Renji's knees gave out.
The sword slipped slightly in his grasp—but it did not fall.
Ash moved fast, catching him before he hit the ground.
"Easy," Ash muttered.
His voice wasn't cold this time.
It was tight.
Uneasy.
Almost afraid.
"You still breathing, kid?"
Renji forced a weak laugh.
"Barely…"
His eyes drifted toward the shattered sky above, where the last traces of divine light had faded.
"I… held them."
Ash didn't answer immediately.
Because he knew the truth.
Renji hadn't held them.
The sword had.
The Old Man approached slowly.
His gaze was not on Renji.
Not on the Monarch.
Not even on the broken stage.
His eyes were locked onto the Blood Vanity Sword.
Like a scholar staring at a relic that should not exist.
Or a priest staring at something sacred… and dangerous.
"Put it down," he whispered.
Renji blinked, confused, unsure whether his fingers even had the strength to obey.
Across the stage…
The Monarch stood alone.
Still staring at the place where Valerius had vanished.
His expression had changed.
Not fear.
Not anger.
Something far worse.
Responsibility.
Moments later…
Renji stood inside the inner chamber of the palace.
Only five people remained.
Monarch.Ash.Yara.The Old Man.Renji.
And the sword.
Always the sword.
"You stopped divine execution."
The Monarch spoke plainly.
Not as an accusation.
As a fact.
Renji swallowed hard.
"I didn't… mean to."
"That," the Monarch replied slowly, "is exactly what concerns me."
He stepped forward.
Slow.
Measured.
Predatory.
"Valerius spoke of Antidivinity."
Ash frowned slightly, tension tightening across his face.
"What… is Antidivinity?" he asked.
The Monarch answered without hesitation.
"It is the only force known to resist gods."
Silence fell like stone.
Even the air seemed to grow heavier.
"And we must protect him," the Monarch continued, his gaze fixed on Renji.
"Because I know what happened… to the last man who carried the same power."
The Old Man stiffened.
His voice dropped into a whisper.
"You mean… the Dark General?"
The Monarch didn't deny it.
Didn't confirm it.
He only turned away slightly, his expression unreadable.
"We will speak of that later."
His tone hardened.
"But now… there is something far more important I must confirm."
Without another word, he turned and walked toward the chamber doors.
They opened before he reached them.
And closed behind him with a heavy echo.
Silence swallowed the room.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
But everyone understood the same terrifying truth.
The Monarch knew more than he revealed.
More about what had happened.
More about what was happening.
And perhaps…
More about what was yet to come.
And that realization alone was enough to make even the strongest among them uneasy.
Ash let out a slow breath and stepped closer, keeping a firm hand on Renji's shoulder.
"You should sit," he muttered, his voice low but steadier than before.
Renji didn't argue. The exhaustion buried deep inside his bones had become unbearable. He lowered himself onto a stone bench, his arms trembling slightly as the sword rested across his lap.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then the Old Man broke the silence.
"Do you remember," he asked quietly, "the first day you came here?"
Renji frowned, confused.
"The desert?" he asked weakly.
The Old Man shook his head slowly.
"No. Before that."
Renji blinked.
Before the desert.
Before the ruins.
Before this world.
A cold memory began to rise from somewhere deep inside his mind, distant yet painfully familiar.
"A subway…" he whispered.
Yara stiffened.
Renji leaned forward slightly, gripping the sword tighter.
"You told me something," he said slowly, staring directly into Yara's eyes. "You said… 'You don't belong here.'"
Ash felt the shift in the room immediately—the strange pull of hidden truth rising to the surface.
Renji continued, his voice quieter now.
"Then you disappeared… and every night… I heard your voice."
He swallowed.
"'Come to me. You'll never be alone again.'"
Ash froze completely.
Yara inhaled slowly, her face calm, yet her eyes carried something heavier—guilt.
"You remember… all of it?" she asked.
Renji nodded once.
"Yes."
Ash stared at her now, his voice sharpening.
"You were in his world?"
Yara didn't look away.
"I went there," she said quietly.
Ash stepped back slightly, disbelief spreading across his face.
"Why?" he demanded.
Yara hesitated for only a moment before answering.
"I was sent to find you."
Renji frowned.
"Find me?"
Yara nodded once.
"Yes."
Everything began to connect in Renji's mind.
The subway.
The dreams.
The voice that called him night after night.
The desert.
The ruins.
None of it had been random.
None of it had been fate.
It had been planned.
"Who sent you?" he asked quietly.
The question lingered in the room like a blade.
Yara closed her eyes for a brief second.
Then she answered.
"The Monarch."
Ash turned instantly, disbelief flashing across his face.
"What?"
Yara remained still.
"I was ordered to locate you… watch you… and guide you into this world."
Renji felt something tighten inside his chest.
"You knew… all this time?" he asked quietly.
"Yes," Yara answered without hesitation.
Ash stepped forward, his voice low and tense.
"Why would the Monarch do this?" he demanded.
This time, the Old Man spoke.
His voice was slow, careful.
"Because Renji," he said, "was never meant to arrive here by accident."
Before anyone could respond—
The chamber doors opened.
All heads turned.
The Monarch entered.
Calm.
Composed.
As if nothing had changed.
As if everything had gone exactly as expected.
He looked directly at Renji.
"Good," he said calmly. "You remember."
Renji stood slowly, his grip tightening around the sword.
"You sent her," he said quietly.
The Monarch did not deny it.
He did not hesitate.
He simply answered—
"Yes, You were summoned here for a trivial reason… but fate has made your arrival essential."