Jackie Chan struggled desperately, barely keeping up as the enemy assaulted him at terrifying speed.
The attacks were relentless—fierce, overwhelming, leaving him no room to breathe.
"Dad!" Jackie shouted at the top of his lungs as he blocked another strike.
"Dad—the Eight Demon Sorcerers are dead!"
"Oof—!"
Uncle barely managed to keep his footing, sweat pouring down his face.
"Don't you see that I'm already at my limit?!"
Uncle was panting heavily.
Ancient spells. Binding charms. Sealing magic pulled straight from the deepest pages of the spellbooks.
He used everything.
Yet none of it worked.
None of it had any effect on Tara, General of the Shadowkhan.
Even if Uncle became the greatest wizard recorded in history…
He was still being completely suppressed.
The situation was even worse for Tohru, Niu Mo Wang, and Valmont's Dark Hand lieutenants—Hak Foo, Finn, Chow, and Ratso.
They were being overwhelmed.
Crushed.
"Wait… that's—!"
Uncle's eyes suddenly widened.
What he saw made his breath hitch, disbelief washing over him so strongly it nearly shattered his composure.
The bodies of the Eight Demon Sorcerers—
Po Kong, Dai Gui, Hsi Wu, Bai Tza, Xiao Fung, Tohru, Laomo, and Shendu—
Which had been scattered across the battlefield…
Started to move.
Without anyone touching them, the corpses were dragged upward by an invisible force, pulled together as if commanded by the shadows themselves.
One by one, they aligned neatly in midair.
Darkness surged.
Purple-black energy churned within the shadows like a bottomless abyss slowly opening its eyes.
Then—
A voice echoed across the battlefield.
[Arise.]
It wasn't loud.
It wasn't shouted.
But it carried an authority that could not be resisted.
The word struck straight into the soul, imprinting itself into everyone's heart like an iron brand.
The moment the command was spoken—
Black, distorted energy erupted violently from the bodies of the Eight Demon Sorcerers.
Shadow and sorcery twisted together.
Demonic power and darkness collided, tore at each other—
Then fused into a perfect, terrifying whole.
A roaring black vortex swept through the battlefield.
When it finally settled—
Eight figures stood before them.
Pitch-black silhouettes, each one shaped exactly like the demon sorcerer it once was, radiating an aura so oppressive it felt as though hell itself had descended.
They were no longer demons.
They were no longer corpses.
They were Shadow Soldiers.
The instant their forms stabilized, eight pairs of razor-sharp eyes snapped open simultaneously—
Locking directly onto Yami Tsukishiro.
Without hesitation, all eight shadows dropped to one knee.
Heads lowered in absolute submission.
Their voices rang out as one.
"My liege."
--
"Gulp…"
Mine, who stood outside the barrier of light, couldn't help swallowing hard.
Her heart churned violently, like a storm raging inside her chest.
She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Not only had she just witnessed eight ancient demon sorcerers being effortlessly killed—but what followed was even more terrifying.
With just a single word from the Dungeon Master, the dead… rose again.
"Is this… his power?"
Takagi Yuriko whispered, her voice trembling.
"Even death itself becomes a weapon in his hands…"
Her eyes were filled with horror, as though she were witnessing the destruction of her own world all over again.
To command life and death so casually…
To bend the laws of existence to one's will…
Was this being a god?
A demon?
Or something far beyond both?
At that moment, memories of their ruined world resurfaced in everyone's mind—civilization erased, resistance crushed, hope extinguished.
"This world…"
Takagi Yuriko murmured faintly.
"…is going to end."
Her gaze remained fixed on Yami Tsukishiro, seated upon his throne like a sovereign of darkness.
Fear.
Powerlessness.
They filled her heart completely.
She couldn't imagine what kind of existence could possibly stop a man like this...
Someone capable of devouring the entire world step by step.
--
"Uncle Jackie!!"
Jade Chan screamed as tears streamed down her face.
She rushed toward the barrier like she had lost all reason.
She had seen it.
With her own eyes—
Jackie Chan, completely exhausted, being torn apart by three Shadow Generals.
The image struck her heart like a hammer.
"Jackie…!"
Uncle cried out in panic.
Ignoring the danger, he desperately began chanting spells, trying to save Jackie.
But before the magic could take form—
A shadow appeared behind him.
Tohru.
