The Silent Deity: Saiki Kusuo in Tensura

The candles in the study flickered gently, casting a warm glow across the room filled with towering shelves of ancient books, scrolls, and intricate ornaments. The scent of parchment, wood polish, and a subtle mix of herbal tea filled the air—soothing, calming, almost meditative. This was Veldora's private chamber, a sacred sanctuary of knowledge, silence, and reflection.

He sat comfortably in a large armchair embroidered in deep navy and gold. One leg crossed over the other, a cup of tea in his hand, posture perfect—regal and still. His golden eyes watched the fire crackle quietly in the hearth, his aura calm but ever imposing.

Across from him sat Guy Crimson, the Crimson King himself—silent, contemplative, and for the first time in eons, visibly humbled.

Just moments ago, Shuna had placed the tea tray between them with her usual grace, bowed with respect, and exited the room with only the sound of her soft footsteps fading behind her. And though it seemed like just the two of them were there, Saiki Kusuo floated invisibly just above, savoring his usual coffee jelly while keeping a bored but watchful eye on both of them.

Veldora took a sip of his tea and finally broke the silence with a smooth voice, one filled with wisdom and power, reminiscent of a ruler who had lived millennia.

"So tell me, Crimson... Have you found what you were looking for?"

Guy didn't answer right away. His crimson eyes dropped to the surface of his tea, watching the faint ripples that danced with each breath he exhaled. His sharp jaw was clenched, and his shoulders were tense, like a man carrying more than he could bear.

"You asked to face Diablo to see the gap between you and the Transcendent Demons. So… did you find that answer?"

There was no mockery in Veldora's voice—only curiosity, a master assessing the thoughts of another ancient being.

Guy finally sighed and nodded slowly.

"Yes… I've found it. The gap is terrifying. I knew Diablo was strong, but I didn't think it would feel so… absolute."

Veldora's eyes narrowed slightly with interest, and he gently placed his cup down on its saucer with a clink.

"I see. Then let me enlighten you further—Diablo didn't even use his full power."

Guy's eyes widened, and for a moment, time stood still for him.

"What…?" he breathed out.

The memories of the battle came flooding back—Diablo's calm smile, his unhurried movements, his casual avoidance of lethal strikes, and the sheer pressure he emitted without raising his voice or even looking remotely stressed. And now Veldora was telling him that that wasn't even Diablo's full strength?

"That can't be," Guy said, shaking his head. "I was serious. I went all out. My pride as the Crimson King—my everything—was on the line!"

Veldora chuckled, deep and low, the sound echoing gently in the warm room.

"And yet, Diablo was not."

Guy felt a shiver crawl down his spine. He didn't know whether it was fear, humiliation, or awe.

"Then does that mean… his full power is beyond even what I can imagine?"

Veldora leaned forward slightly, eyes gleaming like molten gold.

"This world, my friend, is far bigger than we assume. Just when you believe you've grasped its truths—bam! Something unimaginable reveals itself. People say the sky is the limit, but no… there is no limit. No matter how high you climb, there is always something—or someone—above you."

Guy clenched his fists.

"The abyss…" Veldora continued. "It's not a place. It's a concept. A reality. And once you stare into it… you realize—it never ends."

Saiki let out a small chuckle from above, invisible to both, and popped another spoonful of coffee jelly into his mouth.

Guy exhaled deeply and leaned back in his chair. His eyes, usually sharp and full of superiority, now carried something else—acceptance… and humility.

"Your brother… Veldanava," Guy began quietly. "He gave me a mission long ago. To act as a mediator… to maintain the balance of this world. I was proud to hold that role. I believed I could keep the peace, suppress chaos, maintain the structure."

He looked up at Veldora with a bitter smile.

"But now I see the balance has long since been shattered. And if you, or your Transcendent Generals, ever decided to destroy everything… there would be nothing I could do to stop it."

Veldora listened patiently, folding his hands together like a wise king hearing the words of a fallen knight.

"I'm a prideful man," Guy admitted, "But even pride must bow to reality. I can no longer call myself the mediator of this world. Not when I can't even grasp the depth of power that walks beside me."

Veldora didn't answer right away. He stood slowly, walking toward the grand window that overlooked the dark, moonlit sky of the Storm Kingdom. He gazed into the horizon for a few seconds before speaking.

"True strength lies not just in power, but in understanding. You've taken the first step, Crimson. Don't be ashamed of being surpassed—be grateful. For now, you've glimpsed the path beyond limits."

Guy stood up slowly, placing his teacup on the table. He approached the window beside Veldora.

"What now then, O Wise Storm King?"

Veldora smirked at the compliment, one hand resting behind his back in a noble pose.

"Now, we prepare. There are far greater forces in this cosmos—some still slumbering, some watching us as we speak. Diablo is only one among many. And when the time comes… I'll need warriors who have conquered their pride and embraced growth."

He turned toward Guy and extended a hand.

"Will you be one of them, Crimson?"

Guy stared at the hand, eyes flickering between uncertainty and determination. Then, slowly, he reached out and clasped it.

"I will."

And from above, Saiki muttered with a sigh, his spoon scraping the bottom of the cup:

"Took him long enough."

