The Imperial Hotel was no longer in Tokyo. The walls had turned into translucent ribs of obsidian and the sky above the shattered roof was a swirling vortex of violet and bruised gold. In the center of the ballroom the thing that used to be Kang-Jun let out a roar that cracked the marble floors for three city blocks. The Lord of Malice had partially manifested. Four skeletal arms clawed at the air while a thousand eyes opened across its torso.
High above the clouds the Celestial Bureau panicked.
"The seal is broken!" a voice of thunder echoed in the higher dimensions. "If Malice fully descends the tectonic plates of Japan will shatter. We must purge the city with Holy Fire!"
But Kaizer Gold looked up at the invisible Gods and his eyes burned with a defiant violet light.
"Not today," he whispered.
The King's Execution: The Four-Point Seal
Kaizer raised his left hand. "Malphas! Fenris! POSITION!"
From the shadows Malphas the Shadow General lunged to the north and drove his heavy claymore into the floor. To the south Fenris let out a howl of violet lightning and bit into the reality-weave. High above Sylas the Cursed Archer notched a four-pronged arrow of black light.
Kaizer stood at the center as the fourth point.
"Four-Point Seal: Abyssal Banishment!"
A square of absolute darkness snapped into existence around the manifested Warlord. The Lord of Malice shrieked as the physical world tried to reject his presence. The hotel groaned as the "phasing" began to reverse. The Warlord was being dragged back into the Abyss but he was clinging to Kang-Jun's soul with a grip of iron.
The Devourer's Feast
"He's not going back alone," Kaizer hissed. "He's taking the city with him."
Kaizer realized the seal wasn't enough. The Malice was too dense. He had to do the one thing Paimon had warned him was suicide. He stepped into the center of the seal and gripped the Eclipse Talon with both hands.
"Soul Eater: Devour the Divine!"
Kaizer plunged the obsidian blade directly into the heart of the manifested horror.
The feedback was instantaneous. A tidal wave of raw, unfiltered Underworld essence flooded into Kaizer's veins. His suit tore at the shoulders as his muscles expanded and his skin began to glow with a terrifying violet light.
[LEVEL UP! 31... 35... 42... 48...] [LEVEL 50 REACHED!] [SUB-CLASS UNLOCKED: THE DEVOURER OF LORDS]
The Lord of Malice let out one final, agonizing scream as his manifested form was literally eaten by the Eclipse Talon. The black smoke was sucked into the blade and the hotel slammed back into the physical dimension of Tokyo with a shockwave that shattered every window in a five-mile radius.
Kang-Jun's body fell to the floor like a discarded rag. He was alive, but his soul was a hollow shell. The Reaper was gone.
The Aftermath: The 9th S-Rank
The sun rose over a smoking ruin. The JAA High Council, the leaders of the Big Three guilds, and thousands of news drones surrounded the hotel.
Inside the wreckage Kaizer sat on a pile of rubble with the Eclipse Talon resting across his knees. Rin Kusanagi stood beside him, her sword sheathed, looking at him with a mix of awe and terror.
"They're coming for you," Rin whispered. "The JAA. The Gods. Everyone."
"Let them come," Kaizer said.
An hour later Kaizer stood before the High Council and the S-Rank guild leaders. He didn't hide his power anymore. The pressure in the room was so thick that the veteran A-Ranks at the door had to leave.
"Kang-Jun was a vessel for an Underworld Warlord," Kaizer explained calmly. "He was the first of many. The Gods you worship are afraid because they cannot stop the Abyss without destroying the Earth. I can."
The council sat in stunned silence. They debated for three hours. Was he an enemy? A monster? Or was he the only thing standing between Japan and total extinction?
By noon the decree was issued to the world.
"The JAA officially recognizes Kaizer Gold as Japan's 9th S-Rank Hunter. Title: The Sovereign of Conquest."
The Uproar of Heaven and Earth
The news hit the world like a nuclear blast. In Korea the government demanded Kaizer's arrest for the "theft" of Kang-Jun's power. In the United States and Europe recruitment offers involving billions of dollars and private islands were sent to his hollowed-out apartment.
But the real movement was in the Heavens.
In a golden hall shaped like a serpent Loki, the God of Mischief, leaned forward on his throne. He watched a recording of Kaizer devouring the Malice and a slow, wicked smile spread across his face.
"A human who eats Warlords?" Loki purred, his eyes shimmering with madness. "How delicious. I think I shall make him my finest pet. Or perhaps... my greatest masterpiece."
Loki wasn't alone. Across the globe "Disciples" began to awaken. Normal people were suddenly granted 500% more power than typical Awakened as the Gods began to pour their essence into Earth to counter the Underworld.
The balance of the world was gone. The age of Hunters was over. The Age of Monarchs and Disciples had begun.
Kaizer looked at his status screen as a final notification appeared.
[NEW QUEST: THE TRIAL OF THE SEVEN DISCIPLES] [Objective: Survive the hunt of the Gods.] [Reward: Path to Level 100.]