The story picks up right where the last chapter ended.
After bowing his head, Ryuk slowly lifts it back up.
For a brief moment, the entire street falls silent.
His parents stare at him in disbelief.
Sally blinks in surprise.
Even Max looks confused.
Because the person who always mocked the gods…
had just thanked them.
Ethan gives a small smile and says,
"Hey, there's no need to thank us. That's our duty."
Kai nods slightly.
"Well then… we should get going."
In the very next moment—
Both of them vanish.
Everyone stands there silently for a few seconds.
Suddenly, Ryuk runs toward his parents and Sally and pulls them all into a tight hug.
His voice is a little shaky.
"Mom… Dad… Sally… are you all okay?"
His mother gently places her hand on his head.
"We're fine, Ryuk. Don't worry."
Ryuk exhales slowly.
"For a second… I thought I might lose all of you."
Sally gets a little emotional, but quickly switches back to her usual attitude.
"Relax, big brother. We're not dying that easily."
Everyone lets out a small laugh.
Max then walks over and teasingly says,
"Well, well… Ryuk. Looks like you've finally started respecting the gods."
Ryuk instantly makes a face.
"Hey, that's not it! I only thanked them because they saved all of you. That's it."
Sally crosses her arms and smirks.
"Oh really? Then who was crying earlier and saying 'thank god, thank god'?"
Ryuk immediately protests.
"Hey! I said thank goodness, not thank god! And I wasn't crying!"
Max bursts out laughing.
"Spreading rumors seems to be Sally's special talent."
Ryuk sighs dramatically.
"Seriously… if anyone wants to learn rumor spreading, learn from these two."
And just like that—
Everyone starts laughing together.
A few days later…
Rayans City had mostly returned to normal.
The destruction caused by the Darkrayn had already been repaired, and life in the city was slowly going back to how it used to be.
It was morning.
Soft sunlight poured through the kitchen window.
On the dining table sat plates of fresh toast and omelettes, still warm.
Ryuk was having breakfast with his family.
His mom looked at him and said,
"Ryuk, hurry up, you'll be late for the office."
Ryuk casually picked up his coffee mug.
"Mom… it's Monday. Being late for work on Monday is basically a tradition."
His dad folded his newspaper and looked at him.
"That's not a tradition. That's called a bad habit."
Sally laughed.
"Exactly! And then brother probably tells his boss, 'Sorry sir, there was a lot of traffic.'"
Ryuk immediately defended himself.
"Hey! There really is traffic sometimes."
Sally tilted her head and smirked.
"But brother… you walk to your office."
Ryuk froze for a second.
Then he quickly cleared his throat.
"Well… anyway. I'm done with breakfast."
He stood up and grabbed his bag.
"I'm heading to the office now."
Before leaving, he pointed at Sally.
"And you… I'll deal with you in the evening, you little brat."
Sally laughed loudly.
"Oooooh… Ryuk brother got rage-baited."
Their mom smiled warmly.
"Take care, okay?"
Ryuk nodded.
"Okay mom. Bye dad. Bye Sally."
With that, he left the house.
His parents watched him leave from the doorway.
His dad smiled proudly.
"Our son really is hardworking, isn't he?"
Ryuk's mom nodded with a proud expression.
"Of course. My son works very hard."
Sally suddenly crossed her arms dramatically.
"Excuse me? Did both of you just forget that I exist?"
Ryuk's mom gently held her cheeks.
"Oh no, sweetheart. How could anyone forget you?"
"You're the cutest daughter in the world."
Sally immediately smiled again.
Ryuk walked down the street on his way to the office.
The morning air felt fresh, and the city was slowly waking up around him.
People were heading to work, shops were opening, and cars were beginning to fill the roads.
Ryuk slipped his hands into his pockets and smiled to himself.
"No matter what anyone says… I really got lucky."
He looked up at the sky for a moment.
"I have the best family anyone could ask for."
"A supportive dad… a caring mom… and a cute little sister who never stops annoying me."
He chuckled softly.
"What more could a man possibly need in life?"
For a brief moment, he paused and looked at the bright sky above him.
Then he quietly said,
"Thank you… God."
At this point, even Ryuk had slowly started to believe in the existence of the gods.
A few minutes later, he finally reached his office building.
As soon as he stepped inside, something felt… strange.
Several employees looked at him and smiled.
"Congratulations, Ryuk!"
"Hey man, congrats!"
Ryuk blinked in confusion.
"Wait… what?"
More people started congratulating him.
Now he looked even more confused.
"Did I miss something?"
Just then, a voice came from behind him.
"Ryuk."
He turned around.
Standing there was his boss.
