The forest changed as they approached the edge of the known map.
Kazuki, Aria, and the mysterious girl—who finally introduced herself as Lys—stood at the crumbled stone gates of Site Null. The old teleportation platform buried beneath centuries of moss and forgotten history whispered promises of power and secrets best left untouched.
Kazuki exhaled as he looked up at the towering archway. The carvings on the stones pulsed faintly, reacting to his presence.
"Why do I feel like the building itself just noticed me?" he muttered.
> [SYSTEM: Residual Mana Signature Detected – Interference Minimal. Recommend caution.]
> Celestia: I'm watching. Don't touch anything glowy without gloves. Or a will.
Kazuki: You say that like it's ever stopped me.
Celestia: One day you'll find a glowing thing that bites back.
Kazuki: That day better have insurance.
Lys stepped forward, her expression grim. "This site predates the Demon Emperor, but he uses it. I was forced to help activate one of the sub-altars during a summoning ritual. There are six total, hidden in the lower layers."
"And you think he's coming back here?" Kazuki asked.
"I think he never truly left."
---
The descent was slow and tense.
The upper level was mostly collapsed, overgrown with vines and broken pillars. The teleportation array lay dormant, half-buried in earth. They bypassed it, moving toward the spiral stairs that led downward—into the dark.
Kazuki activated [Conceal Presence], cloaking their movement. His senses sharpened. Soulcut pulsed against his back.
Aria lit a small orb of light in her palm, casting long shadows along the stone walls.
The air shifted.
They reached the first chamber. Dust. Bones. Old magic shimmered faintly across the floor like spilled ink, coiling in runes Kazuki didn't recognize.
> [SYSTEM: Unknown Rune Language Detected – Translating…]
> "To cross what is sealed, offer the essence of intent."
He frowned. "That's vague. That could mean blood, mana, or a good excuse."
Aria tilted her head. "What if it's… thought-based? Like intention magic?"
Lys stepped forward and placed her hand on the altar at the center of the room. "If you offer your true reason for being here, it'll judge you."
Kazuki hesitated, then did the same.
The stone flashed blue—then white.
> [System: Intent Accepted – Passage Opened]
> Celestia: Huh. That's rare. Most people's 'true intent' is snacks or spite.
Kazuki: Mine was "I don't want anyone to have a reason not to smile."
Celestia: …Okay, yeah. That's one way to make a goddess blush.
With a groan of grinding gears, part of the wall sank inward, revealing a tunnel lit by glowing mushrooms and crystalline veins.
---
The deeper they went, the colder it got.
Kazuki noticed his breath beginning to mist. The walls narrowed, claustrophobic. Something about the air screamed ancient, sacred, and tampered with. A paradox.
They reached the second chamber. This one had six statues arranged in a circle—each carved from different materials: obsidian, ivory, jade, bone, crystal, and iron.
In the center, a sigil hovered, flickering.
"This is it," Lys whispered. "The control node for the outer summoning field. The Emperor used it to mark a soul tether. That's how he tracks people."
Kazuki stepped closer.
"What happens if I destroy it?"
"It'll break one of his chains," she said, "but it'll also draw his attention."
> Celestia: That's an understatement. It'll be like punching him in the eye from across the country.
Kazuki grinned. "Then let's punch hard."
He raised Soulcut, channeling a sliver of mana.
> [Skill: Soulcut – Edge of the Inner Self Activated]
The blade shimmered. Then fell like judgment.
With a single slice, the sigil shattered. The statues cracked, releasing echoes of lost screams. The chamber shook.
> [System: Interference Node Destroyed – You are now considered a HIGH-VALUE TARGET by Unknown Entity: 'The Demon Emperor'.]
> Celestia: I hope you weren't planning on laying low.
Kazuki: I was.
Celestia: I know.
---
As the tremors subsided, they hurried toward the third level, past the now-flickering torches and breathing walls of arcane stone.
"Kazuki," Lys said, panting, "why do you fight?"
He glanced over his shoulder. "I don't."
She blinked.
"I live. I fight if I must—but my goal isn't war or glory. It's freedom. It's giving people a reason to smile. Even if it's just for a moment."
Lys was silent after that.
---
They reached the core of Site Null.
A massive crystalline platform hovered above an endless abyss, inscribed with circular glyphs of rotating runes.
At its center, a black shard pulsed with demonic energy.
Kazuki took a step forward—and froze.
Because from the other side of the platform… something stepped out.
Not human. Not demon. Something in-between.
A projection?
A memory?
Or something worse?
It looked up, eyes glowing like two burning moons.
"Ah," it said in a voice that didn't belong to a throat. "So this is the one who calls himself 'Demon Lord'."
Kazuki gripped Soulcut tightly.
"Correction," he said coolly. "I am The Demon Lord from Another World. You're just the local trash boss."
The entity laughed—and then shattered like smoke.
Only its words remained.
> "Then come find me… if you're brave enough to wear the crown."