Chapter V - Rise of a Kingdom

Part I - Ketsugi Minamoto - Treading to success.

A few months have passed since our visit and destruction of Kumei. It wasn't the ideal turnout of events. I was hoping to make connections with the leading heads of every Kingdom, but that's where it falls short. We could use Shiara as a means of pre-existing status. The only problem is now she's a brainless bottomless pit of hunger. She has no means of taking that role in our mission. I've been training my body every single day since then. I haven't let up my training for a single day. There were days where I wanted to give in because of the harsh training. I stuck to it along with Krystal and Cazo giving me regiments and a plan to follow. At the end of the day all I yearn for is to be strong, I want to be strong enough to keep the peace we have been keeping now. Although short lived… I cherish it. Raena has been busy keeping us teleported every few days to avoid being at the same location for long periods of time. I wonder if the enemy is doing the same. Training every moment they can. The only thing I can do now is strengthen my resolve and train harder. I head to the Nue Vida's training grounds and begin to do my daily exercises. It usually only consisted of a few things : Weight Training, Cardio Training, Aura Training, and finally ending the day with training of my Techniques. I still haven't figured out how to tap into the power I used against the fight with Zece. I can't access any of my father's memories during his transformations. It would seem like something was blocking me from entering those memories. I asked the first Lord for advice but he's still as vague as ever. That power though… It was intense. It felt like my blood was boiling every second as the muscles in my body screeched for a fight. The aura flooded my body endlessly… almost like it completely just manifested into my body. The rush was almost.. addicting. As for using "Bang" once again it could be dangerous. When I used it then I didn't feel any pain but it was only the adrenaline and constant regeneration keeping it at check. Cazo warned me using a technique like that could possibly shred my arm beyond repair. My body is just too weak to handle too much pressure of aura. Lately, I've just been experimenting with the technique I picked up during the fight "Rend". The gravitational pull during that ability is oddly peculiar. It has a rotational pull going in like a spiral movement. Not only does it pull things with it but it disfigures any mass around it making it fluidly spin with the spiral. The only issue is that it uses more aura and I haven't had any breakthrough with my ability. Damn, so much for training. Well, in other matters our Kingdom has been thriving after taking the other Kingdoms Reserves of food and wealth. Kilah hasn't awoken yet but it seems his hand has begun to regain some color and form, Gadoh made some clothes for him to wear to help with the recovery. Tenshi has begun his aura training with Cazo, surprisingly he was able to naturally learn really quickly. He still has yet to unlock his ability. He also was able to get along well with the others… I'm glad. This life of a lord is tiring.. but I need to do this. Who else will..?

I sit at the cliff side every night to stargaze at the sky and watch the clouds slowly disappear. Tonight I brought myself a cigar with herbs and tea and sat down. The sky was peaceful. The breeze was pleasant and fresh. I lit the cigar with a machine that Raena found inside the castle. The cherry colored end of the cigar burned bright as I inhaled the herbs inside. The smoke dispersed into the dark blue sky with every small breeze. "Cherish every moment of peace right Nikke?" I said into the empty space in front of me reaching no ears. If father was here he would know what to do now. Why couldn't he just be lord.. why did this have to all rely on me. Frustration kicked in as I let out a sigh and laid down. Someone's steps closer to me while smoking, I glance over to see Raena walking over to me. "Oh Raena, what's wrong, did you need to ask me something?" She shakes her head as she comes close to me and sits down. "I was wondering if it was okay for me to j… join you." I shrug and say " Of course, you're free to do what you want." She smiles and blushes. Deep down I feel sad for her. From the glimpse of what I saw, she had to watch me and everyone else die multiple times without being able to do anything. I understand how she could feel so helpless. Especially when she was needed the most. "How have you been with the others? Have you been able to make friends with the others?" She looks back at me with a smile and nods. "How has your training been going ? Have you been able to keep up with the training Cazo gave you ? His training could be a little strict." I take a few puffs off of the cigar and clear my throat. "Yeah, I was able to keep up with it. It actually helped me with the amount of aura I can use now. The only issue is I still don't know how to access the 'First Gate'." She stands up and takes a stance. "Well I don't know how to teach you in any way that you can understand and learn. Maybe you can sense and learn it that way. "Demon Release : First Gate" Reana's body becomes covered in a darkish aura that has a dark coat of transparency. I become mesmerized by the aura. I inch my hand closer to get a sense for the demonic release of energy. My hand touches her cheek as a sharp feeling strikes all my nerves as the aura begins to wrap around my hands. A warm sensation began at the center of my palms as the flame of the dark aura indulged my entire body. A second passes and Raena flinches back and stumbles backwards while her face becomes a bright red. "Oh sorry.. I didn't mean to.." I shy away and scratch my head and continue to smoke. "It's okay don't worry.. you just caught me by surprise.. you can uh.. we'll whenever you.. need help with getting a feel for uhh.. demonic aura I can help.." I clear my throat and say "Right, I'll ask you umm.." the night becomes silent as we both stand there just stargazing. A peaceful time it is..

Part II - Ketsugi Minamoto - The black fox in the Ancient Woods

I wake up lying down on my bed as the rays of the sun shun through the blinds and into my room. I look at the mirror while being shirtless and see a peculiar sight. My muscle mass has grown… maybe this new demon body sped up my progress. It makes sense the regeneration makes it possible for my muscles to reform faster and faster. My hair is starting to get a little long as well. It's fine, I can just tie my hair up like Kisan and Father. And Nikke.. it's been four months since Nike's death.. he's submerged into the plant somehow.. but the aura, the familiarity of it. It was also mine. It seems that the weapon that Kilah gave me then was the reason for the plant. Kilah must know why he has been fused with a plant. The only issue now is that Kilah still hasn't woken up from his coma.. we managed to keep him healthy since the fight. We can owe thanks to Cazo. He was surprisingly taught medical rituals from demonic spellbooks. He was able to treat his arm and keep him fed.. though it wasn't easy. The day we attacked Kumei, Cazo wasn't able to set up a proper barrier as Kilah was in horrible condition and needed immediate attention. I've been traveling to different villages near Kumei trying to gather information for the last few weeks. After my training I would throw on my old Pale Brigade cloak and mask and ask Raena to teleport to a village via checklist. So far I've only been able to gather rumors about angels being seen on the other side of this continent in the region where the Kingdom of Azai lies. It seems that the region was highly respected for it completely changing into a religious and friendly region due to a coup in their inner ranks. For now the Kingdom of Azai will remain untouched by us since it's the main gates of the Angels. For now we are better off treading untouched ground since we eliminated all of those who lived in the Kingdom of Kumei. I plan to head down to another village this evening after I finish some training. The Village of Bak… I begin my training regiment and begin to do weights, cardio exercises, and aura endurance training. Today I'm looking forward to advancing the rotational gravity technique's, so far they've proved to be more lethal and strong. The only cost is the aura usage and strain it puts on my body. I wanted to try pushing the rotation to its limits. My aura capacity increased as well as my body. I stood outside by the cliff and picked up a random stone on the floor and focused my aura on it. I lifted it to float above my palm and began to apply rotation to the stone. The stone spun faster the more aura I expended. I kept applying and applying aura, maintaining my concentration on two applications of gravity. My palm was starting to feel like it's being shredded into small pieces, but I pushed farther and beyond my limits. I bore the pain and exhaustion. Then an exciting thing occurred. The stone created a vacuum-like pull. The stones' shape started to change as it became almost liquid-like until it suddenly vanished. Though I still felt the presence of something above my hand as the aura began to be sucked into a vortex of some kind. I stopped the vortex completely by doing a rotation the opposite way canceling the ability. I was thrilled with excitement to discover something so interesting. I spent a few hours attempting to redo the same ability once more. After failing multiple times I was able to successfully redo the advance application of the gravity rotation. I call it "The Perfect Rotation". The only thing now is to figure out the capabilities of this Technique. I first tested it by touching the center of the correct and instantly my finger contorts into a spiral. I quickly move my finger away as my finger continues to twist. I notice my aura from the vortex continues to spread from my finger to my hand like a fire. My whole hand shatters into a spiral. I strengthened my left arm and cut it off with no hesitation. It looks like the Golden Rotation spreads infinitely if not countered by an opposite rotation. I grit my teeth as the pain of cutting my own hand was not an easily forgettable thing. I used my aura to regenerate, I watched the bones and muscle form while new skin covered it. This vortex is dangerous even to me. From the looks of it it can destroy almost anything physically and absorb the aura around with the vacuum. I cancel out the Golden Rotation and sit down. I take a deep breath, lay down and close my eyes. I'll take a small rest before heading to Bak.

