A violent tremor surged through the ruins the moment the final chain snapped apart.
The sound alone felt unnatural.
Not loud like an explosion—
but deep, ancient, and impossibly heavy, as though the mountain itself had been wounded.
Dust burst from the ceiling in massive clouds while fragments of stone rained across the shattered ruins. The gigantic door before them slowly began to separate from the center, grinding against the ancient floor with a deafening groan.
Hiroto instinctively stepped back.
The blade at his side pulsed wildly.
For the first time since obtaining it, he could feel genuine emotion coming from the weapon.
Not anger.
Not excitement.
Fear.
A cold chill ran down his spine.
"Everyone move!" Tamagichi shouted.
His voice cut through the chaos instantly.
Akari grabbed Yui's wrist and pulled her backward while Kenzaku positioned himself in front of them, weapon drawn. Even Goro, who rarely showed emotion, had fully shifted into a combat stance now.
That alone terrified Hiroto more than the opening gate.
Because if people like Tamagichi and Goro were preparing seriously—
then whatever was behind that door was beyond ordinary danger.
The ancient entrance continued opening inch by inch.
Darkness waited behind it.
Not natural darkness.
It almost looked alive.
Then the eye appeared again.
Massive.
Golden.
Watching them from deep within the abyss behind the gate.
Yui nearly lost her footing.
"What… is that thing…?"
Nobody answered her.
Even Tamagichi remained silent.
The pressure pouring from the gate became suffocating. Hiroto felt his breathing grow heavier with every passing second, as if the creature behind the seal was crushing the air itself simply by existing.
Then the voice returned.
"Successor…"
The ruins trembled again.
Hiroto's chest tightened instantly.
The word echoed directly inside his mind this time.
Not through his ears.
Inside him.
"You carry the final will…"
Fragments exploded across Hiroto's vision.
Flashes of war.
Burning skies.
Countless figures dressed in black kneeling before towering shadows.
A man standing alone against them—
holding the same blade.
Blood covered the battlefield beneath his feet.
Hiroto staggered, grabbing his head.
"Agh—!"
"Hiroto!" Akari shouted.
She tried to move toward him, but Tamagichi suddenly blocked her path with one arm.
"Don't touch him."
Akari looked stunned. "What?!"
But Tamagichi's eyes never left Hiroto.
His expression had grown darker than ever before.
"He's resonating with it."
The blade suddenly emitted a faint crimson glow.
Symbols across the ruins immediately responded.
Ancient markings lit up one after another throughout the broken city, illuminating the darkness beneath the mountain like veins awakening after centuries of silence.
Then the entity behind the gate laughed.
A low, distorted sound.
Ancient.
Mocking.
"So the blade has chosen again…"
The eye narrowed slightly.
"But this vessel is weak."
Hiroto's breathing sharpened.
Even through the fear crawling across his body, irritation sparked within him.
"…Shut up."
The entity paused.
For the first time, silence spread across the ruins.
Hiroto slowly lifted his head, eyes burning with frustration despite the overwhelming pressure.
"I don't care what you are," he said through gritted teeth. "Stop talking about me like I'm some object."
A sudden gust exploded outward from the blade.
The reaction was immediate.
The massive eye widened slightly.
Tamagichi's expression changed instantly.
Not fear.
Recognition.
Then the entity spoke again—
this time quieter.
"…Interesting."
The ground beneath Hiroto cracked violently.
The blade's glow intensified.
And somewhere deep inside the darkness behind the gate—
something enormous began moving toward them.
Slowly.
Heavily.
Each step shook the ruins.
Yui's face turned pale.
"It's coming out…"
Kenzaku tightened his grip around his weapon. Even he looked tense now.
Goro stepped beside Tamagichi at last.
"So it really survived," he muttered.
Tamagichi's eyes sharpened dangerously.
"No," he replied quietly.
A pause followed.
Then his voice lowered further.
"It was waiting."
The colossal silhouette behind the gate finally reached the edge of the darkness.
And as part of its true form became visible—
everyone froze.
Because wrapped around its massive body were countless broken chains.
As if the entire world had once tried to imprison it.
To Be Continued