[ERROR DETECTED]
The silence hurt.
Not because it was peaceful, but because it was absolute.
The kind of silence that crushes. That makes you feel like, if you screamed, your voice would shatter before ever leaving your throat.
That was the bottom of the Pit.
There, chained to a wooden cross like despair itself, hung Rei Kanzaki.
His body was wrecked. Nothing remained of the student he once was—only battered flesh, sunken eyes, and a breath held together by sheer hatred.
The chains that bound him were cold. Alive, almost. As if they breathed with him. As if they fed on his misery.
He didn't know how long he had been there. Days. Weeks. Months?
Time had lost its shape. Only thoughts remained—gnawing, devouring.
And the drips.
A tiny sound. Constant.
Plink… plink… plink.
It was the only thing that broke the perfect silence of the Pit.
Water, falling from some distant crack above, striking stone.
At first, Rei ignored it.
Then, he hated it.
And then… he waited for it.
When pain drove him to the brink of madness, when his throat closed from thirst, he would raise his head.
Open his mouth.
And let one or two drops fall onto his tongue.
A pathetic mercy from the world that had thrown him away.
He survived because of that.
Not because of magic.
Not because of divine grace.
Just… water.
Stagnant water. Dirty. Maybe even poisonous.
But alive.
It was ironic.
Summoned as a "chosen one," and now surviving like a parasite clinging to the drip of a cursed cavern.
Each drop was a mockery.
Each swallow, a humiliation.
But he kept breathing.
And for now… that was enough.
—Kazuki… —he spat, barely a whisper, barely a name.
The hero of the group.
The radiant leader.
The first to smile at him… and the first to turn his back.
"He has no class," they said. "The German could kill us at any moment."
"He's not a hero. He's a demon."
"The church won't tolerate a heretic like him."
And that was enough.
One order. One fall.
One betrayal.
They threw him into the Pit like trash. Like he was nothing.
And the others...
Shunta, the bully who laughed.
Yui, who said nothing.
Kaede, who screamed his name… but didn't save him.
Sanae, with her fake smile.
Haruto, pretending to be righteous.
All of them.
Each one engraved in his mind.
Not as friends.
Not even as enemies.
As targets.
—I swear I'll kill them… —he rasped—. Every last one of those bastards…
The moment he spoke the words, he felt it.
The chains reacted instantly, as if feeding off his rage. They tightened.
A deep hum filled the cavern, vibrating through his bones. The air grew heavier. His breath was cut off.
As if the world itself refused to let him hate.
But it was already too late.
The hatred had already consumed him.
He could not scream.
He could not pray.
All he could do… was remember.
His world.
His life as half-Japanese, half-German.
His love for robotics.
The afternoons spent in the lab, assembling nanobots like others would build model kits.
And his hatred.
The one he never spoke aloud.
The one that grew with every insult. Every glance. Every stab disguised as indifference.
And then… he felt it.
He didn't see.
He didn't hear.
He felt.
A presence.
A consciousness that should not exist.
Something that didn't belong to this world… or the one before.
It was immense—a colossal cosmic entity that would drive even the sanest to madness.
The air grew heavier. The entire world seemed to shake. The stone cracked, and space distorted as if reality itself couldn't contain what was coming.
A hole tore open in the fabric of existence in front of him.
It wasn't a figure.
It had no face.
Only a silhouette made of distorted darkness and dying stars—like the universe itself had shattered and taken shape.
—How long have you been there… watching me? —Rei whispered, voice broken—. Are you the damned monster the Church and the King worship?
Fascinating... you can see me.
You're not like the others. Do you not fear me?
No… you're completely empty. I like that darkness in your eyes.
The voice didn't speak—it resonated. It vibrated within his mind. An echo without sound. A thought not his own.
—Why should I fear you? —Rei snapped, lips curling into a bitter smile—. You can't drag me into the darkness... I've been there far too long.
I see… They cast you here to be devoured by me.
A sacrifice, perhaps… or maybe… they're afraid. Yes… afraid of what lies inside you…
—Those bastards… —he spat blood—. So what now? Gonna eat me? Or bore me to death with your words?
What a fascinating creature… That heart of yours… so black… so full of hatred… it's beautiful.
Would you like to take revenge on those who sent you here?
I can make your wishes reality…
Together, we can fix this twisted world. We could even… defy the god Yoru himself.
It was an offer.
Give me your hatred.
Give me your name.
And together, let's drag them into absolute darkness…
Or die here, alone. Your choice.
Rei didn't respond immediately.
A single tear slid down his cheek.
Not from sorrow.
From rage.
From acceptance.
—Then do it…
The Void roared.
The chains exploded into shards.
The earth trembled as if a god had awoken.
And from that moment on, there was no Rei Kanzaki.
Only a name erased by the system.
Only an [ERROR] in the world's code.
Only a Void Lord.