Previously on Hakuna, the battle for Milner High reached its zenith. Hakuna, transcending his physical limits through another heart-wrenching sacrifice, unleashed a compressed ball of divinity upon the corrupted Philosopher. As the name of the technique echoed across the scorched earth, a blinding light swallowed the darkness. But every victory has a cost, and as the silver glow fades, a new, even more terrifying shadow begins to stir in the depths of the Underworld.
Fade in…
Pillar of Absolution
"KIHIMURRA."
The word was not just a chant; it was a command to the very fabric of reality. As the compressed marble of energy made contact with the center of the crater, it didn't explode in a traditional sense. Instead, it ignited a vertical eruption of pure, incandescent white light.
A massive pillar of celestial energy, miles wide and powerful enough to be clearly visible from outer space, erupted from the sports field. It pierced through the dark, demonic clouds, shattering the 40 Days of Corruption like glass, and stretched upward until it touched the stars. This was the pinnacle of Hakuna's new, most formidable arsenal—a technique he no longer needed to chant to activate, but one that demanded the full weight of his soul. Supplemented by the returned, unchained power of Psycha, this was the Celestial Purification.[1]
It was a technique of divine surgery. It did not seek to destroy the flesh, but to remove all impurities from the spirit. It washed over the field, seeking out the jagged, corrupted energy of the Philosopher and stripping it away, atom by atom, reverting every twisted cell back to its original, human state.
Within the pillar, the screams of the demon vessel were silenced by the humming resonance of the light.
Slowly, the large pillar began to dissipate, the roaring sound fading into a soft, crystalline chime. As the light vanished, the crater was revealed once more. Steven's demonic form—the wings, the yellow eyes, the blackened skin—began to spider-web with glowing white cracks. With a sound like breaking porcelain, the monstrous shell shattered into a thousand fragments of shadow that evaporated instantly.
His original human body, battered and drained but free of the corruption, fell limp to the ground, unconscious.
Mihlali, shielding her eyes as the last of the brilliance faded, looked out at the silent field. She asked, her voice a fragile whisper in the sudden stillness, "Is it... is it finally over?"
Hakuna descended from the air, his feet touching the scorched earth with a soft thud. The silver, liquid-flame energy around his body flickered one last time before dissipating into the wind. He stood there for a moment, his chest heaving, his silver eyes slowly fading, the metallic light receding to reveal his natural, deep brown color.
He looked around the field, seeing the students waking up, the fire dying down, and the oppressive weight of the corruption gone. He then sighed, a long, weary sound of absolute relief. "Ohhhhh... everyone's okay... heh—ehh..."
The adrenaline that had been holding his broken body together finally vanished. His knees buckled, and he too fell forward into the dirt, slipping into a deep, protective unconsciousness.
Joy then giggled, the high-pitched sound of tension finally leaving her voice as she leaned against a nearby wall. "Hmhm, seems the stress and that massive power surge finally took over his mind—eh?"
She stopped mid-sentence as the air around Hakuna's body began to shimmer with a regal, golden-orange light.
Suddenly, Hakuna's Royal Squadron appeared. They didn't arrive via transport; they materialized from the shadows of the palace, five elite warriors clad in traditional, spiritually-reinforced Letebele armor, their faces hidden behind ornate masks. Their presence was immediate and heavy, radiating a level of discipline and power that rivaled the BBC.
Sibusiso stepped forward, his hand reflexively moving toward his weapon. "Who are they? State your business with the Prince!"
Mihlali chimed in, recognizing the specific seal on their breastplates. "Relax, Sibusiso. They are the Royal Guard. They're here to protect him and bring him home for proper recovery."[2]
The lead guard, Sefate, knelt, carefully lifting Hakuna's unconscious form. Without a word of explanation, the squadron tapped into their ancestral displacement technique. In a flash of orange light, they vanished, taking the Prince with them back to the safety of the palace.
Freddie then spoke, breaking the stunned silence as he looked at the utter devastation of the sports field. The grass was gone, replaced by a glass-bottomed crater that looked like a moonscape. "Uhh, guys..."
Everyone looked at him inquisitively, still processing the supernatural war they had just survived.
He continued, his voice tilting into a comical concern. "How exactly are we going to explain what happened to the field to the school board? This is going to take more than just a lawnmower."
Super then mumbles, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked at the multi-million rand damage. "Ahh... right. We're definitely losing our tuck shop privileges for the rest of the year."
The Price of Mastery
…At the Letebele Palace…
Days had passed since the battle at Milner High. Inside the high-walled sanctuary of the Letebele Palace, the air was peaceful, filled with the scent of blooming proteas and the distant sound of training guards.
Hakuna was seen, his wounds mostly healed by the palace's high-tier medical team, walking down the long corridor toward the dining room. His gait was steady, but his expression was uncharacteristically grim. His eyes were fixed forward in a focused, cold glare that seemed to look through the walls themselves.
