"You're late."
A voice that Kai missed the most greeted him as he enters the Izakaya.
"Sup!" He replied casually before taking a seat right next to her. "Where are they?"
Pointing at a wooden bench by the corner, Arata Ai giggled. "K.O., with 4 bottles of Sake. Too bad you were late. Didn't get to see them stripped naked."
"For fuck's sake! And you're still going strong with the bottles?"
"Duh." She chugged another glass. "Oyajiiii!" She shouted. "A new bottle for your favourite prodigal son here! He's back!"
In under a minute, a man in his early 70s stepped out of his kitchen, and his eyes sparkled with joy the moment he landed his eyes on the tall blond in the room. "KAI!! YOU BASTARD! COME HERE!!" He widened his arms with a big smile on his face, welcoming Kai home as he approached him.
"Oyaji, I don't do hug. Don't fucking squee.." The old man couldn't care less, he hugged him tight until he's suffocated.
**
Tucked in the heart of Asakusa, the izakaya sat hidden between unassuming storefronts—an unremarkable facade masking a history steeped in blood and silence. It belonged to a war veteran, once a high-ranking official in the Great War—a war never spoken of in mankind's chronicles. A silent war, waged in the shadows for centuries, unknown to the world. And it only ended when Kai Deveraux declared it was time.
KAI DEVERAUX – AGE THIRTEEN
My life... was perfect. I've lived my life in abundance, gratefulness, and whatever the fuck that is in form of gratitude. Point is, I had it all. Great friends, great look, great style, cool haircut, cool car, my family's pretty much own this establishment, and I was adored by many, many hot chicks in school... until that asshole came along.
Kai Deveraux.
I've never seen someone so sparkly I fucking hate him.
"Still daydreaming on beating him?"
Ai hit my head with a thick schoolbook as she pointed with her eyes at the tall blond who just walked pass us.
"That hurts." I responded, narrowing my eyes in annoyance as I fixed my hair with a hair gel by the locker.
"Gosh, Jun." Ai stared at me in admiration. I can tell.
"What? Falling for me?"
"You're so lame."
She made another blow on my head, with her palm this time.
Ouch.
"Hey that one hurt my heart!"
**
"They're not ready."
I didn't mean to eavesdropped, I just happened to pass by and stopped for a bit... by the Principal's door.
"They're old enough, Minori!" A man with a heavy voice was half yelling inside the room. I'm assuming he's Jun's dad. If I'm not mistaken that is.
"They're only kids for goodness sake!" The Principal retorted, his voice was even louder.
"Soshiki. Soshiki kids. We were a lot younger when we were sent to the battlefield!"
Wait. What? Battlefield?
The two kept on arguing about sending some of the students to the war that we've been having for centuries, against the Spectres.
And I understood it though, I understood it perfectly.
Our kinds, we're born into a world unknown to the regular folks on earth. Born with gifts, born with curses, all with one main purpose... to fight the never ending gruesome creatures of the Underworld Realm from the very beginning of our existence, non-stop.
And although we are one with the main goal, we're divided by clans, categorized by status.
Status.
Yeah.
I was born with one.
To be born into one of the Big Four clan of Soshiki as a Healer clan—especially the high caste family within the tribe—is a blessing I must be grateful for. Right?
So why do I feel the exact opposite?
There are standards. There are expectations. Should I not meet the criteria, I would bring shame to the Arata clan.
Again, I understood it well. I've been trained to be a proper Soshiki ever since I understood the very meaning of the word Soshiki.
I knew I must face this sooner or later.
Then what is up this uncomfortable feeling?
Why am I shaking?
Am I afraid?
The battlefield…
I've heard stories of the seniors who left the academy and never come back.
I guess, I am afrai—
"Ai-san?"
Startled, I looked over my shoulder and find the school's new rising star standing right behind me.
Shit.
Why so handsome?
**
"You shouldn't be eavesdropping, you know…" Kai lit up a black cigarette and puff it up in the air.
The school's backyard is a perfect spot for bad kids doing bad things, but for goodness sake I'll be damned if anyone finds out about a thirteen year old student who smokes!
He came in about a year ago now… which was a shock to everyone in school simply because he was a Deveraux.
