The village street had turned into a battlefield.
Broken stones covered the ground. Cracked walls leaned dangerously. Dust floated in the air like a gray fog.
At the center of it all stood Ragna.
Crimson flames twisted violently around his body.
They rose like a storm, burning the air itself.
His eyes glowed with a deep red light.
The seal inside him was breaking.
Not because Infernos controlled him.
But because his emotions had exploded beyond control.
Sylpy lay conscious behind him, blood staining the ground beside her small body.
The sight of that blood had shattered the last restraint inside Ragna.
Across from him, Leon stood with Astra's golden energy shining around his body.
Light gathered around his fists like small stars.
Leon's chest rose and fell heavily.
"Ragna…"
His voice trembled.
"Stop this."
But Ragna didn't answer.
The flames around him suddenly expanded.
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
BOOM.
His body vanished in a flash of fire.
Leon barely raised his arm in time.
Ragna's fist slammed into him like a falling meteor.
CRASH!
The impact blasted Leon across the street.
He crashed through a wooden cart and rolled across the ground before stopping.
Villagers screamed.
"He hit Leon!"
"Someone stop them!"
Leon slowly pushed himself up.
Pain shot through his body, but he ignored it.
If he stopped fighting—
Ragna would destroy the entire village.
Golden light exploded from Leon again as Astra responded to his determination.
He rushed forward once more.
Their powers collided again.
BOOM!
Crimson flames and golden light exploded across the street.
The shockwave shattered nearby windows.
Dust filled the sky.
But something else was happening.
Far above the village—
The sky began to tremble.
At first, it was faint.
A ripple in the air.
Then the clouds twisted unnaturally.
Dark energy gathered like a storm forming in the heavens.
A crack slowly spread across the sky.
CRRRACK.
The sound was unnatural.
Like space itself breaking.
Villagers slowly looked upward.
Fear filled their faces.
"What… is that?"
The crack widened.
Darkness leaked through it.
Then suddenly—
The sky tore open.
A massive black gate appeared above the village.
A cold and terrifying pressure poured from it.
The air grew heavy.
Even breathing became difficult.
Inside the darkness of the gate, shadows moved.
Then something stepped through.
A tall creature with black horns.
Its skin was dark gray.
Its eyes glowed with violent mana.
A demon.
It slowly stepped onto the ground.
Its heavy foot cracked the stone street.
Another demon appeared behind it.
Then another.
Then several more.
Within seconds, dozens of demons stood in the village.
Their mana alone made the air feel poisonous.
Villagers collapsed from the pressure.
"Demons…!"
"How did they get here?!"
"Run!"
But the demons only smiled.
One of them raised its claw slowly.
"Such weak creatures."
Another demon laughed.
"This world smells of fresh blood."
They began moving toward the terrified villagers.
But before they could take another step—
A burst of crimson fire exploded between them.
BOOOOM.
Ragna had appeared.
The flames around him burned even brighter now.
His crimson eyes stared directly at the demons.
The demons paused.
They could feel it.
A strange pressure.
A terrifying heat.
One demon stepped forward with a sneer.
"A human child?"
It raised its claw.
"Move aside."
Ragna didn't move.
Instead—
His fist moved.
CRASH.
The punch hit the demon's chest.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the demon's body exploded apart.
Blood and dark mana scattered across the street.
The village fell silent.
Even the other demons froze.
Villagers stared in disbelief.
"The curse child…"
"He… killed a demon?"
Another demon roared angrily and charged forward.
Ragna moved faster.
He grabbed the demon by the face.
Then slammed it into the ground.
BOOM!
The stone street shattered.
The demon's skull cracked under the impact.
It stopped moving instantly.
Another demon attacked from behind.
Ragna turned.
His flames surged violently.
He punched straight through the demon's stomach.
His burning fist came out through its back.
The demon screamed before collapsing.
Villagers trembled.
They had spent years calling him a monster.
Yet now—
That same boy stood between them and the demons.
Saving them.
But Ragna himself didn't notice.
His senses had become sharp.
Extremely sharp.
He could feel mana.
Strong mana.
Dangerous mana.
The demons were overflowing with it.
And his body reacted instinctively.
