The silence after Sashira's revelation did not last long.
It shattered.
Footsteps echoed across the Climate Arena platform, slow and deliberate. The sound alone drew every eye.
Daizen Kurogane stepped forward.
His expression was calm, but his jaw was set, eyes burning with something heavier than curiosity.
"Hiko Shinoegami," he said.
Hiko turned.
Daizen clenched his fist, stone mana grinding softly beneath his skin.
"I want to fight you."
The class erupted instantly.
"What?!"
"Now?!"
"After all that?!"
Daizen didn't look away.
"You carry the blood of KaeKasto," he continued. "A man who cursed a god-tier mage and died doing it."
He took another step closer.
"If that legacy is real… I want to see it myself."
Hiko felt dozens of gazes pierce into him.
Fear.
Expectation.
Doubt.
He exhaled slowly.
"…Alright."
The reaction was immediate.
"He accepted?!"
"Is he insane?"
"Daizen's the strongest in the class!"
Sashira raised a hand.
"This duel will be supervised," she said. "First incapacitation wins. No killing intent."
Hirukami smirked from the sidelines. "Let them."
The arena responded.
Stone rose. The terrain widened. Forest and snow retreated, leaving a vast, neutral battleground.
Daizen rolled his shoulders.
"I won't hold back," he said.
Hiko nodded. "Neither will I."
The signal dropped.
Daizen moved first.
The ground detonated beneath his feet as he launched forward, stone wrapping his arm like armor.
Hiko reacted instantly, shifting sideways—but the shockwave still caught him, throwing him back.
Too fast.
Daizen didn't pause.
"Rise."
Stone spears erupted from the ground, stabbing upward in a deadly pattern.
Hiko jumped, twisting midair, mana bursting from his feet to redirect his fall.
He landed—barely.
Daizen was already there.
A punch slammed into Hiko's guard, the force driving him across the arena and into a pillar.
Pain exploded through his ribs.
"He's overwhelming him…"
"Daizen's not giving him space!"
Hiko coughed, forcing himself upright.
Daizen advanced steadily, earth mana thickening around him.
"You have control," Daizen said. "I can tell."
He stomped.
The ground rippled violently.
Hiko vanished at the last second, reappearing behind him.
A clean strike.
Daizen grunted as his stone armor cracked.
The class gasped.
"He hit him!"
"That was precise!"
Hiko followed up with another blow, then another, each attack perfectly placed.
Daizen staggered back a step.
Then he laughed.
"…Good."
Stone surged outward, rebuilding faster than before.
"Earth Dominion."
The arena groaned.
Gravity shifted.
Every fragment of stone pulled toward Daizen like a core.
Hiko felt his body dragged forward, boots carving trenches in the ground.
He pushed mana outward, resisting—but it wasn't enough.
Daizen raised his hand.
"You're strong," he said. "But you're still human."
The gravity crushed down.
Hiko slammed into the ground.
His breath left him in a violent gasp.
Stone pressed against his back, his limbs refusing to move.
The Devil's Mark burned faintly beneath his collar.
No.
He forced his mana inward.
If he released it now… someone could get hurt.
His vision blurred.
Daizen stepped closer.
"…Yield."
Hiko tried to speak.
His throat wouldn't respond.
Darkness crept in.
His consciousness slipped.
And then—
A presence stirred.
"Sigh… welp… time to help you now."
Hiko's thoughts jolted.
What—
The pressure vanished.
Not weakened.
Gone.
Cursed heat surged through his veins.
Black flames erupted from his body, twisting unnaturally, devouring light itself. Symbols crawled across his skin, burning and shifting.
Wings tore free from his back—jagged, formed of condensed curse and flame.
Hiko rose into the air.
His eyes opened.
The class froze in terror.
"This isn't magic…"
"What is that…?"
Hiko didn't hear them.
He only heard the voice inside him.
"Relax. I'll make it quick."
His body moved.
Once.
He vanished.
Then—
Impact.
Daizen was struck dead-on, the force obliterating the stone beneath him and sending a shockwave across the arena.
When the dust settled, Daizen lay motionless.
Unconscious.
Defeated in a single hit.
The cursed flames flickered.
The wings disintegrated into embers.
Hiko collapsed.
Darkness took him fully this time.
---
He woke to whispers.
Fearful ones.
"…That's him…"
"The hero of the devils…"
"Stay back…"
Hiko opened his eyes slowly.
The infirmary ceiling came into view.
He sat up, ignoring the pain.
"…What happened?"
Daizen stepped forward, bandaged and bruised.
"You won," he said. "One hit."
Hiko stared.
"…I didn't mean to."
Inside his mind, the presence spoke again—closer now, settled.
"You didn't lose control. That's important."
Hiko stiffened.
…You're still here.
Of course I am.
He felt it clearly now.
Not an intruder.
Not a parasite.
Another presence woven into his thoughts.
Why did you help me? Hiko asked internally.
Because KaeKasto saved me.
Images surfaced gently—chains breaking, cursed seals shattering, a dying man smiling.
He freed me when I was at my lowest, the devil continued. I owed him one.
So I chose you.
…You're inside my mind now?
Bound, not controlling. I won't act unless you're about to die.
Hiko clenched his fists.
…People are scared of me.
They always fear what they don't understand.
Hiko looked around. The class kept their distance.
The name spread quietly.
Hero of the devils.
He closed his eyes.
…Then stay quiet unless I ask.
A pause.
Agreed.
And for the first time since learning of KaeKasto's legacy, Hiko realized something.
He was no longer alone.
And that terrified him more than any enemy.