Deep within the Emerald Labyrinth—the wild jungle older than any kingdom, untouched by kings, unbothered by maps—something stirred.
The leaves trembled, not with wind, but with memory.
Birds stopped mid-call. Beasts paused mid-hunt.
A single vine coiled upward… and bloomed.
Meanwhile, back in the capital, the aftermath of the "Kazuki vs. Kazuki" duel had left everyone half-exhausted, half-in awe.
The streets were still smoking from magical backlash. Guild banners hung in awkward angles. And yet…
Laughter returned.
People clapped as Kazuki and his companions passed. Kids waved. Someone threw fruit. (Smile caught three.)
But Kazuki wasn't smiling just yet.
He stood atop the Renga Guild roof, gazing southward. The jungle loomed far off in the distance, like a sleeping titan with moss for breath.
"…It's changing," Mikiri murmured beside him.
Kazuki blinked. "The jungle?"
"No," she said, voice hushed. "The rhythm."
Elsewhere – A Whisper Beneath Roots
Far below the jungle floor, deeper than roots, deeper than time, a goddess knelt in a pool of light.
She had no name. Or rather, she'd given it away long ago—to the forest, to the beasts, to the wind itself.
Now, she wept.
Not tears of sorrow.
Tears of reminder.
Every droplet fell into the pool and shimmered with a memory—of Kazuki's journey. His laughter. His stubbornness. His refusal to abandon even the smallest slime.
"The boy has remembered joy," the goddess whispered, voice trembling like leaves in rain. "Then perhaps… he is ready."
She reached into the pool and drew forth a seed.
It pulsed with light—and something else. Something primordial.
With a gesture, she sent it rising… toward the surface.
Back at the Guild – That Night
Kazuki sat by the fire pit behind the Renga Guild Hall, poking coals with a stick.
"I don't get it," he muttered. "We beat Doppelganger-Me. Saved the city. Shouldn't we get a cake or a parade or something?"
Aurelis, wrapped in a shawl, sipped warm cider beside him. "You're restless."
"I'm always restless."
"No. This is different."
Kazuki stared into the flames.
"I felt something when I beat him. Like… the world sighed. Like it had been holding its breath."
Mikiri stepped into the firelight, followed by Fenrir and Smile. Even Raika coiled around the nearby bench, unusually quiet.
"There's a reason," Mikiri said.
She unrolled an old scroll, one that shimmered faintly with jungle runes and forgotten prophecies.
It showed a great forest with a hollow core. Inside the core? A throne of vines. And on that throne…
Kazuki blinked. "That's a slime."
Smile gasped.
"Wait. Is this… is this the thing you teased back in Chapter 18?" Kazuki said aloud to the sky.
Everyone blinked in confusion. He shook it off. "Never mind."
Mikiri nodded. "The jungle is reacting to you, Kazuki. Or rather—reacting to your bond with Smile."
Smile blinked. "I'm a plot device!?"
"No," Mikiri said gently. "You're a key."
Then, without warning, the earth trembled.
A single vine sprouted from the ground beside them and offered up… a glowing seed.
Kazuki stood, instinctively reaching for it—but the moment his hand touched it, visions exploded behind his eyes.
A great tree. A sleeping beast. A jungle throne. The goddess weeping.
And a single, clear word, spoken like the chime of a bell:
"Return."
Elsewhere – A Shadow Watches
Far beyond the jungle's edge, in a canyon of rusted stone, a figure in tattered robes opened a glowing book.
"So the boy has been chosen," they rasped. "Took him long enough."
They snapped the book shut.
"The final seed's been planted. Now we'll see if he can bloom… or burn."