Kayn leaped from rock to rock, dodging the massive pillars hurled at him by the Demon Lord and his minions. Beams of light shot vertically from the pillars as he jumped. Nevertheless, Kayn anticipated most of the attacks, leaving behind powerful explosions in their wake.
The Demon Lord stood tall and muscular, clad in dark armor adorned with sharp purple spikes. From his chestplate, he unleashed energy bursts toward Kayn, who deftly deflected them with his airborne sword. His closest henchman was the hooded figure who had initiated the attack in the square, using a distorted voice to confuse Kayn: "Toka: Deception."
"The armor bursts are decoys meant to destabilize me. They want to confuse me and prevent me from anticipating their next move" Kayn thought, analyzing the situation coldly.
With a powerful leap, Kayn soared into the air, suddenly surrounded by new pillars conjured by the Demon Lord through the Muna seal. Thousands of beams of light were fired at him, but Kayn had already anticipated this attack. The only way to defeat—or at least distance—the Demon Lord from the people was to create space and shift the battle to where he wanted it.
The rays struck his body, but the damage was minimal thanks to the "Nami: Shield" spell Kayn had applied to his sword, reducing 70% of the impact. However, the shockwave sent him hurtling through the air, closely pursued by the demons.
Kayn gritted his teeth, determined. This battle had only just begun.
Approximately twelve hours earlier…
A meeting led by an archdemon named Vulture had been convened. The assembly took place on the outskirts of the galaxy (Demon Territory) to execute a plan that had been in motion for at least eight years.
Seated at a stone-and-gold roundtable, Vulture addressed the most capable Archdemons for an impossible mission. Among them was Maxine, renowned for her knowledge of nearly the entire galaxy, who couldn't contain her excitement as she spoke up:
"The inner portal is nearly ready. The informant says that in about eight hours, the event in Cerullion will begin. Soon, we'll be able to enter an alliance world… How thrilling!"
"Don't jump the gun" cautioned Adjunct Kirime, the strategy lead. "The alliance isn't foolish; they've likely prepared a substantial security contingent."
"None of this would have happened if someone hadn't preemptively attacked the southern colonies" accused Maxine, glaring across the table at Salazar, the demon troops' commander.
"They attacked us first; we merely defended ourselves" retorted Salazar, crossing his arms and wearing a wry expression.
"Of course, because venturing too close to alliance territories is perfectly normal," Maxine muttered, infuriating Salazar, who slammed his hands on the table and demanded, "What are you implying?"
Vulture, having overheard the conversation, raised his voice: "Enough, you pair of idiots! Let's focus for a minute here. You two are the ones most likely to be affected, so get it together."
The committee members fell silent. Beside Vulture, another archdemon smirked at the scolding. This demon was Vulture's brother and Maxine's partner—Nako. He had no real reason to be present. To him, the alliance-demon disputes were foolishness. Demons already had sufficient resources in their own space; there was no need to seize more territory. No… this was an agenda imposed solely by the Demon Lord, and the demons, who saw him as their "savior" obeyed without question. So why was Nako there? Simple: for his brother and partner, who played at being galactic conquerors.
"In any case, the plan will unfold in a few hours. Nearly a decade in the making… I'm glad to have you all by my side" Vulture declared, gripping his brother's shoulder.
The other committee members eyed Nako warily. Among them, he was the weakest—an archdemon who stood small not in age but in power. In a galaxy governed by strength, he was at the bottom of the food chain. Yet there was one thing that set him apart… his intellect.
"Vulture, how do you plan to get rid of Kayn? If that guy has us in his sights, he'll finish us off instantly. You've seen what he did to the Demon Lord's armies" Karime mentioned, clearly distressed by Vulture's passive approach in dealing with Kayn.
"It's simple. Cerullion is a planet with approximately 12 billion inhabitants. In previous initiation ceremonies, at least 10 million people have gathered in the capitals of other worlds. Kayn is incredibly powerful in direct combat; none of us would last a minute against him" Nako finally spoke up in the debate.
"Especially you" Salazar laughed, crossing his arms again.
"Anyway," Nako continued, ignoring the comment. Vulture thought it was a good decision. "With several humans surrounding the area, Kayn will be forced to limit his abilities long enough for Maxine and me to alter the portal of a RailXen to bring the Demon Lord to Cerullion. And then, checkmate."
The tension was palpable. Vulture continued, his voice resonating with authority and a touch of malice.
"Maxine, I need you to prepare the necessary enchantments for the portal. Kirime, you and I will handle the distraction. Salazar, your troops need to be ready to attack as soon as the Demon Lord crosses the portal. We can't afford any mistakes; victory must be ours."
The archdemons nodded, each lost in their thoughts and strategies. The meeting broke up, and everyone dispersed to prepare for the imminent battle. The day had come.
Back to the fight. Kayn was recovering from the impact. Despite his resilience, he knew he couldn't keep up this pace for long. He needed a plan, and fast. He remembered the words of an old mentor: "In chaos, find simplicity; in discord, find harmony." It was time to put that into practice.