The Deverauxs never sent their children to Soshiki Academy—and the academy never openly welcomed a Deveraux. That was the unspoken rule, understood by all but written nowhere. Or so the rumors say. Perhaps a few from the clan had slipped through the cracks over the years, but their numbers were scarce. The last one, they say, was a woman—mischievous, volatile, unforgettable. Legend has it she burned the gymnasium to ash in a fit of rage. Not surprising, given she wielded the Blue Flame Body Ink. Whispers also claim she had ties to the Principal… though no one dares speak of it aloud.
So maybe, this guy right here has a connection with her? Is that why he's allowed to study here?
It has nothing to do with me… and yet, I can't stop wondering.
Kai Deveraux—he's a riddle wrapped in silence. A question mark that refuses to be answered.
Very mysterious. Very quiet. Very tall. Very attractive.
He doesn't speak much at school. He doesn't seem to have any friends either.
We've spoken to each other once or twice before, so being here, standing here with him right now is... rather odd.
"Said someone who breaks the rule himself. You shouldn't be smoking either." I replied.
"Yeah. You're right. But I'd do it anyway." He smiled.
And my heart started to race.
Shit.
Snap out of it, Ai.
"Why, though? We're only thirteen! It's not normal. You could go to kids' jail too! It does exist you know!" I blabbered, adding something to the conversation, trying to normalize my heart rate.
He laughed, hard. But then there was a brief mellow written down on his face right after the laughter. "In memory of someone I admired." He smiled again. "This particular black cigarette is her favourite." He paused, "I guess, I never want to forget her, even though I've decided to move on."
Wait. What?
Huh?
WHAT?
"Was... was that, that someone, y-your girlfriend? Aren't you… too young for tha—"
"My older sister, idiot." He playfully flicked my forehead. "And it's nothing like that, I'm not some sick psycho with a sister complex."
Idiot? And did he just flicked my friggin forehead too?
"EXCUSE ME?"
"You're excuse, Arata Ai."
"Don't say my name so casually!" I shouted, my face is red, and my brain is about to explode out of reasons I don't even understand.
And he started to laugh hard. Again.
"I'm sorry…" Still laughing. "I didn't mean to lead your thoughts in that kind of way, okay?" He calmed his posture down, and his voice softened. "But I said what I said. And I don't need you to understand it. I'll live by my own rules. Not that I'm disrespecting those who create the rules, but my life is mine and mine alone."
A soft wind blows toward us, and his blond hair was flapping, hitting his face he's so beautiful I could just cry right now.
"There's nothing to be afraid of, should the Principal's sending us to war."
He heard them too?
"I saw how you perform the Healing in class, I saw how you fight in class… you were pretty cool Ai-san, you know that?"
Was that a compliment?
"Where is it, by the way?"
"Where?" My head is spinning. "Where is what?"
"The battlefield."
"Oh. That where."
I stood still like a dumb doll.
"Well? You alright in there? Your face is red. Is it the smokes? My bad I'm putting it off." He flicked the cigarette to the ground and kicks it with his heels.
"Hokkaido."
"Hokkaido?"
"Yeah."
"My clan's territory."
"Yes. But the exact location is undisclosed to most of us." My voice softened, my mind then went from high to low in a second. "I'm a bit..." I paused.
"Who doesn't?"
"Huh?" I looked up to his face as he stepped closer. He really is taller than most guys.
"Who doesn't get scared in life? We're Soshiki, true that." He stated. "But we're still human. Human feels things. Love, sadness, happiness, fear. All those bullshit." He stepped even closer and fixed my hair, his fingertips slightly touched my right cheek. "But we always make it through, Ai-san." A soft, gentle look crossed his sharp face. "Always."
My heart skipped a beat.
KAI DEVERAUX – AGE FIFTEEN
Shit. Shit. Shiiit!!
Is this my end? The bleeding just won't fucking stop!
"Jun! Hang in there!" Taka shouted from afar, helplessly trying to get his way to me as he fights the countless Spectres around us. "Ai will be here soon!! Don't you dare die!!"
Tch. Shut up, Taka. Die? We're all headed there eventually. Every last one of us.
