Zata's laughter slowly faded.
The atmosphere fell silent again, with nothing but the distant crackling of hellfire filling the air.
"Alright," Zata said, glancing up at the cracked red sky.
"Now that I'm part of the group, we should get moving."
"Moving where?" Lin asked cautiously.
Zata pointed toward a dark valley in the distance.
"The center of the arena. That's where the gate to the next stage will appear."
Nora frowned.
"And these hell creatures?"
"Bait," Zata replied simply.
"Vowl likes watching weak creatures struggle to survive."
Airi tightened her grip on her sword.
"Then… we don't have much time."
Arou nodded.
"If we stay here, the others might already be fighting for their lives."
Zata turned toward Arou, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"You changed earlier."
Arou fell silent.
"…Yeah."
"That wasn't your full power," Zata continued.
"It was only a leak."
Nora snorted.
"Even your 'leak' was enough to scare the hell out of us."
Zata chuckled.
"That's what makes it interesting."
He walked past Arou, then stopped right in front of him.
"If you don't learn to control your emotions, the people you're trying to protect might get hurt next time."
Arou clenched his fist.
"I know."
Airi stepped beside him.
"He's not alone."
Zata glanced at Airi.
"…That's the problem."
Suddenly, the air began to tremble.
A long roar echoed from the direction of the valley.
Not one.
Dozens.
The ground pulsed like the heartbeat of some enormous creature.
Lin tensed.
"They're coming again."
Zata smiled faintly.
"Round two."
Nora rolled her shoulders.
"This time, don't space out again, burden."
Arou smiled slightly.
"Yeah, yeah."
A faint purple flame flickered in Arou's eyes.
This time, it was stable.
He stepped forward, standing alongside Airi, Nora, and Lin.
"Alright," he said quietly.
"If this is a team game…"
He stared into the darkness ahead.
"…then let's be the ones who make it out."
Zata stood behind them with his hands in his pockets, wearing a lazy smile.
"Go ahead," he muttered.
"I'll watch."
In the distance, thousands of hellish shadows began to move.
The battlefield grew increasingly tense.
The cracked sky trembled as fire and ash continued to fall.
Yet Zata still looked completely relaxed.
Almost bored.
"Too slow," he muttered.
The battle began.
Airi, Arou, Nora, and Lin charged forward to face the army of hell creatures.
Airi and Lin drew their swords, their blades cutting through the enemy ranks again and again.
Nora fought with her bare hands, smashing through monsters without hesitation.
Arou fought without a weapon as well, purple flames flickering from both his hands, unstable and pulsating with energy.
Meanwhile, Zata stood a short distance away, yawning.
"Ah… how boring."
Suddenly—
A monster leaped from the shadows and swung a massive scythe.
SLASH!
The blade pierced straight through Zata's chest.
"A—!"
Airi, Nora, Lin, and Arou froze in shock.
"Zata… is hurt?" Nora whispered in disbelief.
"Wait… can he actually die?" Lin asked in panic.
"Damn it—" Airi instinctively moved forward.
But Arou calmly spoke.
"Relax… just watch."
Zata lowered his head and looked at the blade piercing through his chest.
Then—
He smiled.
"Hahaha…"
His low laughter echoed across the battlefield.
"You actually thought I'd die to trash like this?"
The wound in his chest slowly disappeared, as if it had never existed.
"What…?" Airi stared in disbelief.
Lin accidentally looked toward the monster that had attacked Zata.
The creature had already been split in half.
Its body collapsed silently.
"A counterattack…?" Lin muttered.
Zata rolled his shoulders.
"Relax. I don't know the meaning of death."
Nora let out a relieved sigh.
"Thank goodness…"
But before they could even catch their breath—
The army of monsters attacked again.
And this time, there were far more of them.
Zata stared at the endless sea of monsters.
His smile slowly widened.
"Hmm…"
"I feel like having some fun."
He turned toward Airi, Nora, Lin, and Arou.
"Mind if I kill them all?"
The four answered simultaneously.
"Sure. Go ahead."
Zata smiled with satisfaction.
"Thanks."
He stepped forward and pointed at the army.
"Now…"
His voice was completely flat.
"I'll wipe you all out."
Zata raised his hand and threw a casual punch into the air.
"Zero percent."
BOOOOOOM!!!
A wave of destruction swept across the battlefield.
The entire army of monsters vanished in an instant, their bodies reduced to fragments before disappearing completely.
Lin's mouth hung open.
"Even… zero percent is that powerful?"
Arou nodded slowly.
"That's Zata. His power can't really be measured with numbers."
"He simply chooses how little of his power he wants to reveal."
"Amazing…" Lin whispered.
None of them noticed—
someone was watching from high above.
Vowl.
Zata sensed the gaze.
He looked up at the sky and smiled sharply.
"Vowl…"
His voice carried a strange excitement.
"Get ready to face my protagonist."
Airi frowned.
"Why is Zata staring at the sky?"
Lin narrowed his eyes.
"Don't tell me…"
"He knows Vowl is watching us?"
"And… who does he mean by 'protagonist'?"
Arou sighed.
"…Me."
Nora immediately turned toward him.
"What?! Don't get ahead of yourself! You're such a burden!"
Zata looked at all of them and spoke calmly.
