The night deepened, and the forest grew still—too still.
Kanji stood beside the campfire, his breath turning cold in the air. The monks moved silently, forming a triangle around him while gripping their staffs and talismans.
Master Ryou's voice tightened.
"They're here."
A branch snapped.
Then another.
The darkness stirred… and the first demon stepped into the firelight.
Its body was twisted, bones jutting through blackened flesh. Its eyes glowed with a hungry red light. More shapes moved behind it—five, six, seven… an entire pack.
Rin whispered shakily, "These are Ravnos's hunters. They crossed realms."
Kanji's heart pounded, echoing the same strange rhythm the giant sword had felt.
THUMP.
THUMP.
The nearest demon lowered its head and let out a low, rumbling growl.
Master Ryou stepped forward. "Back away from the child."
The demon laughed—its voice layered with dozens of whispers.
"Child? That thing carries the blood of a king. Our master wants it back."
Kanji flinched. "I'm not a thing…"
The demons charged.
Rin and Seiji moved instantly, slamming enchanted seals onto the ground. Light burst upward, forming a barrier that stopped the first wave—but cracks spread fast.
"These demons are too strong!" Seiji shouted.
Ryou clenched his jaw. "We hold them as long as we must."
The largest demon lunged, smashing its claws into the barrier. The shield shattered like glass.
Rin was thrown backward. Seiji stumbled, coughing blood.
One demon leaped straight at Kanji.
Kanji froze.
Something inside him stirred—fear, power, instinct.
The demon's claws reached for his throat—
A shockwave exploded outward.
Red energy burst from Kanji's body like a storm. The demon was launched into a tree, crushed instantly.
Kanji fell to his knees, breath shaking.
"I-I don't want to hurt anyone…"
Master Ryou grabbed Kanji's shoulders. "Listen to me. You must control your demon side—do not let it control you."
But the demons weren't done.
Three attacked from the right, two from the left. The monks blocked what they could, but they were being overwhelmed.
One demon slipped past Seiji and slashed at Kanji.
Ryou reacted instantly, pushing Kanji aside—
The demon's claws tore across Ryou's shoulder.
"MASTER!" Rin screamed.
Ryou fell to one knee, blood dripping down his robe.
Kanji stared at the wound, shaking uncontrollably.
"It's because of me… everyone gets hurt…"
Tears fell.
Kanji squeezed his eyes shut.
He felt it again—
The pull…
The distant heartbeat…
The voice whispering through the darkness:
"Take my power."
Kanji's eyes snapped open—glowing bright, molten gold.
The ground cracked beneath him.
Red lightning arced across his arms. The air trembled with the weight of demon magic.
The largest demon snarled, "The prophecy was true… he is awakening!"
But Kanji wasn't listening anymore.
He lifted his hand—and the wind exploded.
All the demons were thrown back violently, some disintegrating into ash, others smashing into trees hard enough to leave craters.
Ryou stared, stunned.
"This… this isn't normal demon magic. This is the blood of a royal line…"
Kanji panted, barely staying conscious.
The power coursing through him was too strong, too wild.
Seiji grabbed Rin and pulled him back. "Get away from him—he can't control it!"
Kanji wrapped his arms around himself.
"Make it stop…"
"Please… make it stop…"
The final demon hunter, barely clinging to life, crawled toward the shadows and whispered:
"Lord Ravnos… the boy has awakened…"
It dissolved into smoke.
The message was sent.
Kanji collapsed as the energy faded, the glow vanishing from his eyes.
Ryou caught him before he hit the ground.
"He's only a child…" the old monk whispered. "And this power may destroy him before the prophecy ever can."
Kanji's breathing steadied, but darkness clouded his face.
And far away, in the demon realm…
The massive black sword tore one of its chains free.
A deep, thunderous voice echoed from it:
"My master calls for me."
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