CHAPTER 25, RETURN TO THE HUMAN REALM
Two months had passed in the Human Realm.
Life had returned to its usual rhythm. Cities were alive again, streets crowded with people, and the world looked peaceful from the outside. But beneath that calm surface, something subtle had changed.
The air itself felt heavier… as if the world was unknowingly waiting for something.
Krrish sat near a quiet street café not far from the Hero Academy. The afternoon sun fell gently across the table where he sat, and in front of him was a small bowl filled with syrup-soaked rasgullas.
He slowly lifted one with a spoon and ate it calmly.
To anyone passing by, he looked like a completely normal student enjoying sweets.
But his mind was far from calm.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the empty street ahead.
"Something feels wrong…"
The thought had been bothering him for days.
He remembered the battles clearly.
Every moment.
Every strike.
Every death.
When he had fought those demons in the past—before he returned to this timeline—the fights had been brutal. Back then, each Demon King had been terrifyingly powerful. Even defeating one of them had required everything he had.
He had nearly died more than once.
Those battles had pushed him beyond his limits.
But this time…
Krrish picked up another rasgulla and ate it slowly.
"They were too weak."
His voice was quiet, almost lost in the noise of the city.
The difference bothered him.
When he had fought them this time, the battles had ended far too quickly. The Demon Kings that once required unimaginable effort to defeat had fallen far more easily than expected.
He leaned back slightly in his chair.
"That shouldn't have happened."
His eyes became sharper.
"They weren't supposed to lose that easily."
For someone like Krrish, small inconsistencies meant danger.
And this one…
Was massive.
At that same time, Hero Academy was preparing for one of the most important events of the year.
Students filled the massive training grounds. Excited voices echoed across the campus as instructors organized the arena.
Because soon…
The Royal Battle would begin.
This event happened every year before students advanced to the third year of the academy.
But it wasn't just a tournament.
It was a system that could completely change a student's future.
In Hero Academy, students were divided into different classes depending on their strength and performance.
Among them, the most prestigious group was known as the Royal Class.
Only the strongest and most talented students were allowed to remain there.
And every other student in the academy dreamed of reaching it.
The Royal Battle existed for that reason.
It served two main purposes.
First, it allowed students to increase their ranking within their own class. Those who performed well could rise higher, gaining recognition and resources.
Second, it also affected their academic standing. Strategic ability, decision-making, and teamwork during battle contributed to their overall ranking.
But there was another rule.
A dangerous one.
If a student from a lower class managed to defeat someone from the Royal Class during the Royal Battle—and if that Royal Class student was in perfect condition with no injuries or illnesses—then the winner could replace them.
The lower-class student would be promoted directly into the Royal Class.
And the defeated Royal Class student would fall.
Because of that rule, the Royal Battle wasn't just a competition.
It was a battlefield for ambition.
Large digital boards across the academy had already activated. Rankings were displayed and updated in real time as preparations continued.
Students whispered nervously about who might challenge whom.
Everyone wanted to rise.
And the only way to rise…
Was to defeat someone stronger.
Meanwhile, far beyond the Human Realm, in a place where the sky itself was darker than night—
The Demon Realm was silent.
The battlefield where Krrish had once fought was now empty.
But four figures stood within the ruins.
Phoenix.
Black Dragon.
Lion King.
And the Nine-Tailed Fox.
For a long moment, none of them spoke.
Then Phoenix slowly opened his eyes.
Consciousness returned to him like a distant echo.
His body still carried the memory of the battle.
Of defeat.
Of the moment when Krrish had ended everything.
He slowly exhaled.
"So… he truly returned."
The others looked at him silently.
Then Phoenix did something unexpected.
Without hesitation, he raised his hand—and cut it.
A deep line opened across his palm, and dark red blood began to drip down.
Black Dragon immediately did the same.
Then Lion King.
Then the Nine-Tailed Fox.
Their blood fell to the ground one drop at a time.
As it touched the soil, an ancient symbol began to form beneath them.
It was not a normal mark.
It was an oath.
The mark of Beast Loyalty.
One by one, the four powerful beasts dropped to their knees.
Phoenix lowered his head.
"From this moment onward…"
His voice was deep and steady.
"We acknowledge him as our master."
Black Dragon's heavy voice followed.
"The one who defeated us… yet did not enslave us."
Lion King pressed his fist to the ground.
"The one who proved his dominance not through cruelty… but through absolute power."
The Nine-Tailed Fox closed her eyes softly.
"We swear loyalty."
"Until death."
The blood symbol glowed faintly beneath them.
As if something beyond their understanding had accepted the oath.
Far deeper within the Demon Realm…
A massive ancient gate stood in the darkness.
Before it stood the Demon Emperor.
Around him were the remaining Demon Kings.
The air trembled with their presence.
Slowly, the Demon Emperor raised both hands and began chanting a strange, ancient incantation.
The language was older than memory itself.
As the chant continued, something impossible began to happen.
The bodies of the Demon Kings started dissolving.
Not dying.
Transforming.
Their forms turned into pure energy.
One by one, their power flowed into the gate.
The massive structure began to shake violently.
Dark cracks spread across its surface.
The chant grew louder.
More intense.
Until finally—
The Demon Emperor himself transformed into energy.
And entered the gate.
For a moment…
Everything was silent.
Then the gate exploded with dark power.
And from within it—
Figures began to emerge again.
The Demon Emperor stepped out.
Followed by the Demon Kings.
But something about them had changed.
Their presence was far darker than before.
Their aura felt heavier… colder… more absolute.
Back in the Human Realm, Krrish suddenly paused mid-bite while eating another rasgulla.
Inside his mind space, a familiar figure stood silently.
The Black Shadow.
It watched everything quietly before finally speaking.
"So that's what they did."
Its voice carried quiet understanding.
"They used the Death Dimension."
The realization was clear now.
When Krrish had killed those Demon Kings earlier, the Black Shadow had noticed something strange.
Energy leaving their bodies.
Not normal energy.
Fragments.
Small pieces of their real power.
"I suspected it back then," the shadow murmured.
"The ones Krrish fought… were not their true bodies."
The Death Dimension was a hidden realm.
A place where time flowed differently.
A being could hide their true body there, training endlessly, growing stronger.
Meanwhile, they could send fragments of their power into the outside world.
Those fragments could act independently.
Fight.
Rule.
Influence events.
But the real being remained safe, hidden beyond reach.
And that was exactly what the Demon Emperor and Demon Kings had done.
They had never truly fought Krrish.
Only small pieces of their power had.
Outside, Krrish slowly finished his rasgulla.
Then his eyes sharpened slightly.
The realization had finally reached him too.
"So that's why…"
He placed the empty bowl down quietly.
"They felt weaker."
His voice carried calm certainty.
"Because the ones I fought…"
His gaze lifted toward the sky.
"…weren't the real Demon Kings."
The wind moved softly across the city.
Students laughed somewhere in the distance.
The academy continued preparing for the Royal Battle.
But far away—
Something far more dangerous had already begun moving again.
The real Demon Emperor had returned.
And this time—
The war had only just begun.