Several uneventful weeks went by as Ryu and his team guarded the first prince of Ryze. They followed him everywhere, which was not far from the castle. They had developed a routine that was slowly lulling them into a false sense of security. Ryu started every morning having coffee with Tensai before accompanying him to several meetings. By the time Baka would take over, it would be time for lunch. They normally would eat together before heading to the barracks, so the prince could practice with the soldiers. It was valuable experience for Baka because Tensai would force him to train with a sword which was very unorthodox for him. They normally would go at it for several hours before Megami would arrive for her shift. The two of them would normally go to the massive library in one of the wings of the castle where they would spend most of their time reading together in silence. As the night grew closer, the prince would treat Megami to dinner. As the moon ascended into the sky, Chinmoku would show up and watch over Tensai from his balcony as he slept in his bed.
The evenings became primetime for Ryu and Baka to spar together as they tried to learn everything they could from each other to become stronger. Baka was slowly teaching Ryu Alteration Magic while Ryu tried to show him how to be more strategic in his fighting. As they lined up to go at it again, a light snow started to powder the land. As they stared at each other across the training field out in front of the castle, Baka loudly said, "This time I am not going to lose, so you better be ready." Ryu cracked a grin before quickly closing the distance to him. He was struggling to utilize his new skill because it had a condition that needed to be met for it to work correctly. As he swung his wooden short sword, he tried to use the spell Metal Bound to coat his weapon in iron to reinforce it. As the steel bubbled around the blade, Baka swiftly brought his elbow down to deflect his strike. The Ferrum exploded off of it as the wood splintered in half. He jumped back just in time to narrowly avoid Baka's silver hand as it grazed past his face. A spinning roundhouse kick followed, forcing Ryu to flip backwards to avoid it. He quickly countered as he said, "Sand Trap." The ground suddenly became soft underneath Baka, but he remained unfazed as he casted a spell he had learned from Ryu called Ice Lock. The earth froze solid stopping his descent, but his foot remained stuck in the dirt.
As Ryu landed, he swiftly conjured a Fireball and shot it at Baka. As it drew closer to him, he focused his attention on his foot as he smashed his fist into the hardened grass shattering it into a million pieces. He leapt to the right at the last second barely avoiding the flames as they scorched the field. Baka shook his head as he stared at Ryu while saying, "You aren't controlling your magical flow." Ryu pushed his hair back as he frustratingly said, "I am trying." To cast Alteration magic, a person must have complete control over their magic. It requires incredible discipline to master and is better suited for fighters that lack high MP reserves. Most of the spells under the skill class do not require much magic to cast. Since Ryu's MP Regeneration ability was currently at level sixty-seven, he had a whopping sixty-eight hundred MP available which made it incredibly difficult for him to control his magical flow. As Baka launched himself at Ryu, he stood his ground as he tried to cast Silver Guard. His eyes were closed as the magic around his skin became frazzled as he attempted to alter it into steel. As Baka's punch smashed into his stomach, the wind blasted around him from the impact.
Baka quickly pulled his hand away as Ryu opened his eyes and spat a glob of blood onto the snow-covered grass. He remained standing though as he lifted his shirt up to reveal his abdomen. A small circle of metal had solidly formed in the middle of his gut effectively blocking the brunt of Baka's strike. He still suffered from the explosive vibrations throughout his body though as he started to heal himself. Baka swiftly smacked him on the arm with a huge smile on his face as he said, "You finally got it." Ryu groaned in pain as he wiped his lip with the back of his hand before saying, "You could have held back a little bit since I wasn't moving." Baka awkwardly rubbed the back of his head as he said, "I may have gotten a little carried away. It was just nice to finally have a shot at you for some payback. Sorry man." Chinmoku had been watching for a few minutes from the side. She had gotten distracted by them on her way to take over for Megami. She quickly ran over and jumped on Baka's back while saying, "I know how you feel. He used to spar with me and Megami at the same time, and we still couldn't win. It felt good though any opportunity we got to hit him back. It meant he wasn't invincible." Baka's face turned red as she pressed into him. Ryu started laughing as he said, "I think you got him back for me."
