ABSOLUTE POWER
A Tensura Alternative: The Rise of Yuuki Kagurazaka
Chapter 2: The Puppet Master's Gambit
Three weeks after acquiring Greed King Mammon, Yuuki Kagurazaka found himself in the Puppet Nation of Jistav, ostensibly to investigate reports of unusual magicule disturbances in the region. The dark elf nation, formed from the remnants of the ancient high-elven kingdom destroyed by Milim Nava's rampage twenty thousand years ago, was a fitting stage for what Yuuki had planned.
The truth was far more calculated.
Intelligence reports suggested that the seal containing the Chaos Dragon—the transformed corpse of Milim's pet dragon—was weakening. Such a catastrophe would draw the attention of powerful individuals from across the world. Including one Rimuru Tempest, who would undoubtedly rush to prevent another disaster like Farmus.
And more importantly, it would draw the attention of Granbell Rosso.
Yuuki stood in his temporary quarters in Jistav's capital, examining the luminous threads of desire that Mammon allowed him to perceive. The entire city was a tapestry of wants and needs—dark elves desiring safety, merchants craving profit, soldiers hungering for glory. All of it was laid bare before his enhanced senses.
But the thread he was most interested in was one that stretched far to the west, pulsing with crimson rage and grief.
Granbell Rosso. The legendary Hero. The man who had fought for humanity's survival for over a thousand years. The grandfather who had just learned of his granddaughter's brutal murder.
"Perfect," Yuuki whispered to himself, a smile playing at his lips.
Kagali materialized beside him, their spectral form flickering with concern. "You're really going through with this."
"Of course." Yuuki didn't look away from the window, where he could see the distant forest that supposedly contained the Chaos Dragon's seal. "Granbell is exactly what I need. A True Hero with an Ultimate Skill. The sword Truth. Centuries of combat experience condensed into a living weapon."
"He'll try to kill you."
"I'm counting on it." Yuuki turned, and his eyes gleamed with dark amusement. "But he won't succeed. Because I won't be the one fighting him."
Kagali went still. "You're going to use Rimuru."
"Use is such an ugly word," Yuuki said, though his smile contradicted the sentiment. "I prefer to think of it as... strategic delegation. Rimuru is strong, possibly stronger than me in direct combat. He has Ultimate Skills of his own. He's a True Demon Lord. And most importantly..."
He walked to his desk and picked up a letter—one of many communications he'd exchanged with Rimuru over the past weeks. The slime's handwriting was earnest, friendly, completely trusting.
"He considers me his friend," Yuuki finished softly. "His only friend from his original world. That bond, that desire to protect someone who shares his cultural background, his language, his memories of Earth... it's powerful, Kagali. Powerful enough to exploit."
"This is monstrous, even for you."
"Is it?" Yuuki set the letter down carefully. "Rimuru became a True Demon Lord by sacrificing ten thousand human lives. He's no innocent, Kagali. He's just better at maintaining the illusion of morality. At least I'm honest about what I am."
"And what are you?"
Yuuki met their gaze without flinching. "A survivor. Someone who will do absolutely anything to achieve his goals. Rimuru might have power, but I have clarity of purpose. And in this world, that makes all the difference."
He turned back to the window. "Besides, Rimuru will benefit from this too. Fighting a True Hero will push him to grow stronger. He'll gain valuable combat experience. And when it's over, he'll have protected his friend from a dangerous enemy. He might even thank me."
The irony wasn't lost on either of them.
"When will you leak your location to Granbell?" Kagali asked quietly.
"Already done." Yuuki smiled wider. "I had one of my Cerberus agents 'accidentally' reveal my presence in Jistav to a Western Nations Council informant. Given Granbell's current emotional state and his connections to the Council, he should receive the information within the hour."
"And Rimuru?"
"I sent him a message this morning, asking him to meet me in Jistav. Told him I had important information about a potential threat to Tempest. He'll arrive by tomorrow at the latest." Yuuki's expression turned contemplative. "The timing needs to be precise. Granbell will arrive first, full of righteous fury. Then Rimuru will show up just as things get dangerous. It'll be perfect."
Kagali was silent for a long moment. "You've changed since acquiring Mammon. You've always been manipulative, but this... this is different. Colder."
"I've simply accepted reality," Yuuki said. "Rimuru's evolution taught me that sentimentality is a luxury I can't afford. Every relationship, every interaction, is a potential resource to be exploited. The sooner I internalize that, the stronger I'll become."
