The decision had been made.
No hesitation.
No debate.
Just alignment.
Denma, Jess, Kimotsu, Faith, Gene, and Kaelven all accepted Kaelen's proposal.
Not as followers.
Not as tools.
But as people choosing a direction together.
Somewhere far from Valhala—
The world shifted again.
Karveth — Kurogami Headquarters
A massive black-and-white hall stretched endlessly into the distance.
Columns carved from unknown material pulsed faintly like living bone.
At the center—
Ten figures knelt.
Perfectly still.
Perfectly disciplined.
A voice echoed through the hall.
"The Ten Kings and Queens are here, prior to your command, sir."
They didn't move.
Didn't look up.
Because in Kurogami—
Strength was hierarchy.
And hierarchy was law.
Each presence radiated something different.
Something dangerous.
Reiji — First King
Star Empowerment
He borrows force from constellations themselves. Every star is a weapon waiting to be drawn into reality.
Selara — First Queen
Blade of Dimensions
She doesn't wield a sword.
She creates cuts in space itself.
Minias — Second King
The Dominator
The longer he fights, the stronger he becomes. Pain is fuel. Damage is evolution.
Kiyomi — Second Queen
Gradual Loss — The Unexpected
Everything she touches loses something. Strength, memory, time, certainty.
Tsubasa — Third King
Shadow User
Not shadows of darkness—
But shadows of existence.
Akia — Third Queen
Silver Gale
Wind that cuts faster than thought.
Ryouji — Fourth King
A presence that stabilizes chaos through sheer brutality.
Akihiko — Fourth Queen
Ice Fire
A contradiction that burns and freezes simultaneously.
Seiji — Fifth King
Anti-Matter User
Reality deletion in controlled form.
Hanae — Fifth Queen
Mind Breaker
She doesn't attack the body.
She attacks definition.
None of them looked up.
Because before them—
Sat a throne.
And on that throne—
John Merciless.
King of Karveth.
He leaned forward slightly.
"Reiji."
His voice was calm.
Heavy.
Absolute.
"We're going for a little trip."
A pause.
"Tell the Elder Council to watch over our territory."
No one reacted.
No one questioned.
Because when John spoke—
It was already decided.
And then—
He vanished.
A ripple of space folded open inside a quiet house.
John stepped out.
Tessandra just came out of the shower.
Silence.
Then—
A very brief pause.
"…Can't call and say you're coming?" she said, stunned.
John tilted his head.
"Humph. It's a surprise visit."
A towel floated mid-air—
Frozen by his aura.
Tessandra froze too.
"…Put it down."
John didn't even look at it.
"I've seen enough. Don't worry. They're my type."
A pillow flew at his face.
It stopped mid-air.
Then gently floated to the couch instead.
Tessandra sighed.
Moments later—
She returned dressed.
John looked at her.
"…Stunning as always."
He stepped forward—
and without ceremony—
pulled her into his side.
Space distorted.
They vanished.
Kurogami Headquarters —
The Ten Kings and Queens finally lifted their heads.
"Welcome, Madam."
Tessandra immediately turned red.
"…Stop saying that."
John ignored it.
"Why is that bastard late?"
A portal opened in the hallway.
A girl stepped out.
Black hair.
Blue eyes.
Calm presence.
Regal posture.
"I'm pleased to finally meet Sir John Merciless."
John looked at her.
"…Oh?"
A faint smile.
"So you're the sister-in-law I heard about."
Alzwalt stepped in beside her.
"Yeah bro. She's the one."
The girl spoke again.
"I'm Britanya Washington, from Astria."
John held out his hand.
"Welcome to Kurogami."
"Make yourself at home anytime."
Then—
He turned.
"Seems like everyone is here."
A pause.
"Let's go."
John raised a hand.
"Inverse."
Reality folded.
A different world.
A brutal world.
A world that felt alive in a hostile way.
They appeared in an open dimension.
And from the sky—
A figure dropped.
BOOM.
Dust exploded outward.
When it cleared—
Kaelven stood up, brushing his coat off.
"…Hey master John, don't gotta throw me in a portal every time."
John looked at him.
"…You have a problem with that?"
Kaelven immediately straightened.
"No sir."
John turned slightly.
"How's the kid doing?"
Kaelven scratched his head.
"He took in the other heroes."
"Hades and June got away though."
John nodded once.
"…He did well."
Kaelven shrugged.
"For a stage 5 fighting a stage 7, yeah."
Tessandra folded her arms.
"I'll update his training schedule."
Kaelven tilted his head.
"So why are we here?"
John's eyes sharpened slightly.
"Today…"
"We hunt demons."
"On the Surface or in hell."
Alzwalt smiled.
"…Yeah. I still owe that Ifrit guy."
Silence.
Then movement.
Kaelven stepped forward.
"…Everyone."
He looked at the world around them.
Zerathis.
A planet that didn't reward existence.
It consumed it.
"Welcome to planet Zerathis."
A pause.
"A world that runs on hunger."
"Everything here competes to exist."
"It was built by killers."
"Ruled by numbers."
He looked back.
"In Zerathis, everything has a number."
"That number is called Double Count."
A brief silence.
He continued.
"If a wolf has 1000 DC, it can kill monsters with 100 DC or the same DC as theirs or higher and absorb their count."
"Strength, speed, durability, output—all increase with it."
"You grow by killing."
"And there are beings with unmeasurable DC…"
His tone lowered slightly.
"…like Ifrit—the Demon Lord of the Sixth Hell."
Alzwalt cracked his neck.
"…I remember that encounter."
Tessandra nodded.
"It's a nice training ground."
Britanya simply watched, smiling slightly.
John sighed.
"Kaelven."
"Stop explaining useless things."
"You're coming with us."
Kaelven raised his hands slightly.
"…Right."
A pause.
"But before Alzwalt came here…"
"The first person to arrive was Lord Arata."
That name shifted the air slightly.
Kaelven continued.
"At that time…"
"A 70 billion DC dragon was chasing me to the edge of existence."
"I only had a million."
"I found Kael'Ar."
"And met Sir Arata first."
Silence.
Kaelven's voice dropped slightly.
"He came to Zerathis…"
"…turned that dragon into a baby."
"…evolved it."
"…and brought it to his restaurant."
He paused.
"And before leaving…"
"He planted a seed."
John's expression shifted slightly.
A faint smile formed.
"…Oh."
"So that's why I felt that energy."