| The Cyber Ascension |
Arc 5 — "The Founder of Phoenix"
Volume 5 | Chapter 55 : "The Second Heaven"
Jin Yuan stood up from his seat, the quiet weight of his presence immediately drawing the attention of both Queen Victoria Reona and Shinonu. His eyes were calm, but sharpened with calculation.
Jin Yuan:
"Is there anything else about the Zenōnuke Clan? Or Tenshoudhā?"
He asked this as he prepared to leave, his tone flat, his mind already moving several steps ahead.
Shinonu nodded slowly.
Shinonu:
"Yeah… there's something else. Some Tenshoudhā users from the Zenōnuke Clan can summon the Death Wing of Bone. It's called Kaizenoo. It's a snake-like creature, made entirely of bones with glowing red eyes and two small horns."
He let the words sink in before continuing.
Shinonu:
"If it's fully enhanced with the user's Tenshoudhā and Spherical Energy of the Heavens, its height reaches around 99 meters. If it's partially awakened, it's around 40 to 50 meters."
Reona's eyes widened.
Queen Victoria Reona:
"That's terrifying… a snake made of bones?"
Shinonu nodded.
Shinonu:
"It has no muscle or flesh. Only a single heart inside its chest. Everything else is bone."
Jin Yuan remained expressionless.
Jin Yuan:
"Kaizenoo… So how do we defeat it?"
Shinonu:
"Defeating it is extremely difficult. As long as the user maintains the perfect flow of their Spherical Energy, the Kaizenoo has no weaknesses. But if the user overuses energy or makes a mistake… an opening appears."
Jin Yuan clasped his hands behind his back.
Jin Yuan:
"Understood. Thanks for the information."
He turned toward the exit.
"I'm leaving today. I'll reach the Second Heaven."
Reona blinked.
Queen Victoria Reona:
"Why?"
Her tone was soft, almost worried.
Jin Yuan:
"To obtain Tenshoudhā."
He didn't look back as he left the castle.
---
The Second Heaven
After some time, Jin Yuan arrived in the Second Heaven — an ancient civilization with old technologies and worn buildings. Sculptures stood like silent witnesses of forgotten eras. Children played freely in the streets, unaware of the storms that brewed above their world.
Jin Yuan walked casually among them, observing everything without emotion.
Deep within the Second Heaven, far from the civilization and hidden inside a cavernous valley, nine figures stood in silence. Each wore an oversized black cloak that covered their bodies down to the ankles, sleeves hiding their arms entirely.
The cavern was silent.
Not the quiet of peace—
But the quiet of nine individuals who could erase an entire civilization without raising their voices.
Nine figures stood in a formation, each cloaked in a massive black robe that dragged across the rocky ground. Their hoods were deep and wide, hiding everything except the faint glimmer of eyes—eyes that carried the faint glow of Tenshoudhā.
The cavern's interior was enormous, like a cathedral carved from stone, lit only by purple flame-torches embedded into the walls. Every flame flickered with a controlled, unnatural rhythm, as if synced to a heartbeat not of this world.
One among them stepped forward.
His cloak shifted, revealing the faint shape of a young man—someone who looked like he had barely entered adulthood. But his eyes betrayed an age older than kingdoms.
They were Tenshoudhā eyes:
A deep purple iris, surrounded by black streaks shaped like flowing cracks, spreading toward the corners of his eyes.
A living sigil.
A living curse.
A living power.
He spoke in a calm, youthful voice that echoed across the cavern.
???:
"Hell is trying again.
They want to kill the Heavens once more."
Another person—tall, posture perfectly straight—crossed his arms beneath his cloak.
???:
"We almost destroyed them last time. But two of them fled. Two demons are enough for a second disaster."
A softer voice emerged, clearly a woman hidden among them.
???:
"And our Tenshoudhā… we need it more than ever, don't we?"
The young man shook his head slightly.
???:
"It's not about the Zenōnuke Clan anymore.
This time… we deal with the traitor first."
He turned toward two silhouettes near the front.
???:
"Zenōnuke Eirien.
Kiyoshi.
You two will kill the General."
Silence.
Then—
WHOOSH.
Both figures vanished instantly, leaving only a ripple of purple energy behind.
---
THE SECOND HEAVEN
Far above the cavern, past the border of the Holy Sky, laid the Second Heaven.
An ancient world built like a forgotten kingdom, filled with stone-built houses, weathered carvings, and old technology that barely kept itself alive. Metal airships that groaned when they flew. Stone bridges cracked from centuries. Lamps powered by unstable cores that buzzed endlessly.
But it was peaceful.
Children played in the dusty streets, kicking spherical toys. Women washed clothes near a dried fountain. Men carried crates across markets filled with old mechanical tools and relics.
The Second Heaven was outdated. Weak by appearance.
But beneath the surface, it protected something terrifying—
The last remaining Tenshoudhā wielders.
And two of them now stood at the gates of a massive fortress.
---
THE ASSASSINS ARRIVE
The castle's walls rose high into the sky like black monoliths. Hundreds of soldiers stood guard, armed with spears, swords, and old Heaven-crafted firearms.
In front of them stood two cloaked figures.
One with shoulder-length black hair visible from beneath his hood.
The other wearing a long collar that covered half his face, his messy bright-pink hair poking out like a rebellious flame.
Zenōnuke Eirien.
And Kiyoshi.