I awake to Raena watching over me with a smile. "Are you ready to head out now?" I stand up and clean off my clothes and then stretch. "Yeah, did you bring my clothes for the scouting?" She nods and hands me my coat and mask. I put on the coat and mask and extend my hand to Raena. "Okay, let's go." She grabs my hand and teleports us to the outskirts of the Village. "Alright thank you Raena I'll contact you tonight. Let this be our randevu point. Make sure you keep Nue Vida safe." She nods and teleports away. I look back toward the village, it seems lively with a lot of people on the streets and tons of vendors selling to the travelers. I begin walking on the road that leads to the entrance of Bak. I reach the entrance meeting the gate with a huge sign reading: Bak Home of the Ancient Forest. Interesting.. I pass through the gate to be welcomed by a busy street with families and friends enjoying an evening of a nice autumn breeze with the trees turning into a golden brown color. What a bliss.. these people live carefree without knowing what trouble the entire world has fallen into. I envy their happiness… but still it strengthens my resolve even more. I continue into the street whilst I look around for anything that may catch my eye. I stop by a couple food vendors to try some new foods that the others may like. I pick up a few exotic meats and exotic fruits that only bloom in the autumn of this region. The fruit is said to be extremely flavorful and sweet as the juice of the fruit is rich in taste. The "Boco Fruit" is said to also bring luck and fortune when you share it with your family. What weird superstitions do these people have… but I will take a few just to be safe. I don't really know the exchange rates of the world but throwing one gold coin sure elated all the vendors when I paid them. I continued deeper into the village and some who ended up in a system of alleyways. In my journey through the forest of buildings and trees I found myself standing in front of a man begging for his life on the floor while two bandits pinned him to the ground. "What are you looking at, freak. Can't you see we have business here." I bow and say "No worries gentlemen, I'll take my leave" the man on the floor turns to me and says "No please these men are going to kill my family after they kill me! I BEG YOU STRANGER BUT NOT FOR MY LIFE BUT FOR THE LIFE OR MY CHILDREN!!!" I stopped from walking away and slowly turned back. "On second thought. I don't think I'll be going anywhere." A fire began to burn inside me as rage started to fuel me. I run across the wall launching myself between both of the bandits, swiping my hands across their faces. "Rend" their heads and necks twist slowly as they begin to run around like headless chickens. Then a splat of blood could be heard as their body's flop to the ground. The frying man then gets off the ground and runs towards me "Thank you so much stranger! What is thy name ?? To what name do I repay my gratitude?" I think for a moment and then say "I am Sugi.. Leader of the Pale Brigade." He grabs my hand and explodes into tears as he walks me down the road "Come come now Mr. Sugi, my shop is not too far from here !" I follow him along the system of alleys. We finally reach a street with a bunch of women sitting around the buildings. The man stops and then looks at me. "I'm sorry I forgot to tell you my name. You can call me Dario Wenton. Dario is okay as well since we're buddies now right!" He grins and smiles. "Now now Mr.Sugi, don't be shy and go ahead and step inside!" I look at the sign at the top of the building and it reads : Dario's Brothel. Brothel? What is that… is it some sort of potion shop ?.. I don't pay much thought and walk inside. It seems to be some sort of Inn but entirely empty. Dario enters right behind me and shouts out "I'm back ladies!" Then a bunch of women come scurrying down the stairs running towards Dario. They all hug him showering him with tears and kisses. One woman says "Those bandits didn't hurt you, did they !?" Dario then laughs and says "No way thanks to this stud!! He saved me and not only that.. they won't be coming back again!!" All the women then turn to me and bow to me and all thank me for saving Dario. One woman with bright red hair walks up to me and takes my hand "Come now traveler let us give you some drinks and food for your troubles!" And before I can reply she pulls me to a table and sits me down. Dario sits across from me while the women get to work and bring us fresh drinks and some food. Then the woman with the red hair sits next to me and holds my arm as she scoots over closely to me. Dario then takes his drink and chugs a good swig. "Say say Mr.Sugi, what brought you too Bak? Did something catch your attention to come to this village?" I clear my throat and say "Well nothing in particular.. I've just been visiting different villages in this region. The only thing I can say is the Ancient forest that was written on the gate of the village." He takes another drink and a bite of his food before answering. "Ahh yes the Ancient Forest of Bak, the forest a mile from the Village. It used to bring a lot of travelers from around the different Regions. Though suddenly one day less and less adventures and travelers came to visit it. It is said that there lives a Mythical beast who has claimed the lives of so many. But those are just the stories said by the ones who believe in such legends." My interest begins to pique and I ask "Legends you say? What are these Mythical beasts if I may ask." He laughs and chuckles. "Oooo fan of fairytales aren't you!! Well there are said to be eight Mythical beasts around all the regions of the world. The Guardian Wolf of the forest, The Whale of the skies, the Snake of underworld, the Dragon of the boundless oceans, the Mammoth of the Frozen Ice lands, the Golem of the living fortress, The Silent Ghost of the white mist, and the All-knowing Sand beast of the desert wastelands. These Mythical beasts are truly no match for any as they exceed in unrivaled strengths and aura abilities that can't be compared. To truly seek these Mythical beings one must be worth the legendary beast time." Mesmerized by the story I thank Dario and ask one more thing. "Also.. one last thing, have you heard any rumors about a flying kingdom or Angels ?" He shakes his head and continues to drink. "Sadly no, and if there were any rumors about such things then they'd just be rumors! No such things exist!" I laugh along with Dario and say "Haha ! Yeah exactly.. surely they're just stories."

I take my leave that evening and exit the brothel and head back into town as Dario escorts me to the direction of the Ancient Forest. "Well well Mr.Sugi, here we are! If you walk straight north of here you'll be at the ancient Forest! Take care and goodluck finding the Mythical Beast! Hehe." He gives me a thumbs up and I wave and head off.

