Jonathan knew it. His world was being destroyed while he made his way toward the Dark Tower.
He didn't know when it had all begun or at what point his life had taken such an absurd turn.
The only thing he knew for certain was that he had never wanted to get too involved in such dangerous affairs.
All he had wanted was to live a simple life.
To be strong enough to keep others from hurting him. To have the ability to protect what belonged to him and, when the time came, to be able to walk away without worrying about the consequences.
He had never aspired to become a hero.
Nor did he want to carry the fate of other people on his shoulders.
And yet, here he was.
Aboard a helicopter heading toward the place where the destinies of countless worlds converged, while behind him, reality crumbled under the influence of a force seeking to attain divinity.
The Crimson King.
A being that had transcended the limits of reason, an existence whose ambition threatened to destroy everything he knew.
And Jonathan was going to face him.
"Heh…"
A weak laugh escaped his lips.
How absurd.
If someone had told him all of this when his journey began, he probably would have thought they were insane.
How could a person end up caught in a struggle like this? At what point had defeating an enemy turned into a battle for the survival of all existence?
Jonathan rested his head against the back of his seat and closed his eyes.
For a moment, the roar of the engines seemed to fade away.
And then he remembered.
He remembered how it had all begun.
"Zz… We've arrived, sir."
Jonathan opened his eyes and looked at Roland before saying, "I'll be waiting for you down there, Roland."
"What?"
Without waiting for a response, Jonathan jumped out of the helicopter and landed heavily on the outskirts of the Dark Tower, which was infested with Demons.
"Cover the boss! I'll see you on the other side!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As for Jonathan, his eyes were fixed on the largest Demon, which was getting back to its feet in the distance.
"I'm going to find the Crimson King. Don't get in my way…"
What Jonathan had suspected also turned out to be true. That Demon General could wield small amounts of Spiritual Energy as well.
"Why isn't he angry?"
That question formed in Jonathan's mind as he watched the eyes of the Demon General in the distance. Unlike what one would normally expect, it showed no anger at having its fight against Miguel interrupted.
"Is it because he believes no one can escape his clutches?"
While Jonathan pondered the question, the Demon General Soul Crusher slowly emerged from the hole into which he had been thrown.
The Demon General let out a faint snort, and numerous shadows appeared in every direction behind him. There were so many figures that there wasn't even enough room for a drop of water to pass between them.
"It's true that you're very powerful, but we'll make sure this place becomes your grave…"
"I'll deal with you so quickly that you'll experience true terror."
Jonathan drew his sword, and an explosion of Spiritual Energy made the surrounding area feel heavier.
There were many things happening in the world.
But there was no time to eliminate every enemy that kept appearing, no matter how powerful one became.
Death and blood…
Those were the only words that could describe the surroundings in this populated part of Miami.
"I understand perfectly. I know a great deal about your power, and I believe I understand that you're not that powerful. You're probably no more than twenty years old, so it's unlikely that you've inherited the sword's full power." The Demon General Soul Crusher looked at Jonathan and said, "Thousands of years have passed since that sword unleashed its full power, so you'd better not disappoint me."
"Do you think we can handle this Demon, Souler?"
At that moment, a voice as cold as winter came from the opposite side of the Demon General Soul Crusher, whom the speaker had addressed as Souler.
"Who is this?"
Jonathan turned and saw a pure-blooded Demon General at least two and a half meters tall, holding a spear made of ice.
A Special-Class Demon General, one of the most powerful known outside Japan, had appeared in this place. It was one known by the title of Lethis.
"Can I have that human's body?"
Jonathan turned toward the source of the voice, which sounded both feminine and masculine. That's when he saw a slender figure radiating an incredibly bloodthirsty aura.
"Nigra, the soul is mine, so you can take that human's corpse after we kill him. Wasn't that our agreement?" Souler, the Demon General Soul Crusher, looked coldly at Nigra, who had just appeared.
"I've always wanted to obtain an incredibly powerful corpse for my collection. It's a shame I dislike sunlight and such intense fights," Nigra said with an indifferent expression.
Suddenly, when Jonathan saw these new enemies appear, his expression hardened.
He had realized something…
Souler hadn't become angry because Jonathan had interrupted his fight against Miguel. It was because, from the very beginning, Jonathan himself had always been the target of these enemies.
This was a trap.
A trap that only someone intelligent and desperate could devise.
And right now…
He was surrounded by three incredibly powerful enemies. If it weren't for his recent increase in power, he was certain he would never be able to defeat them all by himself.
Quickly, many of those in the surrounding area identified the targets who had appeared there.
"Well…" The corners of Jonathan's mouth curled upward as he murmured, "It seems I'm surrounded…"
Jonathan raised his sword and said, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!"
Boom!