The Dungeon Breathes a New Master
Columns of molten light spiraled upward as Rengoku Hayate stepped out of the Dungeon of Hellfire. Ash drifted like snowfall. The dungeon's entrance glowed crimson, pulsing in rhythm with Hayate's own heartbeat.
Beside him, Flare, the newly bound dungeon spirit, floated with her tiny hands clasped behind her back, cheeks still faintly glowing red from the events within.
"Hayate…"Her voice jittered with excitement and anxiety.
"You do realize this changes everything, right? You're not just 'a strong person' anymore. You're… a walking anomaly."
Hayate's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Good."
Flare gulped softly.
"You don't even deny it! No wonder the dungeon was scared of you!"
Hayate ignored her bluster and stepped fully outside.
The world had changed.
The air was thick with smoke.
The scent of blood lingered like a lingering curse.
And the once-proud skyline of Arclight City smoldered beneath fading daylight.
The City in Ruin
Flare covered her mouth.
"Oh no… The monsters did this."
Charred buildings.
Collapsed walls.
People crying, carrying wounded.
Pools of blood still steaming against cobblestone.
And deeper into the heart of the city, barricades had been hastily erected around the Adventurer Association and the central plaza.
Flare hovered closer.
"Hayate, this wasn't just a simple raid. The monsters were pushed out intentionally by the corrupted core. Someone wanted the city destroyed."
"I know."
His tone was calm, but the flames behind his irises flickered dangerously.
He moved forward.
As he entered the central plaza, hundreds of adventurers and soldiers gasped—not out of relief, but out of fear.
Whispers erupted instantly.
"He… he made it out alive."
"That's Rengoku Hayate…"
"The guy who humiliated the Hero Party."
"I heard he killed an entire regiment alone."
"No, I heard he made a pact with the abyss!"
"He's not human."
"He's a monster wearing a man's skin."
Hayate ignored them all.
But when Flare floated into view, their panic doubled.
"What is THAT—"
"A spirit?"
"No… her energy is… monstrous…"
"She came from the dungeon—SHE'S THE DUNGEON!"
"WHAT DID HE DO IN THERE!?"
Flare whispered awkwardly,
"Eh-hehehe… I feel like a stray cat being stared at before adoption."
"Stay close," Hayate said.
She blushed."…Okay."
The Savior Who Wasn't
At the far side of the plaza, surrounded by dozens of injured and kneeling supporters, stood Ren—the city's former golden boy. His heroic armor was cracked, his sword broken. His right arm was limp at his side.
His face twisted when he saw Hayate.
"Oh… you're alive."
Hayate didn't respond.
Ren took a shaky breath, trying to maintain arrogance—but cracks trembled beneath the surface.
"You think humiliating me in front of everyone makes you someone special?!"
He spat blood on the ground.
"I already told everyone that you cheated. That your power comes from demonic influence!"
The crowd murmured with uncertainty.
Flare's tiny eyebrow twitched.
"Demonic—? YOU? Excuse me, stupid hero-wannabe, he's cleaner than your whole bloodline put together!"
Hayate sighed.
"Flare."
"What? He started it!"
Ren glared but stepped back nervously.
Behind him, the remains of his party limped forward—Lena, Toren, and the others—faces swollen, bruised, terrified.
They did not speak.
Not after what Hayate did to them.
But Ren, still clinging to shattered pride, raised his voice.
"You may have crawled out of the dungeon, but everyone saw it—you bring misfortune. The dungeon attack happened because of YOU!"
Hayate looked at the ruined city.
Then back at Ren.
"No."
His voice rang like a blade drawn.
"It happened because of your incompetence."
The plaza froze.
"You chased fame. You forged fake heroism. You abandoned your allies. You lied to the city. And when the dungeon threatened to destroy the world—"
He stepped forward, eyes glowing crimson.
"You were too weak to stop it."
Ren flinched, entire body trembling.
The Judgment of the People
A child, clutching his wounded mother, pointed at Hayate.