The boss smiled proudly.
"Today is a day for celebration."
Ryuk scratched his head.
"Sir… I'm sorry, but what exactly are we celebrating?"
His boss walked closer and said,
"Ryuk, starting today… you're being promoted."
Ryuk froze.
"And not only that," his boss continued, "your salary is also being increased."
"You're officially a Senior Employee now."
For a moment, Ryuk just stood there, completely stunned.
"W-Wait… really?"
He looked at his boss in disbelief.
"You're not joking… right?"
His boss laughed.
"Why would I joke about something like that?"
Ryuk's face lit up with excitement.
"Thank you, sir! Thank you so much!"
His boss nodded.
"To be honest, Ryuk, I really admire your work ethic."
"Unlike many others here, you focus on your work instead of wasting time."
Some of the other employees nearby quietly made annoyed faces after hearing that.
"But you deserve this promotion," the boss continued.
"Congratulations."
Ryuk straightened up and said confidently,
"Sir, I promise I won't disappoint you."
"I'll always give my best for this company."
The boss smiled.
"That's exactly what I expect from you."
Then he clapped his hands once.
"Alright everyone, back to work!"
The employees slowly returned to their desks.
Ryuk stood there for a moment, still processing everything.
He smiled to himself.
"Today is turning out to be an amazing day."
Ryuk was still smiling to himself when one of his coworkers walked over to him.
It was Jake, one of the few friends Ryuk had at the office.
Jake leaned on the desk and grinned.
"Hey Ryuk, I heard you bought a new bike."
Ryuk looked at him.
"Yeah… I did."
Jake raised an eyebrow.
"And not just any bike… a Harley-Davidson, right?"
Ryuk sighed dramatically.
"Yeah, I bought it… but the God of Thunder threw it halfway across the street while fighting that Darkrayn monster."
Jake blinked in disbelief.
"Wait… seriously?"
Ryuk nodded.
"Yeah. One second I had a brand-new bike… the next second it became part of a superhero battle scene."
Jake let out a laugh.
"Man, that's probably the most unexpected way to lose a bike."
Ryuk shrugged.
"Yeah well… what can I do now? It's already gone."
Jake suddenly snapped his fingers.
"Actually… I might have an idea."
Ryuk looked at him with curiosity.
"What kind of idea?"
Jake lowered his voice slightly.
"Listen… I heard something interesting."
Ryuk crossed his arms.
"Go on."
Jake continued,
"The God of Thunder sometimes visits the riverside area near our office."
"A lot of people say they've seen him there in the evenings."
Ryuk frowned.
"Okay… but what does that have to do with my bike?"
Jake smirked.
"Come on, man. Everyone says the gods are kind and fair."
"So if you tell him politely, 'Sir, you accidentally destroyed my bike while saving the city'…"
He shrugged.
"Maybe he'll compensate you somehow."
Ryuk thought about it for a moment.
"Hmmm…"
"Honestly… that actually sounds possible."
Jake grinned proudly.
"Of course it does. My ideas are always brilliant."
Ryuk chuckled.
"Well… maybe I'll give it a try."
Jake patted his shoulder.
"Trust me. It might actually work."
Then he straightened up.
"Anyway, I should get back to work before the boss catches me."
Ryuk nodded.
"Yeah, same here."
Jake walked away toward his desk.
Ryuk leaned back in his chair for a moment and thought to himself.
"Well… before anything else…"
"I should call Mom and Dad and tell them about my promotion."
A smile slowly appeared on his face again.
"Yeah… they'll definitely be happy to hear this."
Ryuk leaned back in his chair and took out his phone.
A smile was still on his face.
"I should tell Mom and Dad about the promotion."
He quickly dialed his father's number.
The phone rang for a few seconds.
Ring… ring… ring…
Then the call was answered.
"Hello?"
Ryuk immediately recognized his father's voice.
"Dad!"
His father sounded surprised.
"Well, look at that. Ryuk calling during work hours. What happened?"
Ryuk chuckled.
"Dad, call Mom too. I have some good news for both of you."
His father laughed softly.
"Your mom is sitting right next to me."
Right on cue, his mother's voice came from the other side of the phone.
"Ryuk, I'm here too. Now tell us, what's the good news?"
Ryuk's excitement was impossible to hide.
"Mom… Dad… I got promoted today!"
There was a brief moment of silence.
Then his father spoke with excitement.
"Wait, really?!"
Ryuk laughed.
"Yeah! I'm officially a Senior Employee now."
His father sounded incredibly proud.
"That's amazing, son. I'm really happy to hear that."
Ryuk smiled.
"Thanks, Dad."
His mother spoke next, her voice full of warmth.