She looked over his shoulder and instantly smacked him on the back of his head while saying, "Don't be weird Baka. I thought you were a gentleman?" He quickly said, "I am, but I am still a man." As she climbed down off of him, she quipped back, "More like still a boy." He fell to his knees in shame as Ryu continued to laugh till his side was hurting. Chinmoku started to walk away while saying, "I will see you guys tomorrow. I hope you have a good night." They nodded before waving goodbye as they watched her disappear into the castle walls. As they waited for Megami, they decided to practice their magic. Ryu worked on his control while Baka tried to work on his elemental spells. He was struggling much more than Ryu to learn new techniques because he only had affinities in Hand-to-Hand combat, Martial Arts, and Brawling. It had almost depleted his MP reserves when he had to cast Ice Lock earlier. About twenty minutes went by before Megami exited through the gate. Ryu waved at her as she came over while asking, "Did you have a good shift?" She nodded as she said, "Dinner was exquisite, and I really enjoy sitting in the library and reading with the prince." As they made their way back to the inn, they were completely unaware of a meeting taking place in secret in an unknown location within the capital.
The mirror shimmered as waves lapped throughout the glass as Kurayami emerged. He smiled as he excitedly said, "Construction of the teleporter has finally been completed. Good job Noburu." The fourth ranked hero creepily grinned as he said, "Thank you. We can now finish what we started several years ago." The demon general nodded while asking, "Is the first prince still unguarded since the other hero Amai left?" Noburu's grin instantly faded away as he angrily said, "No! Some brats came to the capital to join the heroes army and Tensai has taken quite a liking to them." Kurayami instantly perked up at the mention of some mysterious new kids that were a pain in the ass as he asked, "One of them wouldn't happened to be named Ryu?" Noburu turned around while grabbing a bag of blood out of his coat. He fiercely sunk his fangs into and quickly sucked it dry in frustration at the mention of his name. As he finished, he wiped his mouth before saying, "That is exactly who it is. How did you know?" The demon general's cold smile made the room feel even chillier than it already was in the dead of winter. As he turned back to the mirror, he paused to say, "I have a brilliant idea Noburu. Be ready tomorrow around noon with a camera in the castle courtyard. We are going to have some fun with the kid." He started to maniacally laugh as he went back through the glass. He disappeared just as fast as he arrived leaving no trace of his presence besides the fading echoes of his chortle.
The next morning came and went for Ryu as he patiently waited for Baka in the courtyard with the prince. They were enjoying a glass of tea together as Tensai tried to reset himself mentally before practicing with the soldiers. Ryu's arm hair suddenly stood on end as he felt a sinister presence coming toward them. He quickly got up while turning his attention to the ballroom doors as he watched them push open. Ryu instantly drew his blade and flew across the field as soon as he recognized the person that emerged. Denki swiftly jumped in front of him as he tried to deflect his sword. As their weapons collided, a loud metallic bang echoed throughout the castle walls as one of the demon captains chakram clattered across the ground. Denki hopped backwards as Kurayami said, "Is that anyway to greet an old friend Ryu." He did not respond as he launched himself at the demon general again while morphing his weapon into a katana. Before he could swing his blade, he felt a pinch and a powerful burning sensation in his arm as he flipped backwards.
He looked down to see a black mosquito on his arm. He quickly smacked it and casted Heal on himself as he tried to reverse the poison. That is when he noticed several more close to him as he said, "Inferno Cloak." Flames swiftly spread around him and burnt all the insects up near him as he focused his attention on another demon next to Kurayami. As he stared at them, he watched as they took their hood off. He was surprised as the cowl fell to see a teenage girl. She had to be somewhere around Ryu's age with the notable difference between them being her red skin. She had short blunt bob styled snow-white hair as her Caribbean blue eyes locked with his. She was very cute as she cheerily said, "I am truly sorry I had to hurt you, but I can't let you attack my master like that." Before Ryu could try to attack again, Kurayami quickly made a T with his hands as he said, "Let's take a timeout kid. We are not here to fight. I have very important business to attend to so how about we make a deal." The prince had made his way over to them as he grabbed Ryu's shoulder. He could sense the demons in front of them were very powerful as he said, "Let's hear him out Ryu. I don't think we can win this fight at the moment. Kurayami touched his nose while pointing at Tensai and saying, "That is exactly right and frankly I did not come here looking for one so let's try to avoid it."
