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Chapter 9: Shadows of the Living and the Dead
"The most painful thing is not the pain itself, but the memory of it." — Haruki Murakami
It was a night draped in darkness—deeper than the moonless sky above the town. The wind howled like a warning through narrow alleys and empty streets, whispering unsettling truths to those who dared listen. Something was wrong—terribly wrong.
The Majin hunter community trembled in the cold grip of confusion. The unthinkable had happened.
Iguro Kyojuro was still alive.
A name once revered, now returned as a specter. Rumors whispered that he had become what he swore to destroy—a Majin.
Commander Nagi stood silent at the edge of the war council chamber. His usually sharp eyes were dulled by disbelief. Rage and grief warred inside him.
He had watched Iguro die. With his own eyes. The man had bled out on the battlefield, torn apart. There was no mistaking it.
So how…?
A Chuki ranker stepped forward hesitantly, shattering the silence. "Are you sure, sir? Was it really… him?"
Nagi's jaw tightened. "I'm sure," he said quietly. "There's no mistaking that look… the fury in his eyes. The kind of fury only Iguro had." He paused, eyes distant. "But this time, that anger wasn't for Majin. It was for us. For humans."
The memory came crashing down like a wave.
"Nagi, I'm disappointed in you. You disgust me."
Those words, so casually spoken, were worse than any blade.
Nagi clenched his fists. Rui had been right all along—he had grown weak. Complacent. Maybe even cowardly. But not anymore.
He turned sharply. "Likin, prepare the elite force. We march for Majin City."
Likin blinked. "Sir? The Majin capital?"
"Yes. Training continues as scheduled, but if no one joins me, I'll go alone."
"You won't be alone, Commander," the Chuki ranker said firmly. "We'll follow you into hell if we must."
Nagi nodded once. "Excellent." His eyes burned with new resolve. Perhaps this time, they could end the madness at its source. Face Lord Akuma. And if fate was kind, bring Rui home.
† † †
Meanwhile, Muichiro was in the armory receiving instructions. He stood stiffly, trying to hide the tremor in his limbs.
"We're going to Majin City?" he asked in disbelief. "Why me?"
The Chuki ranker smirked. "On Commander Nagi's orders."
"But… I'll be useless there. I'm not ready. I'll just get in the way."
The ranker placed a hand on Muichiro's shoulder. "Commander Nagi sees something in you. So do I. You've got potential."
Muichiro's eyes watered despite himself. He turned away quickly, wiping his face.
"Alright," he whispered. "I'll go. But why are we risking so much?"
The ranker's expression darkened. "Rui Kyojuro entered Majin City alone. Said he was rescuing someone… a kid. Foolish move. If I ever meet that brat, I'll end them myself."
Muichiro felt his stomach twist. A child? What could be so important that Rui risked everything?
† † †
Elsewhere, in a haunted corridor of cracked stone and silence, Commander Nagi stood face to face with a ghost.
Iguro Kyojuro stepped from the mist, his body wrapped in shadows. His crimson eyes gleamed with unnatural light.
"What are you looking for, Iguro?" Nagi asked, drawing both his swords.
"You still think you can stop this?" Iguro murmured. "You're going to die, Nagi."
"Then I'll die trying to save your son. And destroy the catalyst."
Iguro barked a bitter laugh. "You won't make it halfway. Majin City will consume you. And Rui? He's under my protection now."
"You call this protection?" Nagi snarled. "You dragged him into a war that turned you into a beast. You're not the man I once knew."
"I can't fight it, alright?!" Iguro's voice broke with pain. "It's in my blood. This thing inside me—it's not something I can cure. It's who I am now."
"You haven't fed on humans?"
"No," Iguro whispered. "Only animals. I've resisted the urges. Ever since Lord Akuma cursed me with this… existence, I've only obeyed one order: eliminate disobedient Majin. That's it. No human blood."
Nagi paused, shaken. "You've… you've still got a piece of your humanity."
"I'm holding onto it by a thread," Iguro replied. "But don't go to Majin City, Nagi. You won't come back."
"I don't care," Nagi said, turning. "I've made peace with death."
† † †
In a dimly lit room, Chinatsu paced like a caged bird. She hadn't slept since the news came. Her mother remained locked in her own silence—paralyzed by the past.
Rui had entered Majin City.
Just like her father had. And like him, Rui might never return.
She sank onto her bed, clutching the edge of her blanket. Her thoughts swirled like a storm. She'd lost her brothers. Her father. Now, the boy she had secretly loved.
She had pushed Rui away, hiding behind cold words and forced smiles. She was afraid—afraid to love someone destined to die.
But now, the fear had faded. What was left was conviction.
She was only Level 12, a novice among warriors. But she didn't care.
She would protect Rui. Or die trying.
She tied her hair tightly, wrapped her face in a black veil, and slipped quietly into the night.
The border awaited.
† † †
Yusa was fading.
Trapped in the stomach of the beast, each breath he took burned like fire. The toxins invaded his blood, clouding his vision and weakening his spirit.
Consciousness slipped like water through his fingers.
This was it.
Unless—
With every ounce of energy left, he focused. Called forth the ancient power that slept within.
Activating: God Form
Activating: Demon Mode
Activating: Flame Strike
The explosion was thunderous. A tower of light burst from the Majin's mouth as it ripped apart, chunks of smoldering flesh falling like ash across Majin City.
Yusa stumbled from the remains, transformed.
His hair flowed long and silver-grey, his eyes a searing gold. A white flame wrapped his glowing frame.
Level 6,742.
All systems active.
The ground trembled as two S-rank Majin emerged.
They didn't last a second.
Yusa's blade blurred once—twice. Dust and silence.
Then the beast regenerated, screeching, its giant claws closing in.
No fear. No hesitation.
Lunar Eclipse: Activated.
A white crescent of light arced through the air. Limbs fell. The beast screamed—and didn't regenerate.
It lay broken, forever severed.
Yusa exhaled, his chest rising and falling.
And then he felt it.
A shift in the air. A crack in reality.
He turned. Slowly.
There he stood.
Lord Akuma.
The Warlord of Nightmares.
The one who had taken everything.
The air thickened. The sky dimmed.
Yusa gripped his sword.
"It ends here."
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