"In that case, you have to come home early today."
Ryuk raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
She continued,
"I'll cook your favorite dinner tonight."
"And we'll celebrate together."
His father added enthusiastically,
"Of course we will! My son's success deserves a proper celebration."
Ryuk felt a warm feeling in his chest.
For a moment, he stayed silent.
Inside his mind, thoughts began to run.
Mom… Dad… I love you both so much.
Maybe I should just say it right now.
Yeah… I should.
He took a breath.
"Mom… Dad… listen…"
Both of them answered at the same time.
"Yes, Ryuk?"
Ryuk opened his mouth.
"Mom… Dad… I…"
But then he suddenly stopped.
A small nervous smile appeared on his face.
"Actually… I just remembered I still have some work to finish."
"I'll see you both in the evening."
There was a small pause on the other side.
Then his mother said gently,
"Alright. Take care, Ryuk."
His father added,
"See you in the evening, son."
Ryuk smiled.
"Yeah. See you later."
The call ended.
For a moment, Ryuk just stared at his phone.
He sighed.
"Seriously… why is it so hard for me to say those words?"
Meanwhile, back at home…
His parents were sitting together.
His father smiled knowingly.
"Sakura… did you notice?"
Ryuk's mother looked at him.
"What?"
"He almost said 'I love you' again… but stopped."
Sakura smiled softly.
"He wants to say it."
"But he just doesn't know how to express his feelings."
His father chuckled.
"Yeah… our son is a huge introvert."
Back at the office, Ryuk leaned back in his chair.
He muttered to himself,
"Man… I failed again."
He rubbed the back of his head.
"But it's fine."
"Tonight I'll definitely say it."
"I'll hug them and tell them I love them."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Yeah… I'll say it tonight."
The evening sky was painted in shades of orange and gold.
It was 6:45 PM.
The sunset looked beautiful.
Birds flew peacefully across the sky, and soft winds moved the clouds slowly.
The entire scene felt calm… almost perfect.
But sometimes, the most beautiful evenings hide the darkest moments.
Perhaps… this would be the last peaceful evening of Ryuk's life.
Meanwhile, Ryuk had finally finished his work for the day.
As he left the office building, he remembered Jake's words.
"The God of Thunder sometimes visits the riverside in the evenings."
Ryuk sighed and scratched the back of his head.
"Well… it's worth a try."
"Maybe I'll actually get my bike back."
So instead of heading straight home, Ryuk began walking toward the riverside, which was not far from the office.
A few minutes later, he arrived.
The river reflected the colors of the sunset beautifully.
The wind gently moved the water's surface.
But the place was quiet.
Very quiet.
Ryuk looked around.
"Huh… looks like no one's here."
He shrugged.
"Well… I guess I can wait for a bit."
He took out his phone and began taking pictures of the sky.
"Not gonna lie… this view is amazing."
After a few minutes, he checked the time.
"Still no sign of the God of Thunder."
He sighed.
"Alright, maybe Jake was wrong."
"Mom and Dad must be waiting anyway. I should head home."
Ryuk turned around to leave.
But suddenly—
From behind the bridge near the riverside, he heard angry voices.
Ryuk stopped.
"That voice…"
"It sounds familiar."
Curious, he quietly walked toward the sound.
He carefully peeked from behind the bridge.
And what he saw made his eyes widen.
Standing there was Kai — the God of Thunder.
And in front of him stood someone else.
A tall woman with a cold and powerful presence.
It was Mortessa — the God of Death, also known as the Immortal Queen.
Kai looked extremely angry.
"Mortessa, have you lost your mind?!"
"Do you even realize how risky this is?!"
Mortessa remained calm.
"I know it's risky."
"But I didn't have a choice."
Kai frowned.
"What do you mean you didn't have a choice?"
Mortessa crossed her arms.
"These orders came from above."
"I had to follow them."
Hidden behind the bridge, Ryuk whispered to himself,
"What are they talking about…?"
"What's risky…?"
Kai spoke again, his tone serious.
"Fine. Then answer me this."
"How much time do we have?"
Mortessa replied calmly,
"Seven… maybe eight minutes."
Kai's expression turned darker.
"Where are the asteroids going to land?"
Mortessa answered,
"There are three impact locations."
"One of them is Silver Point in Rayans City."
"The other two locations are already being handled by other gods."
She looked directly at Kai.
"You and Ethan will deal with this one."
Kai clenched his fists.
"Damn it."
"How much time did you say we have again?"
Mortessa sighed.
"Seven to eight minutes."
At that moment—
Another figure suddenly appeared.
It was Ethan — the God of Time.
He looked at Kai and smirked slightly.