I reach the outer woods of the forest and try to take in the beauty of the golden sea of brown trees. I enter the forest and try to sense any aura that may be nearby. I walk around for a few hours not being able to find anything but endless seas of trees. Then suddenly my eye catches a source of light deep in the endless sea of trees. I start to walk towards it as a voice can start to be heard the closer I get. The voice abruptly turns into panic and cries so I rush through the trees to investigate. I reach the source of light and the screams of terror. I find a boy kneeling down in a pool of blood. I make myself known as the eyes of pain and sorrow meet my own. "Are you okay boy?" He shakes his head as he tightly grips a totem in his hands. "What's wrong, what happened here?!" He points to the house with a blood trail. I see some sort of fur shuffle around behind the house.. my heart begins to skip.. the ominous aura spills throughout the field around the house. A giant wolf head peaks over the roof of the house and stares at me. It has four giant yellow eyes radiating with aura. Its silver pelt shone in the moonlight only being stained with blood around its mouth. A singular arm could be seen hanging dead in its jaws as it began to growl towards me. I shout towards the kid and say "Look away, everything is going to be okay now. Tell me what's your name kid." I tried to steel my nerves while the showdown between me and the Wolf began. The boy finally answers and says "My-m-my name is Lione '' I take a deep breath and wipe the sweat off my face. The pressure that the beast is exerting is insane. The fear of death is crawling through my veins. "Okay Lione, be brave for me, okay and live. I'll distract this monster and you can run." The boy is shaken up, terrified, frozen, and unable to move an inch. I grab my mask and hand it to him and say "Look this mask has the power to give someone bravery. Take this mask and you'll be braver than me." He puts on the mask, takes a deep breath and finally stands. "Good Lione, now run away don't worry about me I'll take care of this beast." Lione runs towards the sea of trees behind me . This monster is throwing an extremely different atmosphere than Tiara Ketsugi. I feel fear… the Guardian of the Forest stands on its four legs showcasing its enormous size. I take a stance and begin to concentrate my aura. I exhale and mentally prepare myself to use everything that I have. The tension becomes high while the giant wolf exerts pressure onto me. I try to focus all my aura and close off every single pore that releases my aura. A sensation shocks every nerve on my body making every cell in me feel connected. Aura started to spark up on my body giving a dark glow. "Demon Rel-" Suddenly my body feels in immense pain making me fall to the ground. "Shit… I thought I was.. Damn.." I try to move but my body is unresponsive. Thud* Thud* I hear the wolf's giant paws hitting the ground the closer it moves. I catch a glimpse of its snout as it throws a giant grin towards my lifeless body. It picks up one of its paws towards my body and digs its claws under my body. It lifts my body with me screeching from the pain. It then launches me with ease, throwing me against a tree. I fell to the ground, nearly losing consciousness.. My body doesn't want to move. No matter how much I try to struggle.. I don't understand wh-... then the First Lord's words echo through my head.. Damn.. I won't be able to move and inch. This will be my grave. All because I wanted to save a little brat. Everything seemed to be lost… I accepted my fate… a Lord… death by Mythical beast.. then a rushing of steps came from the tree behind me and I caught the glimpse of the boy who was supposed to run came back. Lione shielded my body with his and faced the giant wolf. "I'm not going to run, not after you came to save me mister.. don't worry, I'm not scared.. I'll protect you since you don't have the mask to be brave anymore.." I stared speechless as the boy's words touched something deep inside me. "Don't be a fool Lione !! This monster isn't something we can fight !!" I shout in a plea trying to convince him to run. The monster without mercy stands before Lione lifting its claws towards him, piercing his abdomen, then he was lifted by the wolf to only be thrown to a nearby tree where Lione slammed against it and fell. I watched in silence as the boy's body hit the ground. A coldness filled my body with despair. I watched the boy lay there in peril. The wolf's mouth gaped open to swallow my body whole. The saliva and hot breath creeped on my body. Suddenly at that moment time slowed down as the boy stood up catching the attention of the wolf as well. "I'm not gonna die yet… I have to protect you mister.. just like you tried to with me.. this pain is nothing. I'm not gonna watch anyone else die anymore…" he grips around his wound trying to stop as much blood loss as he can. Then suddenly something awoke inside him as a spark of aura ignited around his body. His body slowly began to pulsate a golden glow.. faster and faster till it completely transformed his body into light. "Licht : Der Ansturm '' his body turns into a beam dashing straight through the snout of the wolf leaving behind a giant wound. This awakens something inside of me… a fire burned through all of my nerves connecting every single pore and becoming in unison. A black flame blazed around my body, I felt everything once more… my body was back in my control.. I stood up tall and pointed towards the Mythical beast. "Get away from that boy.. you won't lay another claw on him… I'll end this so-called legend of the Forest Guardian… all you did was prey on these innocent people who didn't have much.. but they had families and you dare TAKE THAT AWAY!!! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A WILD ANIMAL!! So I'll hunt you and treat you like one…Demon Release : First Gate." I felt the fury of my soul take-over as I released all the rage built up in my heart. I dash rapidly towards the wolf dodging its maw attempting to chomp off the upper of my torso. I slide under its belly "I'm going to end this right here right now.. Golden Rotation : Soul-Rend." I strike it's stomach with the momentum I carried through the slide. My aura injects inside its body to the other side. In that very instant the entire area of my aura that shot through twisted the body in a spiral to only leave a giant hole. The wolf falls on the floor and I rush toward Lione. I lift him to see him breathing faintly.. I have no other choice.. he has to become a demon.. I bite my finger and drip blood into his mouth hoping he'll continue living. The wounds on his face and stomach begin to heal. But his eyes remain faint. I hear the First Lord's voice speak to me "He's done for. Let him rot. The Guardian already consumed most of his soul." I grit my teeth and say "shut it… you don't know what you're talking about.. I said I was going to save this boy's life.." I say to the First Lord in response he replies with laughter. "Actually on second thought.. It seems this boy is special after all.. I wonder what he traded for that contract he formed.." aura from the wolf's corpse began to form above Lione's body. The shape became solid as a singular soul rested on top of his.

Part III - Lione - The boy who cried wolf

Why does it feel so cold?.. I look around me to see nothing but darkness. Endless oceans of black. I Look down at my hands and find them fading away like sand in the wind. Steps walk towards me as a huge figure emerges from nothingness. The image becomes clearer the closer it gets. A silver pelt begins to shine with a silver mist highlighting the features. Four dark red eyes, huge maw showcasing gigantic teeth, a black sharp nose, small cone shaped ears, gigantic paws with pearly black claws, and a giant silver tail. The beast walks towards me as it opens its jaws and devours me whole. I couldn't react.. My body didn't move a single inch. My hands rapidly begin to fade spreading to my legs and abdomen. I never really had friends.. I was usually alone.. The only people around me were my family. We were a small tribe that lived in this forest. We were probably the last of the elves in this world. We were driven out from the other villages because of a curse that draws monsters to us. It led to our final days on this earth. I was the last one alive.. I was frozen.. When I watched my parents risk their lives fighting the wolf… it ended in a blood bath.. They told me to run and save myself.. But I watched. I watched the wolf slaughter both my dad and mother in only mere seconds.. They were no match for the wolf. Then the man with a mask and cloak showed up to rescue me. He gave me the mask that he bestowed his bravery into.. It gave me the strength to finally be able to move. So I fled the moment he told me to run, but there was an uneasy feeling growing in my chest. That's when his screams filled the forest. I stopped and turned back to find him on the floor. A warmth inside my chest started to build seeing that he was still alive but bleeding out. So I did the only thing I could think of. To fight the wolf and save the man who came to save me despite him knowing that I was an elf. At that moment I had nothing to lose..

Now, I'm here with no Idea what happened. I drown in blackness untilI hit the ground. I look around to see a fading image of the wolf. "It looks like you're dying too." The wolf turns to me and growls. "I don't know what's going on but you need my body to survive don't you.." the wolf stops growling and steps closer to me. "Tell you what you ugly mutt. I'll forgive you and let you reside within my body but I need your power. I want your strength to repay the man that saved me." The wolf grins and says "Foolish child.. you do not know the true hellish secrets of this world.. your offer does intrigue me.. I shall grant you your wish but heed my warning.. The white winged beings shall be the end of you.. This path you take will only lead to more bloodbath and deaths." Without a second thought I replied "My life was gone the moment you came and ripped it out of my hands.. I have nothing left.. but this man came with no regard to his own life and saved me. My life is now his. Give me your strength." The wolf grins and walks slowly towards me and opens its maw. "Like I said you're a foolish boy.. I'll be taking your body for a while.. hehe.. HAHA!l the maws released and snapped on me, and swallowed me whole.

Part IV - Ketsugi Minamoto - The awakening of the past and future.

I stand back as the young kid's body begins to regain color, his eyes open and he stands up. "Great, it looks like you're ali-" before I could finish my sentence his body glows a white and yellow hue blasting through my left arm and upper torso. I fall to the ground and start to scream from the agonizing pain. I pull myself together and use my aura to regenerate my body. I grit my teeth, stand and turn the kid. "Hey, you screeching child… How did you get this ability." Murderous intent bled from him as he stared at his rended arm. He stared me down with his 4 bright yellow demonic eyes. Sweat began to pour from my forehead and down to my cheeks then chin. "Tell me what you are! You're neither human nor devil…" his expression wrinkled further and further as the anger began to seep in his heart. The moonlight beamed down to showcase the monstrous face that was on display. My body was quickly starting to slow down as the "First Gate'' was stressing it beyond its limits. My breathing is getting heavier as my arms start to shake. I have about one last effort strike before my body completely gives out. I pick up my hand and cover it with my body. I only have one move that has enough destructive power to kill this beast.. I have to charge a "Bang" attack… Six applications of compression should give me enough power. The only problem now is if I have the chance to pull off that many compressions. I have to try… it's my only chance of surviving. My heart began to race as the pressure and bloodlust the monster was exerting created fear upon me. I was prey on its last legs desperately trying to fight back and escape. Before the monster moved a single step I charged my first application of Compression. The monster dashed at me turning his body into light "Licht : Der Ansturm '' I used gravity on my own body to slam onto the ground barely dodging the strike. The monster then uses the momentum to bounce off a tree launching itself towards me with another strike. I push my body into the air with one arm using levitation to make my body light dodging the strike. The impact of the second strike created a cloud of smoke from the shattering ground. I fell inside of it realizing this was the perfect chance to charge up the compressions. The second application layered onto the last, the beast became erratic most likely throwing a frenzy as the howls shortly were followed by warping noises. The third compression was applied as it became silent and the smoke started to clear a little. I took the risk and applied a fourth layer… but I realized the grave mistake I made when the bright four demonic yellow eyes stared at me from the ground revealing a devilish smile of satisfaction. His body began to feintly glow when i made the conscious decision of using my last ditch efforts. I support my right arm with my left holding it by my wrist. "Gravity Release : BANG x 4." The orb let's out compressed air blasting the monster into a couple of trees. The air was filled with a storm of smoke created from rubble.. the last of the "First Gate" aura leaves my body and petters out like a flame. I grasp my arms from the pain finally reaching my senses. Every single muscle in my body shrieks in pain, I grasp at my chest trying to calm the pain in my lungs and heart. Regeneration is momentarily impossible since I can't seem to bring forth any of my aura. "This is what happens when you force the transformation after failing once… you better hope that last blast of air puts him down for this fight.." Lord Minamoto says in the back of my mind. "How long is this gonna last? " I ask him in desperation. "You're gonna be out for a few hours.. if you keep forcing yourself to fight or use any more demon aura you'll die." I click my tongue and try to walk away from the smoke, but suddenly I see the four demonic eyes peering through the smoke staring at me with intent to kill. My breath escapes me for a moment realizing that the blast had completely missed him. Stress riled up in my body as the sweating from pressure began to pour. He closes the gap and incapacitated me holding me to my neck and chokes me slowly suffocating me. I try to move every muscle in my body to fight back… no response. My lungs began to gasp for a fraction of air. My heart racing, my limbs aching, my vision becoming impaired. I try to scream for help but nothing escapes from my mouth. Tears begin to swell up in my eyes. Then the demon talks to me "You…no.. that ability where did you get it.. did you steal the lord's ability… how did it fall into your hands. No matter what, I'll take it myself. Demon Release : Second - Gate." Black flames form around his body slowly reaching my neck. Then the delicate black flame shocked my entire body. *Crack* one of the rings given by my father breaks.

