Nato7

The Awakening: Around 150 years ago, a mysterious event known as "The Rift" caused a dramatic shift in the world. This event opened portals from another dimension, bringing Essences—mysterious and powerful entities—into the world. These Essences granted some individuals extraordinary abilities and set in motion a global conflict.

Essence Warriors: These are people who possess the power of an Essence, which can take various forms depending on the individual’s soul and affinity. Some are born with their Essence powers from birth, while others awaken them later in life. These warriors are ranked according to their power level, and the rankings play a significant role in their status, training, and missions.

Essence Reborn

Riku walked through the wreckage of the ruined corridor, boots crunching on shattered steel and blood-stained tile. The bunker trembled with residual essence—trails of the chaos left behind by his earlier battles. Behind him, four High Codes lay broken. Ahead, two more presences called to him.

The silver-white aura of the Triad Divine Avatar flickered with each step, like a heartbeat echoing through the void. His eyes narrowed as he reached a massive steel door—its surface burned with intricate seals and essence wards, many of which had already been partially undone.

Riku placed a single palm on the center of the door. It hissed.

Then collapsed inward like paper under gravity.

A circular chamber revealed itself—high ceiling, obsidian walls pulsing with crimson veins of raw energy. At its center stood a throne made of fractured essence stone, and beside it—

The first stood tall and silent, cloaked in cobalt-black with long sleeves that trailed to the floor. His face was pale, almost serene, his eyes glowing with emerald flame. Unlike the others, he didn't posture or threaten. He simply stood—like a sword in its scabbard, unmoving but dangerous beyond measure.

"You made it," he said, voice soft and deliberate. "I am Zeru."

Riku's eyes flicked to the throne.

Sitting with one arm draped over the side, dressed in midnight armor carved with jagged runes, was a man who radiated a pressure unlike any Riku had felt since ascending. His hair was dark silver, slicked back like coiled steel. One crimson eye burned beneath a cracked mask of bone.

The name tasted like blood and fire.

Akuma's lips curled into a grin, slow and cruel.

"I've been watching. I must say… your performance has exceeded expectations, Riku Hayashi."

Riku didn't flinch. "And yours has met mine—low."

Zeru stepped forward, arms still at his sides. "Don't mistake stillness for weakness," he said. "Of the five High Codes… I am the only one who asked to face you."

Riku tilted his head slightly. "Why?"

Zeru's gaze sharpened. "To understand how close I am to the divine. If I fall, I want to fall knowing I reached toward something real."

Akuma chuckled darkly. "See, Riku? That's what makes him my favorite."

Suddenly, the room began to pulse.

Akuma's aura expanded outward like a black eclipse, swallowing light itself. It didn't feel like raw power—it felt like inevitability. Death, not by force, but by truth.

"Fight him," Akuma said, standing now, towering and still not even revealing his full essence. "If you defeat Zeru, I'll grant you the honor of seeing my true form before you die."

Zeru raised his hand slowly—and the entire chamber shifted. Gravity twisted. The air compressed. The lights bent toward him as he activated his true essence:

"Stillblade Genesis."

"…Then let's see how still you remain when I break you."

Chapter 171: The Black Throne