With a battle cry, Kayn charged back into the fray. This time, he wasn't just dodging and defending; he began to attack with a series of spells that not only damaged the demons but also confused and disoriented them. "Kaze: Storm" (interlacing his fingers, bringing together the middle fingers and thumbs) created a vortex of wind that scattered the demons, giving Kayn the space he needed to breathe and plan his next move.
In the distance, Nako watched the battle with an inscrutable expression. Despite his apparent disinterest in the conflict, something in his gaze suggested he was calculating, waiting for the right moment to intervene. Perhaps, after all, he had his own game in mind. The plan had gone perfectly, so much so that it even gave him a bad feeling about how easy it had been. "Maybe they expected a frontal attack, not an internal one" he thought. "In any case, our spy opened the portal for Salazar right under the RailXen; both magical energies had hidden themselves."
"Darling, Cerullion's military force seems to have concentrated in the north, where Kayn is diverting the battle" Maxine spoke, who was with him atop a metal structure resembling a doughnut.
"So he's drawing the fight away from the people, my plan was perfect" he told himself proudly.
"Where's Vulture?" he responded.
"I think... I think he's with the Demon Lord helping out. I told him not to go, but Kirime let his guard down and let him."
"What!? We have to get him out of there"
Nako frowned, his mind quickly analyzing the situation. "If Vulture is with the Demon Lord, he could be in danger if Kayn decides to attack directly" he thought. Without wasting time, he slipped through the shadows of the metal structure, using his unique ability, "Mina: Step" (clapping his palms and twisting them together), to move quickly and undetected.
Meanwhile, Kayn, now at the heart of the battle, moved with supernatural precision. Every spell he cast was more potent than the last, and his sword glowed with a light that seemed to absorb the very darkness. "Light: Blade" (He raised his right hand and pointed with his index finger), he murmured, and his sword extended in an arc of pure energy, slicing through the ranks of demons as if they were paper.
"All units in the area. Code 0, retreat. Code 0 in the vicinity" Nikael's voice echoed through the loudspeakers in the districts surrounding the plaza. Code 0 referred to a planet-level threat and had only been used twice in the alliance's entire history.
By this time, both Kurosawa and Ren were already with the rest of their unit on an aircraft, heading towards the northern portal to evacuate. Ren gazed out the window, mesmerized by Kayn's fight against the Demon Lord.
Kurosawa and Ren remained silent as the aircraft carried them away from the battle. Kurosawa, always analytical and cold, watched Ren skeptically. Despite his enthusiasm, his magical abilities might cause more problems than they solve. The instructor, however, seemed to trust Ren, which only increased Kurosawa's irritation.
Ren, for his part, was enthralled by Kayn's fierce battle against the demons. He admired the warrior's strength and skill, his mind filled with aspirations and dreams of one day achieving such greatness.
"Incredible! Kayn is invincible!" Ren exclaimed, not taking his eyes off the window.
Kurosawa didn't respond. She was worried about the battle raging behind them and, more so, about the figure looming on the horizon.
"Watch out!" the instructor suddenly shouted, interrupting everyone's thoughts.
A group of flying demons appeared in front of the aircraft, launching fireballs that hit the ship's magical shield. The pilot skillfully maneuvered, but the aircraft began to lose altitude.
"Brace for impact!" the instructor ordered as all the recruits secured themselves in their seats.
Abruptly and without warning, Ren and Kurosawa, who were closest to the window, had an accident. According to Kurosawa, it was due to Ren's "stupidity" that they both ended up crashing through the window and falling into the void. The sensation of cold, biting air rushing into every pore made Kurosawa's vision blur, and the wind hit her face so hard it was impossible to open her eyes to see where she was.
In her mind, she began to run through thousands of possibilities, desperately searching for a solution to their free fall. However, despite her vast knowledge, she knew of no spell that could stop their fall into the void, their imminent meeting with death.
In her desperation, images of a child flooded her mind, along with the voice of someone repeating the same phrase over and over: "Don't die without knowing your purpose." Remembering these words, Kurosawa couldn't help but let a few tears escape as she saw her inevitable fate. In a barely audible voice, she murmured, "I... I'm sorry."
"Zako, come!" she heard a close voice, and against all odds, she felt a saving pull on her shoulders.
She looked up and discovered, to her astonishment, that a winged creature was holding her, with Ren riding on its back. They both descended from the sky onto a RailXen passing by. It was heading south, towards Kayn.
After their forced landing, Kurosawa and Ren found themselves in the middle of a RailXen heading south, directly into the battle. Kurosawa stood up, brushing the dust off her uniform. She looked at Ren with a mix of irritation and relief.
"You're a complete idiot!" she exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger. "We could have died because of your recklessness!"
Ren, for his part, simply smiled, clearly pleased with his feat.
"But we didn't! Zako saved us, isn't that awesome?"
Kurosawa frowned but couldn't help a sigh of relief. Despite his recklessness, Ren had managed to save them from certain death. And though his method had been risky, it had worked.
"Thank you," she muttered, though it was hard to admit. "But next time, think before you act."
Ren nodded, though his mischievous smile suggested he'd probably act impulsively again in the future. Kurosawa could only hope that, when it happened, they'd be just as lucky. However, in the distance, they saw a spectral figure appearing on the roof of the carriage, as if by an unpleasant twist of fate. They ran into Nako.