The King struck his spear into the ground.
THUD!
A golden light burst from beneath the earth.
Three rings appeared around the spear. As they spun, glowing runes flowed across them—
in Aurora's sacred tongue:
"Purification. Obedience. Seal."
The King's voice rose, mixing with the hum of the rings.
> "Stop right there, Koharu!"
"Enough of this insolence!"
"For a thousand years, Mikail's Shield has never yielded to a single demon!"
"And yet you… my own blood… have chosen betrayal!"
The spear trembled, scattering golden sparks.
> "If you abandon your attack now,"
"as your father… I can still forgive you."
For a brief moment, his eyes flickered—rage and heartbreak intertwined.
> "But if you persist in this rebellion…"
"Know this—Mikail's Blessing is upon me."
"And that blessing… will erase you from this world, Koharu!"
Then, the three rings merged.
A colossal beam of light shot skyward—
as if even the heavens bent beneath the King's will.
From behind the stone where she hid, Koharu held her breath.
Her eyes widened.
> "Father…"
Her whisper was swallowed by the wind.
The dark silhouette lifted its head.
Its eyes were dim, yet its voice was sharp—cutting through the storm.
> "What nonsense are you spouting?"
"I'm not Koharu. And I'm no demon."
"My name is Shinju. I'm human—just like you."
Whispers spread among the soldiers:
"What… he's human?"
"Not a demon?"
Shinju's voice deepened.
> "You call that barrier a 'blessing.'"
"But on our side… we call it a curse."
"Before that shield appeared, our world was green—peaceful."
"Since it rose, darkness has spread everywhere."
He drew a slow breath.
Each word seemed to echo from the depths of the earth.
> "People devoured one another just to survive."
"While you lived in abundance… we barely clung to life."
Shinju's eyes locked with the King's.
> "My quarrel isn't with you."
"It's with that cursed shield."
"I've trained for two centuries… just for this."
The air trembled with his words.
The only sound left was Shinju's heartbeat.
> "And today…"
"That curse ends."
Behind the rocks, Koharu clenched her fists.
Inside her, a voice whispered:
> "Yes… that shield is the curse. Mikail's Spear bears a dark seal—I'm certain of it."
Shinju took a step forward.
The ground cracked.
For a moment, gravity itself seemed to vanish.
No one could breathe.
A deep, bone-shaking hum filled the air.
Shinju lifted his head.
His right eye began to darken—
a void forming within its socket, devouring even the black around it.
Then he brought his hands together,
index and middle fingers pressed in a cross before his lips.
He closed his left eye,
and opened the right one wide.
He whispered:
> "Mugen Yami no Zettai Shihai."
(Absolute Dominion of Infinite Darkness.)
At that instant, the same voice echoed inside every mind.
Soldiers collapsed under invisible weight,
their chests gripped by terror.
Even the King flinched.
A single drop of black blood slid from Shinju's right eye.
That blood was the essence of the void itself.
It hit the ground—
and the earth split open.
A low hum roared across the sky.
From above the golden dome,
a flood of darkness poured downward.
When it struck the golden light of the shield, it spread like smoke—
but it didn't fade.
Instead…
it began to consume the light.
Behind the rocks, Koharu froze,
her lungs refusing to move.
It felt as though the heavens themselves were closing.
Shinju could barely stand.
His body trembled,
every breath filled with pain.
Yet he didn't stop.
> "Today…" he said, his voice breaking into echoes,
"This curse… will end."