Rune understood immediately.
This man wasn't ordinary.
He didn't react right away. He kept his expression neutral, letting the silence sit for a moment before speaking.
"Then what do you suggest?"
The man didn't answer directly. He leaned back in his chair. "You can't beat him. One hit, and you're done. Maybe he holds back, maybe not."
"It's fine," Rune said. "I'll handle it."
He pushed the door open.
"Wait—" the man started, but Rune was already outside.
The moment the door opened, more than twenty cultivators rushed in from the street. Their qi filled the area instantly, pressing in from all sides.
Rune didn't hesitate.
His arms shifted, forming into smooth conduits. He fired rapidly, shot after shot cutting through the air. Several attackers dropped, but others kept moving, avoiding the attacks.
More came from the sides. From above.
Rune stomped the ground.
A stone golem rose beneath him, lifting him up. From above, he continued firing, controlling the space while the golem swung through anyone who got close.
The fight didn't last long.
Within a minute, it was over.
The street went quiet again.
Rune stepped down and walked forward.
Behind him, the man in the coat was still standing by the doorway, watching.
Then he moved.
Two fingers lifted slightly.
Something shot toward Rune at high speed.
Rune reacted on instinct, turning and catching it mid-air.
He opened his hand.
A small object.
Metal.
Strange shape.
It looked like a key, but not for anything he recognized.
Rune glanced back.
The man didn't say anything.
Neither did Rune.
They both turned and left in opposite directions.
Back in the Heavenly Demon Empire, Karin's days were filled with training and study.
The guardian had made it clear.
If Karin wanted even a chance at what she was trying to do, she needed to reach the True Soul Realm. And beyond that, she needed to learn a specific technique.
Heavenly Death Palm.
That technique was tied to something deeper.
A "door."
It wasn't something ordinary disciples could access. Even high-ranking members didn't know about it. Only direct heirs of the Heavenly Demon had the right to learn it.
The manual was sealed away.
Only the guardian could open it.
News of Isshin's death spread quickly.
At the academy, things felt different. Conversations became quieter. Even without confirmation, people accepted it.
Khalid stayed in seclusion.
The Zeldyr clan heard the news as well.
For them, it was over.
Isshin was no longer a concern.
One night, Karin walked alone to the cliffs behind the Heavenly Demon Castle.
The wind was strong.
The ocean below was dark.
She sat near the edge, looking up at the sky.
Her thoughts didn't settle.
She thought about everything that had happened. The academy. The fights. The mistakes.
She blamed herself.
She knew, logically, that bringing someone back wasn't possible.
But she couldn't let it go.
Her hands tightened slightly.
Then—
The ground cracked.
Before she could react, the edge gave way.
She dropped.
At the last second, she caught the ledge.
Her body swung against the cliff.
Her grip tightened as she tried to pull herself up, but there was nothing to step on. The surface was smooth.
She looked down.
Far below, the ocean moved slowly in the dark.
Then she noticed something.
A cave.
Hidden along the cliffside, partially covered by shadows and waves.
She stared at it.
She had studied everything about this place.
There was no mention of this.
Karin stood at the edge of the cave entrance, the air inside heavy and damp. It felt old, like nothing had disturbed it for a very long time.
She took one last look up toward the cliff, then jumped down.
Her qi gathered at her fingertips, forming a faint light that guided her forward. The cave swallowed the sound of her steps. The deeper she went, the quieter it became.
Then she saw it.
An altar.
At the center of it sat a skeleton, cross-legged, as if it had been cultivating even in death. The robes had long since decayed, leaving only fragments behind. But something remained intact.
A small metal piece near the chest.
Karin stepped closer.
Her eyes focused on the symbol engraved into it.
The Heavenly Demon sigil.
She froze.
"…No way."
Her hand moved slowly, almost unwillingly, until her fingers touched the metal.
Everything changed.
The skeleton moved.
Karin's body reacted instantly, trying to step back—but it was too late.
A pressure exploded outward.
It slammed into her, forcing her to the ground. She couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. Her qi surged on instinct, but it didn't matter.
It felt like the entire world was pressing down on her.
For a few seconds, that pressure didn't stay contained.
Mountains shook.
Rivers surged.
The ground cracked across distant lands.
Then it stopped.
Just as suddenly as it began.
In a distant place, far from the empire, a figure shifted on a throne surrounded by fire.
A faint smile appeared.
"Too early for that…"
Across different lands, cultivators felt it.
Storms rose.
Waves crashed harder than before.
Even those who had been in deep cultivation opened their eyes.
Something had changed.
Back in the cave, Karin forced herself up.
Her breathing was uneven. Her body still felt heavy.
The skeleton's jaw moved.
Its voice didn't sound human.
"Though there may be a more worthy successor… I will pass it to my bloodline. Curse you, Asmodeus."
Its hand lifted.
One finger touched her forehead.
A surge of black qi entered her mind.
Then it was gone.
The skeleton collapsed into dust.
Inside her inner space, something appeared.
A book.
Large. Dark. Heavy.
It felt like it belonged to her.
She understood immediately.
The Heavenly Demon techniques.
But reality came back just as quickly.
The cave had no exit.
The opening above was too high. The walls were too smooth. There was nothing to grab onto.
She was stuck.
Karin steadied herself and focused again.
She opened the book in her mind.
Page after page of unfamiliar techniques.
Then one caught her attention.
The Yielding Art of Beelzebub.
A method to grow wings.
Not permanent. Not natural.
But enough to fly.
Enough to escape.
She sat down in front of the altar and closed her eyes.
Her qi moved toward her back.
She focused on the idea of wings forming.
Pain followed immediately.
But she didn't stop.
Far away, in the Southern Desert Kingdom, Rune walked through the city streets.
His goal was clear.
The Death King's castle.
But something pulled his attention elsewhere.
He turned away from the main road.
The busy streets faded behind him. The noise disappeared. The path led into quieter, broken areas of the city.
Eventually, he stopped.
A small house stood in front of him, old and worn down.
He didn't move.
Something about it felt familiar.
He stood there, staring.
For a moment, it felt like he could hear voices.
Faint.
Distant.
Then it was gone.
Rune clenched his fists slightly before stepping forward.
Far to the north, rain poured over a quiet graveyard.
Thunder echoed across the sky.
A fresh grave stood among the others.
Here lies Isshin.
No one was there.
No one visited.
Only rain.
Then—
The ground shifted.
Mud moved.
A hand broke through the surface.
Slowly pulling itself out.
Fingers digging into the earth.
Reaching upward.
A voice followed.
"You've got some explaining to do, Raijin."