AKIHIRO ATLAS
My breathing was still uneven. With each breath I took, it seemed to get stuck somewhere in my chest, escaping before it could fill me completely. I didn't dare to lift my head; I knew what I would see if I looked at him, because... and I wanted to run away from it. But I couldn't run away. Just like I can't run away from anything.
"I... I didn't want this," I whispered. My voice was so weak I couldn't even tell if it actually came out. My lips trembled, the words got tangled together. "I was just… trying to fight back. It wasn't enough to control it."
I looked at my hands. They were still shaking. They didn't feel like they belonged to me. It was as if I wasn't the one who had delivered those blows, the one who had experienced that collision... but there was no point in lying. What I felt was too intense to deny.
"I saw them..." I said, my voice a little clearer this time, but with something broken in it. "Was it at the very last moment... or did I never see them at all, I don't know. But the result is the same." I swallowed. My throat was dry, the words were hard to get out. "I... couldn't stop."
I closed my eyes tightly, but nothing changed. The images wouldn't go away. No matter how hard I tried to suppress them, they sank deeper and deeper. It was as if my mind had sworn an oath to never let me forget.
"I was going to be a hero," I said, an involuntary bitter smile spreading across my face as I spoke the words, but it vanished instantly. "I was going to protect people. I was going to use my power for that. " I shook my head slowly from side to side. "But look at what I did…"
I was silent for a moment. The silence was heavy, making it difficult even to breathe.
"I… I couldn't save even one person," I continued, my voice growing increasingly hoarse. "On the contrary… I caused it. " I balled my hands into fists, feeling my fingers sinking into my flesh, but this pain… was nothing. "I wanted this power. I wanted more. To be faster, stronger... and now..."
I slowly lifted my head. My eyes were still pale, empty-looking, but I wasn't running away anymore.
"Now I have to live with this."
When I realized my knees were still buried in the ground, I understood that this was more than just physical fatigue; it was as if my body was trying to bear the weight of something collapsing within me, but couldn't manage it. My head was bowed, my breathing was irregular and shallow; with each inhalation, something seemed to get stuck in my chest, retreating before it could fill completely, as if the emptiness within me refused even air.
Ares's words had ceased to echo in my ears; they had already penetrated my mind, infiltrated my thoughts, and become a reality that slowly gnawed away at each of them. "It makes us weak…" This sentence was different from the others; because this time, it wasn't an external judgment directed at me, but the revelation of something that had already been inside me but whose name I couldn't put to it. Weakness... yes, that's what I had just felt. But was this a consequence, or was it an inevitable reflection of a situation I chose to ignore? Before the answer to this question formed in my mind, something else intervened—something much more brutal, much more honest.
When I closed my eyes, darkness did not come. On the contrary, everything became clearer. That moment... happened again. The car, the collision, that abnormally "soft" feeling, the disintegration of bodies without even hearing the sound of bones breaking... the sight of a woman split in two, blood spreading across the ground, and worst of all—that all of this happened at my hands. My stomach tightened, I couldn't catch my breath, my fingers began to tremble involuntarily; my nails dug into my palms, but the pain I felt wasn't physical; it was much deeper, much more inevitable. "I'm not strong. " I had just said this sentence, but at that moment it was merely an admission; now it was a description. This wasn't belittling myself; it was... seeing myself as I am. And this image... was unbearable.
"I killed them…" As this word echoed in my mind, each repetition felt heavier than the last. There was nowhere left to run. Saying "I couldn't control it" or "it happened unintentionally" meant nothing. Because the outcome didn't change. Because those people were still dead. Because that moment... could not be undone. "I did it. " When this thought took hold in my mind, something inside me cracked—but it wasn't a sudden break. It was a slow, painful, and inevitable unraveling. For a moment, I felt as if I were looking at myself from the outside; A figure collapsed on its knees, struggling to breathe, hands trembling, eyes vacant... that was me. And this sight... made me sick to my stomach. Because this wasn't what I wanted to be. But worse... this was who I was.
I clenched my teeth, my jaw shook, but this tremor wasn't just physical; my mind was falling apart. "Am I this person...?" I whispered, but this question wasn't seeking an answer. Because I knew the answer. And this knowledge... was tearing me apart.
The moment this confession left my lips, something else inside me broke. But this time... I didn't stop.
"Ares… I killed them. I killed them. Even if it was unintentional, I am a murderer. I took their lives."
Ares walked away from me in heavy steps. I was still lying on the ground and I felt like I didn't have the strength to get up.
