The air inside the Renga Guild pulsed with tension, like a taut string seconds from snapping.
"Why are you here, Daigo?" Kazuki asked, blinking rapidly as if the sheer presence of his longtime rival had scrambled his mental processes.
Daigo Kurogane stood at the threshold, armor gleaming with an unnatural shine, the intricate crest of the Royal Capital burned into his cape. His jaw was set. His presence radiated like a perfectly aimed fireball—precise, deadly, and deeply irritating.
"To clean up your mess," Daigo snapped, marching forward. His boots echoed with purpose. "Again."
The room went quiet.
Even the slime, now perched atop the bar counter beside Wolf and Eagle, seemed to tense. Smile gurgled—a sound somewhere between amused and malicious.
Master Rai scratched the back of his head. "So, uh. This guy's the other Chosen Hero?"
"No," Daigo said, pointing a finger at Kazuki. "He's the accident. I'm the Chosen. The real one."
Kazuki blinked. "Again?"
Daigo's eye twitched. "This country is collapsing, and somehow you keep stumbling into victories. The Crater King? Tripped. The Lava Lich? Sat on him. The Obsidian Basilisk? Slapped with bread!"
Kazuki smiled sheepishly. "I still think the bread thing was creative."
"You embarrassed the entire hero system," Daigo hissed.
Rai coughed into his fist. "To be fair, bread slapping is kind of our thing now. We even sell plushies."
Daigo groaned. "I'm not here to banter. I came because a Voidquake is erupting from beneath this town. Something ancient is waking."
The entire room stiffened.
"Voidquake?" Kazuki asked. "Like… explode-y but spooky?"
"Void Essentia," Daigo corrected. "The kind that corrodes mana and minds alike. It was sealed under Renga centuries ago. Until someone—" his gaze narrowed, "—started messing with unstable relics."
Everyone slowly turned to Kazuki.
He raised both hands. "I only pressed it because it was glowing. And calling me names."
Wolf facepawed. Eagle flapped her wings dramatically. The slime jiggled in solidarity.
Daigo pinched the bridge of his nose. "We don't have time. The quake is escalating. Renga will be swallowed in hours unless we act."
Rai's face went grim. "There's an old mana shrine beneath the guild. Long sealed. You think it's cracking open?"
"Already is," Daigo replied. "I'll handle the seal. Kazuki, stay out of my way."
Smile finally spoke.
"Oh," the little slime said with a chime of innocent malice. "You're gonna regret that."
Down Below – The Subterranean Temple
The hidden tunnel beneath Renga was not built for comfort. Jagged rocks lined the walls, and stray mana sparks flared along ancient glyphs. As they descended, the pressure increased. Even Kazuki could feel it—mana itself seemed sluggish, like it was being drained.
At the bottom stood a broken stone altar, and behind it, a crack. A jagged, writhing scar in the world, pulsing with violet-black light.
Daigo stepped forward. "We hold the line here. That thing feeds on chaos. It'll try to twist your mana."
Kazuki scratched his head. "Okay, so… don't feed it chaos. Got it. What if I feed it snacks?"
"DO NOT FEED IT ANYTHING."
Too late.
The slime oozed forward, tossed a cookie into the crack, and the entire altar began to tremble.
Daigo shouted, "WHY WOULD YOU EVEN BRING COOKIES—"
And then it happened.
A thing emerged—twisting shadows, glitching colors, a voice that spoke in backwards laughter. Its name burned itself into their minds: Tzerak, the Forgotten Echo.
Its first target?
Daigo.
"Chosen One," Tzerak hissed, voice bubbling. "You are predictable. Structured. Boring."
Kazuki stepped forward, eyes wide.
Then tripped on a loose rock.
His tumble slammed directly into Daigo, knocking him aside—and sending Kazuki's elbow smashing into the control glyph of the altar.
A cascade of light erupted, forming a makeshift seal over the crack.
Tzerak screamed. "YOU! AGAIN?!"
Kazuki blinked from the ground. "Wait… did I just accidentally re-seal an ancient evil?"
Smile gurgled, eyes glowing.
"Yes," Daigo muttered, covered in debris, "you did."
Rai's voice echoed down from above. "Hey! Did you guys just win? There's a really big light coming out of the toilet upstairs."
Back at the Guild
Kazuki was eating his celebratory parfait while Daigo sulked in the corner.
Eagle rested on a rafter, eyeing him with approval. Wolf curled beside the hearth. The slime was still humming, now trying to wear a tiny paper crown.
"Listen, Daigo," Kazuki said between bites. "You're still awesome. You just need to relax more. Maybe slip on more banana peels."
"I hate this world," Daigo muttered.
"Yeah," Kazuki grinned. "But it loves me."
Smile winked at the fourth wall.
And in the distance, deep underground, a second crack blinked awake.