"Help me, brother," Hikari whispered softly, the sound barely audible in the cavernous hall.
Renji materialized in the vast, ominous space of the palace. His siblings were bound tightly by thick, rope-like bindings, hung suspended a few feet off the ground.
Shinjo, despite his restraints, thrashed desperately, his eyes screaming a clear, frantic warning to Renji: It's a trap!
But Renji was blind to the signal. His focus was tunnel vision. He rushed forward, every fiber of his being focused on their safety.
"Are you two alright?" he asked, his voice low with concern, as he reached them and began feverishly working at the ropes.
Then, from the shadows of the immense hall, sixty-five figures emerged. They were demons, fully armed with grotesque weapons, their hands crackling with summoned magical energy. Renji was suddenly surrounded, trapped with his helpless siblings.
He instinctively pushed his body to shield them, his gaze sweeping the horde. "Where is your King?" he demanded.
A figure stepped forward, easily distinguishable from the lesser demons.
This was Zhar, the Oni's younger brother. He was tall, powerfully built, and he slowly pressed a reddish, wickedly curved sword into the palm of his hand.
"The Mortal King, huh? Quite the catch,"
Zhar murmured, approaching them with a leisurely, unsettling confidence.
"My brother lured you here precisely so we could execute you," Zhar explained, a dark, chilling giggle escaping his throat. "He used these two to distract you, to draw your attention away from the world you swore to protect."
Renji's eyes widened, his anger momentarily stunned by the realization. "Oni's brother? To draw my attention from my world?" he repeated, shifting his body to completely shield Hikari and Shinjo.
"Hahaha. Of course!" Zhar boasted. "My brother seized your siblings so that when he made his move, no one would be left to stand against him on Earth."
Renji clenched his fists, lowering his head in self-reproach. He had reacted as a brother, not as a King. The anger was searing, yet he remained silent, processing the bitter shame.
"You're here now. I will ensure you do not leave this realm alive, and neither will the baggage you carry," Zhar threatened.
Shinjo, though an A-Rank Hunter, was hopelessly outmatched by the demons surrounding them. Renji knew he couldn't afford to be paralyzed by indecision.
"Hmm. I may have been fooled," Renji finally remarked, his voice hardening into steel.
"But nothing stops me from protecting my world."
"Arrogant brat," Zhar mocked, closing in.
"Do you genuinely believe you can take down sixty-four demons by yourself?"
Renji smiled, a sudden, utterly terrifying smile. He released his grip on his siblings.
He whispered a single command, and a small, precise portal ripped open beneath them. He swiftly hurled Shinjo and the unconscious Hikari through the gate before it sealed shut.
Renji had no time for talk while Earth was under attack. He exploded into brilliant green flames, his aura consuming the space around him. He didn't sprint; he simply blurred, tearing through the demon ranks in a single, devastating motion, turning the hall into a chamber of slaughter.
Outside, the sky was a nightmare. It had turned dark, heavy, and red as spilled blood—a terrifying spectacle witnessed across the entire globe. Every human being came outside, captivated by the looming chaos.
A devastating wind began to blow, a gale of supernatural force that swept away debris, shattered windows, and threatened to rip humans right off their feet. The Oni himself stood aloft on a platform of swirling, purple smoke, his hands resting gently behind his back, his eyes fixed on the world below with chilling ownership.
Behind him, thousands of his soldiers hovered, a terrifying legion of demonic forces. The sheer aura of the Demon King's power sent lightning striking across the sky, and the chaotic wind was simply the exhaust of his breath.
"At last, the world is finally mine," Oni declared, his voice easily cutting through the roar of the wind, sounding triumphant and absolute.
Below, people screamed and cried out in terror.
"Hello! All humans!" Oni shouted, addressing the trembling populace. "I have arrived as your new King! I am the one who will reshape this world into something far darker, and my kingdom shall be the supreme power across all dimensions!"
A nobleman, desperately clinging to a street sign to avoid being thrown away, screamed his defiance into the gale. "God forbid! We will never bow to a ruthless tyrant like this!"
