The moment Ren lowered himself onto the throne of the First Layer, the entire abyss groaned. The ground quaked. The skies split and turned black, thunder tearing the heavens as if the world itself refused to accept what had just been decided.
A voice, vast and merciless, thundered across every corner of the realm:
"The Dread Monarch has claimed the First Layer. A new king is born—the protector of humanity."
The words struck fear into countless hearts.
Kuro placed a hand against his face, his voice grim.
"We have to bring him back… if not, he will doom himself."
Behind him, the S-rank hunters emerged, their armor rattling from the trembling earth.
"Mr. Kuro," one of them spoke, firm yet desperate. "We are with you. Let us help. We must bring the true Ren back, and together, lead humanity against the shadow demons. We all failed him once. We all overlooked our mistakes. But now… we will correct them."
Kuro's lips curved into the faintest of smiles as his gaze drifted to the dark horizon.
"…Then let us begin."
Meanwhile, within the abyssal throne hall, Ren sat with the Umbra kneeling before him, their voices hushed with reverence.
"My king," one of them said, "the Second Layer is not like the first. Those who dwell there are monsters beyond us. Their strength, their fighting style, everything about them is different. Every remaining layer holds warriors who may appear alike, but each grows stronger, more terrible, the deeper you descend."
Ren leaned forward, his eyes glinting like black steel.
"Tell me—how many layers exist?"
"There are five, my king. Each ruled by a Fallen King, chained to his layer. And on the final layer awaits Raviel—the Fallen Monarch, once King of Shadows… the strongest warrior the abyss has ever known."
Ren's grip on his throne tightened. Memories flickered.
"Raviel… I fought him once. I nearly ended him. If he truly is that strong, then I will crush him again. I will clear all five layers if I must."
The Umbra's shadowed face lowered.
"My king, you may have defeated him once, but now you fight in the abyss itself. Here, the Fallen gain power from the very essence of this place. Yet… so do you. Even now, can you not feel it? The abyss feeds you. It strengthens you endlessly."
Ren smirked, lifting a hand as the dark power pulsed through his veins.
"You're right… it feels like I'm unbreakable. Very well. Four days from now, we descend into the Second Layer. Prepare yourselves."
The Umbra bowed deeply. Ren rose from his throne and vanished into the shadows.
In the outside world, Kuro, Daiki, and Yume stood before a looming gate, preparing to seek audience with the Eight Kings.
"Can we even show our faces, Mr. Kuro?" Yume whispered, her voice unsteady.
Kuro said nothing. His silence was an answer heavy enough to chill their hearts.
"The path Ren chose…" Daiki muttered, clenching his fists. "It's our fault. We didn't try hard enough. We let him walk alone. Now we must bear the weight."
Kuro turned to them, his voice steady.
"Then let's go. We don't have time for regret. We must face the Kings."
Inside the great hall of the Eight Kings, the air was thick, suffocating. Flames roared behind colossal thrones where the rulers sat, their expressions carved from wrath itself.
The three knelt, shadows of guilt pressing upon their backs.
"Why have you returned?" the First King's voice thundered. "After betraying your duties… after failing us… after leaving one man to pay the price of all humanity, what right do you have to crawl back here?"
Kuro lowered his head, but his voice rang clear.
"Oh, great kings… we failed you. We ran from the battle, and because of us, the burden fell to Ren Akatsuki. We come not to excuse ourselves… but to atone. We beg your permission to bring him back, to stand by his side, and to serve him."
The Third King's eyes burned like molten suns.
"Why would the Dread Monarch need you now? He has surpassed you. He commands his own army. He gains soldiers with every battle. Why should he need broken shadows who abandoned him?"
Kuro lifted his gaze, meeting the searing light of their judgment.
"Because power without heart is nothing but ruin. Ren may now be stronger than any of us—stronger than ever before. But he is walking alone. He has sold his soul, chained his heart, and drowned in darkness. If no one reaches him, he will cease to be the hero we followed. He will become the very abyss itself."
The chamber fell silent. The Eight Kings did not speak. Their fury had been met not with excuses, but with truth.
And then—
The air trembled. A suffocating presence filled the throne room, a crown of pure shadow burning above a figure that stepped forth from eternity itself.