My battle comrade, my avatar, whose steps shake the ground, Ares.
Without looking at me, merely gazing in the direction where our enemy would probably arrive momentarily, he spoke in his deep, majestic, and terrifying voice:
"Just as we want to save every soldier in battle, we want to save all people when they are among civilians. When you and I cause their deaths, our feelings unite and render us powerless. Therefore, this much is enough. The person who gave me life is Akihiro Atlas. Rise and fight. If you have no strength to fight, sit there and watch the entire population here be destroyed."
I realized my knees were still pressed into the ground, but the weight no longer felt as crushing as before. With my head bowed, listening to the shaky rhythm of my breath, I began to repeat what he had said over and over in my mind. "It makes us weak..." The words echoed. Weakness... That's what I just felt. But he wasn't saying it as a consequence, he was saying it as a choice.
I closed my eyes. At that moment, everything I had just seen rushed back into my mind. That collision. Those people. The blood on the ground. The woman's body split in two. They were all there, vivid, sharp, and inevitable. If it were like before, I would run away. I would divert my mind to something else, deceiving myself. But this time… I didn't run away. I kept seeing it. Because for the first time I realized that closing my eyes didn't mean they disappeared. It only made me weaker.
"If this feeling... makes us weak..." I murmured, my voice still fragile but for the first time it came out without breaking, "then I won't let it go." I lifted my head; my eyes were no longer empty; there was darkness within them, yes… but within that darkness there was also a decision. "I will not suppress it. I will not ignore it. Because it… is the only proof that I am still human." My breathing deepened, and the tightness in my chest gave way to a heavy but steady pressure. "I'm not strong," I said again, but this time it wasn't a confession; it was an acceptance. "But that doesn't mean I'll stop."
"I... I wanted to save them," I whispered to myself. This was no longer a defense. It was just a bare fact. "But wanting wasn't enough. "
My fingers clenched slowly. This time, they weren't shaking. That scattered, fragmented feeling inside me... was still there, but it was changing shape. It was no longer chaos; it was turning into something more intense, more heavy.
Responsibility.
"I caused their death. " Even saying this sentence so clearly moved something inside me. Before, my words would escape me, they would fall apart, but now… they were clear. They were definitive. There was no escape.
I slowly lifted my head. Ares' massive silhouette was still there. It hadn't changed. It was waiting.
And that's when I realized.
It wasn't here to save me.
He wasn't here to judge me either.
He... was here to confront me with who I am.
Our avatars emerge from our emotions.
That's why avatars exist. It is a being that will fight for me as my image transforms into my personality and ideas, and that connects my dreams to reality where I can channel my full power. Concretely, it can do anything in this universe. However, our bodies are one. If he loses his arm, I lose mine. If he dies, I die too. Our ideas, our bodies, our ideals. We are
born from each other.
I took a deep breath. My chest hurt again, but this time I didn't back down.
"If… this makes me weak," I said slowly, holding my gaze fixed on his red-hued eyes, "then I refuse to remain weak. "
As I said this sentence, something settled within me. The broken, scattered pieces... perhaps they hadn't fully melded together, but they were no longer scattered randomly. They began to gather around a center.
"I can't bring them back," I continued. This sentence tightened my throat, but I didn't stop.
"No matter how much I want it, no matter how much I regret it... it won't change. "
I paused for a moment.
"But that doesn't mean it will end here. "
I planted my hands on the ground and slowly stood up. My muscles still ached, my body still felt tired, but this time it wasn't muscle strength that enabled me to rise.
This…
It was dark.
"If I sit still," I said, turning my gaze around, "then their death will remain just a mistake. "
At that moment, something became clear in my mind. A sharp, disturbing, but inevitable truth.
"But if I get up..."
I slowly grasped my spear again. My fingers were determined this time.
"This stops being a mistake."
I turned my head back to Ares.
"This would be a limit. "
I felt the weight of my words. This wasn't about forgiving myself. This wasn't about justifying what I did.
This was…
Not denying it.
"I can't go back now," I said quietly. "But I can move forward. "
I took a step. This step was a small action, but it was a turning point for the thing within me.
And I remembered what he said: "If I don't have the strength to fight..."
My eyes hardened.
"I'll find him. "
I wasn't trembling anymore. I wasn't running away anymore. There was still fear inside me. There was still guilt.
But for the first time… I wasn't crushed by them.
The longer I used my avatar actively, the more of my Spirit Power I would expend. Considering the injuries I had sustained, it would be difficult for me to keep Ares active outside for that long. To finish this task quickly, I need an opportunity where I can use my full strength. I must guide Ares carefully.