He flexed his hand, feeling the power of Greed King Mammon coursing through him. "And I need to become much, much stronger."
Rimuru Tempest arrived in Jistav the following afternoon, accompanied by Ranga and traveling in his human form. The slime-turned-demon-lord had developed considerably since their last meeting—his aura was denser, more refined, carrying the weight of his recent evolution.
But his smile was the same as always. Warm. Genuine. Trusting.
It made what Yuuki was about to do almost too easy.
"Yuuki!" Rimuru called out, waving as he approached the outdoor café where Yuuki had been waiting. "It's been too long! How have you been?"
"Rimuru!" Yuuki stood, his expression brightening with practiced ease. They clasped hands warmly, and Yuuki felt a twinge of something that might have been guilt if he hadn't carefully excised such feelings weeks ago. "I'm doing well. Congratulations on becoming a True Demon Lord! I heard about what happened at Walpurgis. You really showed Clayman, huh?"
Rimuru's expression flickered with something complicated—pride mixed with discomfort. "Yeah, well... it had to be done. But I'd rather not talk about that right now. Your message said something about a threat to Tempest?"
"Ah, right." Yuuki's demeanor shifted to serious concern. "Let's take a walk. This conversation is better had in private."
They strolled through Jistav's streets, and Yuuki explained the situation with the Chaos Dragon's weakening seal. It was all true, as far as it went. The best lies were always wrapped in truth.
"If the Chaos Dragon breaks free," Yuuki said gravely, "the destruction could spread to the Jura Forest. Your nation, your people—they'd all be at risk. I thought you should know."
Rimuru's expression hardened. "Then we need to reinforce the seal. Do the dark elves have the resources to—"
He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes narrowing as he looked past Yuuki. "Wait. Someone's coming. Someone powerful."
Yuuki turned, and his enhanced perception through Mammon showed him what Rimuru sensed: a blazing pillar of determination and rage approaching at high speed. The thread of Granbell's desire burned like a red-hot wire, focused entirely on one thing.
Revenge.
"Yuuki Kagurazaka!" The voice boomed across the street, and people scattered as an older man with dull golden hair and sharp, eagle-like eyes materialized at the end of the road. He wore simple but expensive clothing that couldn't hide the warrior's build beneath, and at his side hung a magnificent longsword that radiated power even from this distance.
"Who—" Rimuru started, but Yuuki had already grabbed his arm, his face pale with perfectly-feigned terror.
"Granbell Rosso," Yuuki whispered, and he didn't have to fake the tension in his voice. The man before them was genuinely dangerous. "The legendary Hero. Rimuru, we need to run. Now."
"What? Why would a Hero—"
"You murdered my granddaughter," Granbell said, his voice carrying clearly despite the distance. He drew the sword—Truth, the god-grade weapon given to him by Rudra Nasca himself—and the air around him began to shimmer with spiritual power. "Mariabell Rosso. You killed her in cold blood, Yuuki Kagurazaka. And now, I will deliver justice."
Rimuru's eyes widened in shock, flicking between Granbell and Yuuki. "Yuuki? Is that true? Did you—"
"She was planning to overthrow the Western Nations," Yuuki said quickly, his voice urgent and defensive. "She was going to start a war that would have killed thousands. I had no choice, Rimuru. It was her or countless innocent lives. You understand, don't you? You've had to make similar choices."
It was brilliant manipulation. Yuuki knew Rimuru's psychology intimately—the slime's guilt over the Farmus massacre, his tendency to rationalize difficult decisions, his fundamental need to believe that his friends were good people. By framing Mariabell's death as a necessary evil to prevent greater harm, Yuuki gave Rimuru exactly the justification he needed to accept the story.
And Rimuru, predictably, hesitated.
That hesitation was all Granbell needed.
"Enough lies!" The Hero moved with speed that defied his aged appearance, closing the distance in an instant. Truth descended in an arc that would have bisected both of them if Rimuru hadn't reacted on instinct, conjuring a barrier of water and steel.
The sword cut through the barrier like it was made of paper.
"Shit!" Rimuru grabbed Yuuki and dodged, the blade missing them by inches. "Granbell Rosso, please! Let's talk about this! I'm sure there's been a misunderstanding—"
"The only misunderstanding," Granbell said, his eyes burning with grief and rage, "is that Yuuki Kagurazaka thought he could kill my family and escape justice. Stand aside, Demon Lord Rimuru. This is not your fight."
"I can't do that." Rimuru set Yuuki down behind him, his expression hardening into something more dangerous. "If you want to hurt my friend, you'll have to go through me first."