Ryu quickly glanced at the prince before sheathing his blade as the demon general happily said, "Excellent choice." He paused as a sinister smile formed on his face as he continued, "I can tell you exactly where your little teacher is right now if you let us go on our way." Ryu spat on the ground while angrily saying, "I would be mental to trust you!" Kurayami shrugged his shoulders in agreeance as he said, "Touche, but I am giving you my word that we are not here to kill or harm any humans today. I need to meet someone very important, and I do not have a lot of time so do we have a deal?" Baka suddenly exploded through the doors on the opposite side of the ballroom. He instantly felt the suffocating evil aura lapping off of the demon general as he sprinted toward him with incredibly speed. As he lunged at him with a flying knee, the chakram on the floor suddenly shot across the room and smashed into his leg knocking him backwards. The blade hovered in the air spinning as the golden electricity circled within it. Ryu quickly interjected as he loudly said, "Stop Baka. These guys are not your normal demons." He yelled back, "I can tell" as he tapped his foot on the ground to try to get the numbness out of it. Kurayami's tone turned frigid as he callously said, "Tik tok kid. My patience is growing thin."
Ryu wanted to know more than anything where his teacher was being held, but he also did not want to pass up the opportunity to get his revenge on the general. He knew if he did not take the deal though that the prince had a high chance of dying in the ensuing battle as he frustratingly sighed before saying, "Fine. We accept your terms." Kurayami's entire demeanor did a one eighty as he smiled and said, "Great. Let's shake on it." Ryu reluctantly shook his hand as the demon general continued, "This has been nice and all but alas we both got places to go. Please follow Hina behind me. She will take you to Jinsoku." Ryu quickly interjected as he said, "I am not leaving the prince here with you." Kurayami started chuckling while saying, "I do not care about Tensai. You can watch me and Denki as we leave to prove it to you." As they started to walk away, his tone changed as he ominously said, "I can promise you that you do not have time to wait around though." Ryu got a bad feeling as he watched him disappear before turning back to Baka and saying, "Watch the first prince and get him out of here. Take him to the inn, so you guys can all protect him together. I am going to go with this demon to where Jinsoku is being held." She rolled her eyes while saying, "I have a name." Baka nodded as he and Tensai took off across the ballroom.
As Ryu turned his attention to Hina he said, "Lead the way." She smiled before turning around and skipping over to a standing mirror that was pushed up against the wall with a tarp on it. As she came to a stop, she grabbed the sheet and ripped it off while saying, "Ta Da!" He stared at the mirror unsure of what he was supposed to do as she said, "All you have to do is walk through it." He hesitated in fear of it being a trap as he said, "Ladies first." She frowned while crossing her arms and saying, "Do you not trust me?" He remained silent as she frustratingly sighed before leaping into the glass. He watched as she vanished without a trace similar to how Kurayami suddenly appeared in the caves a few months ago. He took a deep breath before calmly following her into the mirror. The world suddenly felt like it was rapidly twisting and compressing as he traversed through space. As he emerged on the other side of the portal, he face planted into some brown leaves on the ground in a very familiar forest. As he got to his knees, he tried not to throw up as he checked out his surroundings. It did not take him long to realize that he was sitting in the field outside of the city of Unemi. As Hani turned around, she snapped her fingers as she murmured to herself, "I knew I forgot to tell you something. Oh well." Ryu angrily got to his feet before grabbing her by her hoodie while saying, "Is this a joke? Why would Jinsoku be here?"
