[SCENE ONE: THE VOID DIMENSION – ASTAROTH'S ABODE]
Ryu Kim stood frozen on an impossible expanse. His feet felt as though they were treading on nothingness, yet he could feel a foundation firmer than the hardest concrete on Earth. The sky in this dimension was neither blue nor overcast; it was a cosmic canvas, a sprawling expanse of purple and black nebulae swirling slowly like a birthing galactic vortex. Thousands of stars were scattered across it, but their light was not static—they pulsed in perfect synchronization with Ryu's racing heartbeat.
Before him, Astaroth stood with a majesty that stifled the breath. The ancient entity was no longer a mere faint shadow whispering from behind a blade. He had manifested fully, clad in silver-dark armor adorned with ancient runes that glowed with a faint, rhythmic light. The aura of authority radiating from him was so heavy it felt as if the atmosphere itself had a physical mass pressing down on Ryu's shoulders.
"Master Ryu," Astaroth's voice boomed, not through the air, but echoing directly within every cell of Ryu's body. "Time is our most precious commodity now. You must understand, the true 7 Sovereigns are not opponents you can measure with your current logic. The clones you destroyed the other day were mere specks of dust compared to their original strength. If they are allowed to fully restore their essence, they are entities capable of collapsing continents in a single breath."
Ryu swallowed hard. Cold sweat trickled down his temples. His innocent face, usually adorned with the friendly smile of a high school student, was now pale and tight with tension. "Then, what must I do, Astaroth? I feel like my power has already reached its limit. That fusion of light and darkness I did yesterday... it almost tore my own body apart."
Astaroth took a step forward. Each footfall created ripples of energy on the dimension's transparent floor. "You have only scratched the surface, Master. What you call a 'limit' is nothing more than a thin wall built by your human fear. To protect this world from the apocalypse they are orchestrating, you must transcend humanity itself. You can no longer just be a 'user' of the Balance power. You must become the Balance itself."
Astaroth's glowing silver eyes stared directly into Ryu's, as if dissecting the young man's soul. "I am giving you one month. In one month within this dimension—which is equivalent to an eternity in training—you must transform into the perfect 'Weapon of Balance.' You will evolve your power to a level never imagined even by your ancestors. You need a physical strength capable of withstanding cosmic energy pressure, swordsmanship that can cleave through space and dimensions, and a mental focus so sharp that time itself seems to stop in your eyes."
Ryu's eyes widened. "One month?! But Astaroth, school... national exams... my parents... and Lis! They'll come looking for me. I can't just disappear!"
"The world will crumble in despair if you fail, Master!" Astaroth interrupted, his tone cold yet heavy with warning. "If you choose to remain an ordinary student today, then tomorrow there will be no school for you to attend, no parents for you to hug, and no Lis for you to protect. Choose now: disappear for one month to forge yourself, or stay here and let the world lose everything forever."
Silence enveloped the dimension. Ryu looked down, his hands clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. Images of his mother's smile during lunch, his father's proud face, and Lis's laughter while they studied together flashed through his mind like a movie. He had no choice.
"Fine," Ryu lifted his face. His once-hesitant gaze began to harden like steel. "I understand. I'll do it. But... let me send word to them. I don't want them searching for me in an anxiety that could break their hearts."
[SCENE TWO: THE FINAL LETTERS AND THE SILENT DEPARTURE]
With a snap of Astaroth's fingers, reality warped around Ryu. In an instant, he was standing back in the middle of his silent bedroom. Time in the real world seemed to slow down almost to a halt; dust motes floating in the air appeared still, and the ticking of the wall clock sounded incredibly sluggish.
Ryu immediately stepped to his desk. With hands slightly trembling but steady, he took two sheets of white paper. He knew he didn't have much time.
The first letter for Mom and Dad:
"Dad, Mom, please forgive Ryu for leaving so suddenly. There is an urgent responsibility I must fulfill for the safety of many people, including ours. I will be going away for special training for one full month. Please don't look for me and don't worry. I promise, by our family name, I will return healthy, safe, and far stronger than before. I love you both very much."
The second letter for Lis:
"Lis, I'm sorry for leaving in the middle of our study session. Please tell my Mom that I have urgent business. And the exams next week... I know it's selfish, but please do your best for me too. I have to go forge myself, Lis. The enemies we face aren't truly defeated, and I don't want you to get hurt again. Wait for me for one more month. Take good care of yourself, and don't do anything reckless."
Ryu placed the two letters where they would be most easily seen. He walked slowly to the window, staring at the house next door. There, behind the glowing window, he knew Lis might be waiting for him to return. His heart felt heavy, as if a stone was lodged in his throat. The innocent feelings of a teenager in love surged, but the weight of being the Balance Keeper was far greater.
"Astaroth... I'm ready," Ryu said in a low voice, filled with a burgeoning authority. "Take me back. Do not leave a single second for doubt. From this moment on, there is no more weak Ryu Kim."
Dark purple light exploded from his shadow, swallowing Ryu's body completely. The room returned to its void, leaving only the scent of roses from the window and two letters that would change the atmosphere of that house forever.
