Chapter Title: "Return of the God-King"
Air support rains fire from above, the Demon House reveals its horrors, and Lord Arcade finally awakens to reclaim his throne.
: "Fire from the Sky"
Above the fractured snowfields of the northern gate, six SUHA jet fighters streaked through the sky in perfect formation. Their engines roared like titans screaming. Inside each aircraft, the pilots sat strapped and still battle-hardened, expressionless, reading coordinates fed in live by ground sensors and spiritual scouts.
In the SUHA control room, the tension was heavier than gravity.
Minister Tenzy gave a nod.
General Soren stepped forward to the mic. "This is General Soren to all air units—jets one through six, those jets are fully loaded with Shen enhanced weaponry initiate bombardment with out mercy. Targets are Red Ice Walkers in northern grid and all marked high-threat emergency zones."
He paused, voice sharpening.
"Remember You are fully armed with Shen-coded weaponry. Bullets, missiles, and payloads—all sanctified. Fire without hesitation."
"Roger that, sir," came the pilots' response in unison.
Far below, Chiro, Vincent, and Wei braced themselves. Their bodies were scratched, drained, streaked with frost and blood. Vincent exhaled, barely able to stand as they've been fighting . "We're running out of Shen. If these things keep regenerating—"
He didn't finish.
The sound arrived like a wave: WOOOOOOSH—
Jets screamed overhead, cutting through cloud layers. The sky split open as hatches beneath each aircraft slid open.
Then—rainfall.
Not of water. Not of light.
Of bombs.
Dozens of cylindrical payloads dropped like falling gods, descending in coordinated bursts. The trio below scattered instantly, leaping clear of the impact zone.
BOOM.
The first detonation struck, fire erupting into a dome of compressed destruction.
BOOM.
Another. Then another. Walkers disintegrated mid-sprint. Those already regenerating were blown apart before their limbs finished reforming.
In the control room, Minister Tenzy stood with arms folded, eyes closed. "Did it work?"
General Soren nodded without turning. "Yes."
Tenzy opened his eyes slowly that where closed when he earlier asked the question
"Then we press forward I had hopes that special properties would help."
A second voice—Minister Alfred—rose behind him. "We need to locate Drondaya as fast as possible."
Tenzy turned toward a figure in black—a slit-eyed hunter standing in silence by the rear console.
"Akin," Tenzy said. "You're a sensory hunter, yes?"
"Yes, sir."
"I want your full focus. Find Drondaya."
Akin shook his head. "We already tried. He's completely untraceable. Like he never existed."
Tenzy closed his eyes again. "I see."
"The Demon House Gambit"
Inside the twisted architecture of the Nightmare Demon House, the air hung thick with spiritual decay. The walls groaned with weight that didn't exist, and the wooden floor seemed to ripple with every step.
Sir Drondaya crouched low, one hand brushing the planks. His brow furrowed.
"A dimension," he muttered. "He didn't summon a house. He drew a pocket reality…"
A creak echoed from the shadows.
Then another.
Then—four Hiritos emerged, walking from different directions in sync, each expressionless, each perfectly still.
Drondaya's eyes narrowed. "Clones."
They pounced.
He dropped low, palms slapping the ground, and launched himself upward in a perfect spiraling twist—but they clung to him. One locked around his legs. Another wrapped his arms. One clamped onto his waist. The last gripped him at the neck.
Above, Hirito stood on a high wooden beam beside Kazuki.
"If He can only neutralize physical attacks he sees as threats," Hirito said calmly. "What about the ones he doesn't see? Or doesn't think of them that way"
He interlocked his hands into a symbol.
"Release."
The four clones began to glow.
Drondaya's eyes widened. "Explosives—?"
BOOOOM.
The explosion shattered the air.
Flames and pressure ruptured the floor. Black smoke filled the house, choking it in ash.
Hirito smiled. "I Didn't even need your help, Kazuki."
They leapt from their perch, landing lightly near the scorched crater.
But as the smoke parted, a figure stood within.
Drondaya was Alive and active,His body was coated in a thin, glowing layer of Shen Augmentation Phase active.
Kazuki whispered, "He used Shen as body armor…"
Drondaya straightened his back, then looked down at their feet. "You figured that out,already? That's dull considering you're not fully focused " he said. "But what about below you?"
Both Kazuki and Hirito froze.
Two white, amphibious eyes blinked beneath them—embedded in the wooden floor.
Toad eyes.
The surface beneath them bulged. A massive white tongue shot up—and in a blink, both Hirito and Kazuki were gone.
Swallowed whole.
A massive, pale toad rose from the boards, yawning with otherworldly calm.
Drondaya stepped forward and patted its head. "Knew you'd come in handy, old friend. Acquiring that summoning wasn't a bad idea at all."
Return of the God-King
In a distant, undisclosed realm—the air vibrated with ancient power.
The throne room was silent, but not still. Energy rippled off every surface, humming through divine metal and etched marble. At the center, a figure walked down a black-gold corridor lined with ceremonial flame.
He moved like judgment given form.
His physique was sculpted from war itself silver hair trailing like the banners of forgotten empires. Draped in layered black and gold, his garments fused elegance with killing intent. A massive shoulder pauldron crowned him like a battle-saint. His chest bore a sun-shaped sigil, radiant and terrifying.
He held a glaive taller than any man—its crescent blade split with divine symmetry.
And on his fingers, five rings each humming with locked horrors,He reached the throne and sat,The God-King had returned,Lord Arcade, No longer hidden in the body of Draven, No longer chained.
Two figures knelt before him.
Shiva his black hair braided tight, his face impassive.
Princess Egle, The Snake Princess with a golden snake coiled at her throat, its hiss echoing like music.
"My lord," Shiva whispered. "Welcome back."
A third figure entered.
Clad in tattered robes etched with circuitry, face shrouded beneath a smoke-leaking hood. A massive blade, part-machine and part-magic, rested in his hand.
Zuolin.
Lord Arcade smiled, a sound like rot cracking through ice.
"So… Zuolin has awakened."
End of Chapter: "Return of the God-King."