The Black Oathkeeper's body lay still, his dark blood steaming against the shattered floor.
Xiao Ling and Kai, bloodied and barely standing, stared up at the floating corpse of Zadkiel as the ritual glyphs began to spin faster, blood-red energy cracking across the altar's stone ring.
Suddenly — the air shifted.
A loud clap echoed across the chamber… not of hands, but of reality being split open.
A black rift tore through the ceiling above the altar, and from it descended two figures, silhouettes wreathed in darkness and eldritch light.
As they stepped into the firelight, Xiao Ling's eyes widened.
Victoria — tall, flawless, with long red hair and glowing crimson eyes. Her signature black lace outfit fluttered like flame, and she dragged a blood-soaked parasol behind her as if it were a toy.
She smiled wickedly, eyes immediately locking on Xiao Ling.
Victoria (mocking):
"Well, well… if it isn't the little knight. Alive and still playing hero. How quaint."
Behind her emerged a second figure, dressed in sleek white robes embroidered with golden starlight — a young man with silver hair, glowing golden irises, and a quiet smirk carved into his face.
Li Wei.
Xiao Ling's brother.
But the warmth that once lived in his eyes was long gone. Only cold ambition and quiet contempt remained.
Xiao Ling (staggering back):
"Li Wei…?"
Li Wei (flatly):
"Sister."
Kai immediately drew his blade.
"Li Wei!!"
Xiao Ling:
"You murdered our people—our friends, our home!"
Li Wei (emotionless):
"They were weak. Unfit to carry our blood. Only through death can truth be born."
Victoria giggled.
Victoria:
"You two are adorable when you fight. But we're not here for drama—just to ensure Zadkiel's resurrection goes smoothly. You already did us a favor by killing the Oathkeeper."
She stepped forward slowly, tapping her parasol to the floor.
Victoria (to Xiao Ling):
"Why don't you be a good girl and lie down next to your dead little friends? I'll even make it quick—maybe."
Kai raised his blade.
"Not happening."
Xiao Ling:
"I won't let you bring that monster back. I'll die before I let this world fall any further."
Li Wei (stepping forward):
"Then die."
The tension between Xiao Ling, Kai, Victoria, and Li Wei is at a boiling point. The temple cracks with energy, Zadkiel's corpse trembling violently as the resurrection nears completion.
Suddenly—
The floor ruptures.
A thunderous shockwave hurls stone and bodies aside as a pillar of black and red flame erupts in the center of the room, shattering the glyphs momentarily.
From within it steps a figure.
Clad in layered, bloodstained samurai armor etched with ancient runes, a long obsidian katana slung at his waist, and a burning demon mask covering his face. A crimson cape fluttered behind him, carried by no wind.
Victoria's smirk fades slightly, her body tensing.
Kai (quietly to Xiao Ling):
"That's… Hachiman…"
Xiao Ling (whispers):
"I've heard stories. They called him a myth. A demon god born of war and honor."
Hachiman's voice, deep and gravelly, rang out like a war drum:
Hachiman:
"Enough squabbling. The resurrection must proceed. Those who interfere… die."
He slowly unsheathed his blade, the sound of steel echoing like a dirge. The moment it left its scabbard, the air itself seemed to bleed — the pressure in the room spiked like a crushing mountain.
Li Wei (grinning):
"So… even you crawl from your temple, Hachiman?"
Hachiman:
"The Emperor commands it. Zadkiel will rise. And no child, traitor, or Star rat will stop it."
He moved without warning.
In a blur, Hachiman disappeared from view — and appeared behind Kai, who barely raised his blade in time.
The impact sent Kai flying into a broken pillar. Blood sprayed across the wall.
Victoria:
"Now this is getting interesting."
Xiao Ling unleashed a flurry of sword strikes infused with Qi, but Hachiman caught her sword between two fingers, eyes glowing behind his mask.
Hachiman:
"You are strong, girl… but not strong enough."
He slammed her to the floor with brutal force.
Kai coughs blood but forces himself up.
Kai (spits):
"We need to destroy the body before it's too late!"
Victoria, smiling:
"It's already too late."
Behind them, Zadkiel's body levitates, arcane glyphs stabilizing once more.
Li Wei raises his hand, and a vortex of energy channels into the corpse.
The pressure in the air was unbearable. The ritual surged. Hachiman raised his blade once more to finish Kai.
A blinding streak of silver light shot through the collapsing ceiling, slamming into the temple floor between Hachiman and Xiao Ling.