He barely had time to sense the sudden rapid heating around him as he leapt backwards just as a burst of flames materialized out of thin air. They quickly dissipated away as a man stepped out of the tree line. The guy had a snarky grin as he said, "You are fast kid. I was worried this was going to be boring when Kurayami asked me to help." Hina patted her shirt back down as she said, "Commander Taika you are not supposed to attack him. It was part of our deal with him." He snarled at her as he said, "That was your pathetic master's bargain not mine. I suggest you keep your mouth shut." Ryu scoffed as he insultingly said, "Only a person who is a piece shit of would talk to someone like that." Flames started to drip off of Taika as the ground around Ryu suddenly started to turn into lava. As he retreated backwards, the entire forest started to feel incredibly hot. In mere seconds, all of the snow melted and evaporated away as Ryu swiftly avoided several more spontaneous combustion attacks. Taika was completely engulfed in flames now as he disappeared from his spot. He shot through the air catching Ryu by surprise. As he brought his arm up to block the punch flying towards him, he managed to alter his magic at the last second as he said, "Hardened Shell."
The force of the hit bent his arm while blasting him out of the sky like a falling star as he smashed into the front city wall of Unemi. A section of it collapsed upon the impact as Taika stepped out of the woods. As he slowly approached the town, his body was completely wrapped in a raging inferno as one of the guards yelled, "We are under attack!" Another soldier quickly got back to his feet on the street while saying, "I will go alert the adventurers guild!" Ryu suddenly emerged from the shadows behind the sentinel in charge of the local army on top of the gate with his arm dangling by his side. He winced in pain as blood ran down his face and dripped from his chin as he quietly said, "If you guys try to fight him, he will kill all of you." The guard almost jumped out of his armor from Ryu's sudden appearance as he cleared his throat and bravely said, "We can't just let him kill everyone though." Ryu started to heal himself while saying, "I will take care of him. He won't catch me by surprise again." As he finished speaking, he leapt back down to the ground in front of the gate. He started to walk toward Taika who whistled while saying, "You got spirit, I will give you that. Let's see if it holds up when I turn the heat up another notch." His flames turned completely white before he suddenly shot like a bullet at Ryu scorching the ground along the way. Ryu swiftly casted Shadow Prison and sank into the darkness right before the demon general could strike. A giant square of pitch-black darkness engulfed the area almost to the wall and the tree line on the opposite side.
As Hina ran out of the forest, she slowly pushed her hair back as she exasperatedly said, "No, no, no! Why does he have to be such a loose cannon." She tried to push her hand through the shadow, but there was an invincible barrier stopping her as she stomped her foot in frustration. Meanwhile, Taika stood still inside the emptiness and yawned as he waited. Ryu conjured several copies of himself and had them start attacking with various spells. Lightening, ice, water, rocks, light spears, and wind arrows whizzed around after the demon general as he jumped around. Ryu was unsure of what he was doing, but he knew he needed to come up with a plan sooner rather than later as he hid in the darkness. Taika suddenly came to a stop in the middle of the prison with a smile on his face as he said, "Not a bad radius. It's too bad for you though that light can cast shadows away." As he finished speaking, his right hand rose into the air as he snapped his fingers. Ryu could sense the heat seconds before it combusted as it blew up the entire area surrounded by his spell. He managed to get out of there just in time as the shockwave knocked him down to the ground. He quickly got back to his feet as Taika turned toward him and happily said, "I found you."
Ryu swiftly held both of his hands up while saying, "Lightening Dragon." The sky grew dark as a giant golden beast streaked amongst the clouds. Electricity crackled as it descended upon Taika. As it crashed into the earth, the demon general completely disappeared as Ryu quickly said, "Crushing Wave." The ground shook as water erupted from in front of him. The crest of the waves rose high into the sky as one after another started to crash into the dragon. The water only amplified the electricity causing brilliant yellow streaks of light to shoot throughout the inside of each wave. His spell washed around the electricity and inadvertently hit the forest behind the demon general where Hina was hiding. As his attack came to a stop, she was left soaking wet as she frustratingly spat out some water that had gotten in her mouth. A silence fell upon the plains outside of Unemi as everyone stared into the fog created by the rapid evaporation of water as it collided with the flames of Taika. They all anxiously awaited to see if he had defeated the demon general when a small ominous blue flame suddenly shimmered amongst the haze. A faint maniacal laugh slowly grew louder as the air became extremely dry. Waves of heat pulsed from Taika that instantaneously evaporated the misty fog. As his cackling came to a stop, he sighed in relief as he ecstatically said, "Now I am all fired up!" Ryu quickly covered himself in water as the air around him started to burn his skin as he drew his dagger.