I was heavily injured right on my chest, from fighting the Beast of the East—actually scratch that—I am near to my end, seems like it. It's no longer a heavy wound, rather a heavy slit so deep my fucking heart is about to melt away…
What was I thinking by the way? Just how did my brain works? Did I actually think I was going to win the fight? The creature is seven meter tall for fuck's sake. Haha. I'm an idiot, aren't I?
But maan, I think it's about time. I think my time has come. It's alright. Be at peace now. Let go…
I had a good life, hadn't I? Good family, good friends, good looking face…
So let me just rest now. It'll be alright.
Wait.
Hold that thought.
Don't die yet!
WAIT.
THAT SPARKLY BASTARD!
**
He was wounded, heavier than mine.
But he stood bravely in front of the Beast of the East.
On his right hand, there's a blade he was famous for…
…but today marks the first time I saw that legendary mythical blade.
It's a goddamn heavenly piece.
He stood straight; his sharp eyes stared at the beast, waiting for it to attack him. And the bastard doesn't even flinch, he stood still, as if he was calculating, making a tactical movement.
In less than a minute, the beast launched his attack. Its claw was clawing toward the shirtless sparkly bastard, but he easily dodged it as he jumped and marched forward, swung his blade to the creature and sliced it up in two.
Just. Like. That.
What. The. Fuck?
**
Ai arrived in seconds upon my grasped, healing me with her Power Force. She's a Healer Soshiki, rather a skilful one, and I'm fully aware that I'll heal. But yet, what is this feeling in my heart right now? It's growing bigger as if it's about to choke me. Jealousy? No. It's self-hatred.
I lost to Kai Deveraux.
Again.
Son of a—
Just as I was about to sink into full-blown drama, Taka—having finally cut down a goddamn army of Spectres—came crashing down beside us, landing on his feet like some battle-worn anime protagonist.
"Damn. You look terrible." Taka said as he lays his back slowly next to me. "My both hands next, Ai. I'm beat."
"Shut up, moron. You look dreadful yourself." I replied.
"You look way worse than I am."
"No, you are."
"Nah, it's you, bonehead."
We kept on arguing like stupid before Ai smacked our heads. "ENOUGH YOU TWO!!"
**
A moment passed before I spot Kai Deveraux standing like a motherfucking soldier that he is behind Ai.
"You guys alright?" He asked.
Of course not you blockhead.
"Yeah… all good here now get lost." I retorted with a sarcastic voice.
"Jun!" Ai scolded. "I'll be right with you after Taka, they're both in kind of ctitica—"
"No need. I'm not injured."
No need? Not injured? You're drenched in blood you fucker!
"Keep your focus on both of them—and page the other Healers immediately to tend to the injured Fighters behind us. I'll head further east to investigate. The endless flame's behavior today defies all logic. Inform the General—it may be wise to consider a full withdrawal for now."
And he fled.
In a snap of a finger.
That bastard.
Could've just flee the scene without a word but no, dude had to stop by and sprouted some orders and say his hello to boost my fucking ego, making me want to just fucking die by this stupid wound.
"Ai, treat this dumb hawk next to me." I pushed myself to get up.
"Idiot! You're still bleeding! Lay down!" She shouted.
"If I die..."
"SIT. DOWN."
"Tell my parents I'm sorry for the Hentai Mangas I hid under the bed in my room."
"Is this guy serious?" Taka whined, rolling his eyes.
"Shut up stupid hawk." I glared at him. "Also the Hentais at the dorm… tell them Ai, I'm only a teenager, those things were important for my brain development…!"
"Goodness sake Jun you're so fucking lame. Sit down!"
"Tell my parents I love them..."
"IDIOT! DON'T MAKE ME HIT YOUR FUCKING HEAD AGAIN!"
"Ohh, I also love you... just not in that way."
Then I left… disappear into the burning flame, heading toward my doom.
Maan, that was really cool of me... wait.
WHAT?
"Taka you bastard! The fuck you're doing following me?"
**
The East Yomi Gate.
Known to be the most dangerous route to the Underworld Realm… etcetera, etcetera.
Not that the battlefield is a lesser treacherous—it's a fucking warzone—, but get the idea? It's a goddamn suicide to go there.
That being said Taka, why on earth are you doing this again? For what exactly? This isn't the first time you've done something against your will.
