The Silent Deity: Saiki Kusuo in Tensura

In a dimension unseen by mortals, where time bent like glass under heat, Apollyon sat hunched forward, grinning.

His throne—woven from regret and deception—glowed with eerie pulses as whispers floated from his lips into the world of men.

He saw the pieces moving.

Rudra, once a proud emperor, now cracked from within.

Granbell Rosso, master manipulator, now twitching with suspicion.

And yet... something wasn't right.

The Storm Kingdom—it was moving too cleanly.

Too quickly.

As if they already knew what he was trying to do.

Apollyon narrowed his eyes at the swirling vision before him.

Apollyon (softly):

"…To the Eastern Empire. The Rosso estate.

Fortifications across the trade borders.

Spies in the markets.

…Interesting."

He leaned back, folding his fingers.

Apollyon:

"Is this coincidence… or is someone countering me?"

He chuckled.

Apollyon:

"Very well.

Let the game continue."

Meanwhile, in the Eastern Empire...

The great marble halls of the imperial palace echoed with Rudra's heavy footsteps.

He wore his armor now more than his robes.

He hardly smiled.

His eyes—once warm with pride—were sharp, tired, and haunted.

He stood before a war map, muttering to himself.

Rudra:

"They all praise Veldora now… call him king…

Call him wise.

Even Velgrynd…"

He clenched a fist.

And in the back of his mind—the voice came again.

Smooth. Icy. Deceptive.

Apollyon's Whisper:

"They're watching you.

Even your closest generals…

One of them is already a traitor.

The Storm Kingdom's reach is deep.

If you don't act soon, it'll be too late."

Rudra's eyes narrowed.

He turned around swiftly, glaring at the guard behind him.

Rudra (coldly):

"Where is General Kaelion?"

The guard blinked. "He was summoned yesterday, Your Majesty. He hasn't returned since."

Rudra:

"…I see."

What the guard didn't know…

Was that Kaelion was dead.

Replaced.

By Testarossa.

She now wore his face. His armor. His voice.

And she stood silently beside the Emperor's council, listening, learning, waiting.

Testarossa's red eyes glowed faintly behind the illusion.

Testarossa (thinking):

"The Emperor's mind is crumbling faster than expected…

Testarossa (aloud):

"Your Majesty, perhaps you should rest."

Rudra (snapping):

"Silence. I don't need your advice. None of you can be trusted."

He walked away, and the whole room felt colder.

Meanwhile, in the West… at the Rosso Family Estate

Granbell Rosso, a man in his late fifties, stood in the center of a golden chamber with eyes twitching and fists clenched.

Granbell (muttering):

"They're watching me. I can feel it. One of my own… someone here… a traitor."

A voice slithered in his mind.

Apollyon's Whisper:

"They know everything.

Your secrets. Your deals.

Your ally—Lord Thaddus—he's already compromised."

Granbell looked across the room at Thaddus, a balding noble with a calm face.

And without hesitation—

SLASH.

A dagger to the heart.

Thaddus collapsed, blood staining the marble floor.

Granbell (panting):

"Loyalty is dead… only power remains."

Standing in the shadows, watching with a faint smirk…

Was Diablo.

Wearing the illusion of another noble.

The real one—already buried beneath the Rosso vineyards.

Diablo (thinking):

"He's falling apart faster than anticipated. How… delightful."

Back in the Storm Kingdom…

The moonlight filtered through the stained-glass windows of the throne room.

Veldora stood alone, arms crossed, eyes closed.

In his mind—he spoke to Saiki.

Veldora (telepathy):

"They're both cracking. Just as you predicted."

Saiki:

"Yeah, Apollyon's going all in. He thinks his whispers are clever. But they're getting sloppy."

Veldora:

"Granbell killed his own man. Rudra suspects even his generals."

Saiki:

"And I've seen this before. Classic villain arc. Paranoia. Isolation. Self-destruction."

Veldora:

"Good. Let them fall apart from within. But we keep watching."

At that very moment, Souei appeared beside the throne without a sound.

Souei:

"Your Majesty. All assigned agents have reported in. Surveillance of allied kingdoms is stable. No major disturbances… yet."

Veldora:

"Continue monitoring. Alert me if even a whisper sounds off."

Souei bowed and vanished.

In a private hall, Ultima leaned against a stone pillar, reading through a scroll of coded messages.

Her eyes flicked from name to name.

Ultima (thinking):

"Hmm… So the Rosso family still has ties to underground cells in Coleus and Sarion.

Better mark them for investigation."

She sent a signal—one blink from her communication ring.

Instantly relayed to the shadow army.

Elsewhere, Carrera stood atop a spire in Raja, scanning the palace through a monocle-like lens crafted with detection magic.

Carrera (muttering):

"Nothing suspicious… yet. But if someone so much as breathes on a secret, I'll know."

In the sky above the world, Saiki floated—completely invisible—legs crossed midair, eating a fresh cup of coffee jelly.

He was calm.

Expressionless.

But completely in control.

Saiki (thinking):

"Yare yare...Apollyon's pulling every string, but all he's doing is tightening the rope around his own neck.

Let him keep whispering."

He tossed the empty cup. It blinked into a trash bin on the other side of the continent.

Perfect shot.

Apollyon, far away in his void throne, hissed.

He didn't know why…

But he felt something was wrong.

Like a thread in his tapestry had gone loose.

He stood up slowly.

Apollyon:

"Someone is interfering. Someone I cannot see…"

His lips curled.

Apollyon:

"Futile.

You cannot stop me.

This world… belongs to me."

And his whispers continued, thicker than ever.