Tenshiura: Echoes of the Bug God
Chapter 5 part 1— Testing the Shadows
The canyon had become home. My home. I had marked it with subtle shadows, hidden threads that could alert me if someone—or something—approached. I was no longer the boy who died on the street. Every motion felt deliberate, every thought a calculation.
Still… I was weak.
Even with twelve Unique Skills and seven demon lineages, I knew instinctively that a single Upper Mid-Tier Demon could end me instantly if I miscalculated. I couldn't fight everything, so I had learned to observe first. The shadows had become my eyes, my scouts, my sentinels. They whispered to me constantly—tiny threads of presence, giving me warnings and insights about everything that moved nearby.
"Master, observation report: mana fluctuations detected northeast. High-level presence. Recommendation: scouting advised."
I took a deep, silent breath—or as deep as this new body allowed—and extended my shadow tendrils. Carefully, invisibly, they spread across the rocks toward the source. A dull warmth tingled in my core. Not the pleasant warmth of stability, but the pressure of something alive, something old, something dangerous.
I'm ready… I think.
The creature appeared just as I expected. It didn't move like a normal demon. Its steps were deliberate, precise, almost regal. Even from a distance, I could sense its power. Its form was humanoid but distorted—limbs elongated unnaturally, wings folded neatly behind its back, eyes glinting like black stars. The aura it exuded made the hair at the back of my neck stand on end.
"Master, threat level: Primordial-adjacent. Estimated lethality: extreme."
I froze. The instinct to flee hit me hard, but I didn't move. My body tensed, my shadows quivering slightly.
Cursed Sage spoke softly in my mind.
"Master, hesitation may be fatal, but so is recklessness. Observation first, then response."
I nodded, though she couldn't see me. I extended Shadow Lord more boldly, letting tendrils stretch closer to the creature, probing. Its mana flowed differently than anything I had felt before. Dense, incomprehensible, almost… intelligent.
It paused. It looked around. And then, slowly, it turned its gaze toward me.
I froze. My shadows stiffened. It was small, but the smallest misstep could give me away.
"Master, detection imminent."
The creature's eyes focused, scanning the ridge. My shadow tendrils retreated instinctively, folding back into my body. My chest—or whatever counted as one—tightened.
And then, without warning, it leaped.
The air tore as it descended. Its wings unfurled suddenly, dark and sharp like blades. I barely had time to react.
"Master, evasive maneuvers recommended."
I obeyed instinctively, melting into shadow. My body flowed like liquid darkness, slipping over the rocks, rolling across the ridge. The creature landed where I had been moments before, sending a shockwave through the ground. Loose stones erupted into the air.
It's fast… I thought. Too fast.
"Shadow absorption advised. Prepare to engage with caution."
I extended a shadow tendril, slashing toward its leg, testing reaction speed. It lifted a foot and the shadow passed harmlessly beneath. It didn't even glance at me.
"Analysis: reaction time superior to Lower Demon standards. Attack avoidance successful."
I felt a surge of adrenaline—something primal, something alive. Cursed Sage's voice guided me:
"Master, consider using shadow in tandem with Mimicry Core. Observe patterns before committing."
I focused on the creature's movements, studying its rhythm. Wings flared at irregular intervals, tail flicking unpredictably, fingers twitching like they could cast some invisible technique.
Then I acted.
Shadow Lord erupted from the ground beneath it, a swirling mass of black tendrils. I didn't strike; I didn't aim to kill. I wanted to test its limits, to provoke it just enough to reveal its patterns. The tendrils wrapped around its legs, wings, and arms, constricting without cutting.
It hissed—a sound like cracking stone—and thrashed violently. Its mana flared. I felt heat in my core as its presence attempted to push back, but I held. My shadows thickened, reinforced by the Magic Breeder Reactor stabilizing my flow.
"Master, shadow integrity at 87%. Maintain composure."
I did.
Slowly, methodically, I began to study it. Each strike, each dodge, each counter-movement I noted, storing the sequence in the Akashic Archive. Mimicry Core hummed faintly, ready to register and analyze skills. I wasn't just fighting; I was learning, surviving.
Minutes passed—or hours, time had no meaning in the heat of this test. Finally, the creature paused, stepping back. Its eyes locked on me, assessing.
It's testing me too… I realized.
It leapt again, faster, but this time I was ready. I slid into the shadows, letting Shadow Lord spread beneath it, disrupting its landing. Mimicry Core activated, faintly echoing the movement of its body and aura. I absorbed a fragment of its skill pattern—not fully, but enough to recognize its attack signature.
It froze. For a moment, I swear it looked… impressed.
