The night air was thick with sulfur and malice.
From the shadowed treeline, hundreds of red eyes glowed like embers in the dark, moving silently but with terrifying intent. The forest itself seemed to recoil under their presence.
Rin and Seiji reinforced the outer wards, chanting continuously as glowing symbols flared on the temple walls. Yet the energy pushing back against them was unlike anything they had faced before—twisted, chaotic, dripping with demonic blood magic.
Ryou stood at the center of the courtyard, staff in hand. His eyes scanned the horizon, filled with dread.
"They've come," he muttered.
"Not for the temple… but for Kanji."
Kanji knelt on the stone floor, shivering despite the protective sigils surrounding him. His golden eyes flickered, half in fear, half in recognition.
"They're here… I can feel them," he whispered.
A distant rumble shook the mountain.
Then the first wave of demons broke through the forest—twisted, snarling monsters of every imaginable form, some twice the size of a man, others crawling on six limbs, all eyes burning red, teeth glinting in the moonlight.
Rin shouted, "Protect the boy! Do not let them reach him!"
Seiji slammed his talismans into the ground, forming a barrier that shimmered white against the oncoming shadows.
"Hold them! Hold them at all costs!" he yelled.
But the demons were relentless. They tore through the outer wards like paper. Flames erupted, smoke twisted around the temple, and the wind carried the scent of burning earth and iron.
Kanji's heart raced.
The pull inside him—the heartbeat, the calling—grew stronger.
The black sword… his father… the prophecy…
It all pressed against him like a storm.
"I… I can't hold it!" Kanji whispered.
Master Ryou stepped forward, voice commanding but trembling.
"You must, Kanji! Focus on us, not the power! We are your anchor!"
The largest demon—a towering creature with jagged horns and eyes like molten gold—broke through the barrier and lunged at Kanji.
Instinct kicked in. Kanji raised a trembling hand.
Red energy exploded outward like wildfire.
Demons were hurled backward, crashing into walls, trees, and the courtyard gates. Sparks danced across his arms; the air hissed and crackled with demonic magic.
Rin shielded her eyes.
"Kanji… it's too much! You can't control it!"
But Kanji's body trembled violently.
The energy pulsed through him, alive and hungry. He felt him—the voice of his father, the sword, the prophecy—calling.
A bolt of red lightning shot from his hands, splitting the largest demon in two. Others recoiled, snarling, and regrouped for another attack.
Then—through the chaos, a shadow approached the temple's center.
Ravnos.
The betrayer. The uncle.
Towering, regal, burning with malice, and radiating a power that made even the temple walls tremble.
He stepped forward, chains dangling from his arms like living serpents. His eyes locked onto Kanji.
"So… you survived," he hissed.
"My nephew… the so-called Child of Destruction."
Kanji's breath hitched. His golden eyes burned brighter.
"I'm not… your pawn!" he shouted, his voice cracking.
"I won't be your monster!"
Ravnos's lips curled into a cruel smile.
"You already are, child. Your father's blood… my kingdom… and soon, this world."
He raised his hand, and a shockwave of dark energy blasted through the courtyard, throwing monks and debris alike.
Ryou shouted, "Kanji, now! Control it! Channel it!"
Kanji rose, trembling, aura exploding around him. The golden and red energy mixed, molten fire and lightning dancing across his skin.
The ground beneath him cracked, the temple shaking violently.
"I… won't… let you hurt anyone!" Kanji screamed.
From somewhere deep inside, a voice answered—older, powerful, demanding:
"Take the power, my son. Take it all."
The black sword in the demon realm pulsed as if responding, chains rattling, echoing across the planes.
Kanji's hands glowed bright red. The very air burned.
With a roar that shook the mountain, a wave of energy erupted from him, blasting demons backward and slamming Ravnos several meters across the courtyard.
Ravnos gritted his teeth, rising to his feet, eyes blazing.
"So… the boy awakens. Very well… let the hunt truly begin."
---
The temple gates hung on the brink of collapse.
Kanji collapsed to his knees, panting, golden eyes flickering with exhaustion.
Ryou knelt beside him.
"This… is only the beginning, Kanji. Your power… your destiny… the world itself trembles because of it."
Kanji's voice was barely a whisper.
"I don't… know if I can control it…"
Rin and Seiji flanked him, determination shining through fear.
"You will, Kanji," Rin said. "We'll make sure of it."
But far above the mountain, in the blackened sky of the demon realm, the chains around the colossal sword began to break. Slowly. Deliberately.
And a voice thundered, echoing across the worlds:
"My master… awakens."
----