And there it was. The hook. Set perfectly.
Yuuki could feel Mammon stirring within him, amplifying the threads of desire that connected Rimuru to the situation. The slime's deep-seated need to protect those he cared about. His desire to be a hero who saved people. His bond with Yuuki as a fellow Japanese soul in this strange world.
All of it burning brighter, stronger, impossible to ignore.
"Rimuru, be careful," Yuuki said, injecting just the right amount of fear and concern into his voice. "He's a True Hero. He has an Ultimate Skill—Hope King Sariel. He's on a completely different level from normal opponents."
"I've fought Ultimate Skill users before," Rimuru said, but there was uncertainty in his voice. "I can handle this."
Could he, though?
Yuuki stepped further back, letting Mammon's power work. Through the skill, he could see the precise moment when Rimuru's resolve crystallized, when the desire to protect overwhelmed all other considerations. The thread connecting Rimuru to Yuuki glowed brilliant gold, pulsing with determination.
Perfect.
The battle that followed was unlike anything Yuuki had witnessed before.
Granbell Rosso wasn't merely strong—he was a master of combat refined across a thousand years of fighting. Every movement was efficient, precise, carrying the weight of countless battles. Truth sang through the air, each strike capable of cutting through space itself.
And Rimuru, for all his power as a True Demon Lord, was struggling.
"Gluttony!" Rimuru deployed his Ultimate Skill Beelzebub, trying to consume Granbell's attacks. But the Hero countered with something Yuuki recognized from his research—Fortitude, an Art that imbued Truth with the power of Hope King Sariel.
Pale blue flames coated the blade, and when they touched Beelzebub's void, they didn't get consumed. Instead, they reap life force directly, bypassing normal defenses entirely.
Rimuru screamed as the flames grazed his arm, the spiritual damage burning far deeper than any physical wound.
"Your gluttony is formidable, Demon Lord," Granbell said, his voice cold. "But hope transcends hunger. Hope is the force that allows heroes to stand against impossible odds. And right now, my hope for justice burns brighter than any darkness you can summon."
He pressed the attack, and Rimuru was forced onto the defensive. Water shields, steel barriers, spatial manipulation—nothing could fully stop Truth's assault. The god-grade weapon carved through Rimuru's defenses with contemptuous ease.
"Raphael!" Rimuru called to his Ultimate Skill. "Analyze his attack patterns! Find a weakness!"
<
"Thought Acceleration, maximum!" Rimuru's perception of time slowed to a crawl, allowing him to dodge the next series of strikes by microseconds. He retaliated with Multiple Parallel Existence, creating three clones that attacked from different angles.
Granbell didn't even blink. His combat experience allowed him to identify the real Rimuru instantly, and Truth bisected all three clones in a single sweep before thrusting toward Rimuru's heart.
The blade pierced through Rimuru's chest, and Yuuki felt Mammon pulse with satisfaction as he sensed Rimuru's life force beginning to drain.
"No!" Rimuru activated Ultra-Speed Regeneration, but the pale blue flames prevented normal healing. Instead, he had to use Beelzebub to literally consume and recreate the damaged portions of his body—a process that drained massive amounts of magicules.
"You're strong, Demon Lord," Granbell acknowledged. "But strength alone isn't enough to defeat a True Hero. We are chosen by the world itself to stand against threats like you."
He unleashed another Fortitude slash, and Rimuru barely avoided it by using Spatial Motion to teleport several meters away.
"This isn't working," Rimuru panted, his magicule reserves visibly depleting. "He's too experienced. It's like fighting someone who can predict every move I make."
From his position safely away from the battle, Yuuki watched with clinical detachment. Rimuru was learning, adapting, but Granbell had centuries of advantage. The Hero wasn't just strong—he was skilled in ways that couldn't be matched without equivalent experience.
Come on, Rimuru, Yuuki thought. You need to push harder. I need you to WIN, but barely. I need you exhausted, depleted, perfect for the final stage of my plan.
As if responding to his thoughts, Mammon pulsed again. Yuuki felt the thread connecting him to Rimuru and carefully, subtly, amplified the slime's desire to protect. Not obviously—Rimuru would notice if the manipulation was too blatant. But just enough to push him past his normal limits.
Just enough to make him desperate.
"I won't let you hurt Yuuki!" Rimuru roared, and his aura exploded outward. "Megiddo!"
