The gate to the Shadow Demon Realm slammed shut with a force that shook the very sky. Cracks of dark lightning crawled across the sealed surface before the final echo faded. Yet even with the gate closed, a deep, twisted voice slithered out like a lingering curse.
"Ninth King of Shadows… I know you can hear me.
You defeated me this time.
But when we meet again… the true battle begins."
When the last word dissolved, the towering gate burst into particles and vanished. The black storm clouds that had suffocated the sky also began to thin. Bit by bit, sunlight pierced through, spilling golden rays over the shattered city of Nirvalen.
For a long moment… no one moved.
Hunters stood frozen, armor dented and bodies trembling. Ash floated down like falling snow. The battlefield looked like a graveyard of weapons and broken stones. And yet, the war cry of the abyss had gone silent.
A single question echoed through every survivor's mind:
Did we… actually win?
It didn't feel real. It felt like a dream too fragile to touch.
But when the sunlight finally warmed their skin, the shock cracked—and relief struck all at once.
Some hunters dropped to their knees and cried. Others hugged the nearest person, friend or stranger. Some screamed in raw joy, voices shaking with exhaustion. For the first time since the invasion, hope returned to their eyes.
But hope is always followed by reality.
As they looked around the battlefield, counting the injured… the dead… the torn bodies of friends who had fought beside them…
The celebration faded like a dying flame.
Ren walked toward them, calm as if the battle had never touched him. His footsteps were steady, his presence stable amid the broken screams and murmurs of grief.
Daiki rushed up first. His smile was bright for a moment—bright enough to chase away the gloom.
"Ren! We did it! We actually—"
But his voice slowly cracked. The smile drained from his face.
Ren glanced around at the suddenly heavy atmosphere. "What happened? Why do you all look so… defeated?"
Daiki swallowed hard. "Ren… look at them." He gestured to the wounded. "Some of them lost eyes. Arms. Legs. Some can't even stand. And many… won't stand ever again."
For once, the field was silent.
Ren looked over the wounded. Their broken limbs. Fearful eyes. The trembling hands of those who survived when others did not.
Then he smiled. Calm. Firm.
"It's good that you care about your comrades. Good that your hearts hurt when theirs do."
He raised his hand and stepped forward.
The ground trembled.
Shadows burst from Ren's feet like living ink, swirling outward and swallowing the battlefield in a dome of darkness. Hunters gasped as the shadow enveloped them, lifting them weightlessly into its healing embrace.
Inside the shadow realm, thick tendrils of dark mana wrapped around every injured hunter. Their bodies glowed faintly—black, blue, violet—and then…
Healing began.
Missing limbs materialized, bone and muscle knitting back together. Broken spines straightened. Burned skin restored. Pain dissolved. Tears of agony turned into tears of disbelief.
Within minutes, hundreds of badly wounded hunters stood whole again, staring at their restored bodies in awe.
Ren's voice echoed through the shadow realm, deep and resonant:
"You have seen the strength of our enemy. And you heard his promise—he will return, stronger than before. Strong enough to surpass even my soldiers."
The hunters looked at him, fear and resolve mixing within their eyes.
Ren continued, "Each of you has a shadow within you. If your heart is steady, if your resolve is pure… it will answer your call. So awaken it. Accept it. Adapt to it."
He turned toward his generals.
"Zyra. Umbra."
Zyra and Umbra—two towering figures of the abyss—stepped forward and bowed.
"You will return to the Abyss," Ren ordered.
"As you command," Umbra said.
Zyra raised a hand. "I will go ahead. The Kings of Thunder and Lightning have summoned me."
Ren nodded. "Understood. Umbra, you lead the army back."
A roar rolled across the battlefield as the Abyss Army retreated, vanishing in waves back through the lingering cracks of the realm.
The hunters, newly healed and empowered, stared at the Ninth King with newfound respect—and fear.
Ren stretched his arms, releasing a long breath. "That's enough. For now… it's goodbye."