Part V - Ketsugi Minamoto : Kaneoke Minamoto.

"Hey… Ketsugi.. it's been a while since we've talked like this huh.. Son. I wake up from a soft bed of lukewarm water. The atmosphere is nostalgic with an orange sunset shade to fill the endless world. I clear my face of the water washing over me. I pick myself up and stand to see my father sitting on a boulder in the endless ocean of clear blue water. My heart begins to feel heavy realizing my father is right in front of me. Emotions started to come through my eyes as the warm tears dripped from my face. "F… father?.. Is that really you?.." I fell to my knees when the wave of emotions began to crash on me. "It's okay Ketsugi… it is me… come here you can sit next to me." a new boulder rises from the ground. I get up from my knees and stand hunched over clearing my face from tears. I take a deep breath and exhale and walk over to my father. I pull myself on to the boulder next to him. "Ketsugi, why do you think everything is how it is now? Is it luck? Misfortune? No no.. your struggle couldn't be any of it.. the deaths and lives of all the ones who helped us get here are not just meaningless. No, it was fate that brought all of us here. Fate is strong in this existence. There are only a select few that can change the endless river stream of fate. Ye, most of us are destined to die.. live.. cry… love… hate… fear. There isn't much regular people can do but I entrusted the power onto you. The power to change fate and misfortune brought onto all of our family." Perplexed by the idea of fate k ask " What do you mean you entrusted it onto me? Are you talking about the First Lord's power?" He closes his eyes and smiles. "Sorry Ketsugi, that's something I can't tell you about yet.. and it looks like my time is running out.. continue exploring the world Ketsugi… there's things out there that may help you.. I love you son.. the rings will help you understand.. for now I'll leave you knowledge that will help you out for now.. I hope I can see you aga-". His aura completely vanished. I frantically look around to see if I can find him but there's no trace of him anywhere. The boulders recede into the water, the sunset shade fades into pitch black and the clear water turns into a black goo. I see a feint aura in the distance. "Father… please. PLEASE… DON'T LEAVE ME I NEED YOU! EVERYONE NEEDS YOU!! I CAN'T DO THIS WITHOUT YOU. Please… please…. please." Tears flow from my eyes onto the ocean of blackness while my legs stumble and shake towards the faint aura. "I'm useless father… sometimes I wonder why I even kill.. why do I not feel for the lives I have taken… why do I not regret it… am I really turning into a devil… not by heart or mind but at soul… am I just tarnished and fated to walk the earth as I watch others die in front of my eyes ? Or is my strength so abysmal that I will always falter when I'm needed the most? Something's changed inside me.. I don't know what's wrong or right. Is it okay for me to take the lives of the innocent so my family can live in peace ? I don't know… the only feeling that has burned deep within is this unrelenting hatred and bloodlust for those who did all of us wrong. Mother, Nikke, Sam, Reina, Cazo…. Everyone…" I stumbled closer to the little fire that lit the water around it. It feels warm… it feels.. familiar. "I feel hopeless.. but father… I do know something out of all the things I may not know.. put everything I can't do… there's one thing… this fire burning inside me… it will never be put out… because I.. I AM A MINAMOTO!" I reach into the flame. The flame spreads and lights the infinite void.

Part 5.5 - Kaneoke Minamoto - the fated path

"Yo Kaneoke, how was your training today ?" I wipe my face from sweat with a towel being handed to my by Nikke. I smile and say "it was great, how's your aura control coming along ? Have you gotten used to the weapons that Kilah have you? " he scratches his head and replies in a low tone "Oh uh.. yeah. I mean we still have a few more months until I'm fully used to it. You can kinda compare it to learning how to write with your non-dominant hand. It just feels a little awkward but I'll get the hang of it before we raid the Taira Dungeon." I stand up from the ground and hand him one of the spare water flasks I have in my training room. "Nikke, tell me something… are you willing to die for me and my people? Are you willing to risk your life for the future of Minamoto?" His smile disappears and with a straigh face and no hesitation he confidently says "Yes of course Kane.. you are the reason I'm alive today I owe my whole life to this family. I'm determined to risk everything I am to rescue your son." I chuckle and break into a laughter "Good good Nikke, but I need you to live.. Promise me something if something is to happen to me I want you to show my son peace. His morale and view on life may have been rotted from being imprisoned for so long.. he used to be a sweet kid.. the innocence in his eyes.. gone. The cruel fate of this world brought him through this troubling path.. I'm sure he'll provail though, he is one of us." I close my eyes and take in a small breath and then look over to Nikke whose eyes have become shaky with tears. "…" my perplexed face stares at Nikke. "Are you crying ?…" he quickly rubs his face and says " No… of course not! " he clears his throat" I promise you just that! " he smiles and gives me a thumbs up and heads back out into the hall. I pack up all the weight equipment and aura nodes for training. Hmm you're probably seeing this memory right now huh Ketsugi before I head out I'll show you one thing before the memory fades. Gather all your aura and concentrate on it. Imagine it exploding with fiery and let it out, let it take the form of your rage, let it burst. My gift to you.. Rage Release. I love you son.

Part VI - Ketsugi Minamoto - Demon in rage

My vision started to come clear and the sound of dead silence left me as the sounds came crashing back to me. My neck seems to be completely fractured. My aura begins to spread around me once more to regenerate some of my injuries. The beast stands over my body getting ready to deal the last blow. "You're still alive ?? Well damn it looks like you are one of us then. I'll put you out of your misery, you poor excuse of a demon." He says. I try to gather some aura on my left hand and charge up one single compression. I instantaneously lifted my left hand as soon as the charge was complete. "B..ang '' releasing a blast of air making him fly a few feet up, giving me the perfect chance to put distance between us and charge up my aura to unleash the Rage Release. The only thing I can do now is buy time for Raena and Cazo to show up. I grab the crystal from my back pocket to send a signal of emergency to Raena. My right arm is busted from the misuse of the Bang attack from earlier. The multiplied stack of Bang completely shattered my arm and I don't have enough aura to spare in order to regenerate my arm. My legs are barely stable and my left arm is shaking with agony trying to keep it up while being In a fighting stance. "But this pain is a mere droplet of water in the ocean of suffering my family has gone through. Day by day they carried on the burden of all the misfortune and horror that was brought into them. None of us asked for it. I'm not strong enough to do this alone.. but you've owned my eyes. The true power of pure hatred. Ruining families as you pleased, and none of them deserved the horrors you've caused. You showed me the true strength of relentless anger….. this fire it burns deep it BUUURNNNS!!!!!" A Fiery aura explodes engulfing me in a blood red aura. Before I could reach the peak of the transformation I feel three spears of light impale me momentarily, phasing me in and out of consciousness. But I take a step forward, keeping a strong stance and releasing my aura and stress every muscle of my body. The rage explodes from within. As long as I hold on to this feeling it'll be enough fuel for me to go all in. I grit my teeth trying to hold my body together from all the amount of stress I'm putting onto it. finally I released it. "Rage Release" the Mythical Beast begins to glow as he tries to evade with his speed but with the aura I imbued onto him after successfully knocking him into the air with the blast mixed with air pressure and aura. I stick out my hand towards him and hold him down "Gravity Release : Freeze" it puts his entire body onto a hold being unable to break free. "I won't be able to kill you… no, I'll give you a gate much worse than death. You'll be begging me to bring mercy upon you." I lunge forward in a leap striking his abdomen with a full force strike with my elbow. The hold breaks but staggered the Mythical Beast slowly recoils from pain. I launch him into the air once more with another Bang. I plant my legs onto the ground and begin to charge multiple applications of compression. One… two… four….six… ten… I draw my arm back and unleash an uppercut strike to his body sending a shockwave through my arms and hands. "BIG BANG X10!!!!" A huge gust of air pressure blows through his abdomen and shatters my left arm. I quickly recover and finish off the strikes with a leap into the air floating right above him and unleashing another desperate attack. By applying gravity onto my body I can multiply my weight without affecting my body. "Gravity Release: Meteor Crash" I stomp his body onto the ground shattering the ground into a massive crater. I move back to a safe distance and catch my breath withdrawing my aura. The shock of pain begins to overwhelm me, hardly being able to keep my eyes open, vomiting pools of blood onto the ground, and my legs barely keeping my body standing. How long has it been since I called them… almost a minute maybe… damn hopefully he stays out for at least a few minutes and maybe then it'll be enough time for them to find me. But shortly after his aura creeped from the crater as he slowly stood up. I quickly shifted my left arm towards him, as broken as it was, I used all the aura I could to regenerate it. "PLUMMET!" I release the aura I applied to him during the combo I unleashed into it. Its body crashes to the ground getting smothered by gravity. That's it… I have nothing left.. no aura… no strength… nothing… I did everything I could, but I took a stance toward my enemy because I will not falter. The Mythical Beast pulls itself out of the crater converting one of its arms to a long beam resembling a blade. "I'm tired of your games you fake… we meet again and again like this endless loop that haunts me for eternity.. the fake hope… the fake life of peace you long for. It's all fake. Your prophecy that you hold onto is nothing but a mere fantasy. No one can change this fate that we've been cursed with.. not even you no matter how many times you tried. NOTHING WILL CHANGE!! I'll show you how a false thread of hope that you hold onto will snap instantly. I will end your life right here and now." He walks towards me to finish me off with one last strike. I'm left wide open and I can't move another inch. My vision begins to fade as the pain takes over. My hearing melts into a sharp buzzing sound. The last thing I see is a cloak appearing before me.

