2 Calm Before Death

Waking up from his unconscious state, he found himself in a devastating landscape.

The church was burned and destroyed, the bodies of the matron and children lay scattered as they burned and were consumed by the flames.

Toji looked at the scene with some indifference, but seeing his grandmother's figure burning tore him apart.

"Now I know where I am, how come I didn't realize it," Toji said with a downcast look as he gazed up at the sky above him.

"The man with the chainsaw, huh?" Toji spoke as he continued to look up at the sky with a wild little smile.

Stopping his gaze towards the sky, he left the place with the few clothes he was wearing because all his clothes were charred.

Running through the forest behind the church, Toji spent 3 hours running constantly. On his way he found a small river where he examined the appearance of it and was surprised.

His appearance was better than before.

This Touji definitely looked more nourished and more defined than any boy his age.

(A/N: I want to make something clear. Makima and the MC are the same age; they were both born in 1997. For example, Makima was born on January 7th and currently, when she was alive in the manga, she was 24 years old. Now they are both 5 years.)

Touji's appearance was more defined and his face had improved, along with his muscles, though not significantly enough to show some muscle definition.

Putting that aside, he began to drink water from the river and began to run aimlessly once more.

After 2 hours, he found a small dojo surrounded by bamboo and wild plants. Inside, there was an older man in a white yukata sitting in front, and a green-haired young woman with dark eyes the same age as him sipping tea peacefully. However, just by looking at the old man's upright posture and katana in the background, it was evident that he had combat knowledge.

"Looks like we have guests," the old man said in a deep, husky voice, finishing his tea and turning in my direction.

The girl who was drinking tea was surprised and looked at her grandfather with a questioning look.

"Are you sure, grandpa?" the girl said, her face showing confusion.

The old man simply sighed before looking at what seemed to be his granddaughter.

"That's why you have to learn to feel presences that don't always use negative energy or have just awakened it," said the old man with a tired sigh, and a questioning look appeared on his face when he saw his granddaughter.

"Sorry, Grandpa, I swear I'll learn it," the girl said with a sudden look.

Seeing that the old man had figured it out, Toji simply stepped out from behind the bamboo, walked over and looked at the old man in front of him, who stared back at him with a stern expression.

The girl, who could clearly see the young man's muscles from her, blushed profusely and looked away from her.

"Wow, wow, cheeky brat," the old man said, clearly amused by his granddaughter's reaction and the young man's cheeky attitude on his part, showing off his muscles fearlessly and seeming to enjoy making the girl blush.

The young man smiled cheekily as he smiled at the old man.

"Who are you, cheeky boy?" The old man said getting up from his tatami and walking through the door with the same cheeky look that the young man had.

"I'm Toji Fushiguro, and I want you to train me, old man," Toji said with a cheeky look and a somewhat haughty voice, which amused the old man slightly.

"You're just like me when I was young. Let's see if you've got what it takes," the old man said, entering a combat stance with a cheeky and amused smile. However, inside, he furrowed his brow because the negative energy emanating from the boy was being suppressed by something.

The boy stared at the old man in front of him with a cheeky look, but his posture and face were tense and prepared for any attack, giving the old man a sense that it reflected false confidence.

The boy launched himself at the old man at a speed that exceeded even his granddaughter, who was quite fast.

Reappearing right in front of him, Toji felt the negative energy flow smoothly and aggressively through his body. Concentrating his energy in his hand, he unleashed a powerful punch directly at the old man's stomach, generating a slight pressure in the air as the energy danced in his hand and condensed rapidly.

Just as it reached his stomach, he saw the old man give him a smile before his image disappeared right before his eyes.

**BAM**

In an instant, he felt a powerful punch hit his stomach, sending him flying and completely immobilized, falling to the ground as he struggled to catch his breath.

"You're fast, kid, I'll give you that," the old man said, looking at the boy in front of him with an amused expression on his elderly face.

"Damn old man, you're so strong? I thought your bones would crumble from delivering such a punch," Toji said as he moved with difficulty on the ground, trying to catch his breath.

The old man's granddaughter watched as from the beginning, the boy named Toji and her grandfather had a small confrontation in which her grandfather obviously emerged victorious. Still, she was surprised to see the boy run at a speed that she couldn't even reach. What really left her speechless was seeing the boy's fist glow with negative energy, which he manipulated at will. It left her baffled because her grandfather told her that only demons like them could manipulate negative energy, and she didn't expect a human to have such ability.

"So, will you train me, old man?" Emerging from her thoughts, the girl saw Toji talking to her grandfather.

The old man simply smiled at her before turning to the girl and looking at her gently.

"Nakame, fetch some water, for me and for Toji," the old man said to the girl named Nakame, who gracefully and silently got up and walked across the tatami without making a sound, heading into the dojo.

The old man turned back to Toji with a serious look, causing the young man to tense up.

"Your energy is immense, and you left me somewhat puzzled. How can you manipulate negative energy like that?" the old man said as he extended his hand towards Toji with a half-smile.

Touji simply took her hand and stood up, smiling back at her.

"I just feel it running through my body and I focus on it," Touji spoke, seeming more recovered now.

Those simple words left the old man pondering, but at the same time they told him that this boy was different. From that description, he knew that Touji had to be some kind of prodigy to feel that energy so naturally.

"Child, show me that energy again," the old man said with a serious look on his face.

Touji sighed and, with a thought, the cursed energy in his body exploded mightily, slightly cracking the ground beneath him.

The old man, who was watching this with a smile, could see such a density of negative energy in the boy.

"My name is Kiyoshi. Welcome to my dojo, brat. I'll be your trainer," the man called Kiyoshi said with a cheeky smile as he patted the boy on the shoulder.

Her granddaughter, Nakame, arrived at the scene with a friendly smile on her face and carrying a tray with two glasses of water. Her hair moved gently in the air as Touji's eyes settled on her.

The girl caught Toji's gaze and, like an angel, she smiled at him, warming her heart for a moment.

In a gray room somewhere in the city of Tokyo, Makima gazed out the window nonchalantly, while a man in a suit sat next to her.

"You must kill the demons. You must avenge the boy you once loved and cared for you," the man said hoarsely, his vacant gaze fixed on Makima, who continued to stare out the window nonchalantly. However, his face wrinkled slightly when he remembered that video where they showed him the place where his house had been brutally destroyed, leaving only a deep crater.

"I will create a better world. For that, everyone must be under my control so that no one suffers and I can fulfill my goals," Makima said as her eyes shone with indifference.

End of Ch.