The battlefield still smoldered.
Ash drifted through the air like dark snow, and molten cracks glowed faintly beneath Kanji's feet. The Forgotten had withdrawn into the fog, their shadows retreating with eerie coordination, leaving only silence and the distant echo of their whispering chorus.
Rin and Seiji hurried toward Kanji, their faces pale with shock. Ryou and Master Ren followed behind them, cautious, watchful.
Kanji stood alone in the center of the destroyed courtyard, the black sword embedded in the ground beside him. Its aura pulsed like a living heartbeat.
Ryou stepped forward first. "Kanji… what you unleashed just now was beyond even forbidden magic. That power—"
Kanji didn't look back. "It wasn't mine alone… it was something older."
Ren approached cautiously.
"The fusion of your demon and wizard blood?"
Kanji shook his head.
"No. Something… someone else was guiding it."
A cold wind swept through the temple.
The ground trembled.
And the sky—
darkened.
Rin's eyes widened. "What's happening?!"
Kanji raised his head slowly.
"They're waking up."
---
The Bound Ancients
A deep rumble echoed beneath the earth.
Symbols carved into the temple stones—symbols no one had seen glow in centuries—blazed to life with crimson and gold light. The mountain behind the temple split with a low, agonizing crack.
Ren gasped.
"Impossible… The Seal of the Ancients… it's responding to Kanji's power!"
Seiji's voice shook.
"What does that mean?!"
Ryou answered quietly, fear in his voice:
"It means beings older and stronger than any demon lord are stirring."
The ground split further.
A massive stone ring rose from the mountain's heart—an ancient gateway inscribed with runes written in a language older than demons, older than humans.
Kanji felt the black sword vibrate violently in his hand, as if eager… hungry.
A voice echoed from the gate, deep and layered:
"Heir of Azark… You have awakened us."
The monks staggered back.
Rin whispered, "A–Ancients… but they were sealed away millennia ago…"
Another voice spoke—higher, colder:
"You wield the blade of the Fallen King.
You carry the blood of ruin.
We rise to judge you."
Kanji stepped forward.
"I didn't call you. Why are you coming?"
The ancient gate glowed brighter.
The air grew heavier.
The world itself seemed to dim.
"Because your awakening stirred our prison.
And the Forgotten… have already taken notice."
Kanji felt his heartbeat quicken.
"They attacked because of me. Because of my blood."
The gate pulsed.
"They attacked because they fear what you may become."
Lightning crackled across the stone ring, forming sigils that spiraled outward like burning galaxies.
Ryou grabbed Ren's arm.
"We have to stop this! If the Ancients awaken completely—"
Ren shook his head, defeated.
"We can't stop it. Kanji already triggered the resonance."
The black sword ripped itself from the earth and floated in front of Kanji, glowing violently.
Kanji stared at it.
"You… want me to go through."
The blade hummed in response.
Rin grabbed Kanji's arm.
"Kanji, you can't! Those are Ancients! Even demon lords fear them!"
Kanji turned to her.
"And if I don't? The Forgotten will launch a second siege stronger than the first. Vaelor said the next seal will break soon. My power's not enough yet."
Seiji swallowed.
"But what if the Ancients kill you?"
Kanji looked back at the glowing gate, fire and shadow swirling around its edges.
"…Then I'll die trying to protect all of you."
Rin's grip loosened—her eyes trembling with fear and admiration.
"Don't you dare die, Kanji."
Kanji smiled faintly.
"No promises."
---
The Gate Opens
The ancient ring burst into blinding golden fire.
Chains of runes spiraled outward, catching the air and rearranging the world itself. Space twisted, the sky rippling with impossible shapes and colors.
A massive voice boomed:
"HEIR OF AZARK.
ENTER THE REALM OF THE ANCIENTS.
AND PROVE YOUR RIGHT TO EXIST."
Kanji stepped forward.
Ryou shouted, "Kanji! Once you enter, no monk magic can reach you!"
Ren added, "Only your true lineage will determine your fate!"
Rin called out, voice cracking, "K–KANJI!"
Kanji lifted the sword.
It radiated molten gold and crimson shadow.
He looked back once—just once.
"At least this time… I'm choosing to become stronger."
Then—
Kanji stepped through the gate.
Light swallowed him whole.
The stone ring slammed shut behind him, shaking the entire mountain range.
Rin fell to her knees, trembling.
Seiji clenched his fists.
Ryou whispered a prayer.
Ren stared at the darkened horizon.
"May the Ancients judge him worthy…"
---
Beyond the Gate
Kanji opened his eyes.
He stood on an endless ocean of stars.
Giant silhouettes—colossal beings of flame, shadow, and celestial light—surrounded him. Their forms stretched into eternity.
Their eyes opened, millions of years old.
One of them spoke:
"Child of Azark.
We are the Ancients…
And your trial begins now."
Kanji tightened his grip on the sword.
"I'm ready."
The stars shuddered.
The Ancients descended.