The force shattered the marble tiles, sending dust and energy flying outward like a nova.
From the crater stepped a cloaked figure, calm and composed, sword gleaming with polished fury.
Don had arrived.
Don (calmly):
"You're not killing him today."
Kai (relieved, grinning weakly):
"Don... You stubborn bastard. Took you long enough."
Don (smirking):
"Figured I'd let you warm him up first."
The name echoed.
Hachiman's eyes narrowed behind his mask.
Hachiman:
"…Don? And you… Kai? Wait—"
He stepped forward, sword resting against his shoulder like a sleeping dragon.
Hachiman:
"You two… were trained by a man… always wore a black mask? Called himself Black?"
Kai (staring):
"Yes. He was our master."
Don (quietly):
"…And my father. He adopted me when I was seven."
There was a pause. Then—
Hachiman slowly lowered his blade.
His voice was less like a god, and more like a soldier.
Hachiman:
"…I see."
Xiao Ling:
"What are you talking about…?"
Hachiman (softly):
"Your master… your father… was no ordinary man. At the beginning of this war… he challenged me."
He turned his face slightly to the side, as though haunted.
Hachiman:
"He was not worthy at first. But in the end… he killed me."
Gasps echoed through the chamber. Even Victoria seemed taken aback.
Hachiman (quietly):
"To be more precise… we killed each other. A perfect, mutual death. But somehow, I lived."
Don (gritting his teeth):
"Then I should finish what he started."
Kai stepped beside him.
Kai:
"We'll do it together."
Hachiman (grinning beneath his mask):
"Then come. Let's see if the sons of Black can surpass the master."
He drew his blade once more. The air screamed as it cut.
Don and Kai stood side-by-side, ready to fight, their master's legacy burning in their blood.
Behind them, Xiao Ling limped toward the glyphs, determined to disrupt the ritual.
The ritual glyphs pulsed harder, the corpse of Zadkiel nearly awakened. Tendrils of dark energy slithered across the floor like serpents, reaching toward the altar.
Hachiman's crimson blade hummed, hungry for battle.
Don stepped forward, his eyes locked onto the Samurai God.
Beside him, Kai clenched his fists—but turned his head slightly toward him.
Kai (quietly):
"Don…"
Don (not taking his eyes off Hachiman):
"What?"
Kai (firmly):
"Go alone."
Don blinked, confused.
He turned slightly, catching the desperate movement behind them—Xiao Ling, pressing her hand against a glowing glyph, coughing from the toxic ash in the air, struggling to breathe.
Kai (urgently):
"The ritual's nearly complete. I'll help Xiao Ling stop it. You handle him."
Don (hesitant):
"Are you sure? This guy's no joke."
Kai (grinning):
"You've always been the better duelist. Besides… I trust you'll finish it."
Don looked down briefly… then up, eyes burning.
A slow nod.
Don (softly):
"Tell her to brace herself. Things are about to get loud."
He turned back to Hachiman, who was already lowering into a stance.
Hachiman (nodding):
"A warrior who walks his path alone. Good."
Don (raising his blade):
"I'm not alone. I carry his will."
The two combatants faced off—Don vs. Hachiman, legacy against legend.
Meanwhile—
Kai sprinted toward Xiao Ling, grabbing her shoulder just before she collapsed.
Kai:
"Focus. Where are the binding seals?"
Xiao Ling (gasping):
"Under the altar. I saw them in the recordings…"
Kai (lifting her up):
"Then let's carve our way through and shut it down."
As they dash toward the altar, shadows twist and grow around them—the dark essence of Zadkiel reacting, trying to stop them.
Behind them, the clang of blades explodes like thunder.
Don and Hachiman collide in a flurry of steel and sparks, each strike shaking the temple walls.
The temple shook.
Ash rained like black snow as Don stood before Hachiman, a legendary warlord reborn—The Samurai God. His ancient armor shimmered with blood-forged patterns, and his long blade pulsed with dormant power.
Hachiman paced slowly, his voice like cracking stone.
Hachiman (grinning):
"Hahaha... I sense no magic. No ki, no divine flame, no Edenic resonance… nothing."
He turned, smirking with venom.
"I see now why you are only his adopted son."
Don's eyes narrowed.
Hachiman (stepping forward):
"You are no dragon. No Celestial. No mage. And you certainly… are no warrior."
"You're just… human."
The word hit like a curse.
Hachiman (raising his chin):
"I want you to hit me. As hard as you can."
