The two gatekeepers of Hell seemed ready to expel the hybrid being who had stepped into the lowest realm of all—breathing and alive—just as Skyler shut his mouth. They were annoyed by his sudden outburst.
However, before they could act, a cold, mirthless whisper echoed through the air.
"It's been so long... so long..."
The voice didn't come from Skyler, whose eyes widened in shock at the familiarity. It came from behind him—from the swirling Dark Evol that had quietly gathered there.
The two gatekeepers flinched, their eyes locking onto the ominous shadow looming behind the small, frail mortal, who carried a strange mix of scents—as if he had lived far too long, or perhaps, far too many lives.
A faint chuckle slipped from the mass of darkness that had escaped from Skyler's body—it was very weak, almost fragile.
Yet its presence alone compelled the two gatekeepers to lower their unblinking eyes, as instinctive fear and an undeniable urge to obey took hold of their very beings.
Skyler's grip on Riruru tightened.
She seemed unaffected; however, he was overwhelmed by the oppressive darkness.
He had never imagined that the two figures dwelling in his subconscious could manifest outside his body; he had believed they could only show themselves by taking control of it.
Still, his curiosity made it impossible for him to obediently stay still like the Gatekeepers.
He couldn't resist glancing over his shoulder, wanting to see the one who had just spoken.
Yet, the moment his eyes met the intensely glowing pair of dark eyes within the mass of Dark Evol, something inside him cracked. A tiny fragment of memory—ancient, buried, and lost to time—flared to life in his mind.
It was him. Another version of himself.
An older version, standing tall before the ruins of the shattered Gate of Hell, a dark crown clutched casually in his hand. Not a hint of a smile touched his cold face as he stared down upon an army of dark beings and demons prostrating all around him.
With a cold finality, he crushed the skull of the creature beneath his boot and declared in a voice that made the very realm tremble.
"I am the new ruler of Hell. I will sit upon Hell's Throne. Remember this—engrave it into your skulls if you want Hell to exist."
A wild chuckle escaped his lips.
"After all, being good is useless. I'm done with that. The Thrones of virtue only forced me to start over, again and again. This time, I will fight Heaven—not as someone similar, but as a being they despise. I will become a demon. Or maybe… a devil will do just fine."
The memory shattered after that as Skyler collapsed onto his back, unconscious. He landed softly on the uneven, rocky ground.
Riruru, who had been anxiously wanting to slip out of his grasp and look for the dying voice she could hear, instantly panicked.
A familiar light shimmered around her body as she reverted to her human form, quickly lowering herself to lift his head into her lap, desperately trying to wake him.
"Skyler... Skyler!"
She gasped when his eyes remained shut, guilt crashing over her like a storm. It was all her fault. She had put him in danger. She should have calmly explained everything to him first, but instead, she had followed the instinct to chase the dying voice—driven by the fear that if it truly disappeared, a large part of herself would vanish along with it.
A faint, frustrated grunt echoed through the air as the Dark Evol hovering above Skyler slipped back into his still body, muttering.
"He shouldn't have remembered that. He isn't meant to recall what no longer exists. Doing so would make him lose himself. Yet, he keeps crossing the set boundaries."
Riruru flinched at the voice, but her eyes lit up when Skyler's eyes flickered open—dark, ominous, and icy. He lifted himself and fixed his gaze on the two trembling gatekeepers.
A hoarse voice slipped from his lips.
"You will forget what you saw. Now, sleep. Until the next overseer brings more sinners to Hell. It's an order from the Fallen King."
The gatekeepers collapsed instantly, their towering forms crashing down with a loud impact, their eyes closing obediently.
Skyler's eyes shifted to Riruru, who looked at him quietly, a frown creasing her brows.
She looked very confused—and, for some reason, even edged away from him slightly, as if she could sense he was not the same person she knew. A small smile tugged at his lips. Her instincts were razor-sharp.
But he wouldn't expect less from her. After all, many fragments of her had become the strongest in the realms they were in—even though they were destined to die young.
He raised his hand with and flicked his fingers sharply right before her eyes.
"You too. Rest now. You've exhausted your divinity—that's not good for your health."
He whispered, and Riruru fainted.
A bright light enveloped her body as she transformed back into her snake form.
Skyler coughed suddenly, blood trickling from his lips as he clicked his tongue.
"His body is still so weak. What is he even doing with all the knowledge we gave him? Just go—and fucking become stronger."
He forced himself to his feet and hurriedly opened the Gate of Hell, gritting his teeth.
"I've exhausted too much of my power. Damn it. I won't be waking up for a while."
The dark color in his gaze faded, replaced by a blue hue as he disappeared, relinquishing control of the breaking body back to Skyler and leaving behind one final message.
'The other will guide you next, you reckless fool. I told you to just follow her. She would lead you. Yet, you can't even do that right.'
Skyler clutched his chest, gasping as he finally regained full control of his body.
The small amount of Evol he had managed to restore within his elemental crystals was drained once again—and this time, the pain nearly brought him to his knees. He took a long, deep breath to steady himself, only to freak out the moment he realized he was standing before the open Gate of Hell.
"Fuck…!"
He stumbled back in alarm, eyes darting around. The moment he spotted Riruru in the distance, he rushed over and scooped her up, sighing in relief when he realized she was completely fine and just asleep.
His gaze then shifted to the two collapsed gatekeepers. Quietly, he edged closer and gave one of them a powerful, firm kick.
"That's for trying to intimidate me. Tsk. I would've done more for a good revenge—but knowing I once ruled this dark realm, I won't stoop that low as your former king."
The smugness in his words was enough to stir his dark side—which had barely closed his eyes to fall into slumber for a while—to want to resurface just to strangle him.
This shameless fool had glimpsed only a tiny fragment of an old memory and was already convinced he was the King of Hell.
Luckily, his good side intervened in time.
Unaware of everything else, Skyler peered into the open Gate of Hell, curiosity burning in his sparkling eyes as he quickly hid Riruru inside the dark jacket he retrieved from his storage ring and slipped on over his shirt.
To think he ruled Hell—how overpowered. He was the true protagonist. Who the hell even made Max Hales the protagonist?
Probably some foolish old geezer.
"Hurry up. Speak up—the one who's meant to guide me. I don't have all day! Moreover, I still need to sort out my thoughts, which are a bit jumbled right now due to so much."
Now even his good side was speechless.
Skyler groaned. His body ached fiercely—every muscle screaming for rest. And he knew it was all because it was controlled.
Suddenly, a calm voice echoed within his subconscious, urging him to enter the Gate of Hell first. Taking a deep breath, he finally stepped through, his face solemn. When he had peeked inside the towering gate earlier, all he saw was darkness and nothing more.
Maybe that was why, as he stepped inside, all he initially noticed was a dense, swirling cloud of smoke—thick and suffocating.
But with his second step, the haze parted, revealing an entirely different environment—a nightmarish vision unfolding before him. He found himself standing at the edge of a vast, blood-red sea, its waters churning.
Countless boats drifted across the violent crimson waves, crewed by demonic figures—horned beings with obsidian skin, clad in robes, and sharp eyes. They laughed wildly, their sinister amusement echoing in the air.
Clutched in their hands were wooden planks—tools of torment with which they ruthlessly herded wailing souls, desperate and crying, drowning them in the blood-red waters.
"What the..."
Skyler stepped back, his earlier smugness about once being the King of Hell gone, as a sheen of sweat formed on his forehead.
He actually wanted to turn and run, but the voice in his subconscious said otherwise.
'No. Keep moving forward.'