Taika was a blur as he whizzed across the field at Ryu who went completely on the defensive. He quickly enhanced his speed with a powerful buff spell while using the wind to reduce his air resistance as he rapidly tried to weave an onslaught of strikes. The demon general was using multiple martial art skills in combination with his spontaneous combustion ability to keep Ryu on his toes to avoid certain death. Every shot he blocked instantly gave him third degree burns. If it was not for his layer of water, he was certain he would be dead. As he continued to evade, he worked on healing his wounds to keep himself from being slowed down by them. His MP was rapidly depleting though as he tried to figure out a way to fight back before it was too late. He suddenly had an idea as he casted Steel Shell just as Taika's spinning roadhouse kick smashed into his body. It sent him flying into the city gate causing it to buckle slightly from the impact. It managed not to collapse though unlike the wall earlier. A dust cloud descended upon him as he struggled back to his feet in the haze. Taika started to walk toward him while mockingly saying, "Are you really starting to slow down?" Ryu quickly said, "Devouring Earth" causing the ground to split open and rise high into the sky. The land suddenly crashed into the demon general as the dirt and rock churned to fill the gigantic hole back up.
Ryu swiftly used the lack of visibility to create a clone of himself while completely hiding his own presence as he disappeared into its shadow. He ordered it to charge at Taika who remerged from the soil as it settled back down. The demon general's flames were so hot that they completely burnt up the terrain before it could even touch him as he raised his hand at the charging replica. Ryu could sense the heat building around his copy as it leapt into the air. He quickly sprung from its shadow just as it exploded into a ball of fire. As he swung his dagger toward Taika, he morphed it into a katana while enchanting it with the ice magic spell White Frost. The demon general had anticipated his trick, but his weapon being able to transform caught him by surprise. He was unable to avoid its cut as it sliced him horizontally across abdomen. Taika instantly felt something wrong as he swiftly jumped several feet backwards. As he looked down, his skin was frozen solid where he had been slashed. He was confused on why his blaze was not burning the ice as he grew angry that a human had managed to hurt him. He clinched his fist in rage as he screamed in frustration. His flames started to turn violet as his frozen wound finally melted and healed.
Hina instantly became nervous at the sight of him because she had seen him turn that color once before in the demon kingdom. She was very concerned for his safety as she yelled, "You need to calm down sir. You cannot burn that hot without hurting yourself." He snapped his head around at her and blankly stared at her for several seconds when Kurayami suddenly appeared behind her. He shook his head in disappointment as he said, "You really went this far for a human Taika. This wasn't part of the plan." The first rank demon general turned his attention to his comrade as he coldly said, "I am killing this kid right now. Fuck your little scheme." Kurayami sighed before trying to plead with him as he said, "You know what awaits him in his future. Won't it be more fun to watch him suffer especially for humiliating you like this?" A silence descended upon the field as he continued to stare emotionless at Kurayami when an explosion suddenly echoed from within the city. Ryu snapped around in confusion as the second rank demon general evilly grinned while saying, "It seems the show is just about to begin for us Taika, can we please watch?" His flames evaporated away as he defeatedly said, "Whatever, but your plan better be worth it or I will kill you instead."