Oh yeah wait. My best friend here who is undoubtedly extremely retarded was on fire for some stupid reasons to make his way toward hell! Not that I'm concern but fuuuck he's a fucking idiot! Ai was crying her heart out I had no choice but to follow him!
"Hey asshole, watcha doing following me for?!"
Oh the audacity of him to yell.
"Shut up."
The dumbtard kept on mumbling shit for the entire fun trip to hell, and in no time, we've arrived right at a cliff. Surrounded by purple flames. Next to Kai.
This Deveraux kid is only a year younger than Jun and I, but I have to admit that the idiot Jun was right… dude shines so bright like a motherfucking gold shaped in a human form.
"What in the name of hell is that?" I asked, although my voice came out flat.
"What do you think? The entrance to hell itself, I guess." Kai replied.
The three of us were standing right in front of an entrance to the cave that is shaped like an alligator on crack, covered in burning flame and its mouth were widely opened as if it was ready for a feast.
Jun was stunned, gawking. His mouth was as wide as the entrance cave itself. "What a loser." I scoffed.
"Why are you here? The two of you." Kai asked as he pulled out a black cigarette out of his pocket.
"Wouldn't want you to have all the fun, Deveraux." I retorted.
Amused, he smirked. "Well the fun is only about to start, Senpai." He lit up the cancer stick and puffed it toward the hideous cave.
"Don't flatter yourself. I couldn't care less about it honestly."
"Oh?" He raised his golden eyebrows.
"This dumbass right here!" I rolled my eyes and slapped Jun on the back of his head. "Need I say more?"
Kai flashed a wide, knowing grin. It was no secret—Jun had always hated losing to him, that stubborn pride of his soaked in petty envy. The dumbass actually believed he ran the Academy... until Kai Deveraux walked through its gates.
Gods know what kind of wiring that boy's brain has—must be an Ikari clan thing. Those ninja freaks are built different. Unhinged in their own special, twisted way.
Honestly, it's fucking embarrassing to even think of him as my best frie—
"HEY! WHAT THE FUCK, JUN?!"
The idiot launched himself to the fiery cave, laughing like a fucking maniac.
**
Three seconds later, Kai jumped in and followed that goddamn idiot. I just stood there, shaking my head in pure disbelief. There's seriously something fucked up in their heads. I'm the one who actually thinks before moving—thorough, calculated, not suicidal. But them? It's like their brains are made of muscle. Honestly, I thought Kai was different… but after that reckless-ass move? Yeah, I'm starting to have some serious doubts.
Right. Now I'm mumbling. I'm no better fuck's sake. And this situation is just frustrating but oh fuck, FINE.
Let's do this then.
**
As expected, none of us could get through.
But seriously, what the heck were we thinking? We all knew the entrance to the Underworld Realm wasn't made for people like us. Hell, it barely tolerates existence. And yet, here we were—three schmucks trying to kick the gates open like we owned the place.
At least we figured out the cause behind the battlefield's endless flame today.
Say hello to the Yurei in front of us—a Spectre that looks way too human. Crawling, pale as death, with hair long enough to mop hell's floor and a tattered white dress. The full ghost-girl package. I tilted my head. "Sadako?"
And then… she breathed fire.
"I swear she only came out of the well or the TV," Jun muttered, grinning like a lunatic. Dude was high as fuck, no doubt about it. "Hey Sadako or whatever! You the gatekeeper or something? Are you, like, real? How the hell do you breathe fire?"
Jun kept yapping, Sadako kept crawling, and we just… stared. For three whole goddamn minutes.
"So, what now?" I finally said. "We just gonna stand here until we get barbecued or what?"
"Sadako! It's a real-life Sadako!" Jun jumped like today was his damn birthday.
This idiot. Tsk.
I turned to the blond. "Oi, Deveraux. What's next?"
I wasn't dumbfounded exactly—more like awe-struck and scared shitless at the same time when I caught that.
From Kai's back, a serpent began to slither out. "Motherfucker!" I gasped, eyes wide.
It curled around his neck, whispering in some creepy serpent language, then slid toward Sadako like it had business with her.
"Dude, what the hell?" I muttered, heart hammering.
Kai didn't flinch. "Senpai… The Serpentii will handle Sadako. But," he paused, "after she's dealt with, a stronger Spectre will show."