"She's right."
"Arou is my protagonist."
Nora fell silent for a moment before protesting.
"But he's weak! Why him?"
Zata answered without hesitation.
"Because out of every creature I've ever encountered, Arou is the only one worthy of that role."
"Why?" Nora pressed.
Zata smiled faintly.
"Arou is the core."
"The heart of the story I wrote."
"You wrote it?" Nora's eyes widened. "So you're basically a god here?"
Zata slowly shook his head.
"I'm merely its controller and usurper."
"I don't even deserve to be called a god."
He yawned.
"I still have the ability to be lazy."
Nora clenched her fists.
"Then why Arou?! He's weak!"
Zata gave Nora a sharp look.
"You know how chess works?"
"Yeah… I do," Nora answered hesitantly.
"In chess," Zata continued,
"the king is the life of the game."
"He moves slowly. He's weak. And he usually stays behind."
Zata turned toward Arou.
"But Arou is different."
"Other kings are busy protecting themselves."
"Arou keeps trying to save everyone else."
"So Arou stays behind not because he's weak—"
Zata smiled.
"—but because he's the life that must be protected."
Nora fell silent.
Lin slowly nodded.
"Then why not someone else?"
Zata looked at him.
"I already told you."
His tone was firm.
"Out of every creature I've ever encountered, Arou is the only one worthy of being the protagonist."
Lin smiled faintly.
"Oh… I see."
"Sorry. I wasn't really listening before."
Zata chuckled.
And somewhere in the distance—
Vowl smiled.
---
The air in the hellish world trembled.
Not because of Zata's previous attack—
but because something was moving.
The cracks in the sky slowly closed, only to open again moments later, forming a gigantic gap resembling an enormous eye staring down from above.
A voice echoed across the battlefield.
Deep.
Heavy.
Calm.
"Interesting…"
Airi immediately tightened her grip on her sword.
"That… whose voice is that?"
Lin swallowed nervously.
"Don't tell me…"
Nora stepped forward instinctively, placing herself between Arou and whatever was approaching.
"Arou, stay behind me."
Zata chuckled.
"Haha… finally."
From the opening in the sky, a gigantic figure slowly descended.
Its body was covered in black flames, with countless glowing eyes scattered across its form.
Every step caused the ground beneath it to crack.
Vowl.
His gaze immediately locked onto Zata—
then Arou.
"So…"
"Is this the protagonist you're so proud of?"
His voice made the air feel heavy.
Arou felt an overwhelming pressure pressing down on him.
It wasn't fear.
Instead, it felt like something inside him was being awakened.
Nora gritted her teeth.
"What the hell is this pressure…?"
Airi stepped forward.
"Arou, don't move."
"No matter what happens, stay behind us."
Zata glanced at her.
"Ah, don't be so tense."
He casually stepped forward.
"Vowl, this is my little story."
"Don't ruin the stage before its time."
Vowl let out a low laugh.
"Little story?"
The flames surrounding his body grew larger.
"You've been playing around for far too long, Zata."
"And you…"
Vowl's gaze returned to Arou.
"…you haven't even realized what you really are."
Arou frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Vowl's smile widened.
Far too wide to be called a normal smile.
"You're not a pawn."
"You're not a king."
"You're the trigger."
Lin's eyes widened.
"The trigger?"
Zata sighed.
"Ah… you're talking too much."
Vowl raised his hand.
"This team game is almost over."
"Now it's time to accelerate the story."
The ground beneath them cracked violently.
A gigantic magic circle appeared beneath Airi, Nora, Lin, and Arou.
Airi immediately shouted,
"Everyone, move!"
But it was already too late.
Black light shot upward, separating them.
"Arou!!" Nora shouted.
"Airi!!" Arou yelled back.
Their vision was cut off.
In an instant—
Arou fell alone into a dark purple void.
There was no ground.
No sky.
Only emptiness.
"What… is this?"
A single set of footsteps echoed.
Zata appeared beside him, his hands still in his pockets.
"Hmm. Looks like you've been separated from the others."
Arou glared at him.
"Was this Vowl's doing?"
"Partly," Zata answered casually.
"The rest…"
"…was supposed to happen."
"What do you mean?"
Zata turned toward him.
His expression was more serious than before.
"Arou."
"You can't keep staying behind."
Arou clenched his fists.
"I know I'm weak—"
"No."
Zata cut him off immediately.
"You're holding yourself back."
Arou fell silent.
Zata raised his hand and pointed toward Arou's chest.
"What you released earlier…"
"That purple flame…"
"That wasn't my power."
"It belongs to you."
Arou's heartbeat grew louder.
"Can… I control it?"
Zata smiled faintly.
"That is the next stage."
Far away, Vowl's voice echoed once again.
"Arou Sikita."
"If you want to save them—"
"Come here yourself."
Zata chuckled softly.
"Well…"
"The stage is calling for you."
He placed a hand on Arou's shoulder.
"Show them."
"Show them why I chose you as my protagonist."
The purple flames in Arou's hand ignited once again—
but this time, they were stable.
Deeper.
Stronger.
Arou raised his head.
The hesitation was gone from his eyes.
"…Alright."
"I'll come."
And for the first time—
Arou stepped forward not as a burden,
but as the core of the story.