Hina sighed in relief as she wiped her brow while Kurayami loudly said, "I hope you did not over do yourself Ryu. The real fight is just about to begin. I hope you enjoy our gift." He had a sinking feeling as he quickly sheathed his weapon and fled the plains. As he entered the city, a guard quickly grabbed his arm at the gate and pulled him aside. The man was shaking as he said, "It is Jinsoku, but something is not right. He is attacking the city for some reason." Ryu was completely shocked, but he swiftly put his feelings to the side as he asked, "Where is the guild leader? I thought you guys sent someone to retrieve him?" The soldier nodded while saying, "We did. He is locked in battle with the former hero in the plaza, but we are struggling to contain him." He paused as he gave Ryu a look over before questioningly asking, "Are you still fit enough to provide reinforcement?" He was covered in residual burns and multiple bruises as he confidently said, "That was barely a warmup for me. I will head over now to assist Souatari." He quickly took off sprinting as he tried to conserve his limited MP before he had to fight again. As he approached the plaza, he could not believe the horrific sight of everything.
Multiple buildings around the edges of the center of town were partially or completely destroyed. Bodies of soldiers, adventurers, and civilians were littered around the area. Several people were trying to help the injured when the fountain in the middle of the plaza suddenly exploded into a cloud of dust as water and granite shot everywhere. He remained frozen in shock when a rugged voice yelled at him from his left saying, "Get over here boy!" As Ryu turned, he instantly recognized Mr. Tetsu as he ran over to him in what remained of the pub on the corner of the plaza. The Sage was relieved upon seeing his former apprentice as he said, "Praise the gods that you are. It must be a miracle." Ryu embraced him in a hug before asking, "What is going on?" The Kenja shook his head in confusion as he said, "I don't know kid. Jinsoku suddenly appeared near the fountain and started attacking people. He isn't listening to anyone. Kasai tried to talk to him but..." His voice trailed off as Ryu saw her behind him. She was bleeding profusely from a stab wound on her stomach. Chisai was trying to treat her as he dropped to his knees next to her. As he grabbed Kasai's hand, she opened her eyes and tried to smile while softly saying, "I am so glad to see you again Ryu." A tear streaked down his face as he said, "Me to. I am sorry I did not get here sooner. I am going to heal you so don't worry about a thing." She shook her head no while gently wiping his cheek before saying, "You have to help him first for me. He is in so much pain right now."
Souatari suddenly came to a stop in a heap on the ground right outside of the building as Ryu quickly gave her hand a squeeze before nodding. As he ran over to the guild leader, he concernedly said, "Are you okay Souatari?" His kanabo was nothing more than a small stick lying next to him as he rolled over onto his back. As Ryu dropped to a knee next to him, he quickly observed his body. He was covered in multiple cuts, but nothing appeared life threatening as the guild leader raggedly said, "Ryu?" He started coughing before spitting a glob of blood out onto the cobblestone before continuing, "Jinsoku is..." He started choking again as Ryu reassuringly said, "I know sir. Please try not to move. I will take it from here." As he got back to his feet, he retrieved his dagger and morphed it into a katana as he turned toward his master. His teacher was hovering a few feet in the air where the fountain used to be with a black aura lapping off of him. As Ryu started to walk across the plaza, he yelled, "What did they do to you Jinsoku?" Kurayami and Taika suddenly appeared next to him in the sky with sinister smiles on their faces. The first rank demon general happily said, "What do you think we did? Are you stupid or in denial? Your pathetic friend here is nothing more than my slave now."
Ryu was unable to control his anger anymore as his other eye turned red, and his golden aura started to have shades of black in it as it densely lapped off of his body. Kurayami was enjoying pushing his buttons as he mockingly said, "I think you made him mad Taika." They both started laughing as Ryu shot across the plaza leaving the ground shattered from the force he pushed off with as he swung his blade at the third rank demon general. A loud metallic "Clang" echoed throughout the streets of the city as Ryu's katana collided with Jinsoku's twin swords. As their weapons grinded against each other, he murderously stared at Kurayami. His bloodlust was filling the air as Taika whistled in admiration and said, "He really hates you." Before he could reply, Hina appeared behind them and started to pull on the third rank demon generals' sleeve to get his attention. As he turned away to hear what she had to say, Ryu quickly casted Shadow Bind to yank Jinsoku out of his way. Multiple dark tendrils shot out of the ground and wrapped around him dragging him down to the pavement. With his teacher out of the way, he swiftly enchanted his blade with Inferno Kiss and swung it toward Kurayami's neck. His katana was inches away from connecting with its target when it suddenly was deflected upward by a fast-moving compressed wave of black wind. Before he could recover, a kick smashed into his exposed side and sent him flying across the square into the third floor of a building across the way.
