"Lord Ryuichi!"
Just then, two figures rushed in from outside the main gate—the two Amaterasu Group members he had brought with him.
When they saw the tragic state of the dojo, expressions of shock and disbelief simultaneously appeared on their faces.
In their perception, Ise Ryuichi was synonymous with "invincible"!
"Who is it?! Who dares to…"
One of them didn't finish his sentence before Ise Ryuichi's extremely cold gaze scared him into swallowing the rest of his words.
"Get out."
Ise Ryuichi's voice was hoarse and low, devoid of any warmth.
"Yes!"
Neither dared to disobey in the slightest; after bowing, they quickly exited the dojo, but the shock in their hearts surged like a tsunami.
Ise Ryuichi had been defeated!
If this news got back to the group, it would absolutely be an earthquake-level event!
The vast dojo was once again left with only Ise Ryuichi.
He slowly closed his eyes, forcefully suppressing the monstrous killing intent and humiliation deep into his heart.
Anger solves no problems.
He needed to think.
That man, from the Dragon Kingdom, Lu Cheng… his power system, his intelligence sources, everything about him was a mystery.
And that demonic blade, Yukino Shita Chizuru, had completely broken free from his control, becoming the sharpest weapon in that man's hands.
To seek revenge, to return the humiliation he suffered today a thousandfold, his current strength was not enough!
He must become stronger!
He opened his eyes, and in his pupils, only a more dangerous darkness remained.
He turned and walked out of this place that had witnessed the greatest humiliation of his life.
He was going to find another… defeated dog… who had also been trampled underfoot by that man. Inside an apartment in Tokyo.
The strong smell of medicine mixed with blood filled the entire cramped room.
Kamiya Makoto, bare-chested, was using trembling hands to change the gauze on a deep, bone-visible knife wound on his body.
That was left by Chizuru.
The intense pain from every inch of his skin reminded him how the girl he had once sworn to protect had mercilessly turned her blade on him.
There was no longer pain on his face, nor despair.
Only a kind of almost numb, icy hatred remained.
Hatred for betrayal.
And even more hatred for the man who had played everything in the palm of his hand—Lu Cheng!
He had nothing left now.
His last hope had also been cruelly crushed.
But he was still alive.
As long as he was alive, the flame of revenge would never be extinguished.
"Thump, thump, thump."
A dull knocking sound suddenly rang out.
Kamiya Makoto's body instantly tensed, a hint of vigilance flashing in his eyes.
"Who is it?"
Outside the door, there was no answer.
The next second.
"Boom—!"
That thin wooden door was kicked open from the outside with an extremely brutal force!
Amidst flying splinters, Ise Ryuichi's tall figure appeared in the doorway, like a god descending to earth, looking down at this "insect" cowering in the dark corner of the room.
"You…"
Kamiya Makoto's pupils constricted, and he subconsciously wanted to retreat.
Ise Ryuichi slowly walked in, scrutinizing him with eyes that looked as if he was examining a dirty tool.
"You should still remember for whom your knees once bent."
Ise Ryuichi's voice was cold.
Kamiya Makoto's body trembled violently at these words.
He remembered, of course!
He remembered how he had offered his loyalty, just to gain a shred of power for revenge!
But!
Even he was no match for Lu Cheng; where was the revenge, and where was the loyalty?
"You truly disappoint me."
Ise Ryuichi's tone was filled with undisguised mockery.
"Just one failure, and you tuck your tail between your legs and sneak away."
These words were like the sharpest dagger, piercing deeply into Kamiya Makoto's heart.
He suddenly raised his head, his eyes, reddened by hatred, fixed on Ise Ryuichi.
"Did you come here just to mock me?!"
"Mockery?"
Ise Ryuichi seemed to have heard the biggest joke, and a cruel smirk played on his lips.
"I never waste time on useless people."
He slowly squatted down, meeting Kamiya Makoto's gaze, his eyes glinting with a chilling light that made one's heart palpitate.
"I came to give you another chance."
"Our enemy is the same person."
These words precisely captured Kamiya Makoto's deepest desire.
His breathing instantly became ragged.
But… "Do you have a way to defeat that guy? How should we do it?"
Kamiya Makoto's voice was hoarse and dry.
"You don't need to know."
Ise Ryuichi stood up, resuming his lofty posture.
"You just need to obey my orders."
"Because, besides me, no one can grant you the opportunity for revenge."
"And you, for my upcoming plan, still have a tiny, insignificant use."
After speaking, he no longer paid attention to Kamiya Makoto's struggle, turning and walking out.
"You have ten minutes to clean up this mess of yours."
"Then, come downstairs."
"My patience is limited."
As his words fell, his figure had already disappeared at the doorway.
Kamiya Makoto knelt blankly in place; in the room, only the kicked-open door remained, silently mocking his incompetence.
Was it humiliating?
Of course, it was humiliating!
But, compared to the humiliation that man had brought him, what was this?
His dignity had long been trampled into the mud.
Now, he was just a mad dog craving revenge.
And Ise Ryuichi was the only one willing to take him to bite someone.
After an unknown amount of time, Kamiya Makoto slowly, with all his strength, stood up from the floor.
He quickly changed into a clean set of clothes, covering his wounds.
Then, without looking back, he walked out of the room… A black sedan sped through the night.
Inside the car, the atmosphere was suffocatingly oppressive.
Ise Ryuichi closed his eyes to rest, while Kamiya Makoto sat silently in the corner like a soulless puppet.
"Do you know Yomotsu Hirasaka?"
Ise Ryuichi suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.
Kamiya Makoto's body trembled slightly.
Yomotsu Hirasaka, in Japanese mythology, is the boundary between the living world and the underworld, a taboo among taboos.
"Legend says that it seals an impure entity formed after the fall of a great demon."
Ise Ryuichi slowly opened his eyes, a flicker of madness burning within them.
"My Amaterasu Divine Light is the power of ultimate yang and holiness, but precisely because of this, it has its limits."
"To break through, to possess power sufficient to purify that man!"
"I must find an equivalent power, one of ultimate yin and evil, to break the balance and thus reach a higher realm!"
Kamiya Makoto's heart suddenly constricted.
He seemed to understand Ise Ryuichi's intention.
This man was insane!
He actually wanted to meddle with the power of the underworld!
"The seal there was laid down by ancient Onmyoji working together."
Ise Ryuichi's gaze fell on Kamiya Makoto, his eyes seeming to say, it was his turn.
"To open it, one must have the purest Onmyoji bloodline as a catalyst."
Kamiya Makoto's brain buzzed.
He finally understood what his "tiny, insignificant use" truly was.
He was the key to opening the seal.
"You will open the door to power for me."
Ise Ryuichi said in an unquestionable, commanding tone.
"And I will grant you the opportunity for revenge."
"This is a transaction, and it is your first duty as my shadow."
Kamiya Makoto fell silent.
He knew this was a path of no return.
Once he stepped into Yomotsu Hirasaka, he might be completely consumed by that defiling power, lost forever.
But… Lu Cheng's face, with its playful smile, reappeared in his mind.
He saw Yukino Shita Chizuru kneeling at his feet, looking satisfied and lost in depravity.
The flame of revenge instantly overwhelmed all fear.
Four hoarse, dry words squeezed out of his throat.
"…I understand."