Part 1 - "From the Throne of Mist"
From high atop Mist Valley, the young man once sacrificed by the kingdom that summoned him as a hero gazed down upon the world he now shaped with cold hatred.
Yamato stood naked before the window of his room.
From there, he overlooked the full expanse of Mist Valley.
Beside him, floating panels displayed data about his fortress—barrier status, soldier positions, and intruder detectors.
Only five days had passed since his arrival, and already, he had transformed the place into a living fortress.
A swarm of nanobots wove defensive barriers, and hidden within the mist lurked creatures recruited from the abyss, waiting like patient shadows.
Skeletons, tiny fairies, goblins… all obedient.
All his.
He turned.
On his bed, barely covered by the sheets, Lina and Selka slept.
The faint light slid across their naked bodies, wrapping them in the illusion of a forbidden painting.
Even in sleep, Lina's brow was faintly furrowed, as if resisting rest.
Selka slept with one hand on her belly, the other on her neck, guarding secrets even in dreams.
Yamato observed them without urgency.
For some, this scene might have been the ultimate teenage fantasy. A night with two beautiful, exotic, powerful women.
But for him, it was no longer a reward.
It was merely satisfied desire.
Human physiology fulfilling its cycle.
No emotion, no ecstasy.
Just need. Consumption.
A part of him still remembered the thrill that this might have stirred in his former self... but that boy had died in the abyss.
He was no longer Rei Kanzaki.
He was Yamato.
He was the Void.
And the world would soon understand.
"Orbital unit ready for projection. Satellite view of Valheim is online," reported a soft, feminine voice from his visual panel.
Yamato shifted his gaze to the panel and began dressing, unhurried.
"Seraphina, deploy stealth reconnaissance drones," he ordered, his eyes scanning the floating image of the kingdom before him.
"Understood, Master Yamato. On another note... we've detected prowlers in the Whispering Forest. They haven't breached the mist, but the bee-type units captured images."
"Send them to my panel."
"Done."
A series of photos scrolled across the screen. A blonde cleric, a blue-haired paladin, and most striking of all… An archer Yamato recognized.
"Interesting…" he murmured.
"I would also like to remind you that the construction of my physical body is still pending," Seraphina added, her tone almost coquettish.
He nodded calmly, adjusting his coat.
"It'll be ready soon. The puppet I've designed for you isn't simple. Your core needs a system to stabilize your powers. I'm still fine-tuning the mana conductors."
"Thank you for your generosity, Master Yamato. After so many centuries of death, I'll finally have a physical body again," Seraphina said, as if smiling.
Yamato didn't answer with words. He simply closed the panel with a flick of his fingers. His eyes hardened.
"Notify the Heralds. I'll meet them in the Throne Hall in twenty minutes."
"Orders transmitted. May your will be done."
Seraphina's voice faded with a soft hum.
Yamato turned, his coat trailing behind him like a living shadow.
"Junya Mori… looks like the goddess of fortune is finally smiling on me."
His footsteps echoed calmly through the abyssal corridor as he made his way to the Throne Hall. There was no rush. He didn't need to hurry. If the archer hero was here, he wouldn't let him escape.
Meanwhile, in the Whispering Forest…
A goat-shaped demon burst forth from the mist, snorting furiously and swinging a bone axe. It looked strong. But not strong enough.
A sharp whistle. A shadow slicing the air.
The demon didn't even have time to snarl before its torso exploded against a tree, disintegrating into black flesh and putrid smoke.
"Tch. How boring…" Junya Mori muttered, lowering his bow with an annoyed expression. "That was it?"
"I was hoping for something more exciting. Where are those damn demon generals? Running errands for Balliard is getting real old."
"Don't let your guard down, Junya," warned Aira, his paladin companion. "The report said level 50 orcs might show up. Not all of them are easy to take down."
Junya casually picked his nose and flicked it at a tree without even looking.
"Aira, Aira… sweetheart, I'm level seventy-five. Rank S. These bugs don't scare me, even if I fought them half-asleep."
Aira frowned but said nothing.
"I know," she sighed. "But Judith and I are only Rank A. Level sixty. If we get swarmed by heavy enemies, we could be in trouble."
"If that happens, I'll wipe them out one by one. No sweat. After all, I'm a powerful Hero," Junya said smugly. "And if I really shine, maybe Judith will finally accept my marriage proposal."
He turned with a crooked grin.
"I'm dying for her to give up that chaste little life and start making babies with me. Just imagine—a holy cleric and the chosen Hero archer. Perfect genes."
Judith didn't respond.
Her grip on her staff tightened.
Every word from Junya was a needle under her skin, but she swallowed her anger and kept her lips sealed.
Aira, on the other hand, stayed close. Shield. Restraint.
If she weren't there, Junya would probably have crossed a line with Judith more than once by now.
Not because he was brave but because nothing in his life had ever managed to break him.
Not yet.
"…That's strange," Aira murmured, stopping in her tracks. "The mist… it feels thicker."
Judith closed her eyes for just a second, as if something beyond human understanding had whispered a truth into her ear.
"I think your wish to fight something truly powerful is about to come true."
"Pfft. Mist. What's the worst that could come out of it? A ghost with the sniffles?" Junya laughed to himself.
Judith glanced at him sideways. When she spoke, her voice was a cold murmur.
"Something very impure is approaching…"
Her finger pointed toward the gray veil growing denser between the trees.
The mist was no longer mist.
It was a threshold.
In Mist Valley, Yamato was already seated on his throne.
One by one, the Heralds began to arrive, crossing the vast silent hall like obedient shadows until they reached their designated places.
"My beloved Heralds," he said calmly, as a floating panel unfolded before them, "There's been a change of plans."
The projection showed moving images—Junya Mori and his group cutting through the Whispering Forest. The archer laughed like he was inside a video game, while his companions walked tensely beside him.
"A few moments ago, Seraphina detected one of the Heroes lurking near this area. Whether it's coincidence or fate… he will be crucial for what's to come."
"Shall I take care of it?" asked Seiryu, stepping forward.
Yamato rose slowly, pulled out a small case, and handed each of them a device.
"What are these things?" asked Eliza, turning hers over in her fingers with curiosity.
"Intercoms. Like this—" Yamato demonstrated how to place it in the ear.
One by one, the Heralds followed suit.
"Touching this button will keep you connected. Seraphina will handle real-time communication and guidance."
Yamato's voice grew colder.
"As for our unwanted visitors… I want the archer alive. The others aren't essential."
"Oooh, interesting~" Eliza smiled with mischief. "I won't fail you, Master Yamato."
"I will carry out your will, my lord," Seiryu nodded solemnly, spinning on his heel.
Both vanished into the mist without another word.
The hunt had begun.