The rift between worlds had widened to its limits.
Molten rivers of fire flowed across the demon realm, lightning tore the sky, and the air hummed with raw energy, vibrating with the pulse of destiny itself.
Kanji stood on a jagged cliff, the black sword in his hands glowing molten red and gold. His aura crackled, shadow and fire intertwining into a storm of power that defied the laws of both mortal and demon realms.
Ravnos hovered across the chasm, wings of shadow stretching wide. His molten-gold eyes burned with fury and calculation.
"You have grown… heir of destruction," he said, voice echoing like thunder.
"But the prophecy is not yours to fulfill. Only I will shape it!"
Kanji's eyes narrowed. He could feel the prophecy inside him—echoes of destiny whispered through his veins, a warning and a calling.
The Child of Destruction will either save the realms… or consume them all.
Ravnos raised his hands, summoning swirling vortexes of dark energy. From the rift, the demon army poured forth, rivers of shadow stretching endlessly toward the plateau.
Kanji raised the black sword. Chains erupted, lashing outward, deflecting the incoming demons and energy blasts.
"I decide my destiny!" Kanji shouted. "I am not a tool! I am the heir, and I will protect everyone!"
The clash began.
Ravnos surged forward, shadow wings slicing the air. Kanji met him mid-flight, molten chains wrapping around the sword, energy flaring like twin suns. Every strike was a shockwave; every parry carved mountains and sent rivers boiling into the skies.
"You are powerful," Ravnos growled, "but prophecy favors the one who claims it first. Surrender, and I will spare your friends… your monks…"
Kanji's aura flared brighter.
"No!" he shouted.
"The prophecy is mine! I will choose how it ends!"
Lightning and molten fire collided as the black sword clashed with Ravnos's shadowed claws. The rift shuddered violently, shards of reality tearing loose, showing glimpses of a world consumed by flame—or one saved by a boy's courage.
Kanji felt his father's presence through the sword:
"This is your choice, my son. You are not bound by fear… only by will."
With a roar, Kanji unleashed the full fusion of his forbidden magic. Shadow and molten light erupted, spiraling into a tornado that swept across the battlefield, scattering the demon army like leaves before a storm.
Ravnos was thrown back, but he rose, rage twisting his features.
"You dare challenge fate itself? I will break you!"
Kanji's eyes blazed, golden and red intertwining, his aura a crown of molten energy.
"I am not breaking! I am forging my own path!"
The two clashed again—this time, the energy of their strikes tore massive craters in the mountains, melted rivers of lava, and created a storm that could be seen across the realms.
As they fought, Kanji glimpsed the full scope of the prophecy:
A child born of demon and wizard blood.
The heir to a legendary sword of destruction.
A choice that would either bind the worlds in chains of fire… or protect them from total annihilation.
Kanji understood now. Power alone could not fulfill the prophecy. Only control, courage, and the will to protect could determine its true outcome.
He steadied himself. Chains of the black sword spiraled outward, forming a barrier that captured Ravnos's shadow energy. With a surge, he slammed the sword down, unleashing a torrent of molten light that engulfed his uncle completely.
Ravnos screamed, molten gold eyes blazing, as the energy pressed him to his limits.
"This… is… impossible!"
Kanji's voice rang across the battlefield, calm but resolute:
"The prophecy is mine… because I choose it!"
The rift above the realms pulsed violently, then stabilized as the energy from Kanji's sword resonated with both worlds. The demon army faltered, losing cohesion as Ravnos's hold weakened.
For a moment, silence fell. Only the molten rivers and shattered mountains remained, trembling under the echoes of power unleashed.
Ravnos, battered and weakened, withdrew into the depths of the rift. His gaze burned with fury and a promise:
"This is not the end… heir of destruction. The prophecy… will still consume you."
Kanji stood, sword glowing softly, aura settling into a molten crown. He looked across the battlefield, to Rin, Seiji, Ryou, and the remnants of the temple.
"I… I will protect this world," he whispered.
"No matter what comes next… I will not let the prophecy destroy us."
And far across the realms, the echoes of the prophecy stirred once more, waiting for the next battle.
The Child of Destruction had awakened—and the war between worlds had only just begun.
---