Kaiser, or rather Klein, stood in black liquid where the echoes of his own footsteps did not return to him.

" You told me I mattered, Kaiser," murmured a voice, "You took my hand, you promised me a future where I would no longer be a pariah, only to use me and throw me away... Why are you so cruel, Kaiser." Jessica Karlton’s face materialized before disappearing.

Kaiser wanted to answer, but his throat seemed obstructed. Jessica advanced, her tearful eyes fixed on him, and grabbed him by the throat.

" You manipulated my naivety to get what you wanted." she continued. " You looked at my lifeless body in that alley,... You only deserve death, Kaiser..."

Before he could make a gesture, Jessica’s silhouette twisted to give way to two men he knew all too well.

His brother Isaak, whose face was half disfigured by his blows, and his father, Addams Paragon. Isaak wore a mocking smile, but his eyes were empty of all life.

"Look at us, little brother," snarled Isaak.

"I gave you everything, Kaiser," said Addams in a voice that was nothing more than a wet hiss in his perforated lungs. " You caused our death... I told you not to get involved in the disputes of the legendary families..."

Kaiser felt his heart tighten.

" You have my blood on your hands little brother... As well as that of my girlfriend. You’re a dirty bastard... You deserve to die too. "

" I died to save you, Kaiser, " she murmured." But who have you saved since? You claim to be the Predator, but you only devour those who love you.... I regret saving you Kaiser. Your mother would be ashamed of you."

Ruby wore no trace of anger, only that infinite sadness he had seen in her eyes at the moment when the light of the portal had engulfed him.

" What is wrong with all of you!? Stop bothering me! I know you’re not real! "

" Are you sure? " Asked Jessica as her smile widened.

" Back to hell, Jessica. Stop tormenting me! "

" Hell is for criminals of your kind. I will come for your soul, Kaiser. Do not doubt it. "

The setting changed abruptly.

Kaiser found himself alone at the top of a hill made exclusively of human corpses. Thousands of bodies stretched as far as the eye could see under a Tenebris sky, a sea of inert flesh of which he was the only living occupant.

" Where am I? Actually I know where I am? "

He knew, with certainty that it was a vision imposed by Sulyvhan’s essence. It was the price of domination: a necessary genocide for humans alienated by angels.

" No, "he murmured, his hands shaking as he contemplated the extent of the carnage." I can’t do that... " The nauseating smell of blood rising to his nostrils.

" I will come for your soul, Kaiser. " Arcane mana surged giving him goosebumps.

" What, who are you? "

Kaiser looked up at the sky and saw...

"KUH!!!"

He woke up with a start, his body shaken by violent tremors and his forehead covered in cold sweats.

" Fuck..., "murmured Klein to himself, with his breathing ragged.

An infernal headache hammered his temples, a direct consequence of the instability of his emotions due to the nightmares he experienced every evening.

" Is this a memory from the past of the millennial war or a vision of the future? "

Kaiser was still in the inn, the smell of old wood confirming to him that he had returned to reality.

The dull morning light filtered through the curtains, highlighting the deep dark circles that marked his face.

He stood up with difficulty, and looked for something to calm his nerves. His fingers found a pack of cigarettes on the bedside table. As he was about to bring one to his lips and light it, a firm hand seized his wrist.

"You should stop that," said Diavolo.

Kaiser did not bother to turn around. He violently pushed the man’s hand away.

"I have an infernal headache, old man, stop bothering me," spat Kaiser with disdain.

He lit his cigarette, the first puff of smoke invading his lungs and bringing an illusion of calm to his chaotic thoughts.

His gaze lost itself in the gray smoke that rose toward the ceiling. He was Kaiser D. Paragon, the leader of Black Neon, Sulyvhan, and the spiritual disciple of Konstantine, and yet, in this moment of solitude, he was only a man haunted by his mistakes...

’ As the system says the voice of The Usurper... Becoming Antichrist... I wonder what that really means. ’

Diavolo remained motionless, observing the young man with an indecipherable expression.

"The road to power is paved with regrets, baby boy," said Diavolo softly.

"If you continue to ignore these signs, you will end up like Sulyvhan, prisoner of his own swords."

Kaiser let out a cynical laugh.

" History is written by the victors, old man, and I have no intention of ending up like Sulyvhan." retorted Kaiser while slicking his long silver hair back.

" If I have to become a Predator to protect what remains of this world from these superior beings, then so be it. I will be the most formidable among them."

He headed toward the window and opened it with a sharp motion, letting the fresh air from outside enter the room.

" You are really taking on Sulyvhan’s habits. You should not let his essence consume you but merge with him..." said Diavolo, quite amused by the situation.

Kaiser did not turn his head.

"It’s easier said than done and besides I have my problems..." replied Kaiser in a casual tone.

Diavolo smiled: "What could you have possibly done to be so tormented Baby boy ?" 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

The black elf’s smile revealed his golden teeth, making the words "FUCK THEM" shimmer in the sunlight. He approached Kaiser.

Kaiser sighed: "You know, when you’re no longer young you make mistakes that cannot be corrected and it torments us..."

" Did you cause the death of someone you care about? Or is it because of your brother that you had to kill." asked Diavolo, his tone suddenly becoming more serious, although his eyes continued to sparkle with curiosity.

Kaiser paused, the ashes of his cigarette falling onto his black leather boots. The pain of losing Ruby, his nanny and maternal figure, was an open wound that even after all this time, he would blame himself for because even after killing Katrina, it wasn’t really her who was the problem.

" It bothers me a bit... Both, let’s say."