Part VII - Cazo Minamoto - the Medic.

I walk the halls of the ruins that we call home softly basking in the full moon night while the rays of the moonlight bled through holes and collapsed ceilings. I put my hand down my pocket of my trench coat grabbing the cold steel pocket watch. The chrome mechanical pocket watch glistened and sparked from the light emanating the halls. I flick open the pocket watch to reveal the time almost being midnight. I stow it away back into my pocket and walk down the hall. "I wonder how the Lord is holding his weekly patrol.." my steps echoed through the castle but instantly came to a pause as I sensed murderous intent around a corner. I continued to walk casually to lure out the presence. Suddenly a figure from the shadows rapidly lunges out with a small cleaver launching an attack straight for my neck. I quickly put my hand in front of my neck anticipating the attack. I quickly form a barrier blocking it completely. "Good… you're getting better Tenshi. Though you need to mask your presence completely. How's your aura training going with Raena?" The hooded figure then reveals himself to be Tenshi. He's been a quick learner almost like a born prodigy in aura. He has been able to control his aura completely with a considerably small amount of training. How long has it been? Maybe a few weeks now ? "Hehe I'm glad I'm able to be a little bit better now thanks to her. When do you think I can get my first mission? Am I strong enough to do scouting like Lord Ketsugi?" I clear my throat and scratch my head "Well that's kind of difficult for me to assert that. Lord Ketsugi is the only one who can accept that request." He grabs onto my cloak and begins to cry tears and begins to beg me "Plese plese Mr. Cazo plese plese ask him for me, he'll let me if you ask him pleeeeeeeeseeeee!!! Eeeagghh!!!!" His tears and mucus begin to get on my clothes and my body recoils in disgust. "Okay fine fine. I'll ask him about sending you out for patrols once he finishes his tonight." He quickly stops shedding tears and salutes and hops away in a cheerful dance. The gooey residue of his mucus absorbed into my clothes while I tried to scrub it off. "Dammit Tenshi, you stained my perfectly clean clothes." I continued my nightly routine there after. I walked the halls to do my nightly inspection on Kilah's vitals and any other check that may be necessary. Though something felt off tonight once I saw the face of Raena covered in sweat and panting nearly out of breath. I called out to her " What's wrong?! Where's Ketsugi?! Wait… it's tonight isn't it…the night where the Wolf of Ancients and the Lord of Gravity clash under the pale Moon.. the fight will never conclude til the shine of a red star disrupts the flow of duality. The Lord will live but the grudge will grow until the one hidden in the skies strikes again." The prophecy comes to my mind in unexpected moments of this timeline. It seems that the prophecy is altered in some way. In this timeline it doesn't seem to be the same as the previous one. What's the difference here? Is this Ketsugi truly the one? Either case my top priority is to protect the Lord at this moment. "Raena, you're in charge of protecting the castle and our people. Call Krystal and Tenshi to stand guard. You can teleport back with Ketsugi once you secure him. Once Tenshi and Krystal are informed you can tell-". At that very moment we both simultaneously sensed an aura that shot up insanely fast. "Kaneoke…? No.. it's Lord Ketsugi. FORGET WHAT I SAID RAENA TAKE US THERE NOW!!" This is bad. Not only will this attract the Angels but it means Ketsugi is on his last reserves… Raena lunges toward me grabbing me and instantly teleports us into the exact location we sensed the aura coming from. At that moment the ocean of trees surrounded us with the only souls around being the Lord and the boy possessed by the Wolf. I can see the haunting aura surrounding his body. Filled with bloodlust and anger. His arm is full of light and shapeshifted into a saber. "Raena grab the Lord and let him absorb some of you while he's in stasis. I'll take care of this demon who has lost his way. He'll be a thorn on the Lord's side if I don't stop him here and now." The beast lunges towards me but does a fake out and dashes right behind me to strike Raena and the Lord. Though.. the moment he struck a loud beam collision was heard as the barrier I set up before reacted and collided with his Saber of light. I stare back at him with a cold and dead stare "You think I'd be such a fool to let you attack the Lord any further? Your opponent is me now." I grab the shoulder of my coat and let it fly in the wind. "Raena, you can focus on helping the Lord recover, the barrier will protect you." The beast slowly walks towards me shifting his blade back into his arm. He stands Directly in front of me and looks up with his four demonic eyes. "So, the lap dogs finally come to play… What's the count now? I won in the last loop… so this makes it the tie breaker." I look down to the beast and say "Why can't you understand Fenrir.. If you'd just join us it would greatly increase our chances to break this cycle." Veins begin to show on his forehead and neck and grunts back "Don't you use my name you filthy watchdog.." I focus the aura into my arm and strike his abdomen with full strength making his body flinch. I then quickly shifted back to kick his side at full strength, launching his body towards some trees. I dash after him, but something felt odd when a faint aura shot and vanished from the direction of the village nearby. Then I catch it, a small object flying towards my direction I pick up my pace and dash right under its trajectory. I caught one last glimpse at the spherical object when it suddenly began to glow with aura and rising at a rapid rate. It's going to explode. I stop and turn towards the object and lift my arms to block "Dimensional Shift : AEGIS SHIELD" a barrier forms right in front of me and the object self-destructs into a fiery explosion of aura nearly shredding my barrier. That's when I sensed the sinister aura of an Angel revealing himself to be at the village. I shouted out to Fenrir "Hey Fenrir, you could run if you want to but I have no interest in fighting you right now." His aura receded into the forest like the coward he is. I take a deep breath and focus my aura. "This might be where my end meets but something tells me this is where I need to stand my ground for the Lord." From every other timeline we've never been able to kill an actual Angel, but there's no use of running now. He knows that we're here after the show that The Lord and Fenrir put for them. The only question is why are they so far from the Kingdom they're stationed at? Are they really spreading out their army so far to cover the other nations ? Either way the only option now is for me to fight this threat. Can I hold out long enough for the others to escape? How many of them showed up to this location? Maybe if I push as far as the third gate I'm able to hold them off long enough. We'll there's no use overthinking it now. I begin to focus all my aura into my soul and let it burn. "If I can't be the use of the Lord now when will I? For the Lord and the people of Minamo-" I feel a grip on my shoulder, but how?… I couldn't sense anyone's presence anywhere near me…am I just dead here? I slowly look back to see a familiar aura cloaked in the darkness. "Kaneoke..?" I whisper under my breath. Then my eyes adjust to see the Lord with the same intense eyes as the former Lord himself Kaneoke. "You look a little stressed, Cazo. Don't worry now I'm all caught up with everything." He walks past me with confidence as his eyes begin to shine bright with intensity, Ketsugi then stops and looks back. "What's wrong Cazo are you not prepared to give it your all? Is this not what you've been striving for? Is this not the dream that everyone has been risking and giving their lives for? Is this not what Father gave his life for?" My words unable to escape my mind. I'm shocked by the overwhelming hope that he radiates. This must be it… Ketsugi will be able to win this time.. He's forging a new path for us. No, he's changing fate as we know it. That's why the prophecy has changed so abruptly. I can't foresee the future through prophecy any longer… Kaneoke you who gave us the glimpse of the future predicted yourself how false the prophecy will be… He, the one we now call Lord, will continue to forge his own future. Ketsugi fully turns around and asks "Well? Are you ready?". I nervously laugh and look back straight at him "One minute. That's all the strength I can muster at full power. Once that minute is up I'll be all out of aura." He shows a big demonic grin while looking at me and says " Perfect, that's all we need."