He walked over to Yume and gently took her arm.
"W-wait… Mr. Ren… why are you leaving?" Akari asked.
"I told you," he replied. "You'll cover for me. If I must remain in the shadows… then I must leave before they begin asking questions."
He looked at Kuro. "I'll take her home. We'll wait for you there."
Kuro, newly restored and full of power, nodded. "Alright. I'll join you soon—with Daiki and Haru."
Ren turned to leave, but Kuro called out.
"Wait! Ren! Why are you REALLY going? Don't you think the world deserves to know who saved them?"
Ren paused.
For a moment, he was silent.
"Master," he finally said, "when I was weak, when I was nothing, they abandoned me. Now that I'm strong… if they discover the F-Rank reject became the strongest to ever exist, some will fear me. Some will try to kill me. And others will crawl to join me."
He looked up at the fading clouds.
"Let the glory go to those who always lived in the spotlight."
Then he stepped onto Althric's back.
"Let's go."
Althric bowed deeply, spread his wings, and flew toward Ren's old village.
The village, once lively, was silent. Doors open. Baskets overturned. No laughter. No people. Only the wind remained.
Ren walked slowly, each step echoing memories he thought he had buried.
Then—a small rock rolled toward him.
Ren looked up.
A boy stood guard in front of a woman lying on the ground, clutching a stone with shaking hands.
When Ren took a step closer, the boy threw it.
"Stay back! I'll protect my mother!"
The woman tried to stop him. "Shun, no! Don't do that!"
Ren approached, kneeling. "Why are you here? Why didn't you go to the shelter?"
The boy blinked. "Shelter? What shelter?"
Ren's expression darkened.
The woman pushed herself up using a wall. Her voice was weak.
"Everyone panicked during the evacuation. People screamed and ran. I fell… and no one noticed. They left without us."
She shivered.
"When demons broke into the village, we thought we would die. But then… something came. Something with black and blue veins. It ate the demons. Then it left. We didn't know what it was. We thought it would kill us too."
Ren felt a deep ache inside.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I should have checked the village myself."
She shook her head. "You're not at fault. We're alive. That's enough."
Ren gently touched her ankle. She cried out.
"It's broken," he murmured. "You've been injuired for days."
"Did you eat anything?"
"No. We haven't eaten anything since the evacuation. The food was taken along with the people, so we didn't get to eat."
He sighed. "Althric."
Althric stepped forward. "Yes, sir?"
"Bring food. Anything."
"And Miss Yume?"
"Set her down carefully."
Althric nodded and flew off.
"You really don't need to—" the woman began.
"It was my mistake," Ren cut in. "Let me fix it."
The boy tugged her sleeve. "Mother… please. You've been in pain for days. Let him help."
She closed her eyes. Then nodded softly.
Ren placed his hand over her ankle. Shadows wrapped around the injury like a warm veil. The bone shifted, healed. The swelling vanished. Pain disappeared.
The woman stood—shakily at first, then steady.
"It's… a miracle… you healed me."
Althric returned, arms full of food. Ren carried it to her small house as she guided them.
"Thank you, son," she said gently as he set the food down. "Thank you for saving us."
As Ren turned to leave, she called out:
"Son… what is your name?"
He froze.
"…Ren. Ren Akatsuki."
Her eyes widened. "Are you… that Ren? The one cast out from this village?"
"Yes," he replied quietly. "That was me."
She smiled. "Then I'm glad you came back. Truly."
Ren bowed slightly and walked away.
Back in Nirvalen, Daiki, Kuro, and the remaining hunters raised a victory signal. Reporters immediately broadcasted it nationwide.
Celebrations erupted across every district. Families reunited. Strangers hugged. Relief swept through the nation like a warm tide.
In the command center, Ichiro watched silently. Her fist clenched.
"Hunters… thank you for saving us."
The camera zoomed in on the hunters in the distance.
"And you… Mr. Ren.
Ninth King of Shadows.
Thank you for winning this war."