Kaizen's smile widened as he gazed upon the dozens of participants standing before him.
"So... the insects have gathered."
An oppressive silence descended upon the battlefield.
No one moved.
No one dared.
Even the strongest among the tournament participants felt their instincts screaming at them to run.
A tall man wielding a spear stepped forward, forcing his trembling legs to move.
"We came to bring everyone back."
Kaizen slowly turned his head toward him.
"Did you?"
Their eyes met.
And in that instant...
Countless visions flooded the man's mind—oceans of blood, burning skies, and mountains of corpses kneeling before a figure seated upon a black throne.
The spear slipped from his hand.
"W-What are you?"
Kaizen's expression remained unchanged.
"A king."
BOOOOOOM!!
His spiritual pressure erupted once more, forcing many participants to their knees.
Yuna gritted her teeth as she supported Kenji's unconscious body.
"Everyone! Stay away from him!"
Kaizen's smile faded.
"Hm?"
His crimson eyes slowly shifted toward her.
"Are you still trying to protect them?"
For a brief moment...
The tears continued to fall from his eyes.
Then his expression twisted.
"Why?"
There was no amusement left in his voice.
"Why do you continue to fight for others... even after losing everything?"
Yuna's eyes widened.
"...What?"
Kaizen lowered his gaze to his trembling hand.
Fragments of memories began flashing through his mind.
A woman laughing beneath a crimson sunset.
A small hand reaching toward him.
A city engulfed in flames.
Screams.
And endless darkness.
Suddenly...
He placed a hand against his forehead.
"...Stop."
His aura began fluctuating violently.
"Stop."
The mark on his forehead glowed brighter.
"STOOOOP!"
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The entire Illusion Domain cracked apart.
Everyone stared at him in shock.
"What's happening to him?" one of the participants whispered.
Gerudo's face turned pale.
"No..."
Sweat streamed down his forehead.
"That's impossible..."
Kaizen slowly raised his head.
But this time...
One of his eyes was different.
It was no longer crimson.
It had become...
Jinsu's eye.
"...Yuna."
Her body froze.
That voice...
It wasn't Kaizen's.
"J-Jinsu?!"
For the first time since Kaizen's appearance...
Panic surfaced on his face.
His hand moved toward his throat as if struggling against an invisible force.
"Listen to me..." Jinsu said through gritted teeth.
"You need to leave... now."
But Kaizen's smile instantly returned.
"Oh?"
Then he began laughing once more.
"Hahahahaha!"
"So you're still alive in there, child?"
His fingers dug into his face as though trying to tear Jinsu's consciousness apart.
"I told you long ago..."
"This body belongs to me!"
The battlefield trembled as two terrifying auras clashed within a single body.
Cracks spread across Kaizen's skin.
One side of his face was twisted with rage.
The other...
Looked toward Yuna in desperation.
"RUN!"
The moment the word left his mouth—
A deafening roar echoed throughout the Illusion Domain.
And from the darkness above...
Something opened its eyes.
Every living being instinctively raised their heads toward the sky.
There...
Beyond the shattered heavens of the Illusion Domain...
Stood a lone figure.
Gerudo collapsed to his knees.
"No..."
His entire body trembled uncontrollably.
"Y-You...!"
Silence fell.
Kaizen's laughter slowly faded as he looked upward.
And for the first time since his return...
A different smile appeared on his face.
It wasn't madness.
It was anticipation.
"So..."
"You've finally come."
The man took a single step forward.
Despite the spiritual pressure crushing everyone else...
He remained completely unaffected.
Then his cold voice echoed throughout the Illusion Domain.
"I haven't missed a thing."
Silence fell once more.
Then Kaizen's smile widened.
"That's right."
And for the first time in thousands of years...
Two kings stood in the same place.