The creature emerged slowly from the darkness behind the ancient gate.
Every movement dragged shattered chains across the stone floor, producing a metallic screech that echoed throughout the ruins like the cries of something tortured for centuries.
Hiroto could finally see part of its form now.
Massive black armor-like scales covered its body, though many were cracked with age. Ancient seals had been carved directly into its skin, glowing faintly beneath layers of scars and broken restraints.
And its eyes—
those enormous golden eyes—
were fixed entirely on him.
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Even the mountain itself felt still.
Then the creature lowered its head slightly.
Not in submission.
Recognition.
"So…" the distorted voice rumbled through the ruins, "another bearer stands before me."
The pressure behind those words slammed into the group like a physical force. Yui nearly collapsed before Akari caught her by the shoulder.
"What kind of monster is this…?" Akari whispered.
But Tamagichi answered immediately.
"Not a monster."
His gaze remained fixed on the creature.
"A relic."
The entity laughed again, low and ancient.
"Relic…" it repeated. "That is what your kind named me after betraying us."
Kenzaku's expression sharpened. "Us?"
The creature ignored him completely.
Its attention never left Hiroto.
The blade at Hiroto's side pulsed harder with every second, almost violently now. He could feel heat spreading through his arm as fragments of unfamiliar memories continued flickering at the edge of his vision.
Battlefields.
Collapsing kingdoms.
Mountains split apart by crimson light.
And always—
that same blade.
The creature took another step forward.
The ruins trembled violently beneath its weight.
Tamagichi immediately stepped in front of Hiroto.
"You will not touch him."
The golden eye narrowed slightly.
"And yet," the entity replied calmly, "he belongs to the path already."
A dangerous silence followed.
Then Goro quietly muttered, "It knows too much."
Tamagichi didn't respond.
Because he already understood something far worse.
The creature wasn't surprised to see the blade.
It had been expecting it.
Hiroto clenched his fists, forcing himself to step forward despite the overwhelming pressure crushing against his body.
"What are you?" he demanded.
The entity stared at him for several long seconds.
Then, slowly, it answered.
"I was once called a guardian."
The entire group froze.
Even Tamagichi's eyes narrowed slightly at that response.
The creature continued.
"Long before your nations. Before your clans. Before the shadows poisoned this world."
Its chains rattled as it lifted one massive arm. Ancient symbols burned across the restraints wrapped around it.
"I guarded the gate between powers your kind was never meant to control."
Hiroto's heartbeat quickened.
"The Ten Shadow Clans…" he muttered.
At those words, the creature's expression darkened instantly.
Hatred.
Ancient hatred.
"They are thieves," it growled. "Parasites wearing the skin of rulers."
The mountain shook again.
Far more violently this time.
Cracks spread across the ruins around them as the creature's pressure surged uncontrollably for a moment.
Yui stumbled backward in fear. Kenzaku immediately moved in front of her while Akari tightened her fists, eyes locked on the giant entity.
But Hiroto remained still.
Because despite the terror crawling through him—
something about the creature's words felt genuine.
Then the entity suddenly looked directly at Tamagichi.
"And yet," it rumbled, "one of the old bloodlines still remains."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Goro's eyes widened slightly.
Akari looked confused. "Old bloodline…?"
But Tamagichi's expression had gone completely unreadable.
The creature's chains groaned loudly as it shifted again.
"You hide your name well, Tamagichi."
Silence crashed over the ruins.
Hiroto slowly turned toward him.
"…What does that mean?"
For the first time since Hiroto met him—
Tamagichi hesitated.
Only for a second.
But Hiroto noticed.
And that single moment told him everything.
There were truths Tamagichi had never revealed.
The creature's golden eyes glowed brighter within the darkness.
Then it spoke once more.
"Tell me, successor…"
Its voice lowered into something colder.
"When he finally learns what your blade truly is…"
A pause echoed through the ruins.
"…will he curse you for it?"
Hiroto's eyes widened slightly.
But before anyone could speak—
the mountain suddenly shook with catastrophic force.
A deafening explosion erupted somewhere above the ruins.
Stone collapsed from the ceiling instantly.
Tamagichi's expression changed.
"Someone's here."
Then, from high above the broken ruins—
a new voice echoed downward.
Calm.
Cold.
And terrifyingly composed.
"…So this is where you were hiding."
The moment Hiroto heard that voice—
his blood ran cold.
Because he recognized it.
Black armor.
Overwhelming pressure.
The man from before.
The Black Daimyo had arrived.
To Be Continued