The Ninth King had returned.
For the first time in centuries, the Kings lowered their heads, their thrones shaking beneath his arrival. His voice was both thunder and silence, carrying the weight of endless years.
"Ren was right. You would come."
His eyes glowed like dying stars as he looked upon Kuro, Daiki, and Yume.
"You seek to free the one who has become the abyss itself. But to do so, you must face your sins. Not in silence. Not in lies. But in truth."
And the trials began.
Ninth King:
"Three shadows stand before me… each tainted by sin, each scarred by choice. You seek the Gate of Soul Buyers? Then you will face yourselves. Not in silence. Not in lies. But in truth."
Yume's Trial
The Ninth King's burning eyes shifted to Yume.
Ninth King:
"You carry the screams of the fallen, child of sorrow. Tell me—was your compassion weakness, or strength the world refused to understand?"
Yume (clutching her chest, trembling but firm):
"My compassion was never weakness. It is the last fragment of me that still breathes… the only part of me that proves I am not a monster."
Ninth King:
"Then answer me this—when you hesitated, when your mercy stayed your blade and cost others their lives… do you still believe mercy has a place in the abyss?"
Yume (tears in her eyes, but raising her chin):
"Yes. Even in the abyss, mercy is what separates us from the beasts. Without it, we are nothing but shadows pretending to be men."
Ninth King:
"Then my final question, Yume: would you surrender your own soul—erase it forever—if it meant one life you failed could breathe again?"
Yume (voice cracking, but resolute):
"Yes… without hesitation. Let me burn, let me vanish, if it means they can live. That is my answer."
The Ninth King's silence lingered, before he turned his gaze away.
Daiki's Trial
The shadows shifted, and his voice thundered toward Daiki.
Ninth King:
"Daiki… hunter of strength, slave of pride. You sought power not to protect, but to prove you were greater. Tell me—what did that hunger cost you?"
Daiki (lowering his head, fists trembling):
"It cost me trust. It cost me the right to lead. It almost cost me the people who mattered most. My hunger left nothing but ashes."
Ninth King:
"And when your blade cut down ally instead of enemy… was it arrogance or fear that guided your hand?"
Daiki (gritting his teeth, eyes shadowed):
"It was arrogance… but beneath it, fear. Fear of being weak again. Fear of being nothing but a shadow behind stronger men."
Ninth King:
"Then hear my last question: if I offered you limitless power this very moment, but it condemned you to eternal loneliness… would you take it?"
Daiki (after a long silence, his voice heavy but sure):
"No. Not anymore. Power without bonds is emptiness. I would rather fall beside them than stand eternal and alone."
A faint echo, almost like approval, reverberated in the Ninth King's silence.
Kuro's Trial
The Ninth King's eyes finally turned to Kuro, who did not flinch.
Ninth King:
"And you, Kuro… the betrayer who cloaked himself in necessity. Tell me—was betrayal your nature, or your excuse?"
Kuro (his voice calm, but his eyes dark):
"It was necessity. But necessity does not absolve me. Betrayal left scars on others… scars I will never erase."
Ninth King:
"When you sacrificed your allies for victory, did you see them as pawns… or as souls you could never face again?"
Kuro (closing his eyes, his voice sharp with guilt):
"I saw them as pawns then. But now… every night, their faces haunt me. They are the ones who remind me of what I must never become again."
Ninth King:
"Then answer me, Kuro—if placed once more at the crossroads, to save your allies or succeed in your plan… what would you choose?"
Kuro (raising his head, eyes burning with resolve):
"This time, I would choose my allies. A plan without them is hollow. A victory without them is defeat."
The Ninth King's eyes narrowed, then softened like dying embers.
The Gate Opens
The ground trembled. Chains of black fire unraveled, revealing the colossal doors of the Gate of Soul Buyers, carved with countless faces screaming in silence.
Ninth King:
"You have bared your sins and carried your scars. Not with excuses, but with truth. Then, and only then, shall the Gate of Soul Buyers open for you."
The gate groaned, shadows pouring from the cracks like rivers of sorrow. The Ninth King raised his hand, and the chains shattered.
Ninth King (his voice echoing like thunder across eternity):
"Step forward, children of shadow. Pay the price… and claim what waits beyond."