"Taka." I corrected, scowling. "Drop the 'senpai.' I hate it. And so what? We'll keep fighting 'til we're all six feet under, no biggie."
He gave me a look. "This isn't just any Spectre."
I gestured at Sadako. "And she is?"
Kai exhaled. "Makakarasu."
Shit.
SHIT.
"You gotta be joking. How do you know?"
He flicked his cigarette to the ground, drew his blade, and pointed beyond Sadako. "Behind her."
I turned—and instantly wished I hadn't.
Whatever the fuck stood behind her wasn't standing so much as looming. Massive. Covered in twitching, blood-red eyes. Eyes that stared straight into my damn soul.
I'd faced monsters before. But this? This was something else. Something that made my insides curdle.
The guardian of the Underworld Realm.
"What the…" I muttered. "Our ancestors better be proud of us."
I unsheathed my katana, cracked my neck, and smacked Jun's empty head. "Oi, shithead. Enough with the bullshit."
"No need to tell me, dumb hawk." Jun shot back, grinning. "I saw your twins long before Sparkle Boy said a word."
"…My what?"
"Your twins. You know. Your precious snake pair."
My eye twitched. "I'm gonna beat your ass into another dimension, I swear to gods."
**
The three then planned their moves.
Granted they were only kids.
But they marched like there's no tomorrow, with all they might.
**
Jun and I were barely holding it together, nerves stretched thin under the monster's crushing presence. Makakarasu loomed behind Sadako, a colossal wall of twitching muscle and eyes, like a Lovecraftian peacock on 'roids. Its arms cracked with sound as it slowly raised one massive claw, talons dripping with black fire.
Kai didn't wait.
Of course he didn't.
The golden bastard snapped his neck once, cracked his knuckles, and said with a lazy grin,
"Alright, you overgrown pigeon. Let's dance."
BOOM!
The ground exploded beneath him as he shot forward, leaving nothing but a shockwave and a crater behind. The serpent—Serpentii—lashed ahead of him, coiling toward Sadako like a divine executioner.
"Sheesh," Jun muttered beside me, shielding his eyes. "Could've at least said 'get behind me' or something before launching into anime protagonist mode."
"Shut it, dumbass." I was too busy trying to stay upright. The force of Kai's leap nearly knocked us off our feet.
Sadako opened her mouth again to let out another blast of fire—but the serpent struck first. It wrapped around her neck mid-breath, yanked her up like a chew toy, and slammed her into the dirt hard enough to crack stone. Once. Twice. Three times.
Then it threw her like trash across the field.
"Daaaamn," Jun whispered. "Sadako got yeeted."
But there was no time to enjoy the show.
Makakarasu moved.
And it moved fast.
It crossed the battlefield in two strides—each footstep shaking the earth—and came down on Kai with a roar that rattled my lungs. Its claw struck…
But Kai was already gone.
He reappeared behind it, mid-air, sword already drawn, golden aura flaring like a wildfire in full bloom.
"Too slow." He muttered.
He kicked off the beast's back like a springboard and drove his blade downward. His blade sliced clean through three of Makakarasu's twitching red eyes with a single sweep.
Makakarasu shrieked.
The ground around us curled with sound, trees uprooted, rock shattered, wind howled like a banshee.
Jun and I dove behind cover just in time as the entire forest edge exploded.
"Note to self," Jun wheezed. "Don't piss off bird-demon eyeball things."
I peered over the ledge, heart in my throat. "Yeah, no shit."
Kai landed gracefully, barely scuffed. His blade shimmered with heat. He wiped blood from his cheek like it was a speck of dust.
Makakarasu wasn't done though. The beast's form began to shift—its limbs expanding, mouths opening across its chest, shrieks erupting from everywhere.
"Shit. It's evolving," I muttered.
Jun frowned. "Why do these things always get a second phase? This isn't a video game!"
Kai didn't look fazed. Not even a little.
"Jun," he called calmly. "Duck."
"Wh—"
CRACK.
The entire sky split open.
No exaggeration. Kai literally slashed the sky.
A streak of gold tore down from above, a heavenly blade made of raw energy. It slammed into Makakarasu like judgment itself.
The monster screeched, twisted, and tried to flee—but it was too late…
"Try reincarnating after that," Kai murmured.