"Master, partial skill mimicry successful. Experience gain recorded."
I exhaled silently, letting the tension drain from my core. The creature lingered a moment longer, then spread its wings and vanished into the sky. It didn't attack again. It didn't acknowledge me beyond that final glance.
I sank to the ground, exhausted. My shadows quivered, my body thrummed with mana, my mind raced.
I survived.
And more than survived—I had learned.
Cursed Sage whispered approval.
"Master, growth rate exceeds Lower Demon expectations. Observation and careful engagement are effective."
I nodded, though she could not see. I let the shadows fade slowly, letting them reintegrate into my body. Every movement, every observation, every subtle push and pull of the battle had strengthened me. Not dramatically—but steadily.
I closed my eyes and let the canyon's faint magicules seep into me.
I can survive this world. I can learn. I can grow.
But the encounter left a lingering unease. That creature—whatever it was—was far older, far stronger than I could imagine. Its aura was not just power. It was history. Knowledge. Something… primordial.
"Master, caution advised. Presence likely connected to ancient or Primordial hierarchy."
I shivered, or would have if my body could feel cold in the old sense.
I'm not ready for that level yet.
And yet… I would reach it. Slowly. Carefully. One shadow at a time. One lesson at a time.
For now, I had a canyon. Shadows. Skills. And a body that could survive where a boy like Haruto Kisaragi would have perished instantly.
I smiled faintly. Quietly. Not with pride, but with recognition.
This is my life now. My second life. And I'm going to make it count.
The Demon World stretched before me, vast, ancient, and dangerous. And I—born from a mistake, a bug, a Lower Demon with seven lineages intertwined—was ready to step further into it.
"Master, note: external events approaching in one year. Rimuru reincarnation imminent. Preparation recommended."
I exhaled, letting that thought settle in the back of my mind. One year. One chance to grow before the Cardinal World changed. Before the history of this universe shifted again.
And I would be ready.
For now, survival was victory. Observation was power. Shadow was my ally.
And the Primordial—or whatever that creature truly was—would notice me eventually.
When it did, I would be ready.
End of Chapter 5 (Part 1)
Chapter 5 — Shadows and Primordials (Part 2)
The canyon grew quiet after the encounter. The air was thick with residual mana, the kind that tingled against shadowed skin and whispered in a language I was only beginning to understand. My body had stabilized, my shadows retracted, and my mind raced through every detail of the fight. Every movement, every subtle flicker of that creature's wings, every twitch of its fingers, had been stored, analyzed, and cataloged in the Akashic Archive.
I had learned.
But I also knew the truth: what I faced today was a glimpse, not the peak. That creature was ancient. Its power was not merely strong—it was layered, composed of knowledge, instinct, and something deeper… something I could not yet comprehend.
"Master, note: continued exposure to high-level entities recommended for accelerated growth."
I exhaled, letting the shadows around me hum faintly. Cursed Sage's voice was soft, careful, even submissive in its encouragement.
"Master, we should explore beyond the canyon. Opportunities to hunt and observe are abundant. Caution is essential."
I nodded silently, even though she could not see it. My shadows flowed outward as I stepped over the ridge, scanning the dark, jagged landscape. The Demon World was alive in ways Earth never had been. Mana pulsed in fissures, in rock veins, even in the faint glimmer of distant creatures. Every presence could teach me something, but some lessons came at the cost of survival.
I have to choose carefully.
I moved northeast, toward an area where the air grew thicker and the magicules shimmered faintly red. From the ridge, I could see a valley below, littered with ruins half-buried in shadow. The structures were massive, black stone carved with intricate, otherworldly sigils. A strange hum resonated from the valley, vibrating through the ground into my shadow tendrils.
"Master, detection: residual aura of high-level entities. Possibly Primordial."
My chest—or the closest equivalent—tightened. The thought of encountering a Primordial here made my shadows tighten instinctively, coiling like serpents.
But I could not ignore this. Observation and knowledge were my path.
I descended carefully, letting Shadow Lord extend across the valley. Every tendril probed, every echo analyzed. The ruins were largely empty, but small demons scuttled among the rocks—low-level scavengers, unaware of my presence.
I watched them silently, learning their patterns, their instincts, their reactions to mana fluctuations. It was tedious work, but essential.
Then, something shifted.
A tremor ran through the ground. Subtle at first, like a heartbeat, but growing. The small demons scattered, shrieking, disappearing into the shadows. My shadow tendrils stretched instinctively, scanning the disturbance.
And then I saw it.
