The world outside White Leaf was loud.
Mana trains hissed as they pulled into platforms, neon mana lamps flickered over merchant stalls selling beast cores and low-grade artifacts. But inside Muzan's mind, there was only silence.
> [New Mission Generated.]
[Mission: Clear E-Rank Rift Dungeon]
[Objective: Conquer the Rift and Defeat the Dungeon Boss]
[Reward: Sovereign Points +1000, Sovereign Core Expansion]
[Optional Hidden Objective: ???]
His silver eyes reflected the faint glow of the system's windows as he approached the cracked archway of the abandoned industrial district, where the rift pulsed like a wound in reality, leaking blue mist onto broken concrete.
This rift was one the city avoided—unstable, constantly shifting. Perfect for him.
He stepped forward.
The world tore open, swallowing him in cold light.
---
The air changed instantly.
The sky was dark red, swirling clouds above floating fragments of black rock. Trees, twisted and leafless, lined a cracked obsidian path leading toward a jagged fortress of black stone in the distance.
The Sovereign System chimed softly:
> [Host has entered: E-Rank Rift Dungeon - Crimson Graveyard.]
[Danger Level: High.]
[Note: Boss presence detected.]
Muzan flexed his fingers, the black katana on his back humming softly with the aura of Flame Wreath. Sparks of lightning curled around his ankles, ready to snap him forward.
"Time to test this."
---
Beasts came for him within minutes. Twisted hounds with bone masks, shadows flickering in their ribcages, eyes glowing crimson as they howled.
Muzan moved.
Lightning Step activated, his body flashing forward in a crack of thunder, appearing before the first hound. His katana sliced through the air, flames igniting in a silent roar as the blade passed through the creature, leaving nothing but ash.
They kept coming.
Dozens, then hundreds, a tide of snarling jaws and claws.
He welcomed them.
Fire exploded around him, the scent of burnt mana heavy in the air as lightning danced across the black earth, striking down beasts with ruthless precision. Muzan's eyes glowed silver, movements cold, methodical, untouchable.
> [Beast Core Acquired x54]
[Sovereign Points +540]
The fortress loomed closer.
---
At its gates, a wave of oppressive mana washed over him, stopping him in his tracks. The ground cracked, mana lightning arcing across the sky as something massive shifted in the shadows.
A beast stepped forward—taller than the fortress walls, scales of crimson obsidian, eyes burning gold.
A dragon.
No, something more.
> [Dungeon Boss: Crimson Varan Detected.]
[Hidden Objective Activated.]
The dragon's eyes narrowed.
"So you've finally arrived… Muzan."
His katana hummed, aura flaring coldly around him. Muzan's silver irises glowed, the air vibrating with tension.
"You… know my name?"
The dragon let out a low, rumbling chuckle. "I am Varan. Brother to Veldora. Old friend of your father, Renka Kibutsuji. I have awaited you for a long time."
Muzan's grip tightened on the katana. The air burned with the heat of gathering power, the system flickering violently.
> [Warning: Power Surge Detected.]
"Why are you here?" Muzan demanded.
Varan's eyes closed, as if remembering something ancient. "To fulfill my promise. But before that, you must prove yourself worthy. You must kill me."
Lightning and fire ignited around Muzan, his aura growing cold and oppressive, filling the crimson graveyard with suffocating power.
"Then let's end this."
Varan roared, the ground splitting as a tidal wave of flame and lightning burst toward Muzan.
And Muzan moved.
---
The battlefield was chaos.
Lightning met lightning, flames devoured flames as Muzan clashed with Varan, his katana slashing against scales that shattered the ground with each movement. The sky screamed with thunder as their mana collided, shockwaves tearing the fortress walls apart.
Every strike Muzan made, Varan countered with ancient, precise might, testing him, pushing him, forcing him to draw deeper into the Sovereign Core.
Muzan's vision narrowed, blood dripping down his cheek, but he felt it—each strike, each dodge, each surge of mana made him faster, sharper, colder.
> [Sovereign Core Resonance: 15%...]
Varan roared, his massive claws coming down like mountains. Muzan's eyes glowed silver, Lightning Step activating in the blink of an eye as he appeared above Varan's head, katana igniting with white-hot flames.
"For my path…" Muzan whispered.
The katana came down.
The world split open.
---
Varan's roar echoed into silence as his massive body collapsed, flames flickering around his fading form.
Muzan stood above him, breathing heavily, katana lowered, lightning and fire still crackling around him.
The dragon's golden eyes looked at him one last time, softening with pride.
"You are… truly his son."
Varan's body glowed, breaking into streams of crimson light that swirled toward Muzan, sinking into his chest.
> [Hidden Objective Complete.]
[Varan's Soul Integrated into Sovereign Core.]
[Sovereign Points +2000]
[Sovereign Core Resonance: 25%...]
The world began to fade, the rift collapsing as the system's voice echoed in Muzan's mind.
> [Dungeon Cleared.]
---
Muzan opened his eyes, finding himself in the abandoned district, the rift gone, the world silent around him.
Within his mind, a playful voice echoed.
"Well, well, kid, you've got bite after all!"
Muzan smirked faintly, wiping blood from his lip.
"Welcome, Varan."
And with that, he turned and walked back toward the academy, the storm clouds above parting just enough to let a single ray of light fall across his path.
---