In a rapid sequence, I transformed my body into lightning and crashed onto the roof behind us. I could see the entire battlefield. Since I was fully connected with Ares through my mind, I didn't need to speak out loud for now. However, if we are going to plan a special attack, I will have to say it out loud.
For now, I waited for Zagreus to show himself. Ares was as tall as multi-story buildings and skyscrapers. I told him to crouch down a bit, and he became invisible behind the buildings. I had to plan an attack until that dishonorable demon showed up.
I was behind the ledge on the roof where I was standing, holding my breath as quietly as possible while watching the surroundings; my eyes were constantly moving, trying not to miss every shadow, every vibration, every tiny movement. The weight of what had just happened still lingered within me, but it had no longer felt like a chain pinning me to the ground; it had become a burden that made every movement of mine sharper and more deliberate. At that moment, the sharp sound of breaking glass, coming from far away, pierced the silence like a knife. The roar that followed... no, it wasn't a roar—it was a scream.
At first it sounded muffled due to the distance, but within seconds it grew louder, clearer, and began rapidly approaching my location.
"AKIHIRO ATLAAAAS! "
The way my name echoed like that created an involuntary tension within me. This wasn't a call. This was… the sound of something finding its prey.
I gently extended my head from the edge of the ledge.
And I saw him.
Zagreus. The Second Demon King. A human hunter who has taken a fancy to me because of some lord I don't know.
The direction from which it came gave itself away with the destruction it left behind.
Shattered glass, crumbled concrete, scattered metal fragments... all pointed to the path it had taken. But that wasn't what was truly remarkable. Its movement... was not normal. It wasn't just running—it was as if it was pushing through its environment. Every step it took crushed the ground, parted the air, and covered the distance in less time than it should have.
Its eyes.
They were looking directly at me.
No... he had already found me.
I emerged from my hiding place.
There was no point in hiding anymore.
"I'm here," I whispered, but even that whisper echoed inside me.
I gripped my spear tightly. This time, my fingers neither trembled nor hesitated. The confusion within me still existed, but it was no longer directionless.
Zagreus's cry echoed once more, this time much closer.
"AKIHIRO!"
I looked at him without squinting.
He leapt towards me from the roof opposite me, and while he was leaping at me too fast to be followed with the eye, my long-awaited avatar sprang into action.
Ares' massive spear, Sentry. He aimed it at Zagreus in flight. The Spirit Power within me surged suddenly—not erratic this time, but bound to a single will, under control yet with wild intensity. Lightning began to appear along the surface of the spear; at first it manifested as fine sparks, then within seconds it thickened and spread like bright veins crackling the air, swirling around the spear. Each spark distorted the space it occupied and vibrated the surrounding void.
The air parted as if torn apart along the path it took; the lightning that followed was not merely an energy encircling the spear, but a stream of destruction flowing with it. The moment it struck Zagreus's body, the point of contact was momentarily filled with light—but this light was not a dazzling glow; it was an energy burst so intense that it was nearly blackened. Instead of disintegrating upon impact, the lightning locked onto Zagreus's body as if refusing to let go, suppressing his muscles, movement, and momentum to push him directly backward.
Zagreus was impaled into the building behind him.
The sound of the impact wasn't like a single blow; it was like a chain reaction of destruction spreading layer by layer. The concrete cracked, the steel framework bent, and instead of stopping, the Sentry continued to advance. The lightning still flowed; it wasn't stopping, but on the contrary, it was becoming more intense. They dragged Zagreus as if tearing him from the spot where he was impaled, carried his body through the building to the other side, and began swinging him sideways without losing momentum.
What followed was… pure destruction.
One building, then another.
Along the line monitored by Sentry, the structures could not withstand the strain; walls collapsed, floors caved in, and massive masses fell upon each other like dominoes. As Zagreus was dragged through the center of this destruction, the lightning still clung to him—flashing anew with every instant, every collision, both holding him in place and forcing him through the crumbling city.
Finally, the mass of debris formed by the collapse of several buildings on top of each other completely engulfed it.
As the surrounding lightning slowly faded away, all that remained was shattered concrete, bent steel, and that heavy sense of power still vibrating in the air.
"Good job, Ares. However, it's not over yet." I said and raised my left hand towards the sky. Ares also raised his right hand, which was holding his spear, towards the sky.
