Chapter 20: The Path of No Return

Darkness swirled around Kuragami as he stood at the edge of the abyss. The air was thick with the scent of blood, the echoes of past battles still lingering in the void. His body ached from the brutal trials he had endured, but his mind was sharper than ever.

The Gate of the Forgotten loomed before him, its massive structure pulsing with an eerie glow. Alexandra stood beside him, arms crossed, watching in silence. His daughter, Seraphina, stood a few steps away, her golden hair shimmering in the dim light.

"Are you certain about this?" Alexandra asked, his voice unusually tense.

Kuragami clenched his fists. There was no room for hesitation.

"I will not stop. Not now. Not ever."

Alexandra exhaled sharply. "If you enter this gate, there is no turning back. The gods and demons who walked this path before were swallowed by it. They ceased to exist."

Kuragami met his gaze, his golden eyes burning with determination. "Then I will be the first to return. And when I do, I will be unstoppable."

Seraphina stepped forward, her voice softer but firm. "Kuragami… I know you crave power. I know you seek revenge. But do not lose yourself in this."

Kuragami didn't respond. Losing himself was not an option. He had already lost too much.

He reached out and placed his hand on the gate.

Immediately, the world shattered.

---

The Trial of Shadows

Kuragami awoke in an unfamiliar place. The sky above him was an endless void, shifting between black and crimson. The ground beneath his feet was neither solid nor liquid, but something in between—a pulsating mass of energy that seemed to react to his presence.

Then, the voices came.

"You are weak."

"You let your sister die."

"You failed to save your mother."

Kuragami's breath hitched as figures emerged from the darkness. His mother. His sister. His past self.

They stood before him, their faces twisted in sorrow and contempt.

"Kuragami… why did you let this happen?" his sister whispered, her eyes void of warmth.

"You could have saved us, but you were too weak," his mother said coldly.

The voices burrowed into his mind like venom.

For the first time in a long time… he felt fear.

"No… this isn't real," he growled.

"Isn't it?"

A blade materialized in his hand—his signature weapon, shifting and morphing in his grip. He could cut them down, erase this nightmare.

But could he really strike them?

Could he bring himself to destroy the last remnants of his past?

His sister took a step forward, her eyes glowing with divine light. His mother followed, darkness swirling around her hands.

"Join us, Kuragami."

"Or die as a failure."

Kuragami's grip tightened on his weapon. His breath was ragged. This was a test. A cruel, twisted trial.

And he would not lose.

With a roar, he surged forward, his blade clashing against the illusion of his past. This time, he would not hesitate.

This time, he would cut away his weakness.

---

The Awakening

As the illusions shattered, Kuragami felt something break inside him. A weight lifted.

The voices screamed as his body was engulfed in raw power—light and darkness entwining, fusing into something new.

His golden eyes burned brighter than ever. His aura expanded, warping the reality around him.

When he opened his hands, two weapons formed.

In his right—a blade forged from pure darkness.

In his left—a weapon infused with divine energy.

Kuragami had become something beyond gods and demons.

Something neither could control.

A smirk crossed his lips as the ground beneath him trembled.

"I am done playing by their rules."

And with a single step, he left the trial behind.

The true war was about to begin.