Three days.
That was all the world had before the sky itself cracked.
The rain had not stopped since that night. The forest, once alive with chirping life, had fallen into silence. Even the monsters had gone still, as if the very air warned them of the coming judgment.
Hayate knelt by a pool of still water, his reflection staring back—eyes glowing faint crimson, faint runes etched along his arms like molten scars. The ember Lyra left behind pulsed in his chest, feeding strength into his broken veins.
He clenched his fist.
System Log: Body Reinforcement Progress – 68% Complete.
New Skill Unlocked: "Soul Forge Resonance."
"Soul Forge Resonance…" He exhaled slowly, watching steam curl in the cold air. "So this is what you left for me, Lyra."
He stood, drawing the cracked sword from the earth. The blade sang softly, light flickering through the fracture line.
"Let's test it."
With a single motion, he slashed.
The world answered.
Wind exploded outward, carving a crater into the wet ground. Energy rippled through the trees—branches shattered, and rain was vaporized before it touched the soil.
Hayate lowered the blade, his breath ragged. "Still not enough. Not for her."
He knew what was coming. The Goddess wouldn't send projections this time—she would come herself.
And when a god descended, worlds burned.
[Scene: The City of Orven – Southern Frontier]
"Did you hear it? The sky—again!"
"Another lightning storm—no, not lightning. That's divine light!"
Panic spread through the streets as red-gold clouds gathered above the horizon. Temples trembled; priests screamed in tongues older than mortal speech.
The heavens pulsed, forming a vast, burning sigil.
System Alert: Celestial Manifestation Sequence – Active.
Time Remaining: 00:17:22.
Seventeen minutes.
At the edge of the forest, Hayate raised his head. The storm's heart glowed brighter than the sun.
"So it's time."
He tightened the straps of his torn armor and wrapped his hand around the sword hilt. The crimson in his eyes deepened, blending with the divine light streaking the sky.
A voice echoed faintly inside his mind—cold, distant, and mocking.
[Celestial Voice Detected.]
"Did you think rebellion ends with one broken seal?"
"I created your kind, mortal. I can unmake you just as easily."
Hayate's lips curled into a defiant grin. "Then come down and try."
The ground beneath him cracked.
Thunder roared. Light swallowed the forest whole.
[System Log: Entity – Celestial Class Detected.]
She descended.
A figure of impossible beauty and horror stepped through the storm, her hair a flowing cascade of white fire, her eyes twin suns of divine fury.
The trees bowed, the air bent, and reality itself warped beneath her steps.
The Goddess's gaze swept the earth—and found him.
"Three times you've defied my will," she said. "You destroyed my echo, and now, my chosen vessel sleeps because of you. You've become a thorn in divinity's flesh."
Hayate's sword ignited, crimson flame running along its cracks. "Then it's about time you bled."
The Goddess tilted her head slightly. "You speak with her echo's voice. That girl's rebellion taints you."
"Good," he said. "Means I'm doing something right."
A whisper of power rolled through the storm. With a gesture, she raised her hand—and the heavens split.
A thousand lances of light descended, vaporizing everything in their path.
System Alert: Absolute Domain Detected – "Heaven's Retribution.
"Defense Capability: Zero Percent.
"Damn—!" Hayate leaped backward, raising his blade. The moment the first lance struck, the forest was gone. Earth exploded, rivers evaporated, and the world turned white again.
But this time, he moved with it.
Through the chaos, he roared, "Soul Forge Resonance—Activate!"
The flame in his chest flared to life. Power surged through him, his aura splitting the falling light into fragments.
Skill Activated: Soul Forge Resonance (Phase I – Awakened Core).
Temporary Stat Boost – All Attributes +500%.
The Goddess's expression faltered—just slightly. "Impossible. No mortal body can channel that core."
"Guess I'm not exactly mortal anymore."
He slashed.
The crack in his sword erupted into a beam of crimson-gold, slicing through divine light.
The air screamed as two forces collided—divine wrath and human defiance.
Lightning twisted into spirals.
The world shook as their energies clashed, shockwaves flattening mountains in the distance.
The Goddess's voice boomed: "You defy the heavens themselves!"
"And you," Hayate shouted back, eyes blazing, "forgot what happens when mortals stop kneeling!"
He lunged.
The sword met her palm, divine blood spilling across the sky like molten gold. For a heartbeat, time itself froze. Both forces stood locked in balance—divinity versus rebellion, perfection versus will.
Then the sky cracked again.
[System Error Detected.]
Warning: Power Surge Beyond System Parameters.
Spirit Core Overload – 97%.Emergency Containment Activated.
Hayate gritted his teeth. His vision flickered, skin burning, veins glowing red. "Damn it… not yet…!"
The Goddess stepped forward, eyes blazing. "You will burn with your stolen flame!"
But before her hand could reach him—A symbol ignited in the sky.
The mark of the Revenant Monarch.
Black fire spiraled outward, cutting through the divine storm.
The world darkened as a new presence emerged behind Hayate—a vast, spectral silhouette crowned in shadow, eyes burning gold.
The Goddess froze.
"No… that mark was erased ages ago!"
Hayate's voice deepened, merging with the echoing resonance of the Revenant Monarch's spirit.
"Erased?" he said. "No. Just waiting."
He swung the blade one final time.
The shockwave that followed split the storm in half.
Light and darkness collided, tearing a rift across the heavens that stretched for miles.
When it ended, Hayate was gone.
And so was the Goddess.
Only silence remained—a dead calm before something greater.
[System Notice: Unknown Spatial Rift Detected.]
User Status: Unknown
Location Data – Lost.
Reconnecting… failed.
Error Code: 404_RealmNotFound.
[Scene Shift – Unknown Realm]
A faint heartbeat.
Darkness. Cold. Silence.
Then—light.
Hayate opened his eyes to find himself floating in a sea of stars. No ground, no sky—just infinite constellations swirling around him.
A voice—Lyra's voice—echoed faintly through the void.
"Welcome back… my Monarch."
He blinked. "Lyra?"
Her form appeared—still faint, but glowing stronger than before.
"You broke the barrier," she said softly. "And in doing so… awakened what was sealed inside you."
He stared at his hands—the veins now glowed gold instead of red.
"Where am I?"
"In between realms," Lyra said. "The place where gods fear to tread."
A slow smile spread across his face. "Then I guess I finally found the right battlefield."