The clouds parted slowly, as if sensing the rising tide of my spiritual power; as if the sky had set aside its own will and yielded to the might that was swelling within me. The gap that opened up was so deep that the stars became visible in the darkness stretching beyond my gaze; they flickered in an inaccessible infinity, so close that I could almost touch them if I reached out my fingers, yet so far away. The power within me had become unbearable—that intensity accumulating inside my chest was pushing against my limits to burst forth, burning through every vein. This was not a preparatory attack, but a moment of release; An inevitable breaking point where everything I've accumulated will be gathered in one place and released.
And that moment has arrived.
"I call upon the judgment that flows through the veins of the sky,
I awaken that ancient power before which even silence kneels.
Neither light nor darkness—the will that transcends both is with me,
And now, I call forth him who will bring destiny itself to its knees.
Fulgur Descensus... Fati!"
A red lightning bolt descended from the opening in the sky—but this was no ordinary fall. It was as if the heavens themselves had torn open and crashed down upon the earth. The light was so intense that instead of dispelling the darkness around it, it overpowered it, asserting its presence. The sound produced by the lightning strike was not like an explosion but rather like the tearing of the entire atmosphere; the vibration propagating in waves was so powerful that it affected not only the area where I stood but everything extending beyond the horizon.
The red energy hit the exact heart of the debris where Zagreus was buried.
At the moment of impact, time paused for a split second... then everything collapsed.
The debris didn't just disintegrate; it dispersed as if its existence had been denied. While the concrete blocks turned to dust, the steel frames bent as if melting and were scattered about. The lightning did not remain at the point where it struck; it penetrated the ground and descended deep below, advancing as if it wanted to pierce the very earth itself. At that moment, the magnitude of the attack wasn't limited solely to the destruction I saw—what I felt told me it reached far beyond that.
As for me… I stood motionless.
Ares' massive silhouette began to slowly dissipate behind me. The red glow seeping from its cracks was fading away, that overwhelming presence disintegrating into nothingness. Its disappearance felt like a price, not an end.
Because there was nothing left in me.
My spiritual strength... was completely depleted.
That power that had split the sky had now given way to a deep void. My breathing grew labored, my knees grew weak, but I did not fall. I just stood there.
And for the first time...
I truly saw how far I could go.
However, the silence rising from the rubble was not like the tranquility that follows a victory; on the contrary, it was an unsettling void that whispered that something was not yet over.
"Damn it..." slowly, as my breath caught in my throat, I placed my hand on my chest and fell to one knee. I was exhausted from using my Spirit Power too much.
The moment I fixed my gaze on the center of that collapsed structure, I first felt a very faint vibration. Then… pressure rose from beneath the rubble. This was not an explosive force; rather, it was like a suppressed presence slowly asserting itself. The broken concrete pieces began to shake, dust rose into the air, and dispersed as if being pushed upward by an invisible hand.
And then…
He appeared.
Zagreus.
But it bore no resemblance to its previous state.
Its body still retained a humanoid form, but that form was now merely a shell; what overflowed from within had long transcended humanity's boundaries. The wings rising from its back... were no ordinary appendage. They spread out like a membrane stretched over a massive, bony structure, pulsating with vein-like red energy. With each flap of its wings, the air was not merely displaced; it was compressed, as if that movement were an offense against the very nature of its surroundings. The color of the wings was not fixed; it shifted from a deep red to dark shades approaching nearly black, then pulsed with a reddish glow.
The clothes... were no longer there.
More precisely, they were hanging from his body in tatters, but beneath them something entirely different was revealed.
Although it looked like armor, it gave the impression that it wasn't something worn; rather, it was a form taken on by the body through self-transformation. It had a dark, matte surface, but beneath that surface were red cracks constantly moving—like a prison whose power struggles to break through its walls. Its shoulders were broadened by sharp protrusions, and its chest extended outward with hard lines resembling ribs. This structure not only provided protection, but also made it look larger, heavier, and more... menacing. The vein-like lines running along its arms glowed with a red light with every movement, as if there were no boundary left between the armor and its body, they had merged into one.
It rose slowly.
When its feet left the ground, it wasn't just its wings that carried it. It floated upward as if torn from the debris beneath, as if denying its own weight. The air around it bent and vibrated, its presence forcing the space around it to conform to its own order.
Then…
Their eyes turned to me.
There was no anger in those eyes anymore.
This was worse.
Because what I saw was… Certainty.
"You saw," he said, his voice different from before; deeper, more resonant, and as if it penetrated directly into my mind, not just my ears. "You pushed the limits of your power.
You surpassed yourself… but you still don't understand.Their words were heavy, each one settling into my thoughts.