Part VIII - Ketsugi Minamoto - Devils dance around the Red star

My blood is pumping and my heart is beating at a fast rate. This feeling, there's an Angel near and it's making my heart race. I feel hot as the sweat starts to slowly roll down my face. What is this feeling? Is it the race of excitement ? Or is it the drive to strive for survival? My mind is racing. I can barely focus.. My arms are jittering and my fear and drive of rage are syncing up perfectly ready to explode from the flimsy container holding it together. I take a deep breath and look back to Cazo for reassurance. He took a stance and black skin tight black long shirt he was wearing. "One minute. That's all the strength I can muster at full power. Once that minute is up I'll be all out of aura." Maybe I was just worried about nothing. I rapidly felt the anxiousness that was bottling up in my body suddenly retreat to only have the raging excitement come bursting as my nervous smile became a huge grin. "Perfect, that's all we need." I seal away my aura and look forward. I begin to focus my demonic soul to release the aura Raena had lent me. The aura slowly begins to seep out as the small flame begins to break out "Demon Release : First Gate". Once the aura began to imbue my body I had a small feeling of someone staring deep into my soul from behind me. I look back to see nothing but the moonlight and trees. It must be my imagination.. I clench my hand and lift it towards Cazo "Cazo as of today I put my life in your hands you have my full trust. I know we might die here tonight and we can't risk the lives of the others. It may be foolish but the lives of those in the village can not be harmed. We will put the priority on helping them live before we actually engage at full strength. We'll buy time for Raena to recover some aura.. She already knows the plan. Once she teleports away with the villagers we'll be on our own." I look towards Cazo as he scratches his head "I have no objections to your command. How are we gonna get the villagers to come with us? I'm sure they'll believe the angels to be their saviors from us demons." I scoff and say " You don't have to worry about that. I'm sure they'll believe us once they see the true nature of these 'Angels'. The only advantage we have right now is that the Angel must think he had killed you with that explosion and he may not yet know our abilities. We'll use it as our saving grace. You just follow behind me and maintain yourself hidden until the very last moment." He nods in agreement and we begin our run towards the village. I pass a couple trees using the Angel's aura as my compass. I pass a clearing of the trees revealing the giant sign of the Village entrance. I felt a nauseating feeling shock my body once my eyes met that of the Angel. His long Blonde hair flowing with the wind while his white fluorescent wings faintly glowing. This is a "True Angel" he scrunches his face in disgust. He flaps his wings and hovers above the villagers who have gathered in the center of the town. I started to rush towards them after the anxiousness I felt earlier came back. "Ketsugi!!" I hear a voice from the crowd and see a woman in tears while she holds someone in her hand. I rushed towards her in disbelief… the first man I had saved was almost pale and unresponsive. "D-Dario.. What happened??" I shout to the woman. "The Angels said he needed to be cleansed… they said he had been tarnished by a demon." His body begins to convulse and his skin turns a pearly white "EVERYONE GET AWAY FROM HIM" the crowd in panic scrambles away leaving me to face the cruel reality of an innocent person. I charge one compression into my hand and put it on his chest right where his heart lies. "I'm sorry Dario. If only I had not met you." "BANG" the blast of compressed air shoots right through his body to only leave it lifeless once again. The crowd of the villagers began to scream in a panic and nearly froze in fear. The Angel observing from above looks down to all of us and begins to shout down to us "I was right, a damned devil had tarnished this whole village. You must be the last clan of the demons that she warned us about. You don't look at all menacing. It's fine, I'll just purify you and this entire village." He reaches into his robes and pulls out one orb. I noticed it right away identifying it to be the same orb that nearly killed Cazo. I shout back "Are you crazy? You're willing to sacrifice all these innocent lives for just me?" He looks back at me with dread and disgust `Don't you dare speak to me you filthy mutt." and drops the orb. I shout out to Cazo and he rushes out running towards me lifting his hands in the air creating a barrier around everyone time slows down for a few seconds before the explosion of the bomb sets off. Cazo's body bulks and releases a large amount of aura. Then the sound shattering explosion was felt by everyone. The vibration shook me to my core and the sound nearly exploded my ear drums. Before any of the smoke starts clearing I stand right before Cazo and say "Keep everyone safe in your barrier. I'll buy Raena time for now." I then lift my hands in the air and compress a sphere into the clasp of my hands. After applying multiple layers I look back to the villagers. "If you want to live huddle next to this man, you can decide later if you want to trust me or not… But if you choose to run and risk death, be my guest." I then gather all the aura in my body and face to the ground in the opposite direction of where I sense the Angel. I hear some of the Villagers scramble towards Cazo, I then look back to see some of them paralyzed by fear. "Cazo I trust you to protect every single one." The barrier Cazo put up to block the blast started to dissipate. I eliminate the gravity from my body before letting go of the blast. At full speed I launch myself using the "Bang" to effortlessly rip through the sky amplifying the power of my kick. Using only one leg to direct my attack to the Angel, I puncture through the smoke screen and make it through to the moon lit sky only grazing the Angel's cheek I then freeze my position mid strike kicking back full force with my other leg striking the back of his neck but without any recoil he turns his head towards me unphased. "You made me worry a little, but you should know your place." He then grabs my leg in an instant and pulls me towards him to strike me down with a downward strike. I was able to react just in time to put my arms out to block the strike. Though his strength was nothing like I've seen.. with ease he shatters both my arms striking my chest and launching me down to the ground. My eyes instinctively blink, losing all sight of the Angel before me. The split seconds i had to recover weren't enough as he appeared before me once more striking my chest shattering it completely leaving me defenseless. He then rises his leg striking me down to my knees. "Don't tell me you're already done.. It's pathetic really.. I didn't even have to use my ability. So.. frail" the Angel's voice reaches me and a flare of anger erupts, flashing aura and flourishing my body back to peak performance. I have enough aura left for about two more full recoveries. This beast of a being savagely struck me nearly to my death. I will put full focus now. Watch every single inch of his movement.. He rapidly skips around me showing me how outmatched I am by his overwhelming speed. He's trying to break my spirit.. but my resolve will prevail. I raise my fist and prepare to counter any strike he throws. He then stops and declares his attack "Don't lose sight of me or you'll surely die you vermin." He's kidding right? There's possibly no way he'll strike me head on.. He lunges forward and before my eyes he vanishes into thin air only to appear to my left side hovering right beside me. There's absolutely no way he could've done such a thing with just raw strength… He shouts out once more before throwing his strike "LET ME REPAY YOU WITH THE SAME KICK YOU TRIED ON ME!" then releasing the same sidekick I performed mere moments earlier. The strike instantly shattered my skull both on impact of the kick and on the impact of my skull striking the ground. A darkness then envelopes my vision and a deep silence that rang louder than the outside world. I'm here..? Again.. what now.. am I dying? A raspy voice then speaks to me from behind me. "Let me go already… stop burying me." My body is frozen and unable to look behind me. Cold hands then start to caress my neck and face. "Let me have some fun Ketsu…" I talk back to it with a shaky voice "W-who are you?" it puts its cold hands over my mouth and shushes me "Just remember Ketsu… remember those memories you keep trying to lock away.. You're suppressing your fear of becoming a monster.. You've seen the outcome with your father… SO STOP SUPPRESSING ME… STOP SUPPRESSING MY VOICE… STOP PUTTING UP THAT FAKE ACT OF ANGER…" my heart races as my mind rushes grasping at the imaginary pain from my head trying to keep my composure. Then everything stops and it goes quiet… I open my eyes to see nothing but a dark room, damp and cold. I try to move but my hands and arms shackled, I try to speak but my mouth gagged only being able to smell the pungent smell of the horrid air. The metallic smell of drying blood filled the room bringing me to my senses realizing where I was. I try to shout for my mother but no words can come out. A light is ignited when someone walks into the room. A single flame carried through the room lighting up only a few steps away from this source. A man walked following the single flame… Satoru the crooked middle aged man with shadow like cloak disguising his figure. He flicks to the right of him, lighting up something that was across from me. A sharp pain started to sting my head trying to prevent me from seeing what's ahead of me. It's a rag covering an object lying on a wooden chair that's bolted to the ground. His hand appears from the shadows of the room to tug on the rag and reveal what's hiding below. A screeching sound begins to fill my ears making the sharp pain in my mind grow even larger. My heart begins to race while trying to have at least one eye remain open. Misery and hatred is what stood before me. My mothers face in pure agony with deep scratches scaring her face, a badly gouged eye socket revealing her fleshy socket completely dry, and her mouth sewn open leaving her jaw barely hinged. That's when all the memories of cries of horror and blood curdling nightmare. The rage that had originally subsided began to return to me, these memories were too much for me to bear as I watched my mother look at me with her single eye still lit by a small light. The final thoughts my mother had before that light was gone. Satoru pulls out a single gem and sticks it inside her mouth. My eyes filled with a river of tears, I tried to grit my teeth around the rag inside my mouth but I couldn't. My arms violently shake trying to break free from my shackles but to no avail. Satoru looks at me with a demonic grin as he pulls out a golden plated mask covering her face. He then puts a singular finger on his lips and hushes me. "We're about to see if your mother can be saved from her demonic ties and serve our Father in the skies. Experiment #001 will now commence. Her skin turned pale… her body began to melt into a fleshy puddle on the ground, everything still intact but it just laid there like a pile of mush. Glimpses of my memory came to flush in my head. Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why….. Why did I lock this memory away? Whispers and screams filled my