[SCENE THREE: THE TRAINING HELL – WEEK ONE]
The first week in the Void Dimension was the literal definition of hell. Astaroth no longer acted as a protector, but as a ruthless mentor. Here, the concept of fatigue did not exist, for Astaroth forcibly restored Ryu's energy only so he could be tortured again by even more grueling training.
"Get up, Master! Your enemy will not give you time even to wipe your sweat!" Astaroth shouted. He swung a massive shadow sword that was nearly three meters long.
CLANG!
Ryu tried to parry with Aethel, but the pressure from Astaroth's attack was so massive that the bones in Ryu's arms creaked. He was sent flying hundreds of meters, slamming into the hard energy walls of the dimension. Before he could even catch his breath, Astaroth was already in front of him, unleashing a vertical strike that split the dimension's floor.
Every day, they engaged in 10 life-and-death combat sessions. Astaroth did not hold back his strength. Ryu was forced to read movements that exceeded the speed of sound. He had to learn to feel the disturbance in the air particles before an attack even began.
Beyond combat, Ryu underwent physical training that defied human logic. For 10 hours every day, Astaroth created an "Infinite Gravity Field." Ryu was forced to crawl, stand, and run under a weight equivalent to a small mountain. His muscles tore, his blood vessels burst, but under the guidance of Astaroth's energy, his cells regenerated to become denser, stronger, and more elastic.
"Focus, Master! Do not use your eyes! Feel the flow of atoms! Feel the pulse of the universe!"
Entering the fifth day, Ryu was ordered to meditate in the middle of a "Void Storm"—a vortex of energy that fired thousands of energy needles from all directions. He had to remain calm, keeping his focus from wavering. In the silence of his meditation, Ryu's reflexes sharpened drastically. He began to see the flapping wings of imaginary insects in the dimension in slow motion. The world in his eyes began to change; he no longer saw objects, he saw energy.
[SCENE FOUR: BIRTH OF THE WAR GOD – WEEK TWO]
By the second week, the change in Ryu Kim was no longer within the realm of reason. The high school boy with an innocent face and slender frame was completely gone. His body was now more athletic, with muscles perfectly sculpted but not excessive—like a sword forged with high precision. His skin emitted a faint glow, a sign that the Balance energy had fused with his DNA.
However, the most terrifying part was the evolution of his power. Ryu no longer just held light in his right hand and darkness in his left. He had transcended that duality. He created what Astaroth called the "Balance Anomaly"—a level of power where light and darkness no longer stood side by side, but merged into a new, highly destructive silver-gray energy.
In those 14 intense days, Ryu successfully awakened and mastered 27 new abilities, each with extraordinary destructive power. Among them:
1. [Dimensional Slash]: Ryu could swing his sword and cut through space itself, making any physical defense useless as the attack appeared directly at the target point.
2. [God's Reflex]: A passive ability that made his body react automatically to threats within a 100-meter radius, even if Ryu was asleep.
3. [Void Compression]: Ryu could concentrate void energy at his fingertip, creating a microscopic black hole capable of absorbing and obliterating enemy energy attacks.
4. [Sovereign's Pressure]: This was the most gripping ability. Just by standing still, Ryu emitted a crushing aura so heavy that enemies with weak mentalities would immediately faint or kneel out of instinctive terror.
Now, Ryu stood in the center of the Void Dimension. His hair had grown slightly longer, partially covering his eyes which now radiated a sharp, cold silver-black flash. There was no more doubt on his face. The aura emanating from his body was so powerful it caused the space around him to constantly crack, like glass on the verge of shattering.
Astaroth stood a few meters before him, slowly sheathing his shadow sword. The ancient entity bowed deeply, a gesture of respect he had not given to anyone in thousands of years.
"Incredible. Truly beyond reason," Astaroth's voice trembled with unbearable pride. "In two weeks, you have exceeded the highest expectations I ever set. You are no longer just a human borrowed power. You are the true embodiment of Balance. You are 'The Zenith'."
Ryu looked at his palm. He could feel every molecule of energy flowing through his veins. He felt as though he could grasp the destiny of the world in his hands. Yet, his emotions no longer exploded; he became profoundly calm, as still as the surface of a rippleless lake, yet possessing an unfathomable depth.
"This is just the beginning, Astaroth," Ryu's voice now sounded heavier, full of authority, and terrifyingly calm. "The 7 Sovereigns have made a grave mistake. They thought I was prey they could stalk from the darkness. They will soon realize that I am the very darkness they fear, and I am the light that will incinerate their sins."
Ryu tightened his grip on the Aethel sword, which had now evolved with him. The blade was now jet black with a pulsing silver line running down the center.
"I will hunt them down. One by one. Until not even their shadows remain in this world."
Ryu's aura exploded violently, creating a shockwave that shook the foundations of the Void Dimension. The transformation was nearly at its peak, and when he finally stepped out of this dimension, the world would witness the return of a protector who had turned into a God of War for the peace he loved.
END OF CHAPTER 12