Then Veldora leaned back in his seat, his piercing golden eyes narrowed with a calm authority. The air around him pulsed faintly, and the room, lit softly by glowing crystal lanterns, fell silent.

"Very well," he said, his voice low and firm. "Let me bestow upon you my blessing… then, Crimson."

Guy's crimson eyes widened. He blinked, lips parting slightly. "What?" His voice cracked—not in fear, but sheer disbelief. He had expected advice, maybe a cryptic riddle from the Storm Dragon… but this?

"I said what I said." Veldora rose from his seat, brushing back the long strands of silver hair from his face, his cloak rippling as energy began to pool around him. "From this day forward, you will stand among those who truly dwell beyond limits."

Guy's sharp gaze remained fixed on Veldora, calculating, cautious. "You're serious," he whispered.

Veldora's response was a knowing smirk. But before the ritual began—before fate was rewritten—Veldora's mind wandered briefly…

A few moments earlier…

Within Veldora's vast soul chamber, where the storm of time and space roared quietly like a sleeping beast, he had consulted with the one who had become his greatest companion in intellect and perception—Saiki Kusuo.

Saiki stood, or rather floated, arms crossed and his expression forever unreadable, even when invisible. His words echoed directly into Veldora's mind, bypassing sound.

"Guy Crimson is arrogant, but not evil. He walks with pride because no one ever truly challenged him... until Diablo. You saw how he struggled. You saw how he changed. Now, he questions. That makes him ready."

Veldora folded his arms, a thoughtful hum vibrating in his throat.

"You think I should evolve him?"

"He's useful. And he'll be more useful later. There are worse beings than prideful kings."

Veldora smiled. "Then… let it be done."

Back to the present.

A sudden shift in the atmosphere snapped Guy out of his thoughts. A strange warmth crawled across the back of his neck. Then—whoooom—a spherical barrier encased the room, swirling with layers of cosmic symbols, ancient draconic runes, and celestial lights. The air thickened like a pressure cooker sealed shut.

Guy slowly stood up, every instinct on high alert. "What… what are you doing, Veldora?"

Veldora's hand lifted, and from his palm, a storm of energy surged upward. Thunder cracked silently across the ceiling. "Do not resist. This is a blessing from one who commands the tempest of the void."

Then, in a voice that echoed with reality-shaking force, Veldora declared:

"From this day forth, your name under my divine storm shall be—Guy Crimson."

And the world changed.

Suddenly, Guy's body seized.

His legs buckled as the ground seemed to vanish beneath him. His chest expanded involuntarily, his heart pounding like a war drum. Then came the flood—

An overwhelming surge of demonic power, deep and ancient, crashed into him like a tsunami. It wasn't violent… but vast. Vast beyond comprehension.

Guy gasped, clutching his chest. "This… this power—!!"

He screamed—not in agony, but as if his very soul was being peeled open and rewritten. His veins glowed, his skin darkened and then flared with radiant lines of magic and cursed scripture.

His essence, his core, was being rebuilt from the void up. He felt every layer of himself—physical, mental, and spiritual—stripped down to raw energy… and then remade.

A swirling black vortex manifested behind him, filled with fiery crimson light. Inside, visions of the void flashed—realities bending, universes collapsing, the hands of gods trembling.

He felt everything.

The evolution was not gentle. It was cosmic.

He felt himself falling into the abyss, into madness, only to claw his way back up with wings of shadow and flame.

Elsewhere…

Just outside the room, the other Transcendent Demons stirred. They had sensed it—the rupture, the ascension.

Diablo sipped tea and smiled.

Testarossa crossed her legs and chuckled. "It seems our lord Veldora has chosen to evolve Guy Crimson."

Carrera scoffed with a grin. "Tch. He probably begged for it."

Ultima snorted. "Hopefully this knocks the smugness out of him. He walks like he owns the universe."

Back in the barrier…

The demonic energy reached its climax. Lightning of pure crimson thundered within the storm bubble. Guy's silhouette became indistinct—only his presence remained.

A monstrous aura spiraled around him—demonic, celestial, transcendent.

Then, silence.

The magic faded.

The barrier dissolved.

And standing at the center was Guy Crimson—unchanged in form, yet utterly different. His posture, his gaze, his aura—it was no longer that of a king. It was that of a sovereign of reality.

He opened his eyes slowly, and they glowed like burning red suns. His first breath post-evolution sent ripples across space. His fingers curled, and the air obeyed.

"…So this is how Diablo feels," he whispered, his voice steady but filled with awe. "No wonder I couldn't defeat him…"

His senses were sharp. He could feel the vibrations of the world, the weight of dimensions, the tremors in other planes. The arrogance was gone—not crushed, but evolved into something else.

Understanding.

Veldora smirked. "Welcome to the layer above, Crimson."

Guy turned toward him slowly. "This… this power. Even if I had trained for ten thousand years, I would have never touched it."

"You're right," Veldora said. "Because what you were lacking… was not strength. It was perspective."

Guy smiled—a rare, sincere one.

"For the first time in centuries… I feel like I've only just begun."

Veldora nodded, pleased. "Then rise, Transcendent Demon of Crimson Sovereignty. The balance you once tried to maintain alone… you shall now keep with all of us."