Lu Cheng's footsteps were the only clear sound on the rooftop.
He didn't even have the slightest intention of stopping, as if the battle that had just ended was merely a puddle he accidentally stepped in while out for a stroll, not worth a second glance.
The night wind caught the hem of his trench coat, and also carried away the last wisp of ash from the dissipating demon.
Not until that figure completely vanished into the shadows of the rooftop entrance did this domain, shrouded in death, return to the human world.
In the air, only the smell of blood remained, and… a deathly silence.
"Thump."
Kamiya Makoto's taut body finally lost its last bit of strength, and he slumped to the ground.
His mind was blank, buzzing.
That man's gaze… that maid's blade light… and that demon, split in two… scene after scene, burned his nerves over and over again.
That wasn't a battle.
It was more like crushing an annoying bug with a casual flick while passing by.
And he, Kamiya Makoto, was just another bug beside that bug, a louder one.
"Heh… heh heh…"
He let out a dry, meaningless chuckle from his throat, a laugh filled with self-mockery and despair.
"Why… why…"
He mumbled to himself, as if asking himself, and also as if asking the girl beside him, who had been incredibly calm from beginning to end.
"Why… did it turn out like this…"
Yukino Shita Chizuru finally moved.
She looked down at Kamiya Makoto from above, her eyes devoid of pity or comfort, only disgust.
"Why?"
She repeated softly, a cruel curve forming on her lips.
"Do you still not understand, Makoto-kun?"
Her voice was as soft as a lover's whisper, yet its content was more bone-chilling than the Siberian wind.
"Because you are too weak."
"Weakness is your original sin."
Makoto's breathing hitched abruptly, and he looked up, staring in disbelief at the girl before him.
This face, which he had fantasized about countless times, was now etched with a cruelty that sent him plummeting into an icy abyss.
Yukino Shita Chizuru seemed to enjoy his expression, continuing her thorough torment with that placid tone.
"That life-and-death battle of yours, it was tragic and moving, wasn't it?"
"You thought you were a knight protecting a princess, didn't you?"
She let out a soft laugh, full of undisguised mockery.
"Unfortunately, in the eyes of a true Strong, your so-called desperate fight was nothing more than a ridiculous circus act."
"It wasn't even… a circus act."
"Did you hear him? He said there were bugs making noise, disturbing him."
"Bugs, Makoto-kun."
"That is how he defines you."
Kamiya Makoto's body began to tremble violently, not from pain, but from the humiliation and rage that surged from the depths of his soul!
"Stop it!"
He growled, his voice hoarse.
"Shut up!"
"Why should I shut up?"
Yukino Shita Chizuru's gaze grew even more dangerous.
"Did I hit a sore spot, my dear Onmyoji-sama?"
She crouched down, extended a slender finger, and gently lifted Kamiya Makoto's chin, forcing him to meet her gaze.
"Do you see? That is a true Dominator."
"He needs no reason, no rules; he himself is the reason and the rules."
"What he fancies, is his. What he dislikes, he casually erases."
"And you?"
Yukino Shita Chizuru's nail pressed slightly, almost digging into Kamiya Makoto's skin.
"You can only scream your ridiculous principles and justice like a clown here."
"And the result?"
"Whom did your justice protect? Even you are lying here like a dead dog."
"I…"
Kamiya Makoto opened his mouth, but found his throat was tightly blocked by something, unable to utter a single word of rebuttal.
Yes… what was the result?
The result was that all his efforts, all his resolve, had become a huge joke.
Yukino Shita Chizuru looked at his dejected appearance, and the disappointment in her eyes deepened.
She released her hand, stood up, and brushed non-existent dust from her skirt, resuming her high-and-mighty demeanor.
"You don't even have the right to carry his shoes."
"No, I should say, you don't even have the right to make him look at you properly."
"The gap between you and him is more distant than the distance between humans and stars."
"And I…"
Yukino Shita Chizuru's gaze turned towards the direction Lu Cheng had disappeared, and in the depths of her cold eyes, a flame named "desire" ignited for the first time.
"What I need is a Dominator who can wield all the sharpest blades in the world…"
"Not a good-for-nothing like you… who can't even protect himself."
This sentence became the last straw that broke the camel's back.
The light in Kamiya Makoto's eyes completely extinguished.
In its place was a dark crimson, mixed with monstrous hatred and madness.
He struggled to his feet, staring intently at Yukino Shita Chizuru.
"I… am not a good-for-nothing!"
He said each word distinctly, as if expending all his strength.
This was the first time he looked at the girl he loved, or rather, that demon blade… Yukino Shita Chizuru, with such hateful eyes. Instead of getting angry at the unfamiliar flame in his eyes, she… smiled.
It was a genuine, joyful smile.
That's right.
That's interesting.
Hatred, resentment, anger… using these as fuel is the only way to forge scrap metal into a divine weapon.
"Is that so?"
The smile on her face instantly vanished, replaced by her usual cold expression.
"Then prove it to me."
"Go and become strong, strong enough for him to acknowledge your existence."
"Otherwise, don't appear before me again and disgust me."
With that, she turned and walked downstairs without looking back, the sound of her small leather shoes tapping on the ground, each step as if trampling on Kamiya Makoto's heart.
He was left alone on the rooftop.
He stood there, letting the cold night wind blow across his wounds, but the biting pain was far less than one ten-thousandth of what he felt in his heart.
"Ah ah ah ah ah—!"
He could no longer suppress it, and let out a beast-like roar to the sky!
In that sound, there was no longer the clarity and justice of a youth.
Only endless hatred for his own "weakness" and the most primal, most insane craving for "power"!
…Meanwhile.
Inside the hotel's presidential suite.
Lu Cheng casually tossed the demon core of "Accumulated Resentment's Bones" onto the table.
Ruzuki Rin was kneeling on the ground, carefully taking off his trench coat, which was damp with night dew.
"Master, would you like me to prepare a late-night snack for you now?"
Her voice was submissive and humble.
"No need."
Lu Cheng leaned back on the sofa, picked up a pre-prepared glass of red wine, and gently swirled it.
His gaze fell on the demon core, yet his eyes held no ripple of emotion.
Such energy cores were not even enough to fill a tooth gap for him.
However, as dog food to feed a newly acquired pet, it was barely acceptable.
He looked at Ruzuki Rin, who was kneeling at his feet.
"Your performance just now was not bad."
He evaluated indifferently.
Ruzuki Rin's body trembled slightly, and she bowed her head even lower.
"It is Rin's honor to serve Master."
"Raise your head."
Lu Cheng commanded.
Ruzuki Rin dared not disobey, slowly raising her exquisitely beautiful face, her purple eyes showing a hint of nervousness and… anticipation.
Lu Cheng reached out and pinched her chin, the warmth of his fingertips sending a fine shiver through her entire body.
"Remember this feeling."
Lu Cheng's voice, like a devil's whisper, echoed directly in the depths of her soul.
"Power, dominance, and… everything I bestow upon you."
"Did you see that little bug's despair?"
"Did you feel that blade's desire?"
"They will all become my new toys on this land."
He released her hand, picked up the demon core with two fingers, and brought it to Ruzuki Rin's lips.
"Your reward."
"Consume it."
"Then, go and keep a close eye on that interesting demon blade for me."
"I need to know how much trouble she will stir up in this city to forge that poor scabbard."
"I enjoy watching plays, especially… plays where the actors all believe they are the protagonists."