ears as images of my past filled my head. Then everything becomes silent once again. Satoru's voice rang inside my head. "If you want the revenge you so gladly desire, you must kill the failed monstrosity before you. KILL YOUR MOTHER IF YOU WANT TO LIVE AND GET YOUR REVENGE HAHA!" The horrible sound came from the fleshy mush while attacking me. "KET..SA… I" the horrible sound of the thing that was no longer my mother. This was the day I swore to kill Satoru, the experiments, the Angels, this so-called "God". I dedicated myself to eradicate everything that brought me and my family torture. This anger I remember a glimpse of when I saw Father and Sam.. standing before me and Nikke. The glimpse of anger I felt when I faced off against Satoru.. The high raspy voice talked to me again. "YES YES GOOD. THAT IS WHAT WAS LOST. GOOD GOOD." My figure started to dissipate.. Boiling to a burning fire. Encased a blackness so deep that light couldn't pierce through it. Then anger that subsided once before I was reawoken, I feared of becoming a monster losing all the emotions of love and happiness that carried me with my humanity. But I no longer need such worthless things."I am the Devil who will drown the heavens."

Part IX - Cazo Minamoto - The last stand for the future

Two giant shockwaves came from the distance behind the forest of trees. It seems the moon had reached the peak as the moonlight shone from the skies. I heard the ground skirt shortly before Reyna appeared. "Were you able to make a full recovery, Reyna?" Her face looks exhausted; she was probably drained nearly to zero by Lord Ketsugi. "I'm guessing you can only do one trip back to the Floating Kingdom." She finally catches her breath after sweating profusely. "Cazo, where is the lord? We- we need to go now." I begin to take off the black armor revealing seven demonic circles scattered around my body. "Cazo you don't mean.. are you really going to release the power of the Seventh Gate. You know what'll happen to your soul if you do this.." Sweat builds up on my face knowing full well the future that beholds me. "The Lord wished it, I'm merely only completing my orders as a servant. If the Lord is willing to risk his life for us it is only natural that I shall do the same. Now take all the villagers away.. I'm going to help the Lord take the life of this Angel." Raena rapidly responds with disagreement "You can't do this Cazo what if we fail? You won't ever exist again!" Tears begin forming on her pale face. "I understand Raena , which is why I'm doing it. This time I'll put my full faith in our Lord. I believe he'll be our salvation. The salvation of our entire clan." I begin to release my aura into the markings on my body trying to undo all of the limiters placed on my body. My entire body trembles as an unseen hand grasps my soul. Then a small whisper came to my ear "You are free." The ritual begins. "King who is in the land of fire. King of greed, anger, sorrow, and despair. My King of the underworld grant me your blessing. I offer you my soul.. the boundless soul of my immortal body. I offer you all that I have and any future I may hold. I fear nothing nor the imminent death that beseeks me. I shall wreak havoc in your place my Great King." The presence of the Great Devil King smiles upon me. He has no corporeal body.. he lives within every dimension at once. His finger then pierces my soul, shaking my entire body with fear. The coldness of his finger subsided inside me. I trembled for a few seconds as the fear set and slowly went away. Then a fiery aura began to envelope my body and a single horn began to pierce my forehead and my body crackled changing form ever so slightly. Pain overtook my whole body as the forced transformation was too much to bear for my body. I gritted and groaned for the few seconds this transformation happened… the aura then erupted from within my body. Aura so pure and black that no light could ever pierce through it. The aura of my soul. "Soul Release: the Seventh Gate" I could feel the immense power coming from my body, though I also felt my soul slowly burning away into nothingness. I take one last glance to see the petrified villagers and Raena gathering together. I then take my attention to where I sense the Angel's aura and lunge into a sprint towards it. After sprinting full speed through the ocean of trees I see the Angel and Ketsugi. Ketsugi seemed to have taken a devastating blow as he lay on the ground unconscious bleeding profusely. My heart ached at the sight, making my rage come in a burst. The Angel turns to meet eyes with mine. "Don't tell me this is your prophecies hope? He was a mere insect. I don't see what she sees in this disgusting trash.. you trash infest this world with your sinful ignorance. I shall dispose of you quickly." I dash towards him and throw a strike towards his chest and he reacts with a counter but as he draws his arm back to strike me I form a barrier right in front of his hand to stop him in motion allowing me to freely strike him at full strength. He recovers quickly and strikes down at me with his elbow but I form another small barrier to stop his movement and strike his liver with another powerful strike he recoils back and grabs at his chest and grits his teeth. "Don't get too cocky, you roach." He extends his arms and wings out and releases his aura. "Gates of Heaven: Arms of Justice" a ripple in the air happens around his shoulders and lower abdomen. First fingers then hands and then entire arms come through the ripples. Six arms in total counting the ones he has. He lunges at me full speed. I see his arms draw back and I form barriers to stop the motion of his attack but I wasn't fast enough to form six as one strike jabs my rib cage piercing through my body. The pain of his angelic aura burning my body strained me for a second but I quickly recovered and grabbed his arm "Dimensional Rift: Barrier Incision" , the floating arm then sliced in half with a barrier I formed inside his arm. I grin at him with a blood filled smile. His attitude of cockiness drastically changes into anger and then retrieves his sliced arm into nothingness bringing out a new one entirely. He stomps at the ground and begins to launch back at his arms and began to launch a flurry of blows with six arms. I stood no chance to stop any so in return I began to block as many blows as I could with my barrier puddle to minimize as much damage. The never ending blows struck me at full power shattering nearly every bone in my body faster than I could regenerate. Soon after I was unable to put up anymore barriers. I was way out of my league. This monster put fear into me. The uselessness I carried even when I put everything on the line. There was nothing more I could do. Then suddenly a golden yellow light appeared after being pummeled for a few seconds slicing at the arms that were putting me at my death sentence. A waterfall and an explosion of blood appeared everywhere. I fall to my knees after being only held up by the shockwaves of the strikes. I glanced to see what it was and to my surprise I saw Fenrir with fear and anger in his eyes shouting "Cazo you bastard, why would you put your soul on the line for such a pointless fight!! You're an utter fool! I can't believe you would do such a selfish thing!" I stand up and recover from my wounds expending a large amount of aura. "Great to see you, Fenrir but I only have twenty seconds left." The lobs of arms fall to the ground and in their place pale tentacles form and strike all at once in a whip motion. I gather as much aura and release my ultimate technique. "Dimensional Shift: body dismembering barrage." Barriers form rapidly all around me and Fenrir cutting anything at a cellular level. My body then aches from the immense pressure of using this ability. After all the blood and smoke cleared the Angel stood there in laughter with limbs around him armless and wounds as deep as there could be. "Fine, if you want to play dirty I'll do it as well. His body then goes into the ground disappearing. I sense his body then remerge where Ketsugi was lying unconscious. In a heartbeat with no second thought Fenrir and I reacted in fear of the lord's life. We pass the trees and bushes in split seconds revealing the horrid dismembering body of the Angel starts to bloat with orbs forming inside of his body and he says with his mouth bloodied and demonic "You fools, if you dare kill me I shall bring you with me. I'm but the lowest of the Angels of all the Kingdom from the Heavens. I will sacrifice myself gladly for our Father above and purify this land from blight. Heavenly Gates: Atonement." Then his body rapidly starts bloating realizing that he was gonna self-destruct himself with the bombs he was dropping earlier. With no hesitation I start forming layers of barriers around the angel's body as he starts laughing hysterically. Soon after no sound came from his body and a bright white light shines everything around us. The blast instantly started to shatter my first layers of the shield. I walk in pain towards the blast to stand in front of the Lord. "Fenrir I thank you for coming to assist but you have one choice right now you either leave and live or stay here and put your trust in the Shield of Minamoto." He hesitates before turning his back towards me. "Till the very end you stayed loyal like the lapdog you are… but I respect it. It was almost excellerating making a move on an Angel for the first time. I won't leave an old friend in his last moments…" I smile for a brief second as tears start to form in my eyes. I formed a shield around the three of us. "The future is never certain but the determination and fire that I see in Ketsugi's eyes gives me courage and frees me from my cage of fear that we constantly live against the angels. I would gladly GIVE MY SOUL TO THE EMPEROR OF THE NEW WORLD THE LORD OF OUR FUTURE!! KETSUGI WILL RULE THE UNDERWORLD AND THE SKIES, I TRUST MY VERY SOUL IN THE HANDS OF OUR LORD-" then after the last layer shattered I gathered whatever I had left and pushed farther than I could.

