As Michael was guided toward the Empty Throne, his mind churned with unease. Every step echoed like a countdown. He couldn't shake the feeling that this was no ordinary summons. Perhaps Imu had grown tired of his defiance—of his refusal to submit. Maybe this would be the final ultimatum, just as the Elders had given… or worse.
What if this meeting isn't to convince me, but to erase me? The thought gnawed at him. What if he strips away my will, my mind… turns me into a puppet who lives only to obey?
Michael's expression hardened.
I must steel myself. No matter how this ends, I will not leave that room the same man who walked in.
As they neared the throne chamber, the CP0 agent walking beside him suddenly halted. Without warning, the agent's body erupted—exploded in a soundless, bloodless burst. Not a single drop of flesh remained. Just silence… and stillness.
Michael froze. His instincts screamed.
That wasn't an accident.
There was only one conclusion: the presence inside the chamber was responsible. Not through a gesture, not even a word—just sheer intent.
With a breath, Michael reached for the door. It creaked open, revealing a long, solemn hallway. A crimson carpet stretched before him, bordered by rows of ancient pillars that disappeared into shadows above. At the far end, where the light dimmed and the air seemed heavier, sat the Empty Throne.
But it wasn't empty.
A silhouette sat upon it, cloaked in shadows. Except for the eyes, the figure's shape was obscured, almost ethereal. Two glowing eyes, pale and cold, stared directly at Michael with a gaze that stripped him bare. Behind the throne loomed the unmistakable symbol of the World Government.
This was not a greeting.
This was judgment.
The pressure that filled the air was unlike anything Michael had ever experienced. Not even the combined Haki of the Five Elders had felt so suffocating. This… this was pure dominion. A gaze that didn't see a warrior or a noble, but something lower. Lesser.
Michael looked down for the first time in this second life. And he hated it.
"A noble so young, yet already possessing strength that rivals his elders," Imu spoke, his voice echoing across the vast chamber. It was deep, commanding, and laced with an unnatural resonance. "You are a true testament to the pride of the Celestials—a perfect creation from the bloodlines of the Twenty Kingdoms. And yet... you carry within you a stubbornness that is not tolerated."
The air thickened.
"I will forgive your behavior—for now. You are still young, not even in your twenties. But that youth ends today. From this moment forward, your life belongs to me. You will serve until your final breath. This is an honor, Michael. Few are given the privilege of serving the creator of the world directly."
With each word, Imu's strange haki poured outward—not just pressure, but something deeper. Something ancient.
Michael felt his knees almost buckle. It was as if the sky itself pressed down on his shoulders. Each syllable Imu uttered crushed him further, stealing his breath, paralyzing his voice. His lungs burned, but he could not speak.
Is this... the strength of the final boss of the world? Michael thought, watching as Imu's form shimmered—fluid, shifting between shadows and solidity.
Then, without warning, Michael laughed.
A raw, defiant laugh that echoed off the cold marble walls.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Imu paused. His glowing eyes narrowed.
"I don't let anyone dictate my fate," Michael said between ragged breaths. His body trembled, but not from fear. "That has always been my pride."
For a moment, silence reigned.
Imu didn't speak. He didn't move. But the aura around him darkened like a storm collapsing in on itself. And then—
Snap.
A tail-like appendage of pure shadow lashed out, aimed like a spear. Imu had launched it without ceremony—fast, deadly. But Michael teleported instantly, disappearing just before it pierced the ground where he'd stood.
Yet it wasn't over.
Bang! Bang!
From Imu's shifting hands, a dark, monstrous form emerged—two barrels made of living shadow. Imu fired.
The bullets struck Michael mid-teleport—he reappeared only to be thrown backward, blood bursting from his shoulder and side as he crashed into one of the distant marble pillars.
He predicted me…? Michael thought, gritting his teeth in pain.
Imu stepped forward from the throne, his voice colder now.
"I am not offering you a choice, Michael, this is something inevitable, so let it happen."
"Thou shalt cast aside thy lifespan, for a body unyielding to death. Under Mu's dominion, thou shalt be granted unprecedented strength. No longer shalt thou be bound by reason nor common sense!! Becoming a demon is truly the pinnacle of existence!!" Imu then cast a spell, binding Michael to the floor, with an abyssal mark visible.
"A COEURL: DEMONIC CONTRACT! DOMI REVERSI!!!" Imu then finished with the abyssal mark, slowly sinking Michael, who still can't move despite all of his strength. The floor was glowing as it was welcoming Michael into their dominion, while his eyes were slowly changing, with its design slowly resembling the design of Imu's red eyes.
'Is this my end? Is this the fate I am subjected to? i would be a mindless robot that would serve Imu for the rest of his living days, my situation is even worse than the God's Knights as they can act on their own accord except if they have a mission,' Michael thought as he was slowly sinking in the floor, being devoured by a hell like dimension, and having no idea what would happen after.