Chapter 126: Kyoto, Flame’s Origin

Kyoto.

City of shrines, of quiet ghosts, of unspoken endings.

To Rei, it was more than a memory. It was where he had died—where the spark had been born, and where the Sovereigns had first noticed the fracture within him. He did not remember the moment his life ended… but his soul did.

As the train slid into the city, the system pulsed unnaturally.

[System Alert: Chrono-Root Detected – Core Origin Node Approaching]

[Fragment Arc Node #6 – True Sovereign Manifesting]

Eastern Gion – Streets That Remembered

The streets were silent.

Not dead, but listening.

Every stone remembered his footsteps, every lamp flickered in time with his pulse. It was as if the city itself waited for his return.

Noira walked beside him, gaze wary. "Something ancient here knows you."

Mireille adjusted the spirit sensors. "It's like the air is syncing with Rei's core. His flame… it's aligning."

Eirenne tapped her blade. "If this is the origin, then the final Sovereign is more than a foe. It's a mirror."

Karasu circled above, silent.

And then, the path opened.

A torii gate materialized midair—woven from flame and shadow. Beyond it, a shrine suspended in twilight.

The Shrine of Echoing Ends

They stepped through.

A storm of memories struck—his childhood, his regrets, his failures, and every decision that had led him here.

At the altar stood a figure cloaked in burnt silk.

She bore Rei's eyes.

"My name is Amaterasu-no-Reimei," she said. "The Sovereign Flame. Born of your death. The part of you that chose rebirth through fire."

Rei stepped forward. "You're me."

"I am what you left behind."

Final Trial – Self-Forging Flame

Amaterasu raised her hand.

The world vanished.

Rei stood alone in a sea of black fire. Before him, the past incarnated: his weakest self, his cruelest self, his most apathetic self.

Each form attacked.

Each wound bled truth.

But Rei did not defend.

He embraced them.

He forgave them.

And from the acceptance rose a blade—not steel, but word. Not fire, but meaning.

Amaterasu bowed. "Then you are ready."

System Prompt:

[True Fragment Acquired: The Origin Flame]

[Effect: Core System Rewritten – Sovereign Rank Achieved – Spirit Dominion Unlocked]

Outside the Shrine – A New Sky Burns

The torii shattered behind them.

The sky turned vermilion.

Karasu landed, wings aflame. "You are no longer a host, Rei. You are a source."

Mireille smiled. "So… what now?"

Rei turned west.

"To the World Altar. The last arc begins."