Twenty-four

Su Cuming was completely mesmerized by this spectacle, a wonder that clearly did not belong to any human creation. His heart hammered violently, and a dull ringing filled his head; in that moment, he could feel the pulse of the great sword.

A surge of immense power, synchronized with the beating of his heart, flooded into him like a tidal wave, making it difficult for him to breathe.

Collapsing to the ground in agony, Su Cuming gasped for air. Countless strange lights flashed before his eyes; he seemed to see seven great swords, each shimmering with its own distinct brilliance, and a stone disk suspended in a land of absolute darkness.

The disk was etched with labyrinthine patterns, and power continuously overflowed from it. Su Cuming could feel the vibrations of the power belonging to that disk.

As his heartbeat synchronized with the power of the disk, and just as the resonance was nearing completion, a faint force abruptly tore his consciousness away from the place.

When Su Cuming finally snapped back to reality, sweat poured down his face as he took deep, ragged breaths.

Atsushi Nakajima was startled by Su Cuming's reaction and moved to steady him, but Ryuta Sanman stopped him.

Ryuta Sanman’s pupils glowed with an eerie green light. He—or rather, Nagare Hisui, who was behind Ryuta Sanman—stared intently at the gasping, pained Su Cuming. Atsushi felt at a loss.

"It is fine, do not worry; this is a necessary experience."

Su Cuming steadied his breathing, though he remained bewildered by what had just occurred. As he resonated with the stone disk, fragments of the Slate's memories had flooded into him.

He had been chosen. He was meant to be a King. But just as he was about to achieve full resonance with the Slate, the lingering [Power of Rules] within him had intervened.

That power had remained with him after he crossed over; it belonged to the ordinary, peaceful world he had originally come from.

That world possessed neither [Special Abilities] nor [Kings], so the residual power, following the laws of that world, rejected the power of the Dresden Slate.

To the laws of that world, the Dresden Slate was undoubtedly an intruder, and it was only natural to resist an invader.

However, this was a one-time occurrence. After this, that already faint power was completely exhausted.

As for why he had been selected by the Dresden Slate...

Su Cuming pursed his lips; he did not know. Moreover, becoming a King was undeniably a troublesome affair. The greatest change would be that he would henceforth be completely removed from the category of ordinary people.

"Why refuse? Such an opportunity is rare," Ryuta Sanman said suddenly. His voice had changed entirely. Unlike the gruff tone of the burly man from before, this was the voice of a young man, cold and tinged with confusion—a stark, unsettling contrast.

Su Cuming adjusted his glasses, glancing sideways at Ryuta Sanman, who now seemed like a completely different person.

Ryuta Sanman looked up at the great sword in the sky. "The Blue King’s Sword resonated with you. Logically, you should have become the next King, yet you refused."

There was a power in Yokohama that rivaled the Dresden Slate, which had significantly weakened the Slate's influence in this area.

Nagare Hisui, who had been studying the Slate, had discovered this anomaly: the Colorless King had remained in a state of having been selected but without achieving resonance.

After eliminating many possibilities, Hisui had narrowed the scope to Yokohama. In Yokohama, the power of the Slate was suppressed, but that did not matter; resonance could also occur between Kings.

Unable to come to Yokohama himself due to his physical condition, he had let Munakata Reisi handle it instead. As it happened, the Demon had approached him, seeking to collaborate.

Once the plan was finalized, Hisui began to screen for the chosen candidate. Initially, he had noticed Tomie, the youth who had suddenly appeared, brimming with eerie power.

Tomie was an existence that did not belong to this world, possessing a reproductive ability like cancer and the power to easily turn people into demons.

Distorted, evil, and bizarre, it did not belong to any known power system; it was like a system glitch that had suddenly appeared.

Clearly, someone had caused [Tomie] to come into being.

Soon, Hisui discovered the suspicious candidate: the only ordinary person unaffected by [Tomie]—Su Cuming.

He had tried to use the website to make Su Cuming a Strain, but he had failed.

That was interesting...

"Is it strange?" Su Cuming slowly stood up, his emerald eyes cold as he looked at Ryuta Sanman. It was clear that Ryuta Sanman was being controlled by someone else.

Ryuta Sanman tilted his head. "No, I respect your choice." Becoming a King was, after all, a mutual selection between the Slate and the chosen one.

Before the appearance of this generation’s Blue King, the researchers under the Non-Temporal Court had designated the current Red King, Anna Kushina, as the candidate.

Anna Kushina possessed an extremely high resonance with the Slate and could even use glass marbles for tracking and positioning.

After discovering her, the researchers had imprisoned her, attempting to artificially intervene in the resonance to force Anna Kushina to become the new Blue King.