Condensed water droplets formed in the air—hundreds of them, each acting as a lens to concentrate sunlight into devastating laser beams. They converged on Granbell from every angle, a omnidirectional attack that should have been impossible to defend against.
Granbell raised Truth and closed his eyes. "Hope King Sariel: Divine Protection."
A barrier of pale blue light erupted around him, and the Megiddo beams struck it with enough force to crack the ground beneath his feet. But they couldn't penetrate. The power of Hope, the authority over life itself, created a defense that transcended physical limitations.
"Impossible," Rimuru breathed. "That attack should have—"
"Hope always finds a way," Granbell said softly. Then his eyes snapped open, burning with determination. "And so does justice. Unique Skill: Unyielding One—activate."
Yuuki felt the shift in power. Granbell's aura changed, grew denser, as the souls of his fallen comrades—warriors who had fought beside him across centuries—lent their strength to his cause. The Hero's already formidable power surged to new heights.
"No," Rimuru whispered, sensing the change. "He's getting stronger. Raphael, what do I do?"
<
Less than half. Yuuki could see Rimuru's confidence wavering, replaced by genuine fear. Good. Fear would make him fight harder, push past his limits.
Fear would make the victory sweeter.
"Black Lightning!" Rimuru unleashed one of his most destructive attacks, bolts of darkness streaking toward Granbell with enough power to level mountains.
The Hero met them with Truth, the god-grade weapon conducting and dispersing the energy with each swing. "I have fought Demon Lords before, child. True Demon Lords, awakened heroes, even Primordials. Your lightning, while impressive, is nothing I haven't faced."
He closed the distance again, and this time Rimuru couldn't dodge. Truth sliced across his torso, the Fortitude flames eating away at his spiritual form.
Rimuru collapsed to one knee, breathing hard, his magicule reserves down to critical levels. "This is bad. Really bad."
From the sidelines, Yuuki called out—his voice perfectly calibrated to sound desperate without being annoying: "Rimuru! Please, you have to defeat him! If he kills you, he'll kill me next! You're my only hope!"
The manipulation was almost embarrassingly transparent. But in his desperate state, fighting for his life against an opponent who outclassed him in skill and experience, Rimuru didn't notice. He only heard the plea of his friend, the one person in this world who shared his origins.
The thread of desire between them blazed brilliant gold.
"I won't let him win," Rimuru growled, forcing himself to stand. "I won't let him kill anyone else today."
His aura exploded outward again, this time tinged with something dark and dangerous. The magicules in the air began to warp, reality itself bending around his presence.
"Beelzebub," Rimuru intoned, his voice carrying an edge that Yuuki recognized as the slime's more ruthless side—the part that had orchestrated the Farmus massacre. "Gluttony King—Soul Consumption."
Granbell's eyes widened in recognition of the technique. "So you would devour my very soul? How fitting for a Demon Lord."
"I don't want to," Rimuru said, and he sounded genuinely pained. "But I can't let you hurt my friend. I'm sorry, Granbell Rosso. You might have had good reasons, but—"
"Save your apologies," Granbell interrupted. "I've lived for over a millennium. I've made my peace with death. But know this, Demon Lord: killing me won't absolve Yuuki of his crimes. It will only make you complicit in them."
The words struck deep, and Yuuki saw Rimuru falter for just an instant. But Mammon was already working, amplifying his desire to protect, drowning out the doubt with desperate conviction.
The two combatants clashed one final time.
Granbell unleashed everything—Fortitude at maximum power, Hope King Sariel's full authority, the combined strength of a thousand years of fallen allies through Unyielding One, and the devastating cutting power of Truth. It was an attack that should have killed anything short of a True Dragon.
Rimuru met it with Beelzebub at full power, the void of gluttony expanding to consume not just matter and energy, but the very concept of hope itself.
The collision created a shockwave that leveled everything within a hundred-meter radius. Buildings crumbled. The ground split open. Dark elves fled in terror as the two ultimate powers wrestled for supremacy.
For a moment, it seemed like Granbell would win. His hope, his justice, his righteous fury—it all burned so bright that even Beelzebub couldn't fully consume it.
But Rimuru had one advantage: he was a True Demon Lord, a being that thrived on consuming others. And Beelzebub, when pushed to its absolute limits, could devour anything.
The void expanded. Swallowed. Consumed.
Granbell's final expression wasn't fear or regret. It was something almost like... relief.
"Hinata... Chloe... forgive me," he whispered as the gluttony overtook him. "I couldn't save them all. But perhaps... perhaps new heroes can."
Then he was gone, consumed entirely by Beelzebub's power.
