Chapter 26: The Rise of the Forgotten King

The Forgotten Throne was no longer empty.

Kuragami sat upon it, his form draped in shadows darker than the abyss itself. Around him, the Forgotten World twisted and pulsed with life—a realm of horrors, nightmares given form by his will.

Monsters crawled from the blackened earth, eyes burning with silent reverence.

Demons, once banished from all existence, now knelt before him, their bodies twitching under his overwhelming aura.

Everything in this world—everything that was lost, forsaken, erased from time itself—now belonged to him.

He was its ruler.

The King of the Forgotten.

And soon…

He would become something even greater.

—

Opening the Gate

With a mere flick of his wrist, the Forgotten Gate tore open before him.

Flames as dark as the void surged around its edges, hungry, wild, untamed.

Hell lay beyond it.

And it was time for his return.

Stepping through, Kuragami emerged into the depths of Hell itself.

His feet touched the scorched ground, and instantly, the very air trembled with his presence.

The flames that once burned wildly dimmed.

The demons that lurked in the shadows froze.

Something had changed.

Something terrifying had been born in that gate.

And as he took his first step forward—

Alexandra stood before him.

—

"You Are Not the Same"

Alexandra's eyes widened.

Two years had passed since Kuragami entered the gate.

Two years of absolute silence.

Two years where Alexandra had waited, unsure if the boy—no, the monster—would ever return.

And now, standing before him, was something that no longer resembled the young prince.

Kuragami's golden eyes were gone.

In their place—pulsating purple irises, glowing with something far beyond divinity.

His aura had changed.

No longer the raw energy of a demon.

No longer the twisted divinity of a god.

It was something else.

Something greater.

Something that made even Zeus, in her prime, seem insignificant.

Alexandra exhaled slowly.

"You have changed, Kuragami."

Kuragami merely stared at him.

His voice, when it came, was calm.

Cold.

Unrecognizable.

"Test me, then."

—

A Battle Against Monsters

Alexandra wasted no time.

He summoned the most terrifying monsters in Hell.

One hundred zombies, bodies stitched together by cursed energy.

Two hundred ghouls, their eyes hollow, their teeth dripping with hunger.

Fifty Vimper-rank demons, once high-ranking warriors, now condemned for betraying the Demon King.

Each of them had once been strong enough to shatter kingdoms.

Each of them had once been feared across realms.

Now, they were nothing more than fodder.

Kuragami did not move.

He merely raised a finger.

And then—

Everything died.

—

Power Beyond Gods

The moment Kuragami flicked his finger, the entire battlefield exploded.

Not in flames.

Not in destruction.

But in something worse.

Oblivion.

The zombies were erased.

The ghouls disintegrated before they could scream.

The Vimper demons—beings that once stood against the Demon King himself—collapsed in an instant, their souls shredded beyond recognition.

Alexandra did not blink.

But his hands… they trembled.

His breath… it was uneasy.

And when he turned to look at his daughter—

He saw her frozen in terror.

—

A Throne in Hell

Kuragami did not revel in his power.

He did not laugh.

He did not even look impressed.

With a wave of his hand, a throne of black fire erupted from the depths of Hell itself.

A throne forged from the will of the Forgotten.

And as he sat upon it—

Every demon in Hell bowed.

Even the flames themselves whispered his name.

He had conquered Hell without lifting a sword.

And now, he raised his voice for all to hear.

"A war is coming."

"A war that will end Heaven, Earth, and Hell itself."

"And I… will be its ruler."

—

The Fear of Alexandra

Alexandra had seen many things in his life.

He had fought in the Ragnarok War.

He had stood against gods, monsters, and legends.

He had trained beside the greatest warriors of all time.

But this?

This was different.

This wasn't a boy who had simply grown stronger.

This wasn't a demon who had simply gained power.

Kuragami had transcended something far beyond divinity.

Something he couldn't understand.

Something he couldn't control.

And for the first time in centuries—

Alexandra felt fear.

—

The March Toward War

Kuragami did not rest.

He did not celebrate.

He summoned his army.

One thousand demons—each more terrifying than the last.

And as they rose, their eyes filled with absolute loyalty, their bodies shrouded in the darkness of the Forgotten—

Kuragami spoke his final decree.

"The gods will regret ever crossing me."

"Heaven will burn."

"Hell will bow."

"And the world… will kneel before the Forgotten King."

—

Kuragami is no longer just a warrior.

He is a force of nature.

A being that defies existence itself.

And soon—

The gods will face their reckoning.

—

To be continued