"This wasn't the end, Akihiro Atlas. This… was merely a confirmation."
It bowed its head slightly, and its wings slowly opened and closed behind it, spreading wide as if to cover the sky.
"My master's prophecy... came true with every step. Your rise, your fall... and now, your arrival at this point.He paused for a moment.
His gaze sharpened.
"My role was never to destroy you. "
This sentence created a strange echo inside me.
"My role was… to bring you here. "
The atmosphere became heavy.
"To his presence."
As he spoke the word, the red energy around him intensified, as if even the name itself was affecting reality.
"Because you... are not just a warrior."
His eyes deepened.
"You are the center of the prophecy."
He flapped his wings once sharply. The air around him parted as if exploding.
"And now…"
His voice became even lower, but its impact grew even greater.
"You can't escape."
I couldn't believe my eyes. I wanted to step back, but I knew my feelings wouldn't allow it. If I allowed such a thing to exist, everything would be destroyed. Humanity in this Sacred Domain would perish.
"Shall I tell you something?... The prophecy you're talking about doesn't even concern me. "
I lifted my head and stared straight ahead.
"I won't act according to prophecies," I said, this time clearer, harder. "I… will act according to the consequences of my actions. " My breathing slowed down, my voice steadied. "And if this path will tear me apart…"
A brief pause.
"…then I will proceed by breaking apart. "
This sentence did not hang in the air unspoken.
With my last remaining strength, I recreated my image, my spear, and Sentry, and with his support, I barely managed to stand up. I looked directly into Zagreus's eyes, who was prepared to tear me to pieces.
"There's no one here with any intention of running away, demon. " I said.
His smile was sarcastic. It was inevitable that he would be this relaxed after surviving one of my most powerful attacks.
"The armor I wear can only be forged by kings who have attained this. It is an ability we possess. The system provides us with armor formed as an echo of the mind, like an avatar. I can wield every power I possess to its fullest." Moreover, I can survive unharmed the attack of a despicable person like you, who might tickle me a little. "
After saying these words, he slowly pointed his sword at me and slowly tensed his body, then swung the sword he held in his right hand past his left shoulder and towards his back.
"Now defend yourself with your little, sweet spear, Akihiro Atlas!"
He prepared to swing his sword; in a few seconds, it would reduce me to dust. Even knowing this, I couldn't back down.
I had accepted this before coming to this battle. Irony, isn't it? No matter how I feel, I have to keep going. Until the end of the road.
Then.
A Hope.
Darkness.
Why Should Hope Be Dark?
Hope Always Represents Light.
Then This Is a Different Abstract Concept.
The sword that Zagreus was directing towards me stopped.
No.
It didn't stop.
It was stopped.
There was no sound of collision. There was no explosion. It was just... movement ceased.
As if that attack hadn't hit an invisible wall, but had been erased from existence entirely.
My eyes widened involuntarily.
That sarcastic expression on Zagreus's face cracked for the first time.
And I... I saw him. He was among us.
I couldn't tell when he arrived there. There was a moment when it wasn't there, and then there was a moment when it was there. I felt neither an entrance nor an explosion of power... it simply took its place, as if it had always been there.
I undoubtedly recognized that man from Cistern. The general of the fifth squad is Magnus.
Describing it was… difficult. Because I couldn't tell whether what I saw was a body or merely an entity. Its silhouette was intertwined with darkness, but this darkness wasn't like
Zagreus's; it wasn't destructive or overpowering. It was something deeper... something older. Like a void that precedes existence itself. Even light seemed to not know how to behave around it—it didn't reflect or refract; it just... disappeared.
Zagreus's sword...
It had reached his hand.
But it wasn't advancing.
Magnus wasn't even holding the sword.
It was just... there.
And that was enough.
For the first time, the expression on Zagreus's face truly changed. That certainty... that unwavering self-confidence... gave way to something incomprehensible.
Magnus bowed his head slightly.
The movement was so small it would normally go unnoticed.
But at that moment…
Everything seemed to revolve around that movement.
"What a noisy creature…" he said.
The voice… It wasn't loud. But it was impossible not to hear it.
It was as if the words were being written directly into my mind.
"And how… superficial."
Zagreus's sword suddenly disappeared.
It didn't shatter. It didn't break. It vanished.
"It's been a long time since we last met, King of Shadows." he said and chuckled without losing his sarcastic tone, 2. Zagreus, the Demon King.
My eyes widened.
I'm out of breath.
Magnus slowly turned his head to me.
That moment…
Time began to move again.
But I was still in that moment.
END OF CHAPTER