Like a ghost emerging from the abyss.
"You possess impressive magic,"
Tohru's voice echoed coldly, as if crawling straight out of hell.
"But this is as far as you go."
In an instant—
Tohru thrust her hand forward.
Like a venomous serpent, it pierced straight through Uncle's chest from behind.
Uncle's eyes widened… then slowly lost their light.
His lips trembled as he muttered weakly—
"Magic… failed…"
His arms fell limp.
His body collapsed lifelessly to the ground, as if his soul had been completely drained.
The battlefield fell silent.
All resistance had been erased.
Not a single enemy remained standing.
Tohru stepped forward, leading the Shadow Generals, advancing steadily toward the throne.
They paid no attention to the neatly arranged shadow forms of the resurrected demon sorcerers.
Those were no longer enemies.
They were tools.
"KING,"
Tohru knelt and spoke with fervent devotion.
"The greatest obstacle has been eliminated."
"Please grant us permission to lead the Shadow army…
And spread fear and darkness to every corner of this world."
On the throne—
Yami Tsukishiro tapped the armrest lightly with his fingertips.
Tap. Tap.
The sound was soft.
Yet every strike felt like it landed directly on the heart.
After a long moment of silence, Yami slowly lowered his gaze.
His expression looked lazy—
But hidden beneath it was an overwhelming, absolute authority.
"Tohru,"
He said calmly.
"You have one day."
"Dedicate this world to me."
"Yes!"
The Shadow Generals answered in unison.
"We will not fail our king!"
Though their forms were nothing more than silhouettes wrapped in shadow, their excitement was unmistakable.
They split apart instantly—
Marching toward the east, west, south, and north.
With every step they took, darkness spread beneath their feet.
Like a living abyss.
A force that devoured land, sky, life—everything—without exception.
Any human or army foolish enough to resist was crushed without mercy.
Slaughtered.
Reduced to nothing.
The ancient demon sorcerers.
The Twelve Talismans.
Jackie Chan and countless warriors.
All of them became nourishment for the spreading darkness.
Even the history of the world itself fell into Yami Tsukishiro's hands.
The world had become his toy.
Once everything was set in motion, the vast army of shadows retreated through the Gate of the World, returning to the dungeon.
Yami cast one final glance over the land drowning in despair and fear.
Then...
"Ella.
Shion.
Kaen."
At his call, the door behind him slowly opened.
He stepped through it.
The three followed without hesitation.
This world no longer needed their presence.
It had lost its last hope.
Endless darkness was inevitable.
"BOOM!"
Jackie Chan collapsed to his knees.
His fists slammed into the ground again and again.
"Damn it…!"
He roared, his voice breaking.
"We failed! Why wasn't it me who died?!"
Regret tore through him like blades.
He had returned—
Reborn in Bone City's outer district after surviving a battle between life and death.
But survival brought no relief.
Only pain.
Only self-hatred.
He watched helplessly as darkness swallowed the world—
Unable to do anything.
The pain twisted his heart like a knife.
A thousand blades pierced his chest at once.
And he could do nothing but scream.
"Jackie… we really did try our best."
Uncle's voice was hoarse, heavy with exhaustion and helplessness—like the final straw crushing an already-bent back.
Compared to the powerful aura of magic he once carried, he seemed to have aged decades in a single moment.
The weight of time had finally caught up to him, leaving deep marks that could not be erased.
Once the mysterious power of the Book of Ages was severed from this world, its miracles would fade like smoke in the wind.
They would return to being ordinary people.
All that once-great power—
Nothing more than a fleeting illusion.
They had resisted him.
They had once disrupted his plans.
But now…
They stood at the edge of a bottomless abyss, unable to see even a trace of hope.
"…Jade…"
The Ox Warrior slowly removed his mask, his expression filled with pain and despair.
When he thought of the world falling into ruin, the image of Jade refusing to leave his mind—
His chest tightened violently.
It felt as if his heart were being torn apart, each beat sending sharp pain through his body.
He clenched his fists, unable to stop the ache.
Suffering did not belong to one person alone.
It spread like an invisible plague.
Throughout the inner city of Bone City—
"Uncle Jackie!!!"
Jade Chan burst into tears, her cry piercing and raw.
It echoed through the streets, cutting straight into the hearts of everyone who heard it.
The people around her could only shake their heads helplessly.
