The mountains loomed above them, sharp and cruel like the jagged teeth of a beast. Cold winds howled, scattering ashes across the broken path. Tatsuya walked ahead, his hand clutching the hilt of his ice sword, the blue metal humming faintly at his side. Misaki followed quietly, her pink hair whipping around her face, her green eyes hollow with grief. Nyxarion, once the Demon King, now reduced to a shadow of his former self, brought up the rear.
None of them spoke.
The memory of Himawari — her dark blue hair splayed across the cracked earth, her golden eyes wide in frozen terror — haunted Tatsuya's every step.
I wasn't strong enough.
The thought echoed inside him like a curse. He tightened his grip on the sword until his knuckles turned white.
"We're close," Nyxarion said, his voice rough. "Vaelgorath's tomb lies just beyond the Black Plateau. But beware... ancient guards still remain."
Tatsuya barely acknowledged him. His heart burned for revenge, not warnings. Ryouma, the usurper, the false demon lord who sent Gaiorox, would pay. Even if it meant burning the world to ash.
As they ascended the steep ridge, a sudden tremor split the earth. From the cracked stones rose a beast — a molten serpent, its body stitched from fire and broken rock.
"Test them," hissed a voice on the wind. "Prove their worth."
The serpent lunged.
Tatsuya moved without thinking. Lightning exploded from his body, slamming into the serpent's jaw. Misaki drew her white sword, wind gathering around her in a fierce spiral.
Together, they fought — but the serpent kept reforming, its body immune to normal strikes.
"Tatsuya!" Misaki cried. "Its core — aim for the center!"
Tatsuya narrowed his eyes. In the middle of the serpent's forehead glowed a black gem, pulsing with demonic energy.
He charged. Lightning wrapped around him like a second skin. He leaped high, sword flashing downward, and plunged it deep into the gem.
The serpent gave a shriek that shook the heavens and shattered into dust.
Tatsuya landed heavily, gasping.
From the ashes, a small figure appeared — a girl with dark blue hair and golden eyes. Himawari smiled softly at him.
Tatsuya… don't let your heart die with me.
He blinked — and the vision vanished.
A storm stirred within him — not just of rage, but something else: a fierce, desperate hope.
He would fight.
He would live.
And he would make Ryouma pay.