The battlefield had fallen into a deathly silence.
No birds sang. No wind dared to whisper. The world itself seemed to hold its breath, as if mourning what had just transpired. Shadows crawled over the shattered stones, devouring light, swallowing sound, spreading like locusts feasting upon a dying land. The once-proud hunters who had fought bravely moments ago were now retreating in horror, their faces drained of color. Whatever had just been unleashed before them—it wasn't human. It was something far beyond their comprehension.
And at the center of that apocalyptic scene stood Ren.
His figure trembled violently as he unlocked the Black Heart's forbidden seal—50% of its true power. His chest glowed with a sickening, pulsating light that made the air ripple like heat waves. The ground beneath him cracked apart, and with a horrifying sound like tearing flesh, two hearts materialized outside his body—suspended in midair.
One heart beat faintly—fragile, human, mortal.
The other pulsed like a living wound—black, corrupted, drenched in an energy so vile that reality itself seemed to warp around it.
Then came the light—brilliant, searing, and merciless.
When it faded, the battlefield was gone.
Ren stood alone in a pale, infinite void—a place where neither light nor darkness could exist fully. There was no sky above, no ground beneath his feet. Just endless, suffocating emptiness. A void where thoughts screamed louder than sound.
Out of that emptiness, something moved.
A figure stepped forth—a tall, indistinct being woven entirely of shadows. Its body shifted like smoke, its edges blurring, its mere presence chilling the air into frost. It radiated a power that felt ancient, endless, and eerily familiar.
Ren's throat tightened. "Who… who are you?"
The figure tilted its head in a slow, unnatural motion. Its voice echoed across the void—soft, but everywhere at once.
"This is the first time we meet face-to-face, Ren."
Ren's eyes widened, his pulse thundering. "...Heart?"
"Yes," it whispered, its voice neither male nor female. "I am the Black Heart—the darkness that resides within you."
The realization struck him like a blade. His fists trembled. "Then tell me, Heart…" He took a step forward, his voice cracking. "Am I doing the wrong thing? Choosing this path? Walking into the darkness alone—turning myself into a monster?"
The shadow was silent. The void echoed only Ren's desperate words.
"Answer me!" Ren shouted, his voice raw. "Am I damning myself for nothing?"
Finally, the being spoke—its tone calm, but heavy as judgment.
"If you sell your soul to the Shadow Realm… there will be no turning back. You will fall into the abyss, Ren, and be alone for eternity. No warmth, no light, no love—only the whispers of the void. Humanity will be safe, yes… but you will cease to exist."
Ren's jaw clenched. His breath came out uneven, ragged.
"But if you refuse," the shadow continued, "humanity will burn. The world will drown in screams. Those you love will die, one by one. You have a choice. The darkness does not force you. It never has. But remember this…"
"Whether you sacrifice yourself or not—I will always remain. The darkness will never leave you."
Ren stared down at his trembling hands. His throat felt dry, his heart felt hollow. He could feel the truth in those words—the irreversible truth.
Then, slowly, he smiled. A bitter, broken smile that carried more sorrow than defiance.
"Then so be it," he whispered. "If this is the price of saving them, I'll pay it. Even if I have to erase myself from the world… I'll bear it."
He raised his hand. The shadow did the same. Their hands touched—and the moment they did, the last trace of warmth vanished. A cold, infinite power surged through him, swallowing his soul whole.
When Ren opened his eyes again, he was back on the battlefield.
But nothing was the same.
The sky had darkened, painted in shades of crimson and black. The air trembled with unnatural energy. The shadow knights he had summoned earlier now radiated an eerie, ghostly light. Their armor burned with black flame, and their eyes glowed like dying stars. Their mere presence crushed the will of those around them.
Hunters fell to their knees, trembling.
Even Raviel Noctem, the immortal warlord who had lived for centuries, felt something alien—fear.
In all his endless life, he had never once trembled before an enemy. Not before kings, not before armies, not even before death itself.
But now, looking at Ren—he felt it. A cold, primal fear crawling up his spine.
Ren inhaled slowly, his chest rising as darkness poured from his skin. His human features dissolved beneath a storm of shadows. His armor fused into his flesh. His cape split into two vast wings of living darkness that spread behind him like those of a fallen god.
Two jagged horns tore from his skull, blood running down his face before vanishing into black smoke. His right eye ignited—a burning crimson sun.
Raviel staggered backward, his voice cracking. "...What are you?"
Ren's voice rumbled like thunder, layered with countless echoes—as if the Abyss itself spoke through him.
"I am the abyss you fear. The king you tried to create. The monster you deserve."
Raviel roared, forcing courage into his breaking tone. "Join me! With power like that, we could rule the realms together!"
But Ren was already gone.
By the time Raviel blinked, the world split apart with a single slash.