Don (quietly, serious):
"Oh? Is that right—"
Hachiman (interrupting, eyes gleaming):
"No, no… You might have misheard me. Not half as hard. Not some arbitrary percentage."
(He spreads his arms, exposing his chest.)
"I want you to hit me… as. hard. as. you. can."
Don: "And if I don't play along?"
Hachiman's smile vanished.
His voice dropped, sharp as razors.
Hachiman:
"Then I guess your father… was right about you."
Steel rasped.
In one blur of motion, Don exploded forward, drawing his sword in a perfect arc aimed straight for the throat.
Hachiman caught the blade between two fingers. Effortlessly.
Hachiman (calmly):
"Consider that… nerve touch."
Don's eyes widened in disbelief.
Don:
"How are you this strong?!"
Hachiman (tilting his head):
"You either perfect… or you're not me."
With the speed of a thunderclap, Hachiman drove his knee into Don's gut, forcing the air from his lungs. He grabbed Don's arm, pivoted, and hurled him like a sack of bones across the room.
Don smashed through a pillar, rolling across the shattered stone, coughing blood.
Hachiman (approaching slowly):
"I faced gods. I fought angels. I've killed your master."
He stopped, blade dragging behind him like a whispering shadow.
Hachiman (coldly):
"Prove to me that your humanity isn't weakness."
Don wiped blood from his mouth.
His knuckles tightened around the hilt.
His voice… steady.
Hachiman (mockingly stern):
"I know since you had trouble not listening… and not following directions…"
He stopped, gaze piercing like a blade.
"I'm going to give you one last chance."
He stabbed his sword into the ground beside him.
Hachiman:
"You. Me. As hard as you can.
Are we clear?"
Don, bruised and bloodied, slowly rose to full height.
Don (gritting his teeth):
"Crystal."
He closed his eyes.
The room stilled.
Then—
A sudden pressure surged outward. The ground cracked beneath his feet. Wind spiraled from his body, ash scattering like birds in flight. Golden light pulsed from beneath Don's skin—faint at first, then stronger—trailing like threads of chi entwined with crimson sparks of magic.
Hachiman's smirk faded just slightly.
Hachiman (low, intrigued):
"…Now this is more like it."
He took a step forward, boots grinding into fractured stone.
Hachiman (eyes glowing):
"I'm actually starting to feel something."
The very air changed.
Don's body was surrounded by a chaotic, flickering aura—not purely magical, not purely chi—but a hybrid energy that refused definition. Raw, unstable, and explosive.
He dashed forward.
No sword this time. Just a fist.
Hachiman barely blocked in time—
The impact was thunderous. Hachiman skidded back, boots dragging a trench in the ground, eyes wide with thrill.
Hachiman (laughing, delighted):
"YES! YES! That's it! That's the warrior I was hoping for!"
He ripped his blade free and surged back, slashing at Don—but Don weaved, ducked, and countered with a spinning elbow that shattered Hachiman's shoulder guard.
Don (grunting):
"You wanted a fight?"
Don grabbed Hachiman by the face, leapt high, and SLAMMED him down with a seismic crater punch.
Don:
"Then you got one."
The battlefield quaked.
Both men rose again, panting. Bleeding. Smiling.
Hachiman (wiping blood from his chin):
"…Now I see it. Your not entirely human...
The heavy double doors groaned open with the weight of centuries and suffering. Flickering purple sigils glowed along the floor, forming a demonic ritual circle. At its center lay Zadkiel's corpse, preserved unnaturally, bathed in shadowy light. The air felt thick, electric, and wrong—like the world itself was holding its breath.
Xiao Ling stepped in cautiously, sword drawn, her expression grim.
Xiao Ling (whispers):
"They're almost finished..."
Kai stood beside her, his eyes narrowed, scanning the intricately woven magic seals and protective barriers surrounding the body.
Kai:
"We won't get another chance. The ritual's stabilizing—if it reaches phase three, even killing everyone here won't stop it."
Suddenly, a pulse of energy rattled the chamber. Chains of corrupted aether coiled around Zadkiel's corpse like serpents, writhing as if hungry for a soul to return.
Xiao Ling (tense):
"We end it here."
They sprinted in—Kai leaping high, drawing twin daggers of glowing obsidian, while Xiao Ling dashed low, spinning with precision and fury. They sliced through the dark sigils, each cut disrupting the flow of energy for brief moments.
But then a counter-seal burst into life, launching arcane chains at them. Kai twisted mid-air, slashing two away, while one wrapped around Xiao Ling's arm, burning her with dark energy.