The blast lit up the battlefield in a brilliant explosion of light and force. For a second, it felt like the sun had dropped onto the earth.
Silence followed.
Dust settled. Ash rained down like snow. The battlefield looked like it had been nuked.
Makakarasu?
Gone.
Obliterated.
Disintegrated.
I think (?)
We crawled out from behind what used to be a rock wall, coughing and blinking. Jun stared at the smoldering crater, dumbfounded.
"Holy shit," he croaked. "I think I just saw god."
"Not god," I said, pointing at the figure walking calmly from the wreckage, brushing soot from his jacket. "That's just Kai Deveraux."
"Dammit. I fucking hate him." Jun whined, but his eyes said the otherwise.
He was in awe as much as I was.
Kai walked back over, eyes glowing faintly gold. "You both alive?"
Jun nodded. "Barely, Sparkle Boy."
Kai smirked.
Then I exhaled deeply, finally letting my shoulders drop. "That was insane."
He gave a small shrug. "I held back."
"…WHAT?!"
Jun and I screamed in sync.
Kai just grinned, lit another cigarette, and muttered as he looked at the ashes.
"Guess the Underworld's gonna have to send something nastier next time."
**
The campfire crackled like it didn't just survive a cataclysmic monster battle.
We were back at base, half-dead but still standing. Jun had his shirt off, showing off bruises that bloomed like galaxies across his back. I had a busted arm and what I suspected was a cracked rib. Kai? The bastard looked like he just walked out of a salon appointment—aside from the blood on his collar, anyway.
"Ai, we're dying…" Jun grunted, dropping into the folding chair with a wince.
One of my best friends didn't even glance up from her mixing bowl. "You're whining, not dying. WHO MARCHED TO HELL LIKE THAT LIKE SOME PIECE OF SHIT LIKE THE TWO OF YOU, HUH?"
She flicked a glowing blue salve into a vial, then motioned for Jun to take off his jacket. Still huffing from all the yelling.
"Seriously?" He panted. "Treat my wound fir—" She pinched the wounds. Jun shouted like stupid. "ACK—I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
I can only snort with such sight, already sipping some suspicious red punch like it was a cocktail hour. "Jun, shut up and take the free healing before you start bleeding from your mouth again."
"Your face makes me bleed emotionally." He muttered, but shrugged off the jacket anyway.
"Good. Now shut up and sit still." Ai knelt down, placed her palm over mine and his ribs, and a warm rush of energy spread through our side
Gods. Her healing magic felt like standing in spring sunlight after a storm.
"…thanks," I mumbled, trying not to sound too grateful.
"Dang Ai…" Jun added, "Could you heal broken hearts too?"
She smirked. "Idiot. You're welcome, drama queen."
Jun raised his canned soda. "To not dying! Again!"
Kai didn't toast. He sat a little removed from the firelight, sharpening his blade. Eyes half-closed. Still. Always so still.
Ai followed my glance. "What's with him?"
"Standard Kai Deveraux brooding package." Jun said, chugging the last of the punch. "You save the world, and suddenly it's your job to guard it 24/7."
I frowned. "He's been quiet even for him. You think he's sensing something?"
"Probably just constipated from all the edge," Jun deadpanned, lying flat on his back with a groan. "My bones feel like Doritos."
We laughed, the firelight casting gold against our bruised skin. Even after that monster, we could breathe. For now.
By midnight, most of us were drifting off. Ai was reading her tarot deck in the corner. Jun was snoring face-down on the ground, arm around a punch bowl like it was a teddy bear.
Me?
I was lying on my back staring at the stars—until I heard Kai's boots crunch across gravel.
He wasn't just walking.
He was marching.
Eyes locked forward. Mouth a flat line.
"Kai?" I sat up. "Where're you going?"
He didn't look back. "Something's coming."
That's all he said.
Not another word.
I jumped up, grabbing my half-buttoned jacket, and raced after him.
By the time we reached the edge of the field, General Matsumoto Hirota was already there—lean, built like steel, and currently not pleased.
"You should be resting," the general said, stepping into Kai's path. "You just faced Makakarasu. The commanders haven't even had time to regroup. Let someone else patrol."
Kai stopped—but not out of obedience. More like… pause before impact.
