The battlefield fell silent for only a moment—then the knights surged forward.
"For the Commander!" they roared, blades drawn, hearts hammering with fury and fear.
Ren stood calmly, the moonlight casting a silver glow on his blood-streaked face. He didn't raise a weapon immediately. Instead, he waited—smiling.
The first knight reached him, thrusting his spear forward.
Snap.
Ren caught it with one hand and shattered it like brittle glass. Before the knight could blink, Ren's other hand tore through his throat. Blood sprayed in a fountain, warm and thick, painting Ren's cheek. He didn't flinch.
"Is this the resolve you had to avenge your commander?" he said, voice eerily calm.
The massacre began.
Ren moved like death incarnate. Each slash from the enemy was effortlessly dodged. His retaliations were precise, brutal, and horrifying.
One knight screamed as Ren slammed his face into the ground, dragging it across the gravel until only bone remained. Another had his arms severed, left crawling and shrieking until Ren brought his heel down and crushed his spine.
They tried to run.
"Retreat! Retreat!"
"I thought you wanted revenge?" Ren called after them. "What happened to your courage?"
He appeared before the nearest fleeing knight in a blink, sliding his blade slowly across the man's stomach. Guts spilled to the ground like rope, and Ren chuckled, brushing his hand through the knight's blood as if it were water.
The smell of death thickened. Heads rolled, screams echoed, limbs flew through the air. A knight on his knees sobbed for mercy. Ren beheaded him mid-plea, the expression of terror frozen on the decapitated face.
Only one knight remained.
Bleeding, shaking, he tried to crawl away. He looked back.
Ren sat on a mound of bodies, the Commander's severed head perched beside him like a trophy. The moonlight cast eerie shadows over the mountain of corpses.
"Go," Ren said, voice low but commanding. "Tell them. Tell the world. The Hero has returned."
That grin—twisted, feral—burned itself into the knight's memory as he staggered away into the night.
Hours later — Kingdom of Vernhold, Saint Reika's Chamber
Reika sat at her desk, the candlelight flickering nervously. A knock interrupted her thoughts.
"A gift, my lady," a servant said, laying a small box on the floor before retreating.
Reika approached slowly. Something felt... wrong. The air grew colder. Her hands trembled as she lifted the lid.
A scream ripped from her throat.
Inside was the Commander's severed head, eyes lifeless, mouth still twisted in his last terrified expression. Beneath it lay a letter—scrawled in dried blood: You're next.
She collapsed to the floor, gripping her hair. "He's alive... He's watching me... He knows... he knows what we did."
The door burst open. Vice Commander Selene rushed in, sword drawn. She froze at the sight.
"Saint Reika! What in the—" Her eyes locked onto the head. She knelt beside Reika, shaking her. "Get a hold of yourself! This... this could be a bluff."
But Reika shook her head violently. "No... it's him. I felt it. Ren... he's back."
Selene helped her up. "We must inform the Church. Immediately."
Church of Light, Hours Later
The Pope listened with a grave expression. The holy knights stood silent as Reika spoke, her voice shaking.
He rose from his throne. "Then the time has come. Send word to the other realms. The Hero has returned."
Across the World...
Kingdom of Vernhold – where Saint Reika resides, its cathedrals now echo with whispers of dread.
The Dwarven Kingdom – Gorim Ironbraid, Ren's former ally, hammered steel into form. He paused, sensing something shift in the world.
The Elven Kingdom – Arin Durel, now a royal advisor, watched birds scatter from the forest. "It begins," she murmured.
Kaido Ishikura stood atop a waterfall nearby, sharpening his blade. He smirked. "Took you long enough, Ren."
The Sorcerer Kingdom – Mira Kazehana meditated in the floating citadel. Her eyes opened slowly. "He's back."
Days Later — Capital Square
A crowd had gathered. Gasps and screams spread like wildfire.
There, impaled on a towering spear, was the body of the knight Ren had spared. His decapitated head rested at the base, face still frozen in terror.
From the shadows of the gathering, a hooded man stood still.
He looked up. Smiled.
The twisted grin of the Hero who once saved the world... and now sought to destroy it.