A giant tornado followed behind him ripping several of the structures apart down the road. As Ryu lay amongst the rubble, his aura started to permeate through the gaps of the boards, bricks, and smashed furniture on top of him. As he exploded out of the debris, multiple slashes of compressed wind cut through the air toward him. He quickly raised his arm up and created a grand Barrier the size of a two-story house in front of himself that completely absorbed every strike. His MP went below zero as his hair turned pitch black. As his magical shield shimmered away, a loud boom echoed off of the buildings shattering nearby windows as he streaked through the sky toward his master. As he swung his katana downward at him, he forced him to block with both of his blades. The powerful impact of the swords colliding with each other caused Jinsoku to get launched into the ground. As Ryu stared down at the cloud of dust from the impact, he said, "Earth Seal." The cobblestone suddenly started to move and encapsulated his teacher. As it hardened around him, his movement became restricted till he was unable to move. He looked like a statue as Ryu turned his focus back to the demon generals.
They were standing in front of a cheval mirror in the middle of the street heading toward the guild hall. Taika evilly grinned at him before walking through it. Kurayami started to wave goodbye while cheerily yelling, "It has been fun, but we have to run." As he stepped into the glass, Ryu shot across the plaza in pursuit. Right before he could reach the mirror, the reflection turned black as he slammed into it. As he stared at the ground at the million pieces of glass on the cobblestone, he yelled out in anger as the clouds grew dark overhead. A loud explosion suddenly rang out across the square as Jinsoku busted out of his bindings. As Ryu turned around to face him, lightening raced through the clouds above as a few droplets of rain started to splash off of the cobblestone. Jinsoku's hair was completely red now except for his one strip that was now pitch black. His dark aura reached high into the sky behind him as he pushed off of the ground. The earth exploded inward from the force as he shot across the plaza. Ryu quickly blocked his twin blades with his katana as a loud metallic clang briefly echoed throughout the streets before it was drowned out by heavy rainfall.
As Ryu stared into his master's eyes he painfully said, "Please don't make me do this Jinsoku." His master's knee suddenly smashed into his stomach. Ryu managed to keep his blade up to protect himself though, so his teacher swiftly dropped one of his swords to grab his arm. He hurled him across the square into the wall of the first floor of a building next to the pub where Kasai, Souatari, and Mr. Tetsu were taking shelter. As his body slammed through the structure, he lost his grip on his katana as it clattered across the cobblestone. The guild leader quickly rushed over with the Sage to help get the rumble off of him. His emotions were all over the place as they got him back to his feet. He was still full of rage as tears streaked down his face. The overwhelming pain and guilt from seeing Jinsoku in his current state was consuming him as Souatari reassuringly grabbed his shoulder and said, "It is not your fault for what has happened to him Ryu. He choose to protect you in the caves knowing there was a good chance he was going to end up like this because of it." The Kenja nodded in agreeance as Kasai's quiet voice softly said, "Please help him Ryu. He wouldn't want to stay this way under someone else's control. You need to set him free." Several compressed black wind slashes rapidly flew toward them as Ryu quickly conjured a grand Barrier to block the entire building. Blow after blow struck his magical shield as he shook his head while saying, "I can't do it. I can't kill him."