Ren reappeared behind him—his sword dripping shadow. Raviel's body froze. Then, in one horrifying instant, his torso slid apart. Blood burst across the battlefield, staining the earth black.
Ren raised his sword again to deliver the final blow—
—but a glowing portal tore open beneath Raviel's broken form, swallowing him before Ren's strike could land.
"You…" Raviel coughed blood, his face twisted in agony. "You have won this time… but I will return…"
Ren's crimson eye flared, filled with wrath.
"No need," he said coldly. "I'm coming to kill you myself."
The portal snapped shut—leaving nothing but silence in its wake.
For a moment, no one moved.
Then, the surviving hunters began to shout, their voices trembling with disbelief and triumph.
"We won!" they screamed. "Raviel is defeated!"
But Ren didn't celebrate.
He stood motionless, his sword still raised, shadows swirling violently around him like a mourning storm. His expression was blank, distant—haunted.
Then, without a word, he turned his back on them and began to walk away.
Far from the cheers of victory, Ren's footsteps echoed against the empty ruins. His cloak—woven from living shadow—wrapped around him like a shroud. His aura dimmed, leaving only the cold, hollow pulse of power.
He walked toward the distant darkness—the Abyss.
Step after step. Each heavier than the last.
Then—
"Ren!"
The voice stopped him cold.
He froze, the shadows quivering around him. Slowly, he turned.
Yume stood there—her hair disheveled, her face pale, her eyes wide with tears. She looked terrified, not of him, but for him.
Ren didn't answer.
"Where are you going?" she demanded, running to him.
He kept walking.
"Ren!" she cried, grabbing his arm, forcing him to stop. "Look at me!"
Ren's body stiffened. Slowly, he turned his head.
"...The Abyss," he said finally, his tone hollow, lifeless. "I'm going to the demon realm. Alone."
Yume's eyes widened, disbelief and sorrow crashing together. "No! What about our promise? You said you wouldn't leave me!"
Ren's face darkened. The transformation had only half-faded—one side of his face was still human, but the other was engulfed in darkness, his horn gleaming under the dying light, his crimson eye burning with cold intensity.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "After everything that's happened… I have nothing left in this world. Tell Daiki and Master Kuro not to worry. I'll end this war myself."
"Show me," Yume whispered, trembling. "Show me what you've done to yourself."
Ren hesitated—but then his cloak of shadows unraveled, revealing the truth.
Half his body remained human, flesh and warmth still clinging to one side. But the other half… was pure shadow. The horn jutted from his skull, veins of darkness spread across his skin like cracks in glass, and his right eye burned with a red so deep it looked alive.
Yume gasped. "Ren… what did you do to yourself?"
Ren smiled bitterly. "I sold my soul to the shadow realm. Every ounce of humanity I had left—I gave it away. I am no longer the man you knew."
She lunged at him, tears streaming, striking his chest with her fists. "So you didn't care about us?! About me?!"
Ren caught her wrists gently—but his grip was firm. "I do care. That's why I'm going alone. Forget about me. Live your life. Pretend I never existed."
"No!" Yume screamed, her voice cracking. "We promised we'd face everything together!"
Ren's aura exploded. A suffocating wave of pressure burst from him, shaking the ground. The sheer weight of his power made Yume's knees buckle.
"These burdens aren't yours!" he roared. "I am not the man you love anymore—I'm a monster!"
"I don't care!" Yume cried, tears blurring her vision. "Monster, king, demon—it doesn't matter! I love the man who never gave up!"
Ren's eyes flickered, pain flashing behind the darkness. For a brief second, the human in him hesitated.
Then it was gone.
"Then stop loving me," he said coldly.
He shoved her backward. She stumbled, falling to the dirt. His words hit her harder than the push itself.
"You are nothing to me," Ren said, his tone like a blade. "Nothing but a distraction. Don't ever show me your face again."
Yume's world shattered. "W–What did you just say…?"
Ren turned his back. His shadow cloak began to rise again, wrapping around him like armor.
"Leave me," he said. "Forget me."
Yume's grief turned to fury. She drew her sword, her aura flaring wildly. "Then I'll make you remember!" she screamed, charging forward.
But Ren moved before she could even take a step.
A blur of black—then silence.
Yume collapsed, unconscious, before her sword even hit the ground.
Ren caught her before she fell completely, lowering her gently to the earth. For a moment, his face broke—the coldness vanished, replaced by unbearable sorrow. He brushed a strand of hair from her face, his hand trembling.
"I'm sorry, Yume," he whispered, his voice cracking. "If I let you come with me… I'd never be able to leave. I want nothing more than to stay by your side—but I can't. Not now."
He stood slowly, looking down at her one last time.
"Please… forgive me. And if you can… forget me."
The shadows rose around him like a coffin, engulfing his body. His silhouette faded into the darkness.
Only his final words lingered, carried away by the dying wind.
"Goodbye, Yume Akegami."