Seloana was seen following him from a distance, her brow furrowed with concern. She had watched him grow up, but the boy walking in front of her felt different. She thought to herself, "He looks just like he was back then... during the height of the Tribal War. That same hollow, focused intensity. The light in his eyes is different now."
Hakuna stopped a few meters away from the large oak doors of the dining hall. He closed his eyes, his brow knitting together in concentration. He was reaching inward, searching through the vast, new reservoirs of silver energy within his soul, desperately calling out to the one person he needed to see.
He searched every corner of his consciousness, calling her name into the spiritual void to no avail.
Hakuna then mutters silently, his voice cracking, "She's… she's really gone. I can't find her anywhere."
Psycha, the demon within him, finally chimed in, her voice uncharacteristically somber. "I can't sense even a trace of her consciousness, Hakuna. But... I can feel her. It seems her entire energy signature has infused itself within your core. She performed the dangerour ritual, Forced Mastery, didn't she?"
Hakuna then thinks, the memory of their last conversation playing on a loop. "She said I might die. She warned me about the intensity." He emphasized the "I" in his mind, realizing the cruel irony—he was prepared to pay the price with his own life, yet she had paid it for him.
Psycha then says, her voice heavy with ancient understanding. "I see… the Royal Tie, as wonderful as it may seem, is a cruel bond in the end."
Hakuna then thinks, "Huh? What do you mean?"
Psycha continues, explaining the hidden mechanics of the Royal Tie. "Forced Mastery is a secret feature of the Royal Tie. It is the ultimate fail-safe. To give you full control of her skills and her true, divine power in an instant, she had to perform a total spiritual sacrifice. She didn't just 'teach' you, Hakuna. She infused her very essence—her soul—into your energy. On one side, you are now stronger than you ever thought was possible; you have the power of a God. But on the other... the person known as Nolitha is now gone forever. She has become the fuel for your ascension."
Hakuna stood there in the quiet hallway, the weight of the crown he never wanted finally crushing him. Tears began to stream down his face, dripping onto the palace floor. Yet, through the grief, a small, pained smile formed on his lips. He finally understood her final words—her "Farewell."
As he then says, a whisper meant for the wind and the stars, "Goodbye… Mammie. Thank you for everything."
The Blood of The Fallen
…Deep in the Underworld…
While peace returned to the surface, the depths of the demon realm were in a state of violent upheaval.
Arkhagos, the supreme ruler of the demonic legions, was seen sitting on a massive throne carved from the skulls of fallen kings. He was visibly frustrated, his clawed fingers drumming a rhythmic, menacing beat on the bone armrest. Around him, the air hummed with a dark, oppressive pressure that caused the very walls of his palace to bleed.
He questioned, his voice a deep, vibrating snarl that shook the foundations of the Underworld. "How is it?! How is it that every single moment of adversity, every trial I throw at this whelp, only leaves this human stronger than before?!"
A new figure was seen standing next to the throne, leaning against a pillar with a look of casual, bored superiority. This was Mazikera, a high-ranking demon of legendary status who had recently returned from the furthest reaches of the abyss. Her eyes were sharp, glowing with a cold, predatory intelligence.
She speaks, her voice like velvet wrapped around a blade. "It seems that Sparta has also lost to this human boy in my absence, my Lord. And now your 'Philosopher' has been purified. Honestly, Arkhagos, how did you let things get so pathetic while I was gone? You're letting a mortal make a mockery of our kind."
Arkhagos then growls, his spiritual energy erupting in a wave of black fire that incinerated the nearest servants. "Grr! This has gone on far enough! I will no longer rely on proxies and human vessels. Psycha and his host will die by my own hands! Mazikera, prepare the legions! We march on the surface in due time!"
Outside the obsidian palace, an endless sea of darkness stretched toward the horizon. There was an army of Level 9 and Level 10 demons—entities of pure destruction—lining up in a terrifying, silent formation. They were not just waiting for orders; they were waiting to receive a dark blessing.
Arkhagos stood at the balcony, cutting his own palm with a jagged blade. A thick, glowing ichor began to flow—not red, but a shimmering, abyssal black that seemed to swallow the light.
This was Satan's Blood—the legendary, forbidden Blood of a Fallen Angel.
"Drink!" Arkhagos commanded. "And become the end of all things!"
As the high-level demons began to consume the divine corruption, their power levels began to skyrocket into a realm that the DDF had no name for. The war for Milner was over, but the war for the world had just begun.
Fade out…
End of Episode 63.
[1] This is one of many abilities of the Talent Celesti, these abilities were yet to be unlocked by Nolitha due to her limitations in training, but Hakuna, having never stopped training was able to find them all in the midst of Forced Mastery.
[2] Both Joy and Mihlali themselves are members of their respective Royal Squadrons, the insignia they recognised was the universal insignia of the Royal Squadron. Additionally, The Royal Squadron was an invention by the Letebele, namely Edward, and was quicly adopted by all aristocracy, proof that the Letebele are truly an ancient Clan.