"Judging by that face of yours…"
"You already know what's about to happen."
Kai nodded.
"Yeah."
"We have to slow down the asteroid in mid-air…"
"And break it into smaller pieces before it reaches the ground."
Ethan nodded seriously.
"Got it."
"Because if even one large fragment falls…"
"The entire city could be destroyed."
Kai didn't waste another second.
"Let's move."
In an instant—
Both gods shot into the sky.
Mortessa disappeared as well.
Everything happened so fast.
Hidden behind the bridge, Ryuk stood frozen.
His heart began pounding rapidly.
"An asteroid…?"
"And one of them is heading toward Silver Point…?"
His eyes widened in horror.
"That's where my house is."
"Mom… Dad… Sally…"
"Damn it!"
Without wasting another second, Ryuk started running toward home as fast as he could.
At the same time, he pulled out his phone and tried calling his family.
First his mom.
No answer.
Then his dad.
Still no answer.
Then Sally.
Nothing.
Ryuk kept running.
Faster and faster.
Tears slowly began forming in his eyes.
"Come on… pick up the phone…"
He kept dialing again and again.
But no one answered.
High above the sky…
A massive asteroid had already entered Earth's atmosphere.
It was enormous.
Nearly 3–4 kilometers wide, burning as it tore through the sky at terrifying speed.
If something like that reached the ground… it could wipe out entire regions of the planet.
Suddenly—
A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky.
Kai — the God of Thunder — appeared.
Without hesitation, he raised his hand and unleashed an enormous surge of lightning.
Thunder roared through the clouds as he struck the asteroid with all his power.
The impact slowed the asteroid slightly.
But it was still falling.
Then another figure appeared beside him.
Ethan — the God of Time.
He raised both of his hands and made a strange gesture.
Time itself seemed to distort around the asteroid.
Its gravitational momentum began to weaken.
"Now!" Ethan shouted.
Kai clenched his fists.
Lightning exploded from his body.
With a powerful roar, he launched forward and struck the asteroid with a devastating Thunder Punch.
BOOOOM.
The asteroid shattered.
Thousands of flaming fragments scattered across the sky.
Kai was breathing heavily.
Even he had taken damage from the impact.
But then—
His eyes widened.
One fragment was still falling.
A meteorite nearly 3–4 meters wide, burning through the air.
And it was falling fast.
"Damn it!"
Kai immediately shouted,
"ETHAN!"
Ethan looked over.
"Go after that meteor and stop time around it!"
Ethan immediately rushed after it.
But the meteor had already fallen too far.
It was almost reaching the ground.
Even the God of Time couldn't reach it in time.
⸻
Meanwhile…
Inside Ryuk's house.
Sally was sitting in her room with headphones on, completely absorbed in a video game.
In the kitchen, Ryuk's parents were preparing dinner together.
Laughter filled the room.
They had no idea what was coming.
In the living room, Ryuk's father walked past the table.
Suddenly he noticed something.
Ryuk's phone notifications.
9+ missed calls.
His expression changed.
"Why did Ryuk call so many times?"
He quickly picked up the phone and called him back.
⸻
At that exact moment…
Ryuk was still running toward home as fast as he could.
He was only a few minutes away.
His phone suddenly started ringing.
It was his dad.
Ryuk immediately answered.
"Dad!"
His father's voice came from the other side.
"Hey Ryuk, you called so many times. Was something important—"
But Ryuk's attention suddenly shifted.
His eyes slowly moved toward the sky.
And what he saw…
…was something he never should have witnessed.
A burning meteor was falling directly toward Silver Point.
Toward his home.
His voice trembled.
"Dad…"
"Get out of the house—"
But it was already too late.
The meteor slammed into the ground.
DOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
A massive explosion erupted.
The shockwave shattered buildings.
Flames burst into the sky.
The place where Ryuk's house once stood…
…was gone.
Completely destroyed.
On the phone, his father's voice disappeared.
The call cut off.
Ryuk stopped running.
His body froze.
He stared at the burning destruction in front of him.
Then suddenly—
Rain began to pour from the sky.
Above the clouds, Kai clenched his fists.
"Oh no…"
Ethan landed beside him.
"I'm sorry."
"That meteor moved out of my range."
"I couldn't stop it in time."
Below them…
Ryuk slowly fell to his knees.
Rain poured down around him.
Tears streamed down his face.
But no one could see them through the rain.
His voice trembled.
Then suddenly—
He screamed.
"AARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!"
A scream filled with pain.
With grief.
With rage.
And just like that—
Ryuk's world shattered.
And from that moment… Ryuk's life would never be the same again.
Too be continued…