Rimuru stood alone in the crater, breathing hard, his body covered in wounds that bled spiritual energy. His magicule reserves were nearly depleted, his Ultimate Skills taxed to their limits. He looked like he might collapse at any moment.
Perfect.
Yuuki walked toward him carefully, his expression a perfect mask of concern and gratitude. "Rimuru! Oh thank god, you're alive! I thought—"
He didn't get to finish the sentence.
Because in that moment, with Rimuru exhausted and vulnerable, Yuuki activated the true power of Greed King Mammon.
"Steal."
It wasn't a dramatic announcement. Just a whisper, barely audible. But the effect was instantaneous.
Invisible tendrils of greed, stronger and more insidious than any physical attack, lashed out from Yuuki and wrapped around Granbell's dissipating spiritual remains. Beelzebub had consumed the Hero's body and soul, yes—but the Ultimate Skills, the essence of a True Hero, the power of Hope King Sariel itself?
Those hadn't fully integrated into Rimuru yet. They were still in that liminal space between death and absorption.
And Mammon's Steal ability was specifically designed to claim such things.
"Wh-what?" Rimuru staggered, confusion flashing across his face as he felt something being ripped away from him. "What's happening? Raphael, I'm losing—"
<
But it was too late.
Yuuki felt the rush of power as Sariel entered his being, the Ultimate Skill struggling for just a moment before Mammon's overwhelming greed crushed any resistance. The Hero's essence followed—combat experience, tactical knowledge, a lifetime of battles condensed into pure information. And finally, glowing in his hand where it hadn't been a moment before, the god-grade weapon Truth materialized.
"Sorry, Rimuru," Yuuki said, and his voice was completely devoid of the warmth it had carried before. "But I needed you to defeat him for me. You understand, don't you? It's just strategy."
Rimuru's eyes widened in horror and betrayal. "You... you manipulated me? All of this... the message, the timing, everything?"
"From the very beginning," Yuuki confirmed, examining Truth with genuine appreciation. "Granbell Rosso was too dangerous to face directly. Even with Mammon, I couldn't guarantee victory against a True Hero. But you? You're strong enough to defeat him, especially when properly motivated."
He looked at Rimuru, and there was no guilt in his gaze. Only cold calculation.
"You used our friendship," Rimuru said, his voice breaking slightly. "You used the fact that I trusted you, that I—"
"Friendship?" Yuuki laughed, sharp and bitter. "Rimuru, we were never really friends. We're both Japanese souls trapped in this fantasy world, yes. We both like manga and games and all those other cultural touchstones. But friendship requires trust, vulnerability, genuine connection."
He gestured at the crater where Granbell had fallen. "I don't have those luxuries. I can't afford them. Because unlike you, I don't have a kingdom of loyal subordinates who would die for me. I don't have Ultimate Skills that literally grow stronger the more I consume. I don't have the luxury of exponential growth."
Power began to radiate from Yuuki as Hope King Sariel integrated with his being. The Ultimate Skill resonated with something deep inside him—his desire for a perfect world, his hope that through absolute power he could create the society Earth had failed to build.
"All I have," Yuuki continued, his aura growing brighter, "is my genius. My ability to manipulate, plan, and execute strategies that no one else would even consider. And if that means betraying someone who thought we were friends? If it means using you as a weapon against my enemies?"
He smiled, and it was the most genuine expression Rimuru had seen from him all day.
"Then that's exactly what I'll do."
The transformation began.
Yuuki could feel it—the combination of Greed King Mammon's power, Hope King Sariel's essence, and the True Hero's spiritual energy that Mammon had stolen. They swirled within him, breaking down the barriers between physical and spiritual existence.
His body began to glow with pale blue and golden light. The human limitations that had constrained him, the curse of his summoning that had frozen him in this youthful appearance, all of it was burning away in the crucible of evolution.
"I'm evolving," Yuuki breathed, wonder mixing with triumph in his voice. "Into a Saint. No—into a True Saint. Because I don't just have Sariel's power. I have Mammon's greed to fuel it, to amplify it beyond normal limits."
Rimuru tried to move, tried to stop what was happening, but his exhausted body couldn't respond. He could only watch as his supposed friend transcended humanity itself.
The evolution completed in a cascade of light. When it faded, Yuuki stood transformed.
He still looked young, still had that deceptively innocent appearance. But his aura had changed fundamentally. Where before he had been a genius human with Ultimate Skills, now he was something more—a spiritual lifeform that existed partially outside the normal rules of reality.