Kai (shouting):
"Focus! Disrupt the heart seal! I'll clear the defenses!"
Xiao Ling roared, summoning a burst of lightning chi through her body, shattering the chain and forcing her way to the inner circle.
She placed her hand over the core glyph. Her eyes widened.
Xiao Ling (shocked):
"They're using souls… thousands of them… Children. Civilians."
Kai's voice darkened.
Kai:
"Zadkiel isn't just being brought back…
They're making him stronger."
Suddenly, a blade flew between them, stabbing into the ground.
A slow clap echoed through the chamber.
Li Wei (smirking):
"Well, that's enough interference."
Victoria stepped forward beside him, swaying with serpentine grace, her blood-red eyes shining like polished rubies.
Victoria (mockingly):
"You're late to the funeral, darlings. The resurrection's already begun."
The ritual circle pulsed violently, a heartbeat of corruption shaking the stone beneath their feet. Purple and black energy spiraled skyward, and the stench of death choked the air.
Li Wei extended his palm. A surge of crimson flames erupted, crashing toward Kai and Xiao Ling like a wave of molten blood.
Kai flipped sideways, slamming a dagger into the floor mid-spin to anchor himself.
Xiao Ling parried with her glaive, redirecting the fire across the chamber wall, where it vaporized ancient murals in a hellish blast.
Victoria vanished— only to reappear behind Xiao Ling, claws dripping with shadow.
Victoria (whispers):
"Let me peel that little knight pride off your bones—"
Kai intercepted, his obsidian dagger locking with Victoria's claws. Sparks and shadows burst at impact.
Kai (coldly):
"Touch her, and I'll make sure you never crawl again."
Li Wei snarled, summoning spears of blood magic and launching them with a flick of his wrist.
Xiao Ling twirled through the barrage, each move a dancer's grace layered with a warrior's fury. One spear grazed her cheek—blood sprayed, but she didn't slow down.
She vaulted up a broken pillar, somersaulted through air, and came down toward Li Wei with a devastating thunder-infused strike.
Li Wei caught it with his forearm— the shockwave blasted the stone beneath him, cracking the floor in a web of destruction.
He grinned, fangs showing.
Li Wei:
"Did you forget, sister? I'm stronger."
Victoria launched forward, claws flashing like lightning, aiming for Kai's throat.
Kai ducked low, spun, and stabbed upward— his blade pierced into her side.
Victoria hissed in pain, but lashed out with her tail—it slammed into Kai's ribs, cracking bone and launching him across the chamber.
Xiao Ling:
"KAI!"
Li Wei used the distraction, lunging at Xiao Ling with a burning red blade, but she caught it barehanded, fingers smoking and skin burning, then used his momentum to flip him into a nearby pillar. The impact crushed it, burying him in rubble.
Kai stood, blood running down his lip, but eyes calm.
Kai:
"You take the vampire, I'll handle your brother."
Xiao Ling nodded.
"Let's end this."
—Xiao Ling vs. Victoria
Lightning crackled around her glaive as she met Victoria mid-charge. The air split with each clash, and their strikes painted the chamber with blood and sparks. Victoria's claw scraped her shoulder—Xiao Ling responded by spinning and driving her glaive straight through Victoria's leg.
Victoria screamed, trying to bite her, but Xiao Ling thrust her elbow into her jaw, then kicked her in the stomach with a lightning-boosted blow that sent her into the wall with a crunch.
—Kai vs. Li Wei
Li Wei rose from the rubble, face cracked with fury.
Li Wei:
"I'll show you what real power feels like."
He activated a blood curse, his arms glowing red with thousands of screaming faces. He punched forward—Kai dodged just in time—but the impact ripped a crater in the temple wall.
Kai:
"Still trying to impress your father's ghost?"
He surged forward, stabbing his dagger into Li Wei's cursed arm, channeling raw chi to explode it from within. Li Wei roared in agony and slammed a fist into Kai's side—ribs snapped, but Kai headbutted him, then knee'd him into the floor.
As the battle peaked, Kai and Xiao Ling regrouped, bruised and bleeding but unyielding.
They locked eyes.
Kai:
"Now."
Xiao Ling leapt—vaulting off Kai's back. He spun and threw a chi-charged dagger at Victoria. She caught it—only for it to detonate in her face.
While she staggered, Xiao Ling landed behind her and drove her glaive straight through her back, pinning her to the floor.