Fear.
Despair.
Resignation.
All of it was written plainly on their faces.
They had seen it clearly now.
This world would follow the same path as Saya's world—
Straight into annihilation.
Viper gently patted Jade's head, her voice soft as she tried to comfort her.
"Jade, don't cry… you know Uncle and Jackie won't truly die.
They'll revive again in the dungeon, right?"
Jade wiped her tears, sniffling as she nodded.
"I know…"
She muttered quietly.
"But even so… seeing Uncle Jackie suffer like that still hurts."
That was Jade Chan.
One moment crying her heart out—
The next, completely transformed.
She suddenly straightened up, hands on her hips, eyes blazing with determination as if making a declaration to the world itself.
"Looks like there's only one thing left to do!"
"I'll conquer the dungeon, make a wish, save Uncle Jackie—
And save the world!"
Her eyes shone brightly.
Unshaken.
Unafraid.
She truly believed she would become a hero—
A light that could pierce even the deepest darkness.
The tears from just moments ago felt like a distant memory.
Gone as quickly as they came.
--
Marikawa Shizuka and the others stared at the scene before them, unable to stop the surge of complicated emotions welling up in their hearts.
Nostalgia for the past.
Confusion about the future.
...
Watching this world fall into ruin under invasion, it was impossible not to recall what their own world had once looked like.
Except for Rei Miyamoto and Saeko Busujima, whose resolve had visibly hardened, the others had all been shaken.
How could they not grieve?
How could they not feel uncomfortable?
Fortunately, Yuriko Takagi managed to steady her emotions. She took a deep breath and spoke, her voice calm yet firm, offering encouragement to everyone around her.
"Everyone, we haven't lost yet," she said.
"We still have a chance to make a wish. Don't let yourselves drown in despair."
Sometimes, a single sentence of encouragement could achieve far more than endless consolation.
Rika Minami let out a helpless sigh.
"We really can't defeat a man with strength that terrifying…"
"But the underground city—"
She stopped halfway.
Originally, she had wanted to swear that one day they would conquer the dungeon.
But the words caught in her throat.
Because she suddenly realized—
The dungeon itself belonged to that man.
The realization struck like a hammer.
For a brief moment, the entire area fell into suffocating silence.
…Right.
Facing an existence like that, boasting sounded hollow even to herself.
Rika understood this better than anyone.
If the underground city was completely under his control, they might not be able to conquer it even after a lifetime of effort.
There was hope—
But it was painfully small.
Still…
If there was another path, she wouldn't mind trying it.
"Mom is right," Saya Takagi said, forcing herself to straighten up.
"We can't keep dwelling on past failures."
She lightly patted her own cheeks, as if waking herself up.
"Let's go back, rest properly, and then figure out our next move."
"Endure it for now," she added quietly.
"We just have to keep getting stronger."
After witnessing everything that had happened, Kanae felt something stir deep within her heart.
She finally understood—
If she wasn't strong enough, then even the things she cherished most…
She wouldn't be able to protect them.
"…Yeah," she said softly, clenching her fists.
"We have to work harder."
Even knowing that death was not the end—
Watching entire worlds burn, watching lives fade one by one, watching flowers wither and vanish beneath the flames of war…
It still hurt.
The impact on the soul was like being thrown into a raging sea, battered by endless waves.
Everyone silently steeled themselves.
Like warriors holding onto faith, they prepared to challenge the underground city once more.
Only Akame remained quiet.
She stared at the screen, her crimson eyes reflecting the collapsing world.
Unconsciously, images surfaced in her mind—
Humans.
Demons.
Different races standing side by side.
She suddenly spoke, her voice low and calm.
"The Empire… ordinary people… outsiders… the Revolutionary Army…"
"Can they really work together… to fight an invasion like this?"
It sounded like a question directed at Mine and Kurome beside her.
And yet, it also felt like she was asking herself.
Hearing this, Kurome glanced at Akame briefly—
Then lowered her head without saying a word.
She calmly pulled a biscuit from her pocket, took a small bite, and chewed slowly.
Silence was her answer.
Mine grew restless.
Not getting a response made her anxious.
She grabbed her hair in frustration, then suddenly reached out and tightly held both Akame's and Kurome's hands.
"Akame! Kurome!" she said urgently.
"Let's stop thinking so much and just attack the dungeon already!"
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