His voice was quiet. "He's here."
General Matsumoto narrowed his eyes. "Who?"
Kai looked up, and every muscle in my body froze.
Across the scorched battlefield, a figure stood in the smoke.
He didn't walk.
He glided.
Long black robes, stitched from ash and ember, moved without wind. His hair was silver-white, flowing past his shoulders. No footsteps. No shadow. Just… presence.
As if the world bent around him.
Eyes like twin abyssal pits locked onto Kai with a lazy cruelty. And when he smiled, it wasn't human.
Kai's sword was in his hand before I even saw him move.
"…Who the hell is that?" I whispered.
General Matsumoto stepped in front of me. "Get back."
Kai answered for him, voice low, breath tight.
"First Prince of the Underworld. Lord of Abyss. He walks between life and death."
The figure finally stopped ten paces away. Then bowed—mockingly.
"My, my…" he purred. His voice was wrong. Too soft and too loud. Like it existed in my skull and outside it at the same time. "So this is the famous Serpent-bound boy with the Knight's Blade. You slayed Makakarasu. Impressive. But rude."
Kai didn't respond.
The Prince tilted his head. "No welcome?"
Kai's blade shone gold. "Get to the point."
The dark prince's grin widened. "A storm is rising, Deveraux. And you, you are the reason the gate has cracked. Every strike you make tears the veil thinner."
His hand raised.
The sky above us rippled.
And something roared behind the clouds.
Kai didn't flinch. "You came to threaten?"
"No," the Prince said softly, drifting closer. "I came to warn."
He stopped just before the ward line—where the Jutsu veil Ai and the others had created still shimmered faintly.
"I am the First," he murmured. "But not the strongest. My siblings… stir. The moment the veil shatters, they will devour this world like locusts. Unless—"
He held out a pale, clawed hand.
"Unless you come with me. Now. As one of us."
The world went silent.
General Matsumoto braced beside me, knuckles white.
Kai stared at the offered hand. No fear. No confusion.
Only cold fury.
He drew out his sword from his Body Ink.
And cut the air.
BOOM.
A ripple of golden energy slammed into the barrier between worlds, forcing the Prince back a step.
Kai's voice was ice.
"Tell your siblings," he tilted his head, eyes deadly, "I'll burn every one of them."
The Prince chuckled, adjusting his robes.
"Oh, young Deveraux," he whispered. "They're counting on it."
He vanished.
No puff of smoke. No special effects.
Just gone.
We stood in the aftermath, the scorched field still glowing faintly.
Kai lowered his sword.
"It's starting..." he said, more to himself than to us.
"What is?" I asked, trying not to choke on adrenaline.
He turned to me, eyes like dying suns.
"The end of the beginning."
**
The sky hadn't been blue for hours.
Not since the First Prince of the Underworld Realm had whispered my name like a curse stitched in silk.
I sat alone on the edge of the cliff behind the camp. The Serpentii pulsed faintly beneath my skin, the mark coiled along my left shoulder like a brand. My sword lay across my knees—Knight's Blade, forged in starlight and godsblood.
I breathed. Once. Twice.
Stillness was my only sanctuary.
Then I heard the crunch of boots.
I didn't look up.
"Ai-san," I said.
"I told you not to do that creepy sixth-sense thing when I'm trying to sneak up." She huffed, rounding the tree line.
I allowed the ghost of a smile.
"Didn't mean to."
She dropped beside me on the moss-covered stone, flushed from running. Her eyes flicked to my bandaged arm, the scorch mark that still hadn't healed on my collarbone.
Without warning, she took my hand.
Soft. Warm. Small fingers wrapping around calloused knuckles.
"You're going to do something stupid, aren't you?" She whispered.
I met her gaze. "Maybe."
Silence.
"Are you worried?" I dared query.
"Let me ask this once," her voice's shaking slightly. "Don't die, Kai. I know we haven't been that close but… Jun and Taka, they'll throw punch at your funeral."
"I'll throw punch at their funeral?"
Ai cracked a grin. "See? You're not that cold..."
I watched her face. The moon caught her cheekbones, the curve of her lashes. She didn't ask for promises. We weren't that close to make promises.
But it did feel warm.
A friend who cares.
