"The Soul-Scorched Catacombs?" Renji asked, the raw exhaustion from his earlier battles forgotten as confusion took over. He quickly scanned the fiery, lightning-struck wasteland. "I thought I was supposed to be at the hall where the Lord's body lies. Where exactly are we?"
[I cannot determine the precise location immediately, Host. The dimension is heavily shielded. It appears we are at an access point. We should be able to deduce our position soon.]
"Seriously?" Renji sighed, the irritation clear in his voice. This wasn't the time for guesswork.
He took a careful step forward. The moment his boot touched the cracked, hot earth, the ground trembled violently beneath him.
[WARNING!]
[BEASTS APPROACHING—ALL RANKS DETECTED!]
Renji's eyes narrowed, his stance hardening. "Not just one beast, but beasts. And they cover all ranks? What in the hell is this place?"
Suddenly, the silent landscape erupted. Dozens of shrieking Goblins boiled out of the surrounding rubble. Immediately following them were four larger, more dangerous monsters: a towering, razor-clawed Stone Golem, a winged Harpy Scout, a brutish Troll Brawler, and a terrifying, crimson-skinned Blood-Fiend Assassin. Leading this terrifying mixed force was a hulking, skeletal warrior known as the Bone General, an entity radiating immense, disciplined strength.
"Oh no, no, no," Renji muttered under his breath, drawing his Shadow-Forged Greatsword. The familiar green aura of the Necromancer System ignited around him. "You've got to be kidding me with this."
He let out a short, sharp breath. "You know what? Let's just finish this now!"
Renji launched forward, sprinting toward the overwhelming rush of enemies, who were charging him simultaneously.
-----
In another part of this grim dimension, the Oni host came face-to-face with a massive, forbidding stone gate. Protecting it was a single, immense warrior: Kaito the Undying, an S-Rank Guardian clad in ceremonial armor, his presence radiating unwavering loyalty to the long-dead Abyss Lord.
"Hmph. How pathetic," the Oni host sneered, regarding the colossal figure. "An S-Rank guardian, standing watch."
Kaito the Undying moved without sound or warning. His huge, heavy sword descended in a swift, devastating vertical strike. It caught the boy completely off guard, cutting him cleanly in half. The two pieces of the Oni host's body fell to the ground like discarded trash.
Within a few agonizing seconds, the impossible happened. The severed halves began to knit back together. Bone reformed, flesh reformed, and the black eyes snapped open. The boy reformed completely, his sinister smile never fading. The resurrection left the S-Rank warrior totally perplexed.
The Oni host began to walk gently around the perplexed Guardian, one hand tucked behind his back, the other gesturing airily as he spoke. "Well, I honestly didn't think the guardian of this place would be an S-Rank warrior. Even so, to me, you're nothing more than an ant."
Kaito the Undying turned, his immense frame showing clear, visible shock.
"You see, I am a very kind and reasonable person, so I'm asking you gently: step away from the gate."
Stubbornly, the massive warrior raised his sword again, refusing the demand.
"I am the Guardian chosen by the Abyss Lord," Kaito's voice boomed, commitment echoing in the words. "I stand here with my life as my oath."
Kaito brought his sword down in a punishing arc. The Oni host merely sighed and shook his head in disappointment.
"Such a stubborn one."
He raised a single index finger and met the full force of the giant blade. The devastating momentum of the S-Rank sword stopped dead against the boy's finger.
"Don't say I didn't warn you," the Oni whispered.
With a slight, cold pressure from that index finger, the Guardian's enormous, intricately forged greatsword shattered into thousands of metallic fragments.
Kaito the Undying stared at the dust of his weapon, his expression replaced by abject horror and fear. "Who—who are you? You are not the Mortal King, are you?"
The Oni host vanished from his spot and reappeared instantly on the giant warrior's shoulder. He bowed low, his mouth next to the Guardian's ear. "No. I am the Demon King."
Kaito the Undying flinched violently. Before the Guardian could even process the information or react, an invisible thread, impossibly thin and lethally sharp, flashed out from the boy's hand. Kaito's enormous head was severed instantly.
