I'm not the final boss. He's far more terrifying than I."
My teeth clenched. "Then what are you?"
She spread her arms wide like wings unfurled, her aura pressing on me like a storm.
"I am the sword, Akuma no Tsubasa—the Wings of the Devil. For over a thousand years I have wandered, seeking my master, my creator. I sensed his echo within you… but you are not him. What is that wretch plotting now!?"
"Sorry," I said coldly. "I'm not your master."
Her voice snapped like steel. "I KNOW. But I can train you. Because as you are now, you will die a gruesome death at his hands."
Her eyes raked over me with scorn. "You lack technique. You barely understand the scraps of power you wield. If I were to grade you…" she paused, lips curling. "…a fat F."
Her cruelty stung because it was true. Against Rena, I would fall. Unless I changed. Unless I grew stronger.
So I set my path:
Train under Akuma.Defeat the hidden boss.Escape this dungeon… and face Rena.
She tilted her head mockingly. "So. What will you call me? I suggest you call me Master."
"Rejected." I glared. "Luna. You remind me of the night."
Silence. Then, unexpectedly, her expression softened. A genuine smile.
"Luna… I like it."
A small smile tugged at my own lips. "Maybe this isn't so bad."
But deep inside, I knew better. Smiles were luxuries. I had no time for them.
I had to grow stronger.
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Far away, in her chamber, Rena brooded.
"That idiot. He has ruined every chance of proving Experiment 1007 a success. A wasted effort…"
Her voice dripped with venom. "Abyss Guardian."
From the shadows, a voice answered, low and eternal. "He lives. But he is nowhere to be found."
Her eyes narrowed. "You are not aiding him, are you?"
The Guardian's tone was final, cold as a blade. "I am not. But I will slay him. He deserves to die—by my hands."
Rena dismissed him with a wave, her voice whispering as he vanished:
"Brother… do not do anything foolish."
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Deep within me, something stirred.
A voice. A shadow.
Ngudah ria no kiyatou.