Darkness swallowed Kaosu whole. He felt no ground beneath his feet, no air in his lungs. Just an endless void where the only thing alive was the echo of his own fear. His arms trembled as he reached out for something—anything—to anchor him.
Then, with a sharp snap, reality cracked.
Marble pillars erupted from nothingness. A throne carved from obsidian grew from the void like a shadow given form. Golden chandeliers spun lazily in midair, their flames defying gravity. Red velvet carpet stretched endlessly, and faceless servants of smoke moved with uncanny grace, pouring tea into porcelain cups that shimmered with their own light.
And seated upon the throne was him.
Kudosudo.
But not the wild, chaotic presence Kaosu knew—this version was regal, composed, dripping with effortless arrogance. His sharp crimson eyes pierced Kaosu as though weighing his very soul.
Kudo (smirking): "Why so stiff? Don't glare at me like that. Call me Kudo. Has a nicer ring, doesn't it?"
(he snaps his fingers — instantly the throne room reshapes into a grand tea hall, walls lined with endless bookshelves, ceilings painted with constellations that moved on their own)
Kudo: "Come. Sit. Have some tea. Reality's dull unless you bend it."
Hesitantly, Kaosu sat. The porcelain cup before him rattled faintly in his shaking hands.
Kaosu: "…How did you do this? This isn't real…"
Kudo (leaning back, sipping tea as if he ruled the world): "Because reality bends at my will. Chaos isn't just destruction—it's dominion. Illusion, memory, even time itself—they're threads. Threads I can cut… or weave."
(his grin widens, voice low and dangerous)
Kudo: "You could do it too. If you weren't so… ordinary."
Kaosu's jaw clenched. Anger boiled in his chest, but desperation pushed harder.
Kaosu: "Then help me. Shimo was taken. My sensei is dying. I can't… I can't do this alone. If you're me, if you're truly part of me—then lend me your strength!"
Kudo placed his cup down with delicate care, then leaned forward, resting his chin against his hand. His smirk turned razor-sharp.
Kudo: "No."
(silence, the word cutting sharper than a blade)
Kudo: "You're not worthy of my power. Not yet."
Kaosu's eyes widened.
Kaosu: "What—?! Why?! People are going to die! Shimo needs me!"
Kudo's laughter filled the hall, echoing endlessly. He rose from the throne, each step making the ground quake.
Kudo: "Listen well. You are not a weapon. You are not a soldier begging for scraps of strength. You are a king. Until you grasp that, until you wear the crown already resting on your head, you'll keep crawling like an insect."
(he towers over Kaosu now, crimson aura radiating like a storm)
Kudo: "Chaos isn't your curse. It's your servant. Reality itself should kneel before you. Until you understand that… I will not help you."
Kaosu slammed the table, voice cracking with rage.
Kaosu: "Damn you! If you won't help me now, when will you—?!"
Kudo chuckled darkly, shaking his head.
Kudo: "When you stop asking. When you stop fearing. When you command. Only then will I obey."
The walls of the palace cracked. The chandeliers shattered into stardust. A violent wind whipped through as if the world itself was collapsing under Kudo's presence.
As Kaosu struggled to hold his ground, Kudo snapped his fingers one last time.
Kudo: "Don't sulk. I'll leave you with a gift. You'll know when to use it."
The throne room shattered into shards of light, the sound of Kudo's laughter lingering like chains around Kaosu's neck.
Kaosu: "KUDO!!!"
He gasped awake, snapping back into reality. His body trembled, drenched in cold sweat. The battlefield was silent except for the sound of crying.
Supira's hands pressed desperately against Sogen's wound, blood staining his clothes. Doraibu clung to their sensei's arm, his shoulders shaking as tears streamed down his face.
Doraibu: "Sensei… please! Don't leave us! Not like this!"
Supira: "…We weren't strong enough… we failed you…"
Their words cracked Kaosu's heart. He wanted to scream, to break, to vanish—but instead he stood, his legs shaking beneath him. His breathing was ragged, his eyes faintly glowing red.
Forcing strength into his voice, he spoke.
Kaosu: "…Don't cry yet."
(he steps forward, forcing a smirk that trembles at the edges)
Kaosu: "I… I have a plan. We'll save her."
Supira and Doraibu looked at him through blurred vision, hope and confusion mixing in their eyes. Kaosu's smirk wavered, but he clenched his fists tighter, holding onto the faintest spark of determination.
And beneath it all—deep in his chest, like a curse tattooed onto his soul—he heard the faint echo of mocking laughter.
Kudo's voice (inside): "Prove it, King of Chaos."