It was much easier to control a young girl with no background as the Blue King.

Anna Kushina herself did not want to be a King. She did not understand what it meant to become one; she only knew that this cold place had brought her great pain and had taken her away from her parents.

She had steadfastly refused to resonate with the Slate, persisting for a long time.

However, this plan was ruined by the second Red King, Mikoto Suoh. HOMRA and Suoh had stormed the research facility to rescue Anna, and the Slate had eventually chosen someone else to be the Blue King.

Only after the fall of the second Red King did the young girl finally resolve her inner conflict and become the third Red King.

"When did you start targeting me?" Su Cuming calmly pulled the bewildered Atsushi Nakajima behind him. Ryuta Sanman naturally noticed the gesture and shrugged. "I will not take action. I am merely an observer."

He looked up at the sky, where the Blue King’s massive Damocles Sword shimmered with a steady light. "The one truly orchestrating all of this is not me."

Su Cuming did not believe a single word the man said. The person controlling Ryuta Sanman was likely also a King.

There is resonance between Kings.

"Not long ago. Please rest assured, I bear you no malice. I have come this time simply to make contact with you." To see if there was a possibility of future cooperation.

Ryuta Sanman smiled. "Although, it seems we do not have the time to chat much longer."

The Damocles Sword in the sky emitted a deafening hum. A blue barrier suddenly expanded, followed by a beam of light that nearly sliced the city in two, slamming violently into the barrier.

The pale blue barrier trembled, its dazzling light dimming significantly. The white mist that had previously been dispelled now surged back, thicker than before.

A scarlet shadow rolled within the white mist, gradually revealing a bizarre and shocking form.

It was a red [Dragon].

At the same time, many human figures appeared in the white mist. They radiated a faint glow, and their faceless visages marked their inhuman nature.

These were the ability crystals Tatsuhiko Shibusawa had collected over the years. The moment he himself became a singularity, they were all released to become his shock troops.

After saying this, Ryuta Sanman lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground. Atsushi Nakajima stepped forward to check on him; his breathing was steady—he was still alive.

"The person controlling him has left. Atsushi-kun, I fear we are in danger." Su Cuming looked at the ability manifestations circling them and gave a dry, bitter laugh.

Atsushi helped the unconscious Ryuta Sanman up and stood beside Su Cuming, his golden pupils narrowing in tension. The surrounding ability manifestations were poised to strike, and when the [Dragon] fired a second beam of light, they charged.

"Whoosh!" A flying blade sliced through the mist, precisely shattering the ability crystal that had lunged first. Immediately after, several youths in uniform appeared like shadows, their long swords unsheathed, easily repelling the attacking manifestations.

Su Cuming noticed the pale blue energy on their swords; it seemed the Blue King’s clansmen had arrived.

"Tch, still a step late. Let him slip away." Saruhiko Fushimi stepped out of the mist, adjusted his glasses, and looked at the unconscious Ryuta Sanman.

Su Cuming studied Saruhiko Fushimi. The other man noticed his gaze and glanced sideways at him.

The handsome, clear-featured youth clicked his tongue and said in a listless tone, "The culprit behind this fog is Tatsuhiko Shibusawa. Now, his ability has formed a singularity: the [Dragon]."

Fushimi pulled out his phone and dialed Munakata Reisi. "If we don't stop that thing, the entire world will soon be swallowed by the 'Draconic Room.' The British Clock Tower has activated a secret weapon with enough power to raze all of Yokohama, and even the entire Kanto region, to the ground."

"The Captain is currently fighting that thing, but..." Fushimi looked up at the great sword in the sky, its light significantly dimmed. "A lone hero cannot handle that thing alone."

The Blue King’s power leaned more toward protecting order; it was weaker in terms of raw combat. If the previous Red King, Mikoto Suoh, were here, he might have been able to go toe-to-toe with that dragon.

Thinking of this, Fushimi lowered his eyes to hide his emotions.

Su Cuming looked at the phone held out to him, the call already connected. Fushimi quickly moved past his own feelings, coldly scrutinizing the man before him.

This person had just refused to become a King. It was hard to say if he would refuse again, though they were not without a backup plan. The Port Mafia’s Gravity User was already on standby on a plane.

The investigation files showed that Su Cuming was a good person in every sense: gentle, polite, and valuing life highly—even willing to lend a hand to a youth filled with anomalies.

Saruhiko Fushimi felt it was worth a gamble. Everything he had just said was intended to add weight to the scales.

Su Cuming took the phone, and a clear, pleasant voice rang in his ear: [I am delighted to speak with you. I am Reisi Munakata.]