Jinsoku suddenly shot across the plaza and smashed his shoulder through Ryu's defense. His twin swords rapidly slashed at him as he retreated backwards. He quickly ducked under one of the swinging blades while swinging his fist into his teacher's elbow breaking his arm. His master was unfazed though as he pivoted around and sliced him across his back. Souatari tried to swiftly help Ryu as he tackled Jinsoku to the ground. He managed to catch him off guard and knock the other sword out of his hand. It slide under some of the debris on the floor as Ryu stumbled forward. His teacher did not stay pinned for long as he viciously shoved the guild leader off of him. As he flew through the air, his massive body slammed into Ryu's side and sent him rolling across the ground near his katana on the cobblestone. Souatari continued barreling several more feet away before coming to a stop in a heap on the street. Jinsoku quickly got back up and started to walk toward Ryu who was trying to crawl to his sword. Mr. Tetsu swiftly ambushed his master from behind as he tried to protect Ryu. He wrapped his arms around his waist and lifted him into the air before body slamming him into the floor. As Ryu grabbed his blade, Jinsoku brutally kicked the Sage in his stomach launching him into one of the pub walls before quickly getting back to his feet again. As Ryu turned to face him, Jinsoku held his good arm and started to cast a wind spell as Ryu quietly said, "Stasis."
Time stopped around the plaza as the rain seized, and silence descended upon the city. As he slowly walked over to his teacher, he started to cry as he pulled his necklace out that Jinsoku had left him. He gripped it hard in his hand as he came to a stop in front of him and reassuringly said, "I promise you I will save this world, so nobody else suffers like you. I will keep this charm around my neck for the rest of my life, so you can watch me as I make you proud." He paused as he smiled at him before closing his eyes and driving his katana through his chest. As he withdraw his blade, the rain came crashing back down again as his teacher's spell and black aura dissipated away. Ryu quickly dropped his weapon and caught his master as he fell to the ground. He gently laid him down on the floor as his hair and eyes started to turn back to normal. As he held his head, he had failed to notice that Kasai had crawled over as she fell onto Jinsoku's chest. As he glanced at her, he immediately noticed her back. Her shirt was completely soaked in blood as he concernedly said, "Why did you not let me heal you earlier!?" As she set back up, she grabbed Jinsoku's hand while holding his cheek with her other. She happily smiled as she stared at him before saying, "You needed your magic to fight, and I knew that we weren't going to be able to save him when I looked into his eyes before he stabbed me."
Ryu started to get choked up as he said, "I.. can't.. lose you to." She gently put Jinsoku's hand back down on his chest before palming Ryu's cheek and saying, "You know he is nothing without me. I couldn't let him pass on by himself." Jinsoku started to laugh weakly as he opened his eyes. They both could not believe it as they turned back to him. He grinned as he said, "Stubborn as ever Kasai. That bossy attitude is why I fell in love with you so many years ago." She lightly smacked his chest while jokingly saying, "Your shyness to tell people your real feelings when you are such a big softy inside is why I fell in love you. Why did you never ask me out?" He started to blush as he said, "I just assumed since we were always together that we were exclusive, you know?" She frustratingly sighed before saying, "You can be so difficult. At least we will have forever in the afterlife for me to teach you how to properly treat a lady." Ryu shook his head no while saying, "You two can't die on me." He held his hands up and tried to cast Healing magic, but the circle would not form. Jinsoku grabbed his hand as he said, "Stop kid. It isn't going to work. Dark magic doesn't mix with Healing magic. They are like oil and water."
Ryu started to sob as Kasai gently pushed his hair back out of his eyes while reassuringly saying, "You have no reason to cry for us. We don't regret anything, and neither should you. We are so proud of you." As Ryu wiped his tears away, he looked at Jinsoku who proudly smiled at him before saying, "You did good kid." Kasai turned her attention back to Jinsoku as they stared at each other for several seconds before she laid down on his chest. He embraced her as they both passed away in each other's arms. The rain was slowly becoming lighter as Ryu's hair and eye went back to normal. As he looked up at the sky, his vision suddenly became extremely blurry, and his ears started to ring. His entire body felt heavy, and his head felt like it was going to explode as he fell backwards. As he lay on his back, he could faintly see the evening sun through the clouds as he closed his eyes and lost consciousness.