So I did the only thing I could.
I leaned forward, touched my forehead gently to hers.
"I'll come back."
Her breath hitched, and for a moment, the war didn't exist.
Just her. Jus us. Just this.
Then Jun screamed from the camp: "DEVERAUX, IF YOU'RE DONE FLIRTING WITH OUR HEALER, WE'RE FORMING A DEATH LINE OVER HERE!"
Taka added, "Also we need more punch!"
I pulled away. Ai rolled her eyes. "Tsk."
I smirked.
And stood.
**
By dawn, the battlefield stretched like a scar across the horizon.
Armored Fighters formed lines, shields raised, chants echoing. General Matsumoto rode ahead, black armor glinting like obsidian, giving orders sharp as blades. Taka and Jun were loading bomb runes into their belts like lunatics at a firework festival.
"On a scale from 'I'm ready' to 'I'm going to pee myself,' where are we?" Taka asked Jun.
Jun flexed. "I already peed. I'm saving time."
"You're disgusting."
"You're just jealous of my efficiency."
Ai adjusted her gloves and gave them both a flat stare. "You die first, I'm resurrecting you just to slap you."
I walked among them. I didn't speak. I didn't need to.
The blade, the serpent, the mark on my back.
They knew.
They followed.
And once again, we marched into the battlefield.
**
The Spectres came like a tide.
Cloaked in shadow, faceless, shrieking in hunger. They dropped from the sky, clawed from earth, burst from cracks in the stone.
Jun screamed, "THEY HAVE A DRAGON MADE OF BONES—THIS IS CHEATING!"
Taka launched a Fire Jutsu from his katana. "I CALL A RECOUNT."
General Matsumoto bellowed, "FORM LINES! HOLD THEM—"
Explosions. Light. Screams.
Ai's voice carried through the chaos, "Purification Jutsu, NOW!"
And a wave of white-hot cleansing fire erased the nearest swarm.
Still they came.
Still we fought.
Steel rang. Blood spilled.
But I walked through it all.
To the center.
Where he waited.
**
The First Prince stood atop the shattered stone altar, robes swaying like smoke in windless air. Around him, the battlefield warped—twisted trees, molten rock, reality bending at the seams.
"You've come alone…" he said.
"I'm enough." I replied.
He smiled. "Yes. Yes you are."
Then he attacked.
Our blades clashed.
His power was death incarnate—black flame, shadowed wind, time slivers that sliced seconds into blades.
But the Knight's Blade met each strike with blinding gold, holy fury. Serpentii coiled around my limbs, snapping through it all with venom older than time.
He struck with a dozen arms formed from cursed soul-stuff.
I severed them all.
He howled.
I punched through the ground with the Knight's Blade, summoned the ancient Jutsu of the Deveraux Flame, and called down light.
The sky burned.
He screamed.
But he did not die.
His form wavered. Reformed.
"You cannot kill a Prince of the Underworld," he rasped, crawling from the shattered ruin of his throne.
"I don't have to," I said. "I just have to break you."
And I did.
I drove the Knight's Blade through his shoulder, pinned him to the earth.
Then the Serpentii erupted from my skin, coiling around his limbs… draining, binding, torturing.
He shrieked. Spasmed.
Blood like molten ink oozed from his lips.
"I surrender!" He hissed.
"Say it in blood." I ordered.
He laughed through the agony. "You're cruel."
"You haven't seen cruel."
He bit into his own wrist. Drew a symbol on the ground.
"I vow," he rasped. "By marrow and moon, this war ends."
The symbol glowed.
So did mine.
Blood Vow.
His form shimmered—cracked—and the shadows began to dissipate.
All around us, the Spectres shrieked and vanished into ash.
The battle… ended.
Victory.
Silence fell like snow.
**
Back at camp, the Fighters cheered. Some cried. Some collapsed. General Hirota saluted me from across the field.
Jun was dancing on a table.
Taka chugged in the whole cup of soda.
Ai ran straight toward me.
She wrapped her arms around me and buried her face into my chest.
"Kai…" she whispered. "You, won the war."
"WE won the war."
"…Right."
She kissed my right cheek.
And run away blushing.
The war was over.
The sky was blue again.
But I knew, peace was only a breath.
And I was still the blade between worlds.