Dusk began to fall. The orange sky reflected softly against the windows of the small house.
Rynel sat in the living room, staring blankly outside.
"…Will they be alright if I leave this world again?" he muttered quietly.
He glanced toward Rei and Miyu, who were chatting in the kitchen. After a moment of thought, he took a deep breath and said,
"Sorry… but may I stay here for the night?"
Rei turned around with a wide smile.
"Of course, Senior! Stay as long as you want!"
Rynel gave a small smile.
(He's so cheerful now… even though earlier he almost fainted when he saw those angels.)
"Thank you. I'll stay for tonight."
Night soon came, and warmth filled the little house.
Laughter, clinking dishes, and the scent of tea completed the peaceful evening.
Rei looked at Rynel with curiosity.
"Senior, can I ask something? In the other world… are dungeons real?"
Rynel smiled faintly.
"They are."
"What about monsters? And magic too!?"
"Yes," Rynel nodded. "Everything exists there."
Rei's eyes sparkled. He stood up with clenched fists.
"OOOHHH!! A real fantasy world!!"
His wife and child laughed at his reaction.
"Stop that, you're bothering Senior!" Miyu scolded while tapping his shoulder.
Rynel chuckled softly.
"It's fine. It's been a long time since I've seen someone so excited."
His expression softened.
"It feels nostalgic… just like back then, when we watched anime and read light novels together. You always acted like this after finishing a story."
Rei laughed quietly.
"Heh, so you still remember."
"How could I forget?" Rynel replied gently.
Then he stood up.
"When this is all over… I promise. I'll take you both to my world."
"Yahoooo!! Thank you, Senior!!" Rei cheered happily.
Their laughter filled the night with warmth.
The Next Morning
As the sun rose, Rynel prepared to leave with Rei to meet the government. But the moment he stepped outside the door, Rei stopped him.
"Senior! Change your clothes first! No one in this world wears something like that!"
"Why? Isn't this outfit cool?" Rynel asked, confused.
Rei sighed deeply and pulled him back inside.
Rei said, "Cool!? What's cool about that!? Are you going to the government office or a cosplay event!? Wait, I'll call Miyu to lend you some clothes!"
"No! No! I don't want to wear women's clothes!" Rynel protested.
"I'll be the one embarrassed if you walk around dressed like that!" Rei shot back.
In the end, Rynel gave up. After reluctantly changing clothes, they finally headed out using the train.
When they arrived near the government building gate, Rynel suddenly drew his sword.
"Hey! Why are you taking out your sword!? If they see that, we'll be arrested!" Rei shouted.
"I don't care. Something like this won't be a problem for me."
"Haaah… fine. But don't unsheathe that sword! Let me do the talking, okay!?"
"Alright," Rynel replied calmly.
At the large gate, two uniformed guards blocked their path.
"Stop! No one enters without permission."
"I'm not here to fight," Rynel said calmly. "I've come to deliver a warning. I have no intention of harming anyone."
But one of the guards aimed his weapon and opened fire.
Dorr! Dorr! Dorr!
The bullets stopped right before touching Rynel's body, as if hitting an invisible wall.
"…I see," Rynel muttered.
With a swift motion, he swung his sword. A streak of black light shot forward, injuring the guards slightly without killing them. The two guards screamed and ran inside in terror.
"Senior! We're in HUGE trouble now!" Rei panicked.
"I told you I'd handle the talking!"
"Sorry… I forgot," Rynel replied casually.
"Forgot!? I'm going to end up a criminal because of you!"
Rynel patted his shoulder with a calm smile.
"Relax. Leave everything to me. I'll explain it properly."
A few minutes later, inside the main meeting room, a military commander stared at the two injured guards.
"Why are you bleeding!? Who attacked you!?"
"A-a girl with white hair, sir! She said she came to give a warning!"
"Why didn't you shoot her!?"
"We did! But the bullets didn't even touch her!"
The room fell silent.
"That's impossible… no human can do that," the commander whispered.
A calm voice suddenly echoed from the doorway.
"Excuse me."
The door opened slowly. Rynel entered, shrouded in a thick black aura.
"That's her!!" one of the guards shouted.
"EVERYONE, FIRE!!" the commander ordered.
Gunfire erupted. But once again, the bullets froze in midair and dropped helplessly to the floor.
Cold sweat trickled down the commander's face.
"W-who… who are you!?"
Rynel looked straight at him.
"My name is Rynel. Demon King from another world. I have come to warn you — in six days, angels will attack this world."
Everyone froze. Some soldiers instinctively backed away in fear.
"Demon King…? Impossible! Prove you're the Demon King!"
Rynel smiled coldly.
"Very well. Do not regret it."
The air grew heavy. Lights flickered violently. A black aura enveloped the entire room.
"Demon King's Haki — Black Hellfire."
Black flames swirled in his palm like a vortex of hell.
All soldiers fell to their knees in terror.
"Stop!! We believe you! Please stop!!" the commander shouted.
Rynel closed his hand, extinguishing the flames. The oppressive aura vanished.
"Good. Now we can speak calmly," he said.
"P-please… sit, Lord Rynel…" the commander stammered.
Rynel gestured at Rei.
"Show them the recording."
Rei played the video of the children being abducted days ago.
"You're aware of this incident, aren't you?" Rynel asked.
"Yes… but we still don't know who the perpetrators were."
"They weren't human. They were angels from another world. They kidnapped the children to use them as their power."
The room fell silent again. The commander stared at him seriously.
"Then… why did you come here?"
"In six days, they will arrive with a full army. Their goal is to destroy this world."
Chaos erupted.
"Six days!? We need to prepare our forces and weapons!"
Rynel shook his head.
"Firearms won't work. Only high-explosive weapons can injure them."
"We don't have enough bombs! And we're almost out of missiles!" one officer shouted.
Rynel stood up calmly.
"Don't worry. My army and I will assist you. But… I need cooperation from your side."
The commander stared at him closely.
"Why… why would you help us?"
Rynel smiled gently.
"Because I can't stand watching children suffer.
In my world… I've lost too many people to war. I won't let that tragedy repeat here."
The room went silent.
Some officers lowered their heads, others looked at Rynel — a demon king more human than they were.
The commander stood and saluted.
"With honor, Demon King Rynel. This world is in your debt."
Rynel looked over the entire room, his eyes sharp yet calm.
"Then let us begin preparing our counterattack.
We have six days — and this time, I won't let a single child cry again."