Eirien's Tenshoudhā eyes were already glowing faint purple, faint dark lines branching from his irises like cracks in reality.
Kiyoshi, meanwhile, looked… bored. He was stretching lazily, hands interlinked behind his head.
Kiyoshi:
"Aren't we doing this too early? This General dude is just a drunk brat, right? A total loser. Can't live without his army."
He kicked a pebble.
Eirien (calm):
"That's not the point."
Kiyoshi rolled his eyes dramatically.
Kiyoshi:
"Yeah yeah, genius man. How many damn times will you prove you're the smart one?"
Eirien ignored the comment.
His hands slowly interlocked—finger by finger.
His breathing slowed.
His aura shifted.
And the stone under his feet… cracked.
He whispered.
Eirien:
"Tenshoudhā—
Kaizenoo."
---
THE BONE SERPENT
The ground ruptured.
BOOOOM!!!
A tidal wave of smoke burst outward, sending dust flying across the courtyard. Soldiers staggered, shielding their eyes.
And then—
it rose.
A colossal skeletal serpent towered above the castle walls.
A monstrous creature made entirely of bones, each piece polished like ancient ivory, clicking and grinding as it moved. Its ribs were enormous, hollow—like a cathedral's arches. Where its chest would be, one thing pulsed:
A small, beating heart, the only piece of flesh in its entire being.
Its eyes were pits of glowing crimson.
Two small horns curled from its skull.
Its jaw opened, rattling with a metallic shriek.
At half-awakening, it still reached nearly 50 meters tall.
Kiyoshi grinned like a child.
Kiyoshi:
"Yooo?! Long time no see! This is gonna be fun!"
Meanwhile, Eirien was silently assessing the situation.
If I use full Spherical Energy of Heavens… the perfect Kaizenoo… it would drain me too quickly.
Keeping it at this level is enough.
He raised a hand.
The Kaizenoo roared.
Soldiers panicked.
Some ran.
Some charged.
Some shook in place.
None survived long.
---
THE MASSACRE BEGINS
Eirien and Kiyoshi walked forward casually—almost leisurely—while chaos exploded around them.
A soldier lunged forward.
SNAP.
His arm bent backward unnaturally as Kiyoshi twisted it with casual fingers.
Another soldier aimed a gun.
Kiyoshi flicked his wrist—
CRACK
Neck snapped instantly.
Kiyoshi (snickering):
"Hey, Eirien! I killed three already! Try to keep up!"
Eirien didn't reply.
He simply stepped past a soldier—
SNAP!
The man dropped, every bone in his arm shattered by a single touch.
Behind them, the Kaizenoo plowed through formations, crushing bodies beneath its massive ribcage. Its bony tail lashed, skewering three soldiers at once. Blood showered the ground.
Eirien walked calmly toward an inner corridor.
Eirien:
"This way."
Kiyoshi followed, hands back behind his head.
Kiyoshi:
"Lead the way, Mr. Genius."
---
THE TRAITOR GENERAL
Inside the castle's grand hall sat a large man draped in royal armor. He was sweating heavily, gulping down wine while trembling.
Around him stood soldiers wearing black Hell-insignias—the ones secretly working with him.
With a shaky voice, he spoke:
General:
"Hell promised me protection… they promised—"
Kiyoshi appeared behind one of the Hell soldiers.
CRACK.
Neck twisted.
Kiyoshi:
"Oii! General? Don't you talk to us?"
The Hell soldiers panicked, rushing forward, but Kiyoshi moved through them like a blur, snapping bones, twisting limbs, laughing almost playfully.
Eirien didn't waste time.
He raised his arm—
A gleam of metal flashed.
THUNK!!
A katana pierced the General's chest cleanly.
The General screamed.
General:
"Aah!! WHO ARE YOU TWO!?"
He struggled to pull the katana out.
Eirien stepped closer.
Their eyes met.
And the world changed.
---
THE YONUZUKE ILLUSION
The General's surroundings twisted.
The hall melted away.
Colors inverted into a violet sky filled with endless clouds.
Silence.
Then—
SHHHHK!!
A spear pierced his thigh.
"AAAGH!!"
Before he could breathe—
SLASH!
A sword cut his arm.
Then another spear.
Then arrows.
Then blades.
Then spiked chains.
Then knives raining from above.
Weapons materialized from every direction, stabbing him again and again—
Thousands of times.
From impossible angles.
No place to run.
No place to hide.
His screams echoed in the empty violet world.
This was Yonuzuke.
Where three seconds felt like 72 hours.
And Eirien watched him suffer without emotion.
---
BACK TO REALITY
The General collapsed to his knees, drooling, trembling, unable to understand what was real anymore. Tears dripped from his unfocused eyes.
He couldn't even speak.
Eirien muttered only one word.
Eirien:
"Die."
He flicked a kunai.
THUNK.
It pierced straight into the General's heart.
His body fell face-first to the floor, lifeless.
---
MISSION COMPLETE
Kiyoshi dusted his hands.
Kiyoshi:
"Ah! That was kinda fun! We didn't fight anyone since… uhh… two days?"
He laughed like an idiot.
Eirien rolled his eyes.
Eirien:
"Stop it. We're leaving."
The two walked out of the castle, smoke rising behind them, the giant Kaizenoo shrinking back into sparks of purple energy.
Their silhouettes disappeared into the horizon of the Second Heaven.
---
END OF CHAPTER 55
"The Second Heaven"