Just as Ryusei had suspected, the waters were dark—far darker than he ever could have imagined.
But with Sense Detail still active, he could at least grasp what lay in the depths. As he swam deeper, a strange thing occurred: the water grew warmer. That was... odd. Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around?
Still, he couldn't afford to get distracted. This was a dungeon, after all.
He continued his descent, and the water began to clear. Soon, he reached a shimmering surface.
With a moment's hesitation, he breached it—and the world flipped.
A bright blue sky stretched above him, scattered with soft clouds. What was even more bizarre was the fact that he didn't sink. He could slither across the surface as if it were solid. As he scanned his surroundings, a deep, distorted voice echoed from behind, startling him.
"Challenger from above, why have you come here?"
Ryusei whipped around and dropped into a defensive stance.
A knight sat upon a golden throne. Clad in silver armor that glinted under the twin suns, his hands rested on a massive greatsword embedded in the water.
Ryusei narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?!"
The armored figure remained perfectly still—so still, Ryusei couldn't sense even the faintest trace of breath, despite Sense Detail still being active.
Then, at last, the knight spoke.
"Who am I...? It has been so long since anyone has asked me that question."
He paused, searching the air for an answer before continuing in a tone stripped of life.
"I am Vazrothvra, The End. I have reached the end of all weapons."
What a weird name... Ryusei thought, shielding his eyes from the gleam with his tail. The knight towered over him—easily twice Haku's size.
But Ryusei still didn't understand why this being—monster?—was here. Just sitting. Not guarding, not attacking. Waiting?
So he asked.
"What are you doing here? Inside a dungeon?"
"I cannot remember."
Amnesia? But he remembers that long title just fine...
The knight's voice held no emotion, which unnerved Ryusei. He couldn't read him. But his next words made his intention painfully clear.
"You are weak. Too weak."
Ryusei twitched. "What?! Hey, I might look cute and helpless, but I'm actually pretty strong, y'know—not to brag or anything!"
The being ignored his protest. Instead, he asked another question.
"Why do you not evolve?"
Ryusei frowned deeper. His voice sharpened with frustration.
"If I could, I would've done it a long time ago!"
Vazrothvra remained still, his words heavy.
"I see... You have yet to gain your ego. Why?"
Ryusei tilted his head. "Ego?"
Vazrothvra elaborated.
"The ego—the shape of the soul. It is what you require to reach the rank of Tyrant. So tell me, what form will your ego take?"
The question stirred something within Ryusei—a memory he hadn't just forgotten, but one that had been taken from him.
Back in the orphanage... in his past life, he had been quiet, observant.
The place wore a warm mask, but behind closed doors, it was something else entirely. A government-backed project hid beneath its surface: The Selection Process.
Children were trained to be modern-day assassins. Only the talented were treated well. The rest? Trash.
Ryusei survived using his looks—and he learned to wield them like a weapon. He observed how people reacted to his appearance, then played the role they expected.
Over time, that skill twisted into something darker: manipulation. He learned how to move people like pieces on a chessboard.
That was until age sixteen, when he completed his final mission—assassinating the president of an enemy nation.
After that, the memories faded. Suppressed. Sealed.
Then came his fascination with snakes. But now... he questioned everything.
Was his ego the cold soul of a killer? Or the quiet boy who adored serpents? Was the current Ryusei just another mask?
Damn it. Why now? Why did I have to remember this? They made me forget for a reason.
Still, none of that mattered at the moment. Right now, he had to focus. He had a gut feeling that Vazrothvra held the key to clearing this floor.
"I don't know what kind of ego I have... or will have," Ryusei muttered, "but I need to get out of here. You know how, don't you?"
For a moment, Ryusei thought he detected hesitation in the knight's voice.
"Yes... You must defeat the floor boss of the third floor, and then the dungeon boss of the fifth."
Then, slowly, Vazrothvra moved—his head first, then his body. He stood up from the throne.
Ryusei's eyes widened in both awe and terror.
The knight seemed even more colossal once he rose. He drew his sword from the water and gave it a casual swing. The wind it generated nearly blew Ryusei off his feet.
Then the knight declared:
"And that floor boss... is me. Vazrothvra, The End."
Ryusei had suspected it—but he'd hoped otherwise. Because now that it was confirmed, one thought gnawed at him.
How the hell am I supposed to beat this guy? He's a damn fortress with mana pouring off him like a waterfall...
"Ready yourself."
"W-Wait! Can't we, uh, talk this out?!" Ryusei blurted, his voice trembling.
"..."
Vazrothvra said nothing. He simply tightened his grip around the sword hilt—larger than Ryusei himself.
Ryusei's expression sharpened. His voice dropped, eerily calm.
"I guess not."
The battle was set.
A giant known as The End... and the snake who, in comparison, seemed no more than an ant.
But what Ryusei didn't yet realize—was that the assassin within him had begun to stir. And with it, something inside was starting to awaken.
And the only way to find out… was to
defeat the thing that stood before him—an overwhelming presence cloaked in armor, radiating an immeasurable surge of mana.
And so, the clash began—between a Tyrant-ranked floor boss and a King-ranked snake.