A figure, emerging from the ruins. Not humanoid—not entirely. Its body was long, serpentine, armored with dark, chitin-like plates. Wings unfurled behind it like great black sails, each edge serrated. Its head was elongated, crowned with multiple horns, eyes glowing with an unnatural intelligence.
"Master, entity detected: Primordial-class. Lethality extreme."
I froze. My body quivered, but I did not retreat. Shadow Lord extended, a dense, swirling mass, probing the edges of the Primordial's aura. My heart—or the closest thing I had—raced, but I remained focused.
"Master, recommendation: observation first. Direct engagement extremely dangerous."
I nodded, even though Cursed Sage already knew. My eyes—black mirrors of shadow—tracked its every movement. The creature paused in the center of the valley, as if sensing me. Then it lifted a clawed hand, tracing an arc through the air. The ground cracked where it passed, fissures glowing faintly with mana.
I understood immediately. It was marking the area. Its presence was territory, and I was intruding.
I can't challenge it… not yet.
Instead, I tested my shadows. Shadow Lord extended a tendril along one of the fissures, just brushing the Primordial's presence. The creature reacted instantly, sensing the intrusion without turning. A hum of awareness passed over me like a wave.
"Master, detection risk elevated. Maintain caution."
I swallowed, forcing myself to remain still. Shadows pulsed lightly beneath me, feeding me a faint shield of concealment.
I need information… not a fight.
I focused on Mimicry Core. It hummed, ready to register patterns, to copy movements, or to absorb aura signatures. I observed the Primordial's body—how the wings flexed, how the claws curved, how mana flowed along its spine. Every second was a lesson.
Then, the Primordial shifted, gliding through the air with almost liquid grace. The cracks in the valley glowed brighter with each step. It was testing me, assessing me.
And I… held my ground.
I needed to move. Shadow Lord extended more aggressively, reaching for the ruins nearest to the creature. It moved like liquid, weaving across fissures and stones. My goal was simple: gather more data without exposing myself.
The Primordial's gaze finally turned directly toward me. A chill ran through my core. Even from a distance, I felt the weight of its awareness. It was unlike any demon I had faced. This was not instinct; this was intellect, history, predation, and power condensed into a single presence.
"Master, defensive measures recommended. Activate Akashic Archive and prepare Edit for emergency intervention."
I obeyed, letting the Archive store every motion, every fluctuation. Edit hummed faintly, ready to adjust parameters if I was suddenly discovered.
For a moment, time seemed to stretch. The Primordial hovered, its wings slicing the air silently. Then it lunged forward—not toward me, but toward a fissure I had not yet explored.
I followed, slipping through shadows, letting tendrils probe the environment. My heart raced. This was the closest I had been to a Primordial—and I was alive.
I survived today.
And more importantly, I learned.
Hours passed in careful observation. I traced the creature's movements through ruins and fissures. It reacted to other entities, absorbing mana, redirecting minor demons away from its path. Its skill patterns, although foreign, were partially readable through Akashic Archive and Mimicry Core.
"Master, analysis: partial skill mimicry achievable, but requires multiple engagements."
I knew it would take years, or centuries, to truly match such a being. But I also knew I had twelve Unique Skills, seven demon lineages, and the patience to survive.
Finally, night fell over the valley. The Primordial retreated into the upper ruins, leaving only the echoes of its presence. I sank to the ground, letting my shadows reintegrate. Every tendon, every tendril, every thread hummed with residual power. My body ached faintly, not from injury but from exertion.
"Master, preliminary observation complete. Growth registered. Shadow density increased. Mimicry Core experience gain noted."
I exhaled.
I had survived an encounter with a being far beyond the standard hierarchy. I had learned patterns, absorbed residual aura, and strengthened my shadows. Most importantly, I had survived.
This is how I grow.
The Demon World stretched before me, ancient and infinite. Hidden ruins, Primordial entities, dangers I could barely comprehend—every step would teach me something new.
I rose slowly, letting Shadow Lord extend one final time, surveying the valley. My vision—my awareness—was no longer just my own. It extended across shadows, across fissures, across minor demons, and into the ruins where the Primordial had disappeared.
"Master, next engagement planning recommended. Consider skill integration and shadow expansion."
I nodded. Cursed Sage's voice was soft in my mind, almost shy, but steady:
"Master, progress is evident. One year remains before external reincarnation events. We must continue to grow."
One year.
I would use every day. Every shadow. Every encounter. Every lesson.
And when the Primordial—or anything else that sought to challenge me—returned, I would not just survive.
I would endure.
I would grow.
And one day, I would stand in a world that had once crushed me, unbroken and ready.
End of Chapter 5, Part 2