Steel clashed for what felt like an eternity.
Satoro and the Dreaded Knight tore through the collapsing cellar—
two monsters of war locked in desperation.
But Satoro was bleeding heavily.
Slowed.
Shaken from Sable's death.
And finally—
The Dreaded Knight slipped under his guard and—
STAB.
His blade pierced straight through Satoro's chest.
The sound echoed through the room.
Satoro gasped, blood pouring down his torso.
Nova screamed his name.
Lira covered her mouth.
The children froze.
Haruto still lay unconscious, barely breathing.
The Dreaded Knight ripped the blade free and let Satoro collapse onto the floor.
Satoro lay motionless, eyes half-open.
The Dreaded Knight turned toward Haruto.
Slowly.
Purposefully.
His skeletal boots scraped the stone floor as he walked.
He raised his sword over Haruto's chest—
ready to kill the boy
so Arkhamis could never awaken again.
The Outburst
Just as the blade fell—
BOOOOOOM—!!!
A burst of energy exploded across the room.
The Dreaded Knight was blasted backward into a wall.
Everyone shielded their eyes.
When the smoke cleared—
They saw him.
Satoro.
Still alive.
Still bleeding.
Still dying.
But sitting upright.
Holding the Devil's Bargain Book in his lap.
Letting his blood run down into its pages.
The Dreaded Knight stood up, trembling.
"…What have you done…?"
Satoro smiled weakly.
A broken, exhausted smile.
"I figured it out."
The book glowed.
And then—
Haruto woke up.
Not gently.
Not peacefully.
He woke up screaming—
A scream that shook the entire city.
A scream layered with two voices:
Haruto's human voice
and
Arkhamis's ancient, demonic wail.
Dark energy ripped out of Haruto's body
like smoke being forced out of a collapsing furnace.
The child thrashed.
Nova grabbed him—
but Lira had to pull her away to avoid the backlash.
Then—
IT HAPPENED.
Arkhamis Returns
The darkness gathered.
Condensed.
Twisted.
And then—
Arkhamis manifested.
Not inside Haruto.
But outside.
Fully formed.
A translucent shape at first—
then solidifying into a real, physical mage—
a towering figure of blackened robes, skeletal runes, and burning crimson eyes.
Arkhamis inhaled slowly.
As if tasting air for the first time in centuries.
"A life restored…"
His voice shook the walls.
"My body…
My magic…
MY POWER HAS RETURNED!"
The Dreaded Knight stepped back in horror.
Nova covered her son's eyes.
Haruto collapsed, finally free of possession.
Lira dragged him away.
Even the Dreaded Knight—
the indestructible warrior of bone—
took a step back and whispered:
"…What have you done, Satoro…?"
Arkhamis looked at Satoro with fascination.
"And you…
why would you give me this mercy?
This freedom?
This rebirth?"
But Satoro didn't answer.
Satoro stood up.
Bleeding.
Coughing.
Barely alive.
He walked toward Arkhamis.
Slowly.
With purpose.
Arkhamis tilted his head.
"…What are you doing?"
Satoro didn't stop.
He reached Arkhamis—
and wrapped his arms around him.
A tight, unbreakable embrace.
Arkhamis stiffened, confused.
"What trick is this…?"
Satoro whispered against his ear:
"I summoned you outside…
so I could drag you back in."
Arkhamis's eyes widened.
"…What?"
The Gates of Death Open
The Devil's Bargain Book ignited with hellish light.
The ground cracked.
A massive, horrifying portal tore itself open behind them—
Not flames.
Not lava.
Not "hell" the way mortals imagine it.
This was Death's realm.
Where souls go when Death himself holds the claim.
Hands.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Shadowy arms reaching from the void.
Grabbing.
Pulling.
Consuming.
Arkhamis roared:
"NO— NO— THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!
YOU CAN'T SEAL ME— YOU'RE TOO WEAK—
YOU'RE JUST A MORTAL—!!"
Satoro laughed weakly.
Blood on his lips.
Tears in his eyes.
"Yeah…
I know."
He tightened his grip even harder.
"But I am strong enough to seal MYSELF."
Arkhamis struggled violently.
"No— LET GO— LET GO—!!"
Satoro held on.
Held on for Haruto.
Held on for Nova.
Held on for Ren.
Held on for Mira.
Held on for Bjorn.
Held on for his son.
Held on for everyone he failed.
Held on like the big brother he always was.
Held on like the hero he became.
Held on like the father he wanted to be.
The hands grabbed Satoro first.
He screamed as they yanked him downward—
Yet he still refused to let Arkhamis go.
Arkhamis clawed at him, trying to break free.
Haruto woke up enough to see—
"BROTHER!!!!"
Nova dropped to her knees crying.
Lira screamed.
The Dreaded Knight froze, unable to move.
Satoro smiled at his family one last time.
And said:
"Haruto…
live for me."
Then the arms of Death pulled both Satoro and Arkhamis
into the void.
The portal snapped shut.
The book fell to the stone.
Silent.
Lifeless.
Dead.