While Ryo trained within the eternal stillness of the Void, he had no idea that outside, blood and fire were already consuming everything he wished to protect.
A hundred years for him… twenty hours for the world.
Enough time for fear to become a plague.
The sky above the plains was crimson. Trees smoldered, stones bore the marks of monstrous steps, and the villages screamed under the march of an ancient power.
Rumors spread—then the earth itself held its breath: a Supreme Demon was approaching.
Ryo saw the burning horizon before reaching the village. He stopped on the ridge, motionless, the vision of ruins hitting him like a silent blow.
Then, a familiar voice echoed in his mind — calm and deep.
> "The Void is not a seal, Ryo. It is your reservoir. All your aura rests there — vast, contained.
If it were to spill into this world, the continent itself would shatter.
I regulate the flow… so the world has time to live."
Ryo inhaled slowly. He could feel that energy coiled beneath his skin — dense, immense, waiting to be unleashed.
He whispered:
> "Then I'll use just one drop."
The ground trembled.
In the distance, a figure appeared — tall, lean, draped in a black mantle woven from shadow itself.
His skin gleamed faintly gray beneath the flames, and his golden eyes burned with cold arrogance.
The Supreme Demon smiled as he saw Ryo.
> "How amusing… a human foolish enough to stand before me."
His tone dripped with scorn.
"You don't even carry a spark of power. No aura. No presence. And yet you dare face me?"
Ryo didn't respond. He took a calm step forward.
> "If you plan to destroy this village, you'll have to go through me first."
The demon laughed — loud, cruel, resonant.
> "Do you even know what you challenge?
I am the end of kingdoms, the flame that devours worlds… and you're nothing but dust waiting to vanish."
He vanished in a blur.
The air cracked. His fist struck the ground like divine thunder, tearing the earth apart and sending a shockwave that shattered everything in its path.
But in the next instant, the sound was gone.
The impact had been swallowed by silence.
Around Ryo, the world itself seemed to pause — no fire, no wind, no sound.
Every strike the demon unleashed simply vanished, as though reality refused to acknowledge it.
The Supreme Demon stepped back, eyes wide.
> "Impossible… how can a mortal erase my power?!"
Ryo advanced slowly, his gaze calm — colder than steel, deeper than night.
> "What you call power is only destruction.
You destroy because you've never learned what it means to protect."
Furious, the demon unleashed everything — flames, lightning, waves of black energy that tore through space itself.
The ground crumbled beneath him, the air distorted…
And yet nothing touched Ryo. Everything faded before reaching him, devoured by an unseen force.
Then, Ryo raised his hand — a simple, effortless gesture.
The air rippled.
And in his mind, Gabriel's whisper echoed once more:
> "One drop is enough."
Light burst for a heartbeat — then faded.
When the world returned, the demon was gone.
Only ashes drifted in the wind.
Ryo stood alone among the ruins.
The survivors emerged slowly, some trembling, others whispering in awe and fear.
Eran approached, hesitant.
> "Ryo… what did you just do?"
The young man didn't answer.
He looked at his hands — calm, steady — then raised his gaze to the crimson sky.
In his mind, Gabriel's voice returned — grave, yet serene.
> "Now you understand.
The Void isn't your weapon, it's your reflection.
It takes the shape of what you are.
As long as your heart remains calm, it will protect.
But if you waver… it will consume the world."
Ryo closed his eyes and exhaled slowly.
> "Then I'll make sure it never hungers."
The wind rose, scattering the last of the ashes.
Ryo turned away from the village.
Behind him, whispers mixed fear with gratitude.
Before him, the horizon still burned — a promise, or perhaps a warning.
The Void rested within him, silent.
But this time… he wasn't crushed by it.
He understood it.