Chapter Twelve: The Verdict of Fate

“Power...power is not something you beg for others to grant you.” As Tetsuya drifted in and out of consciousness, the voice of Shinka suddenly echoed in his heart.

“If you possess strength, then you ought to choose to trust it. Set aside your wariness. You are a peculiar person—clearly endowed with the power to transform into a Dark God, yet at your core, you remain a devout seeker of goodness and light. You attempt to wield the forces of darkness, but always with caution, afraid of losing yourself within. But in doing so, you can never truly grasp the essence of that power. You must choose to believe in it, to surrender yourself to it. Within, your resolve must be unwavering; your will strong enough to command it, not be consumed by it. Darkness is born from all things in the world, and equally from your own heart. Only by choosing to confront it, to believe in it, can you truly wield such overwhelming power.”

“Is that so...” Tetsuya quietly regarded his own consciousness. His second persona emerged beside him, and he looked at that figure, whose pitch-black eyes carried a sinister gleam. At last, Tetsuya sighed, making up his mind. “I leave it to you.”

“Very well...”

Bang!

Shuranos’s arm was suddenly seized by Gilogias, whose energy surged as his aura continued to grow. Though the timer on his energy gauge still flashed rapidly with crimson light, Gilogias now radiated a might greater than ever before. His colossal hand held Shuranos’s arm in a death grip, and with a powerful heave, his massive frame rose, driving an elbow mercilessly into Shuranos’s chest. As his opponent staggered back, Gilogias followed with a thunderous kick.

Shuranos retreated several steps, his massive fleshly wings unfurling as he took to the air, able to fight and fall back at once. Yet he had barely regained composure when Gilogias raised his arm and soared upward. With his streamlined body, he cut through the air with minimal resistance, closing the distance in an instant.

Beneath the darkened sky, within the thick clouds, the two figures streaked like twin beams of light, chasing one another through the heavens. They clashed repeatedly, separating just as swiftly, their battle unfolding midair at speeds so great that Daram and Hitra could only watch from afar, their eyes barely able to follow.

Crash—

Once more, they collided in the sky, and Gilogias drove his foot hard into his foe’s chest, the force sending Shuranos hurtling earthward like a falling meteor. With a deafening impact, Shuranos’s massive body staggered upright amid the clouds of dust.

It was as if guided by instinct—under Gilogias’s command, the dark energy coursed through him with effortless ease. He even felt a fleeting thought stir within: energy gathered, swelled, compressed, and the resulting fluctuation grew stronger still.

Hovering in the air, Gilogias clenched his fists, arms spreading wide before gradually drawing together. Between his elbows and wrists, a line of deep violet light shimmered and condensed. In just a moment, the charge was complete; dark energy erupted in an L-shaped beam, the purple-black stream crossing the distance in a flash, surging toward Shuranos.

“Evil Shot!”

The violent surge of energy struck Shuranos square in the chest, the potent darkness ripping through his body, disintegrating it until he was nearly ionized. Only a scant few tiny bats managed to escape early on, while Shuranos himself dissolved into blue ions, fading from the sky.

Gilogias’s towering form slowly descended, and in a halo of violet light, he transformed back into Tetsuya, his eyes gently closed. After a long moment, he exhaled deeply, the sinister gleam in his gaze not yet dispelled.

“Dark Lord...” At that moment, Hitra rushed over, calling out, “Please, save my companion...”

“Your companion?” Tetsuya smiled. “I am a Dark God, not the ancient deities you revere and worship. What use is it to ask me for such things? Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you instead?”

As he spoke, his pitch-black eyes betrayed no emotion, and darkness began to gather in his palm.

Hitra stepped back twice, swallowing hard before finally mustering the courage to say, “We believe you are different from the other Dark Gods...” He hesitated, then pleaded, “Kamila was bitten by that creature—please, I beg you, save her...”

Tetsuya paused, the darkness in his hand dispersing, his expression growing intrigued. Kamila... That name truly rang out like thunder...

“Very well, take me to her.”

Hitra replied eagerly and quickly led Tetsuya to Kamila’s side. Tetsuya studied the girl with interest; her face was still pale, and on her snowy white neck, two puncture wounds from fangs had ceased bleeding. Her eyes were lightly closed, yet her brow was furrowed in pain, clearly suffering greatly.

“To save her, I can only use the dark energy Shinka taught me, turning her into a Dark God as well...” Tetsuya reflected, then suddenly smiled. “To find myself at the heart of history—what an indescribable thrill... So Kamila became the Dark Giant by my own hand...”

Lost in thought, he glanced at the two standing by and said, “I can use the power of darkness to save her, but she may become a new Dark God. Even so, are you still willing?”

Daram nodded without a moment’s hesitation, and Hitra followed at last.

“If possible, we, too, wish to possess that power!”

Tetsuya made no promises to the two of them for now, but simply pressed his finger to Kamila’s wound. The blood there had already turned black and clotted at the surface. To become a Dark God was, in fact, another way of wielding dark energy. Naturally, a Dark God could create new ones, but sadly, they never retained a normal mind. They were all mad—driven only by destruction, never salvation.

Imitating Shinka’s method, he concentrated dark energy at his fingertip and sent it into Kamila’s body through the wound, gradually cleansing and assimilating the poison within her, reactivating her organs.

After a while, Tetsuya withdrew his hand and nodded to the two, who watched anxiously.

However, his heart suddenly skipped a beat, and he hurried off into the distance. Daram and Hitra, not having received permission, dared not follow, staying behind with Kamila.

Within Tetsuya, the two personas now wrestled fiercely for control. In the battle with Shuranos, Tetsuya had surrendered all command to the second persona; even saving Kamila had been that persona’s choice. Only now did his primary consciousness begin to resist forcefully.

“You actually saved Kamila...”

“Perhaps it was your pitiful compassion at work...” the second persona replied mockingly.

“Now, return my body to me!”

Unexpectedly, the second persona complied without resistance, relinquishing control with ease. Tetsuya opened his eyes slowly, a trace of annoyance on his face. In that brief interval, the second persona had already saved Kamila, who would one day become the legendary Dark Giantess...

Everything seemed to be unfolding exactly as he remembered.

After a pause, his gaze settled on Daram and Hitra. In his heart, he resolved that he must send these two to R’lyeh, to join the ranks of the Giants of Light.