A Saint. Specifically, a True Saint empowered by two Ultimate Skills and wielding a god-grade weapon.
"This power," Yuuki whispered, flexing his hand and watching reality itself ripple in response. "This is what I needed. This is what will allow me to compete with you, Rimuru. To eventually surpass you."
He looked at the exhausted Demon Lord with something that might have been pity. "Thank you for your contribution to my evolution. Truly. I couldn't have done this without you."
"You monster," Rimuru managed, but there was more hurt than anger in his voice. "I defended you. I killed for you. And this entire time—"
"I was using you," Yuuki finished. "Yes. And I'll use you again if necessary. Because that's what you are to me, Rimuru Tempest. Not a friend. Not an ally. Just... a resource. A very powerful, very useful resource."
He turned to walk away, Truth resting comfortably on his shoulder, his two Ultimate Skills humming with power.
"Consider this a lesson," Yuuki said without looking back. "In this world, power trumps everything. Friendship, morality, honor—they're all just weaknesses waiting to be exploited. The sooner you accept that, the better."
"I'll never accept that," Rimuru said, forcing himself to his feet despite his exhaustion. "And one day, Yuuki Kagurazaka, I'll make you answer for what you've done today."
Yuuki paused, glancing over his shoulder with a smile. "I look forward to it. Competition makes us both stronger, after all."
Then he was gone, vanishing with Instant Motion, leaving Rimuru alone in the devastated street.
Later that night, in a secure room far from Jistav, Yuuki examined his new acquisitions.
Hope King Sariel resided comfortably within his soul, its authority over life and reincarnation complementing Mammon's greed perfectly. The combination created something unique—a power that could not only claim what others possessed, but ensure they could never reclaim it in future lives.
Truth was even more impressive up close. The god-grade weapon felt alive in his hands, responding to his will with an eagerness that normal weapons couldn't match. As a spiritual lifeform, Yuuki could now fully utilize its properties, his flesh taking on spiritual characteristics that made him far more durable than any human.
And the True Hero's essence had granted him combat knowledge that would have taken centuries to accumulate naturally. Sword techniques, battle tactics, strategic thinking refined across a millennium of warfare—all of it was now Yuuki's to command.
"Was it worth it?" Kagali asked, their spectral form flickering with disapproval. "Destroying your relationship with Rimuru for this power?"
"Absolutely," Yuuki said without hesitation. "Rimuru was going to become my enemy eventually. His growth rate is too explosive, his ideals too opposed to mine. Better to establish our enmity now, on my terms, than wait for him to grow even stronger."
"He'll come for revenge."
"Good." Yuuki smiled, testing Truth with a few practice swings. The blade sang through the air, each movement perfectly balanced. "Let him come. Let him grow stronger in his pursuit of me. Because every time he evolves, every time he gains new power trying to catch up..."
He activated both Ultimate Skills simultaneously. Greed King Mammon and Hope King Sariel resonated in perfect harmony, their combined aura creating a pressure that bent reality itself.
"I'll be evolving faster. Because unlike Rimuru, I'm not constrained by morality or friendship or any of those other weaknesses. I'll sacrifice anything and anyone to achieve my goals. And that ruthlessness, that absolute clarity of purpose?"
His eyes gleamed with dangerous ambition. "That's what will make me a god."
Kagali said nothing, but their silence was answer enough.
In the distance, the Chaos Dragon's seal continued to weaken. The world continued to turn. Demon Lords plotted their schemes, nations prepared for war, and ancient powers stirred from their slumber.
But Yuuki Kagurazaka didn't care about any of that. Not really.
All he cared about was the singular, burning vision that had consumed him since the day his parents died: absolute power. Complete control. A world reshaped according to his will, where tragedies like theirs could never happen again.
And now, with two Ultimate Skills, a god-grade weapon, and the essence of a True Hero flowing through his spiritual form, he was one step closer to that vision.
"One year," Yuuki whispered to himself, echoing the promise he'd made weeks ago. "I gave myself one year to become something unprecedented. And I'm ahead of schedule."
He looked at his reflection in Truth's blade, seeing not a teenager but a force of nature. A predator who had just claimed his first truly significant prey.
"Watch out, world," Yuuki said softly. "Yuuki Kagurazaka is coming. And I won't stop until everything is mine."
The sword gleamed in response, pale blue light mixing with golden greed.
And in that light, Yuuki saw his future clearly.
It was absolute. It was perfect.
It was inevitable.
END OF CHAPTER 2
To be continued...