To destroy it.
Another demon lunged at him with a spear.
Ragna caught the weapon mid-air.
CRACK.
The spear snapped in half.
Then Ragna grabbed the demon by the throat.
He lifted the creature off the ground.
The flames around his hand burned hotter.
The demon screamed as its body began burning.
Then Ragna threw it into another demon.
BOOM!
Both bodies crashed into a wall.
They didn't stand up again.
The remaining demons hesitated.
Their confident expressions disappeared.
"This human…"
"Something is wrong with him."
But Ragna stepped forward again.
Each step cracked the ground.
The flames around him roared like a living creature.
Another demon tried to escape.
Ragna appeared in front of it instantly.
His fist came down.
CRASH.
The demon's body was smashed into the ground.
Dust exploded into the air.
Villagers watched in horror.
This was not a normal battle.
This was slaughter.
Within minutes, the street was covered with demon corpses.
Blood flowed through the cracks in the stone.
Ragna stood in the middle of it all.
His breathing had grown heavy.
The flames around him twisted violently again.
Because the strongest mana left nearby—
Was Leon.
Ragna slowly turned his head.
His crimson eyes locked onto his brother.
Leon's heart dropped.
He understood immediately.
Ragna wasn't protecting the village intentionally.
He was reacting to mana.
And Leon possessed Astra.
One of the strongest powers in the world.
To Ragna right now—
Leon was the greatest threat.
The greatest target.
Ragna stepped forward.
Flames erupted beneath his feet.
Leon clenched his fists.
Golden light surrounded him again.
"If I run…"
"He'll destroy everything."
Leon stood his ground.
Ragna rushed forward like a crimson comet.
Their fists collided again.
BOOOOM!
Golden light and crimson fire exploded across the battlefield.
The remaining houses trembled violently.
Leon was pushed backward.
His body shook from the impact.
Ragna raised his fist again.
This time the flames gathered more violently.
If that punch landed—
Leon might die.
Just as Ragna prepared to strike—
A voice shouted desperately.
"RAGNA!"
Both brothers froze.
Queen Elina ran into the battlefield.
Her long silver hair flowed behind her.
Her eyes were filled with fear.
But she didn't hesitate.
She stepped directly between her sons.
Leon's eyes widened.
"Mother, no!"
Ragna stopped only a few steps away from her.
The flames around him burned violently.
Elina slowly raised her hand.
Her voice trembled.
"Ragna…"
"You're not a curse."
"You're my son."
For a brief moment—
The flames around Ragna weakened.
But the seal inside him cracked again.
CRACK.
A massive burst of power exploded outward.
BOOOOM!
The shockwave threw Elina backward.
She crashed against the stone street.
Blood spilled from her mouth.
"Mother!"
Leon rushed to her side.
But Ragna's flames surged again.
The rage returned.
The seal was breaking completely now.
Several royal sealing mages suddenly arrived.
They quickly formed a magic circle around Ragna.
"Begin sealing!"
Glowing chains of runes shot toward him.
But the moment they touched the flames—
They shattered instantly.
The mages stared in horror.
"The power is too unstable!"
"We can't contain it!"
Ragna lifted his fist again.
His attack was aimed directly at Leon.
Leon stood in front of his injured mother.
His body trembled.
But he refused to move.
If he ran—
Ragna might kill everyone behind him.
Leon gathered every bit of Astra's power he had left.
Golden light exploded around him.
But before the two powers could collide—
The demon gate reacted.
From deep within its darkness—
A mysterious aura suddenly burst forward.
It shot through the sky like lightning.
Then it struck Ragna directly.
The crimson flames froze.
The violent aura around him suddenly stabilized.
The breaking seal stopped.
Ragna's body trembled.
His crimson eyes slowly faded.
Then—
He collapsed.
Leon barely caught him before he hit the ground.
Silence fell across the destroyed village.
Demons were dead.
Houses were broken.
Villagers stared at the unconscious boy in shock.
The boy they had called a curse child.
The boy who had just saved their lives.
Far above them—
The demon gate still floated in the sky.
And deep inside that darkness—
Something had clearly noticed Ragna.
Something that had chosen to intervene.