"Fool," the Oni host scoffed, jumping down. He stepped through the now undefended gate.
------
"Oh, that was surprisingly fun," Renji said, standing amid the wreckage. He was breathing easily, thoroughly satisfied by the sheer display of his amplified A-Rank strength. The immense horde, including the Stone Golem and the Blood-Fiend Assassin, had all been eliminated in mere minutes.
Suddenly, a system panel materialized, displaying a countdown: 23minutes.
"What is this countdown for?" Renji questioned the system instantly.
[The hostile being has successfully eliminated the Guardian of the Fate Gate. He will reach the Hall of Essence when this timer expires. You must intercept him immediately.]
Renji took a long, sharp inhale. "Okay. Okay, I understand now."
He dropped into a low, kinetic stance and exploded forward, sprinting with supernatural speed toward the Demon King.
---
In the chaotic, beast-filled place Renji had just vanished from, a new figure materialized. Shinjo stood there, his presence cold and precise, immediately inhaling deeply, using the stench of battle and ozone to trace Renji's energy signature. The surrounding firelight flashed wickedly off his glasses.
Shinjo began to walk forward, his movements unnervingly graceful, following the lingering scent of Renji's mana like a bloodhound.
"Big brother, what are you up to now?" He smiled, the teasing edge in his voice jarringly out of place given the carnage around him.
---
Renji was still sprinting, the landscape of bones and lightning a continuous blur. He gritted his teeth, frustration mounting because the System's countdown had reached 9 minutes, yet the Hall seemed miles away.
"I have to move faster," he thought desperately. "I need to boost my speed using that Electric Necrotic Speed I discovered while fighting that Bone General bastard."
[WARNING! The hostile entity has reached the Hall.]
"Wait, what? I thought you said he would only reach it when the time expired! It's still five minutes left!" Renji demanded.
[Affirmative. The countdown was for the outer defenses. The entity is present, but he has not yet managed to breach the final Array protecting the Lord's Essence.]
"Oh, great! At least there's a delay," Renji acknowledged, relief washing over him.
"Then I have to get there right now."
He immediately activated the Electric Necrotic Speed. His boots became enveloped in crackling green energy, and he shot forward, the immense force of his acceleration leaving a scorched, deep line gouged into the hard ground behind him.
------
Inside the Hall, the Oni host stood before a shimmering, intricate barrier—the final array covering the body of the Fallen Lord.
"Hmm, this might actually be a nuisance," the boy muttered, a frown finally appearing on his face. "This isn't just any common barrier."
He raised his hand, and an intricately designed red sword materialized, crackling with dark power. This was no ordinary weapon; it was an artifact of immense, SS-Rank power.
He smashed the sword against the array twice, but the barrier held firm, refusing to yield a single crack. He struck again and again. Finally, a faint, spiderweb-like fracture appeared. He extended his right hand and began to chant a dark, complex spell: "Shadows of Gehenna, Rend the Veil! Kyōkō no Kage! (Coercive Shadow!)"
A stream of thick, purple smoke erupted, coiling like a venomous snake before bursting against the already weakened array with incredible pressure. The very air in the hall radiated outward in a violent energy wave.
The Oni host repeated the terrible command, pouring more power into the chant: "Shadows of Gehenna, Rend the Veil! Kyōkō no Kage! (Coercive Shadow!)"
With a deafening shriek, the array shattered like glass, the pieces dissolving instantly. The body of the Fallen Lord, resting on the altar, began to glow with a deep blue aura and faint, ethereal flames. The Oni host walked slowly toward it, careful not to disturb the volatile energy.
He stretched his hand toward the luminous body, but a sudden, violent burst of protective energy erupted, throwing him back several feet.
He tried again, and the same powerful defense knocked him off balance. "So, I can't touch him directly," the boy reasoned, his eyes blazing with calculation. "Then I will capture his soul as my prisoner, and absorb the Essence before the soul can fully integrate!"
He took a measured step toward the altar, preparing to launch a complex binding ritual.
"Hey, you!" Renji shouted, his voice ringing with fury and exhaustion, having just arrived in a blinding flash of green light behind the intruder.