The throne room was so silent that the sound of Akira's slow heartbeat seemed to echo off the icy walls. Guy Crimson's golden eyes pierced his soul, searching for a single ounce of fear or hesitation. The spiritual pressure emanating from the Demon Lord was enough to turn the air into invisible blades that scratched at Akira's skin.
"Convince me, boy..." Guy repeated in his deep, threatening voice. "Why shouldn't I kill you and rid the world of this headache?"
Akira didn't back down. Even though every cell in his body was screaming to flee from this monster, he looked directly into Guy's eyes and opened his mouth to say the only sentence that might save his life.
"Because if you kill me now..." Akira said in a quiet voice, yet as sharp as a sword's blade. "...then you would be nothing more than an obedient dog following the orders of the Higher Administration."
The smile vanished from Guy Crimson's face. His golden pupils narrowed, and the temperature in the hall suddenly spiked due to the lethal red aura leaking from him. In the corner, Velzard slowly closed her book and raised her diamond eyes with deadly coldness. Even Diablo, who always smiled, tilted his head slightly in caution.
Insulting the oldest Demon Lord in his own domain was certain suicide.
But Akira continued speaking, ignoring the aura of death suffocating him. "Those entities calling themselves the 'Emissaries of Fate'... they tried to erase me because I am ruining their plans. They view this world and everyone in it, including you, Guy Crimson, as mere characters in a story they are writing. I am the glitch in their system. If you crush me now to avoid a 'headache', you are cleaning up the mess on their behalf. You are proving to them that the Central World bows to their rules."
Akira paused for a moment, and a faint, defiant smile appeared on his face. "But if you help me tame this void... you will get a front-row seat to watch the greatest show of chaos in history. We will tear up their idiotic script, and we will make the 'Higher Administration' realize that the gods of this world bow to no one."
A deadly silence prevailed for several seconds. Guy's eyes were fixed on Akira. Then, slowly, the Dark King's shoulders began to shake.
"Ku... Kuhahahaha!" Guy Crimson burst into hysterical, manic laughter, throwing his head back and laughing until tears formed in his eyes. The lethal aura vanished instantly, and the air returned to normal.
"What an arrogant little bastard!" Guy wiped a tear from his eye and looked at Diablo. "Noir! Where did you find this human? He possesses a tongue more demonic than yours!"
Diablo bowed elegantly, his wide smile returning. "Kufufufu... Didn't I tell you he would cure your boredom, Guy?"
Guy returned his gaze to Akira, the arrogant smile gracing his face once again. "You've convinced me. I hate angels, and I hate those who claim control over my fate even more. The idea of delivering a slap to those who think they are the 'writers' of this world greatly appeals to me." Guy turned and walked back to his comfortable chair, sitting down and crossing his legs. "However, there is a small problem, Akira. To awaken your soul and make it capable of containing the 'Throne of the Void', you need energy that defies the limits of logic. True Demon Lords awaken their souls by harvesting tens of thousands of souls. But the Void inside you will not be satisfied with ordinary souls... it will burn them like a matchstick."
"Then what should I do?" Akira asked, tense from Guy's tone.
"If the darkness within you rejects ordinary souls, then we must feed it something greater," Guy said, raising his right hand. A small sphere of intensely dark red mana formed in his palm—mana so terrifying that the shattered blue system in Akira's mind flashed one final warning.
"This is a drop of my demonic 'Origin'," Guy smiled coldly. "I will throw you into the 'Abyss of Eternal Ice' beneath this palace, where time itself freezes, and I will plant this drop into your soul. If your will is weak, my energy and the Void's energy will tear your consciousness to shreds, and you will become a mere empty husk. But if you manage to endure, and use my energy as a 'catalyst' to expand the vessel of your soul..."
"I will ascend, and I will sit upon the throne," Akira finished, his eyes gleaming with mad determination.
"Exactly," Guy nodded. "You will enter your Harvest Festival. And we shall see whether you awaken as an entity capable of erasing Fate, or if you fade into oblivion."
Akira looked at Diablo, who nodded encouragingly. There was no other choice. The seal was at 99.9%. This was the only remaining solution.
"I'm ready," Akira said firmly, taking off the Dusk Cloak and tossing it aside.
Velzard smiled in her corner for the first time and closed her book. "What an interesting human. I hope you don't die too quickly."
Guy Crimson stood up, walking with heavy steps toward Akira, the terrifying red sphere illuminating the icy throne room. A true game of life and death was about to begin, and Akira would face his worst nightmares in the deepest, coldest point in the world.