Before the noble had finished his final syllable, his body was instantly shredded into pieces, sliced apart by nothing more than the Demon King's silent, casual glance.
Then, the final act of dominion began.
A monumental, hideous statue of the devil rose from the depths of the ocean. Colossal, legendary chains erupted from the sea floor, coiling around buildings and tearing them apart to clear a massive, empty plot of land.
Next came a mountain not of stone, but a towering mass of black obsidian, crudely but powerfully carved into a magnificent, dark palace. The chains hurled the mountain across the sky, gently setting it down on the cleared plot of devastation.
"Ha! Finally! The world is mine," Oni sighed, satisfied. "Soldiers! I want every human captured and enslaved! Begin the harvest!"
But before the thousands of demons could disperse and descend upon the defenseless world, a portal tore open in the air.
Renji stepped through. He was breathing hard, covered in the residual green power of the Void, and his reddish sword glowed menacingly, blood dripping steadily from its edge.
"No, you don't."
Oni watched the new arrival, his triumphant smile faltering for the barest fraction of a second. He was genuinely shocked to see Renji standing there, alive and on time, but the Demon King was too practiced to let the surprise last. He slowly turned to face the Mortal King.
"Well, well. I suppose you fled from my brother's welcoming party," Oni taunted, his voice dripping with condescension.
Renji merely offered a slight, knowing smile that barely touched the corner of his lips.
"I bet what I'm about to tell you will genuinely shock you," Renji said, his voice calm despite the exhaustion in his posture.
Oni scoffed. "Me? Shocked? Impossible. Killing you now is barely worth the effort."
Renji kept his small smile and floated a little closer, meeting the Demon King's gaze.
"You see," Renji continued, his voice dropping, "I killed your brother and all his soldiers when they tried to stop me from coming back to save my world."
Oni stumbled back a single step. Zhar was his blood the last family he had. The shock was a paralyzing, ugly knot in his stomach.
He tried desperately to hide the sudden, cold rage and disbelief, but the effort was useless.
"How dare you!"
Oni moved with devastating speed, closing the distance and unleashing a powerful punch. Renji brought his arms up to block the blow, but the sheer force of the Demon King's fury sent him rocketing backward, slamming violently against the side of the newly materialized obsidian palace.
Roaring in anger, Oni revoked his previous order. He waved his hand toward his demonic army. "Forget the humans! All of you, attack the Mortal King!"
As the thousands of demons roared and flew toward Renji, Oni calmly descended to the ground, drawing a glowing circle on the earth with fire tracing from his fingertip.
Suddenly, the roar of rotors cut through the demonic chaos. Five military helicopters, carrying police and soldiers, appeared on the horizon. Trailing them closely was a sixth, the dedicated transport for Japan's Special Hunter Forces.
Oni glanced up at the approaching aircraft, a cold smile curving his lips. He slammed his foot hard onto the ground. Instantly a massive, jagged spires of rock erupted from the earth, launching into the air like demonic anti-aircraft missiles.
The first five helicopters, carrying the regular defense forces, were torn to shreds, exploding into fireballs before crashing to the ground. Only the specialized Hunter transport, agile and protected, managed to evade the deadly rock spikes.
The Hunter Forces descended to the ground, quickly forming a protective ring, ready to defend their country and their King.
Moments later, a new force appeared on the broken landscape. The warriors from Obsidian Star Academy arrived, led by Elder Kael, their gear rattling as they formed up alongside the Hunters.
Oni watched the gathering forces, his cold smile widening with pleasure. "Mmm. Impressive," he conceded.
Renji, recovering instantly, floated gently out from the massive dent he had made in the obsidian wall. As the thousand-strong demon army charged toward him, Renji stretched his arms wide, embracing the sky and the ground with his consciousness.
Then, he delivered his command, the order of a true King about to protect his domain:
"Hear my voice, all souls sworn to the Mortal Throne! The King has returned! To arms, and drive these invaders back to the Abyss!"