Raito's eyes glinted with renewed determination. Even after such a grueling battle, he had grown stronger. The Mireborn King was gone, his power now partially within Raito's grasp.

Raito's lips curved into a smirk. "This… this is just the beginning."

"Now… finally… I did it."

Raito exhaled as his knees nearly buckled.

Then it began

The ruins around him started to vanish.

Not crumble vanish.

The shattered walls, the broken towers, even the collapsed building beneath him, all began dissolving into thin air, turning to glimmering dust that faded upward.

"What the hell…?" Raito muttered, looking around. The ground beneath him was disappearing, replaced by white emptiness stretching in every direction. Then even the dark sky began to shift, its black clouds melting away until everything was pure white, endless and blinding.

"What's happening?" he whispered.

A golden light flared before him. From within it stepped the figure of the golden king, the former ruler of this place, clad once again in his shining armor. His steps made no sound as he approached.

Raito's eyes widened. "What the hell? You again?"

The king raised a calm hand. "There's no need to raise your guard, young warrior."

"You can… talk?" Raito asked, tensing still.

"Yes," the king said softly. "Though I am dead, my soul is stronger than most. Even after death, it lingers."

Raito's eyes narrowed. "So what happened? Why are you still here? Why, why did you make me strike you down when you were being controlled by the Mireborn King?"

The golden king's expression softened. "Because I could still control myself, if only barely. Had I continued to resist, you might have lost too much energy. I didn't want that. Letting you strike me down was the only way."

Raito frowned but nodded slowly. "I see…"

The king gave a faint, tired smile. "Thank you, for saving my people, Sir Raito. We have wandered as shadows for centuries. Our souls were trapped in that cursed Hall of Reflection, our shapes stolen by the Mireborn, our memories devoured. But now, because of you, we can finally rest."

Raito blinked. "Wait, how do you know my name?"

The king chuckled softly. "Oh… you still don't understand?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm the one who called you here," the king said, his golden light flickering. "I directed your path, guided your steps to this place."

Raito took a slow step forward. "You mean, you're the Unknown Observer?"

The king smiled faintly. "Indeed. The very same one your system kept showing you. And I'll say it again, thank you."

As he spoke, his form began to fade, the golden glow dissolving into motes of light.

"Please…" he said, lowering his head in a final bow. "Do it for me, for us first. Everything here is going to vanish."

He smiled one last time before his body completely disappeared, leaving Raito standing alone in the endless white void.

"What the hell is going on?" Raito shouted as a new notification blinked in front of him.

[SYSTEM WARNING]

▶ User will vanish if remaining in the dungeon for longer than one minute.

▶ Countdown initiated.

59… 58… 57…

"What!?" Raito's eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding me!"

He immediately activated Flight, his body bursting upward with a streak of light. The air around him rippled as he shot through the collapsing city, the ruins of the dungeon beginning to fade into white dust.

Every building, every mirror, every shattered reflection around him disintegrated.

[45 seconds remaining]

He pushed harder, the wind tearing against his face. "Come on COME ON!"

The dungeon began to twist and crumble like glass breaking apart in slow motion. At the far end, the massive stone gate that had sealed him in started to glow faintly, the exit.

[15 seconds remaining]

"Almost there!"

He dived toward the door, flying faster than he ever had before. The system's voice echoed in his ears, each number cutting through the roar of the collapsing world.

5… 4… 3… 2…

With a final burst of speed, Raito shot through the dungeon gate.

Light engulfed everything behind him.

The dungeon door slammed shut with a thunderous boom, then shattered into fragments of light, fading completely from existence.

Raito stumbled forward into the subway, gasping for air. The wrecked train still lay upside down, flickering lights casting dim shadows across the walls.

For a moment, everything was silent, then Raito let out a shaky laugh.

"Heh… I did it." He smiled faintly, his voice trembling with exhaustion and disbelief. "I really did it… I cleared it."

The air around him was still thick with mana residue, the last echo of the dungeon that had just been erased.

Raito stood there in the flickering lights, breathing heavily, knowing that this victory had come at the edge of death itself.

Raito turned his back toward the dim light behind him.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" a voice called out.

He froze. One of the cops had spotted the movement. The man stepped closer, his flashlight cutting through the dust filled air of the abandoned subway entrance. The yellow caution tape fluttered weakly, sliced clean through, and even the wooden boards meant to seal the place off were shattered.

"What the hell…?" The officer muttered, squinting. "Who cut this? We sealed this place weeks ago."

Raito didn't move. His back faced the light, shadows swallowing his figure.

"I just wanted to check something," Raito murmured quietly, though the officer couldn't hear him clearly.

"Was it you?" the cop asked, stepping closer, flashlight trembling slightly. He still couldn't see Raito's face.

Raito's voice dropped low. "System, activate Shadow Phase."

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

▶ Skill: Shadow Phase Activated

▶ Effect: User as now becomes invisible

In an instant, his figure dissolved into darkness, completely gone.

The cop blinked, shining his flashlight wildly. "What the,? Am I tripping or what?" He stepped forward, scanning the area. "I swear I saw somebody right here…"

He rubbed his forehead, sighing. "My wife was right. I need some damn sleep. I'm starting to see things."

He turned away, muttering to himself, unaware that Raito was standing just behind him—silent, unseen.

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