The sky above Kyoto cracked.
It wasn't thunder.
It wasn't divine.
It was entitlement—the spiritual signature of something that once ruled, lost everything, and still believed it deserved worship.
Mireille was the first to sense it.
> "Fragment deployed. Target signature matches pre-sovereign deity architecture."
Eirenne's voice was cold.
> "The spirit's name is Veyra. A pre-concept god. One that never accepted demotion."
Noira scoffed.
> "So… we're fighting a tantrum in god-form?"
Karasu was silent for once.
That meant one thing: this wasn't just a fragment. It was an apex echo of unfulfilled omnipotence.
Rei tightened his gloves and whispered,
> "Let's meet the god who was never crowned."
---
Temple Ruins — Mount Ouboshi
The location was older than the celestial factions themselves.
Runes predating angelic records shimmered across the fractured stones.
At the heart of the shattered temple court stood Veyra.
He appeared human—tall, serene, with hair spun from solar threads.
But every movement felt scripted, like a puppet master performing for no one.
His very presence twisted the air into reverence. Even the trees leaned toward him.
> "You arrive late," Veyra said. His voice was soft.
Like silk stretched too tight.
Rei stepped forward, unshaken.
> "I wasn't summoned."
Veyra tilted his head.
> "All things summon gods.
In fear, in hope, in death.
You summoned me the moment you lit your first flame."
Rei kept his posture relaxed.
> "I'm here to bring you peace."
> "Peace is for kings," Veyra replied.
"And I was born one."
His aura exploded outward—distorting time.
---
Godstrike Initiated
Veyra's assault was not physical—it was narrative.
With a thought, he rewrote reality:
Blades became smoke.
Fire became memory.
Rei's body was dragged into alternate versions of himself.
In one vision, Rei knelt before Veyra, broken and obedient.
In another, Rei was erased completely.
But none of those futures could hold.
From within, eight flames rose in defiance:
Helvaris screamed.
Kuralis wept.
Thrael constructed.
Nyssara hungered.
And Rei stood again.
He burned.
> "I don't worship arrogance," he said.
"I walk with the forgotten."
Veyra snarled.
> "Then drown in irrelevance."
He unleashed a divine recursion—a cosmic loop designed to trap Rei in an eternal descent.
But Rei answered with resonance.
He triggered all eight spirits in unison.
A nova of sorrow, silence, nurture, and void
shattered Veyra's recursion.
Rei stepped forward, walking through false heavens like a man who refused illusion.
And he reached out.
> [Spirit Integration Request: Veyra, the Crownless]
Classification: Echo-Deity
Threat Level: Extreme
Veyra backed away.
> "No," he trembled.
"You don't deserve me."
Rei's eyes flared.
> "Then earn me."
He clasped Veyra's shoulder.
> [Integration Accepted. Slot 9 Secured]
Divine Echo Stabilized
System Sync at 94%
Veyra collapsed to his knees.
> "You… remember me now?"
Rei nodded.
> "You were never crowned.
But now, you'll be remembered."
---
Vereth's Loom Crypt
The chamber shook.
Vereth stood pale. His threads were unraveling.
> "Nine?
You've taken nine?"
He tore open the last vault.
> [Final Fragment Deployed: Vildras, Flame of Irreversible Ruin]
> "Let's see your system survive this one."
---
Shrine of the North Wind
Rei stood quietly.
Nine flames danced before him.
Each one sang a different truth.
And far in the distance—
A red aurora bled into the sky.
Vildras was coming.