Li Wei roared, charging toward them—only for Kai to catch him mid-dash, wrapping his arms around him.
Kai (gritting his teeth):
"Go. Stop the ritual."
Xiao Ling hesitated—but then nodded and ran toward the glyph as Kai and Li Wei crashed back into the wall, locked in a deadly grapple.
Xiao Ling's hand touched the glyph—
But it was too late.
A blast of void energy erupted from the center of the ritual circle, knocking her backward into the shattered wall. Kai's eyes widened as he watched blood, ash, and sorrow swirl into the shape of a man.
The chamber darkened, the torches extinguished one by one. The ground trembled.
From the smoking ritual pit, a figure rose slowly—his body sculpted from shadowed flame and obsidian flesh, his eyes twin embers of ruin.
The Shadow Emperor was reborn.
Not just in flesh—but in emotion incarnate. Rage, hatred, revenge, sadness, and despair all manifested around him like storming spirits.
The temperature dropped.
Time seemed to bend, and the sky above the shattered ceiling turned black.
Xiao Ling whispered:
"No… it can't be…"
The Emperor's voice echoed—not from his mouth, but from every wall, every broken stone, every dying breath.
He raised his arm.
The rubble of the temple began floating, swirling around him. His power now warped reality, tearing apart the chamber that once held his grave.
Li Wei and Victoria, bloodied and smiling, stood on the edge of the crumbling ritual site.
Li Wei (smirking):
"Our objective is complete."
Victoria:
"Time to vanish."
The two Star Council agents disappeared into light, using teleportation glyphs etched on their skin. The Council had gotten what they wanted.
Kai gritted his teeth.
"They used us… all of us…"
The walls cracked. The glyphs shattered. The temple screamed as if it were alive and in pain.
The entire structure was collapsing.
Don, still locked in combat with Hachiman, paused as the quake grew violent.
Don (looking up):
"Oh, hell…"
Hachiman sheathed his blade.
"You should leave, boy. There's nothing left to protect here."
Kai grabbed Xiao Ling's arm.
"We have to go! NOW!"
The Shadow Emperor didn't pursue.
He only stood in the center of the destruction, arms raised, channeling storms of emotion—sorrow darkening the sky, wrath setting the wind ablaze.
And in his silence…
A single tear of black ichor rolled down his cheek.
Xiao Ling (shaken):
"…What have they done?"
Fade to black as the temple crumbles behind them, consumed in a black storm.
The sky above the collapsed temple churned with lingering black clouds, torn by streaks of red lightning—remnants of the resurrection's aftershock. Smoke choked the air, and stone fragments still rained down in chunks.
Kai and Xiao Ling, both bloodied and breathless, ran through the crumbling forest path as the destruction roared behind them. Don emerged moments later, bruised but alive, supporting himself with a cracked blade. Hachiman had vanished into the shadows.
Just as the mountain temple imploded completely—
The clouds parted.
A deep rumble echoed across the ruined landscape.
And then they saw it.
Airships.
Dozens of sleek, silver-black Frontier skycraft—each bearing the emblem of Earth's last defenders—cut through the toxic skies. Dropships descended, kicking up dust storms as they landed around the survivors.
Bright lights bathed the ash-covered terrain. Mechs unfolded from cargo bays, scanning for survivors and hostiles.
Then, from the lead cruiser, a familiar voice called out:
Vincent:
"Xiao Ling!"
She looked up in disbelief as the ramp dropped.
Vincent, in battle armor, sprinted to her side.
Behind him came:
Dr. Jin, with her tech gauntlets glowing and a dozen drones in tow.
Seraphina, floating slightly above the ground with radiant red eyes, her long blonde hair whipping in the wind.
Adam and Eve, walking shoulder to shoulder, cold and unreadable.
Their sibling tension palpable, even now.
Frontline squads of elite soldiers fanned out behind them.
Dr. Jin rushed to scan Xiao Ling.
"We got your message… just in time."
Xiao Ling (hoarse):
"You have no idea what you just walked into."
Don (still breathing heavy):
"The Shadow Emperor… he's back. Not just alive. Changed. We couldn't stop it."
Adam looked to the sky.
"I felt the shift in balance… like the cosmos itself cried out."
Eve narrowed her eyes.
"Then the real war begins now."
Vincent turned to the team.
"Secure the area. Treat the wounded. Prepare defenses."
As the Frontier spread out, scanning the ruins and preparing for another potential assault, the camera would pan upward, showing the aftermath of a resurrection that had rippled across dimensions.