"Limit breaker : Aegis, The Heart of Minamoto."

A bright white light blinded my eyes, no longer being able to see what was in front of me… the vibrations rattled me to my core, shattering my ear drums. Seconds felt like an eternity and all my sensations felt numb. Once the bright light disappeared I fell to my knees being unable to feel anything or hear anything. My body falls flat to the ground laying my eyes upon a giant ball of stone the size of mountains falling to us as our demise. This was the angel's last ability… his insurance.. I can't help but laugh in my own mind the Angel feared that the blast would not have killed us so he made sure that even after enduring such a blast the giant meteor would kill us… I lift up my hand to gather anything I could have left but no barrier would appear… tears began to form in my eyes… a draw… after all my efforts for the Lord all I could manage was a draw… the echoes of my heart whaled through my body… but before I closed my eyes to meet my end.. There he stood with scarlet eyes and Snow White hair, the new Ketsugi… the Lord. He stared at me with eyes of kindness.. I try to muster my words but nothing would come out.. I try to scream to tell him to run.. that I was a goner… I was no longer of any use to anyone… that my soul has been burned away. But he stood there with determination and fiery rage. I reached my hand to him, stretching as far as I could.

Finale - Demon Lord Ketsugi

His arm stretched towards me knowing full well that he was moments away from being erased.. my heart ached for him. He was no longer just another life for the use of Minamoto.. he was family.. I clench my fist and face the mountain sized rock falling towards us. I will not run at the face of this utter idiocy. This battle field shall be Cazo's resting ground and he shall savor the victory of the Demon's. I look back to Cazo once more and smile at him as he stares at me with a tearful face. I take my stance and brace for the impact of the Giant Meteor. If I could expand my aura far enough into it I can make it light and destroy it through its core with a rend or something. A few seconds pass and gather all the aura I can muster. I try to increase my power as much as I can. I glance over and see Fenrir standing there with his arms crossed looking up. I shout to him "Fenrir differences aside I need a favor to ask of you. Destroy any falling debris after its destruction. I probably won't be able to move if I successfully destroy this." With no anger or and neglect he nods his head "But, only if you can guarantee me sanctuary after this is over." I nod in agreement. "We'll discuss the details after." The meteor then comes near inches towards me and I reach my hands out to catch it. Tons of weight came crashing on my body all at once putting me nearly to my knees. My aura isn't going through fast enough. The ground below me begins to shatter only being inches away from having Cazo's body crushed.. every vein in my body and every muscle is being pushed to their limits feeling like they will give in any second. Suddenly I feel Cazo's fist gently touch my chest. "Thank you, I do not deserve your kindness my lord… please win not for me but for everyone in our kingdom." One last tear ran through his face, his hand unclenched holding his black face covering. His last words echoed through my mind as I felt his genuine emotions by reading his memories. He's right this is not for just Cazo.. it's for Mother… Father… Kilah, RAENA, KISAN, TENSHI, NIKKE… EVERYONE.

"RAGE RELEASE: SHATTERING LIMIT"

A burst of energy and aura ran through my entire body momentarily lifting up the meteor enough to push all of my aura into the meteor. "Levitate." The weight of the Meteor lightens as I hold up with one arm. I look at Fenrir as he stares at me with eyes of shock and amazement. "I'm sorry but I have some steam to blow off. The Meteor is all mine." I take a moment to look down at Cazo's lifeless body. With my free hand I begin to compress air. Memories of all the ones who had made their sacrifices rushed through my mind. Seconds and minutes pass my hand is violently vibrated and rattling from all the compressed air my hand is holding. I then clench my fist and strike the Meteor with all my might. "Big Bang: Memories of the lost." I scream my lungs out putting everything I have into the giant explosion. Shattering my arm entirely and making me unresponsive. I see Fenrir release his aura and flash in rapid light destroying all the debris falling one by one instantly creating a show of lights and smoke in the sky. A few minutes later Fenrir lands next to me short of breath. He extends his hand down to me and helps me sit up. "Thank you Fenrir… I owe you." He bashfully stays silent and quickly changes his attitude back to its rough self. "Yeah yeah whatever, I still haven't accepted you as the actual Demon Lord yet. So don't expect me to take any orders. I only came back as a favor for a close friend. By the way, you do owe me a place to stay and food. I'm gonna need sanctuary now that the angels will be hunting us down." I take a deep breath and say "of course you're welcome to stay at the kingdom with us. I can offer you food and a place to sleep." He clicks his tongue and says " Yeah sure I'll agree to that but only to keep an eye on you to see how you fair as a so-called Demon Lord. I'm just saying though if you don't budge an alliance with me and prove your worth you won't be able to get the others approval to return." I sit in a moment of silence and say " The others ?.." he looks at me in shock and says "Have they told you nothing ?! The Eight Mythical Beast as the mortals call us ?! The servants of the Great Lord Minamoto?" I stare blankly into him. "Forget it I'll explain everything once we head to the Kingdom." I nod and stand ever so slowly and walk towards Cazo's body. I lean over and grab his face covering and tie it in my head, I then kneel and pick him off the ground and carry him. "What are you gonna do? He's already gone… never to exist again.." says Fenrir. I ignore him and walk back towards the village. Fenrir clicks his tongue and walks with me. After slowly walking for about a mile we see the giant sign of the village in silence, no lights or sign of life. I see the corpse of Dario laying there as well. I sat Cazo down next to him and looked over to Fenrir. "Could you lend me some of your aura.. I'm taking this village with us." In confusion he simply poker faced and reached his hand towards me. I try to mimic the same feeling I had when I absorbed some of Raena's aura. I replenish some of it and spread my aura around the village. I levitate it and begin to rise it off the ground. "Huh.. wha!? HUHHHH!? HAAAAH!?!?" Fenrir shouts. I softly say to Fenrir "I began to levitate the Kingdom of Nue Vida towards us, can you help me bury these two." He heavily sighs and reluctantly helps me dig up two holes. "First you wanted help fighting then help with the debris then my aura and now manual work !?" He then continued to mumble as he helped me bury the two. I then look over the horizon as the morning sky started to break the darkness basking everything in the soft orange and yellow dawn. Nue Vida could be seen ripping through the clouds of the sky. The closer the Kingdom got the more visible Raena, Tenshi, Krystal, Gadoh and the villagers . The two floating islands then gently met and the family of Minamoto crossed over with Raena leading them. She leant over and cried over Cazo's Grave, the others respectfully shedding a tear and paying their respects. Some villagers came and paid their respects as well. A bittersweet melody played in my mind, the victory will always be overshadowed by the loss of others and all we could be left with is the aching heart of the souls that still live on. I shall carry this pain and let their memories live forever with me. I'll carry their burdens and wills. You will never be forgotten so you shall live on forever. I.. the Demon Lord Minamoto will tear the skies in memory of the sacrificed.

End.