"Even silence has power. But some words deserve to be answered."
The sun had already slipped behind the ridge when the four of them arrived at a crooked sign reading "The Broken Fang Inn."
The place was rowdy even by demon-realm standards — flickering lights, slurred laughter, and the smell of roasted wyvern meat spilling into the street.
Inside, the crowd was a mix of demons, beastkin, and — surprisingly — humans.
Most of them wore ragged armor but carried themselves like killers who'd seen too many battles.
Asura, barely reaching the counter's height, rested his chin on the wooden edge.
"Four rooms, please."
The innkeeper, a bulky Oni with one horn snapped off, nodded politely. "That'll be—"
A voice from the corner interrupted with a laugh.
"Oi! What's a runt like you doin' askin' for rooms?"
The table beside the hearth turned. A group of human adventurers, cloaks tattered, weapons still caked with dried blood.
Their eyes glinted with the kind of arrogance Asura had seen too many times before.
"You lost, kid?" one sneered. "Demon realm's no place for playdates."
Another smirked. "Wait—he's a demon. The tiny one. I thought demons were supposed to look scary, not adorable."
Laughter rippled through their group.
Mary's brow twitched, but Asura didn't even blink.
He just turned slightly, calm as still water.
"Ignore them," he said. "They're weaker than their words."
Lucilla's hands clenched. "Still, that doesn't give them the right to—"
Asura cut her off gently. "My grandfather used to tell me that words only cut deep if you let them. If someone's tongue can wound you, then you're letting them hold the blade."
He smiled faintly. "He told me to save my strength for people who swing swords, not insults."
✦Memory of Snow
The text window in his vision flickered faintly.
A small sound — like static turning into a whisper.
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : …nii-chan…? ]
Asura froze for a moment. Then the air shimmered, and a memory surfaced — not his own, but hers.
Snow drifted outside a narrow window.
A young girl sat on the floor, crying quietly — Mary Yamamoto, years before the light left her world.
A knock came at her door, and then it opened.
Shun Yamamoto — teenage, tired-eyed, smiling that same way Asura still did.
He sat beside her, brushing a tear from her cheek.
"Hey, why're you crying again?"
"They called me weird," she whispered. "Said I'm dumb… that I act like I'm better than them."
Shun chuckled softly, resting his chin on her head.
"Mary, you are better than them."
She blinked up at him.
"You're a goddess, remember? You don't bow to bullies — you outshine them."
He tapped her forehead gently.
"We're Yamamotos. We don't bend to the weak. We don't let words decide who we are."
She sniffled, smiling faintly.
"Then I'll be strong, just like you."
"No," he said, hugging her. "Be stronger."
The snow fell harder.
And the memory faded.
✦ The Words That Broke the Quiet
The laughter in the inn dragged them back to the present.
The humans had started drinking again, talking loud enough for everyone to hear.
"That woman lecturing us about 'respect'—what is she, the demon's babysitter?"
"And that vampire? Probably just a blood pet."
Mary's fingers curled into a fist. "Enough."
Lucilla's eyes glowed crimson. "Apologize."
The humans laughed again.
"Apologize? To a child demon and his harem?"
One slammed his mug down, spilling ale across the table.
"Let me tell you something, sweetheart. The strong conquer. The weak serve. That's the law of the world. If you don't like it—" he grinned darkly— "then do the world a favor and stop living in it."
Silence fell like a blade.
Then—
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : … ]
The faint word shimmered across Asura's vision, trembling — just one small, wounded sound.
Asura's head tilted down slightly.
A cold, invisible pressure began to roll off him.
"...What— did— you— just say?"
The humans froze. Something primal in their instincts screamed to run.
But before they could, Asura whispered—
"Mirage Veil — deactivate."
The world cracked.
A burst of mana exploded from him like a tidal wave of light and shadow.
The entire inn shook; glass shattered; braziers flickered out as if terrified.
For the first time since the academy, Asura's true presence returned — vast, suffocating, infinite.
The air warped around him, mana trembling in submission.
✦ The Awakening
Something rippled outward — far beyond the inn, far beyond sight.
Demons dropped to their knees. Monsters scattered into forests.
Somewhere far away, powerful minds stirred — sensing pressure they couldn't name.
And far beneath the earth — in the forgotten depths of the Abyssal Vein — something ancient stirred.
The ground rumbled.
Far away, a voice of stone cracked open:
"That… pressure…"
Something ancient, buried deep within the Abyssal Vein, felt it ripple through its domain — something that was not mana, not aura, and not divine essence.
"What being commands such weight?" it rumbled, shifting mountains with its movement.
"This is no mere aura… this is something heavier."
Back in the inn, the humans could barely breathe.
Their bravado dissolved into terror.
Asura's eyes glowed — molten gold, rimmed with black flame.
His aura expanded until the room itself bent inward, walls creaking, shadows trembling.
"Conqueror's Will."
A pulse of intent shot outward.
Half the adventurers in the room dropped instantly, unconscious before they hit the floor.
The rest clutched their heads, gasping, their bodies locking in primal fear.
The few strong enough to stay awake — mages with resistance skills, a couple of demonic warlords, and one cloaked figure in the corner — trembled, teeth chattering.
"That's not aura…" one whispered. "That's… judgment."
Asura stood silent in the center of it all.
His voice was calm — too calm.
"You're wrong."
Every word echoed like thunder.
"The strong don't conquer. The strong protect."
The humans stared, unable to move.
"And the weak don't serve." He stepped forward — the air rippled.
"They learn. They grow. And one day, they stop being weak."
He lifted his gaze slightly, golden light spilling from his eyes.
"That's the difference between us. You worship strength. I respect it."
The inn went dead silent.
Then he smiled faintly — not kindly, but not cruelly either.
Just… understanding.
"Go home," he said softly. "Before I make you."
His aura snapped — then vanished.
The crushing weight evaporated like mist.
✦ The Titan's Curiosity
Miles away, deep within the Vein of Decay, a colossal presence lifted its head— eyes gleaming with starlight.
Its voice rumbled through entire caverns.
"…dominion? It's has to be. No. That power bends even will itself. I have not felt such a distortion since the age of gods."
It paused — as if listening to the heartbeat of the world.
"Who —are you, little one?"
Back in the inn, Mary exhaled softly, resting a hand on Asura's shoulder.
Lucilla stared, wide-eyed. Rhazor's tail wouldn't stop twitching.
Asura just smiled faintly, tone calm again.
"See? Words can't hurt you."
Mary sighed — half scolding, half fond. "They sure can't when you nearly kill everyone who says them."
Asura grinned. "Lesson learned."
Rhazor groaned. "Next time, can we just eat dinner first before terrifying the ecosystem?"
Lucilla smiled quietly, slipping her hand into Asura's as they walked toward the stairs.
"For someone so small," she whispered, "you're pretty terrifying."
Asura winked. "You say that like it's a bad thing."