"M-Mister… d-did you save the city?"
Hayate looked at him.
"Yes."
"…Are we safe now?"
"Yes."
The boy smiled weakly.
His mother whispered,
"Thank you…"
The crowd shifted.
"What?"
"So he DID stop the dungeon?"
"You're telling me he did what the Hero Party couldn't?"
"But… the guild said—"
"The guild LIED."
Someone threw Ren's broken banner at his feet.
Voices turned sharp.
Honest.
Fearless.
"He promised protection—but we lost hundreds!"
"My sister died because his party ran away!"
"He abandoned the defense lines!"
"He hid in the Cathedral!"
"He let the monsters spread!"
Someone finally shouted—
"HAYATE IS THE REAL SAVIOR!"
The plaza erupted in shouts, cheers, and cries.
Ren's face paled.
"NO! No, you idiots! He's a demon! He's a parasite! He—"
"Enough," Hayate said.
His voice silenced the entire city.
"You call me a demon?"
Hayate raised his hand.
Dark light flickered.
Flare gasped.
"That's the Devouring Star—Hayate, don't use it here!"
"…I won't."
But the shadow that formed behind him was enough.
The ground cracked.
People trembled.
Even the air weighed heavy like divine pressure.
Hayate stepped toward Ren.
"I warned you before. You cannot fight me."
He grabbed Ren by the collar, lifting him effortlessly.
Ren kicked and thrashed.
"LET GO! LET GO OF ME! I'M THE HERO! I AM—"
"You are nothing."
Hayate dropped him.
Ren hit the ground hard, coughing blood.
Hayate turned away.
"You've already been defeated. There is no glory left to take from you."
Ren stared in frozen horror.
Because Hayate didn't even consider him a threat worth killing.
Politics of Fear
Several high-ranking knights and guild officials approached cautiously.
"R-Rengoku Hayate…"
"We need your statement."
"What exactly did you do to the dungeon?"
"What is that spirit beside you?"
"Are the monsters… gone?"
Hayate spoke plainly.
"I stabilized the core. The dungeon will no longer spawn monsters for seven days."
"Seven… days?"
"That's impossible—!"
"No dungeon can be silenced—!"
Flare crossed her arms proudly.
"Well THIS one can. Because my master said so."
All officials went pale.
"M-Master—?"
Flare slapped her forehead."…Oops."
Hayate sighed.
It was too late. The entire city heard it.
"The dungeon… follows him…"
"He commands it…"
"That means…"
"He's the strongest existence in the region."
"He could destroy us if he wanted."
Panic trickled across faces.
Fear.
Respect.
Submission.
Hayate didn't smile.
Didn't gloat.
He simply said,
"I won't harm the city."
Then he started to walk away.
The Woman on the Rooftop
A figure appeared above them—standing on the roof of the half-destroyed Cathedral.
A woman in silver armor, cloak fluttering.
The city's strongest knight.
Lady Seraphine Arclight, the Blade of Dawn.
She watched Hayate descend through the smoke.
Her gaze was not fearful.
It was interested.
And dangerous.
"So," she murmured.
"You've finally shown us your true fangs, Rengoku Hayate."
Her sword shimmered like morning light.
"I hope you're prepared… Because the kingdom will not ignore what you've become."
The City That Kneels or Burns
Hayate walked through the devastated street, Flare floating silently beside him.
"Hayate…"
Her voice was small.
"The city… it's afraid of you."
"Yes."
"Does it… bother you?"
"No."
She tilted her head, flames flickering.
"Why not?"
Hayate stopped.
Wind blew ash across the cobblestone.
"Because I am not here to be worshiped, trusted, or praised."
He stared at the sky—darkening with the embers of what had nearly become the city's end.
"I am here to rise. And those who stand in my way—"
He clenched his fist.
"—will kneel."
Flare blinked.
"And if they don't?"
Hayate looked forward, crimson eyes burning.
"Then they burn."
The dungeon's pulse echoed him.
And so did destiny.