'That demon Azazel…showed me everything. The origins of everything, the Rune Conclave and their sole purpose: The Rune Conclave had gathered under the Vault of Oracle, a realm ethereally suspended between the edges of night and the dawn of creation. Here, deities whose dominions govern the elemental cores of existence—fire, water, air, earth, and the other myriad derivatives and affinities thereof—bestow part of their essence into the creation of Qi runes. These runes then serve as vessels of divine will, channeled to maintain harmony within the physical realms, which it's main purpose was to give humans an extra power to fight off the demons. Even though some are born with affinities, the qi-rune weapons serve as an extra perk of power to enhance everyone's physical and qi capabilities since the deities saw that the demons can get stronger through their own development. And now there's a cult called the Demon Sect, and Azazel informed me the Luminous Vanguard are hunting down all members and branches and sanctuaries of the cult. Which we will be doing the same thing. But, the true target is still alive. And Azazel informed me that our main target that we've been hunting for years was the second Pillar in the cult, a high ranking position within their demon sect. Ha, I guess that foolish demon is worth something. It's like he's been walking around, conducting this entire thing. But I won't play into his trap that he potentially has set for me. Everyone does something for a reason.'
In the morning, The Head woke up, sitting up, fast, and saying, "Is he here?"
Old Han was standing there, and he slightly nodded, "Yes. Your son has returned."
The Head smiled.
Minutes later, the Head was walking through the large cave, seeing the assassin prospects training. Elara, Caelan, Zephyr, and Jiho were training together. They all looked at the Head walk past them, and Jiho already knew what was happening.
'His son Jun's has returned…he spent the last year with the Luminous Vanguard, acting as an inside man. If anything, his son is on the same level of power as The Head himself. But The Head's son is annoying as hell and I don't like him. The Head had influenced him a lot when he was a child, Jun is a malicious bastard. He's even more vile than the Head himself. But it's a tough contest. He destroyed villages before without hesistarjin, all because their leader harnessed demonic qi, he felt the entire village should go down with their leader, even the children.'
Kiera was training her own squad, which was Kai, Mina, and Hyun.
Kiera noticed the Head walking, thinking, 'Mm. His son's here…that brat.'
The Head said, "My son! How are you, Jun?"
"Damn, you're loud." His son replied. "And I told you to call me Siren. I don't like the name you and mom gave me."
"Watch your tone." The Head smiled. "But I'm glad to see you, it's been a year now since I last saw you!"
"Yeah yeah. I'm not a baby anymore though."
Siren, or Jun, had a black wrap around both eyes, and he had black hair, and talisman earrings, and red horns on his head made out of blood, and a tattoo on his neck.
"Shall we talk then?" The Head asked.
"I—."
"Of course we are! Why would you even say no?"
"There you go again. I got some good stuff."
"Like?"
"A contact."
"Take me to them."
…
A few minutes passed, and The Head and his son Siren were walking up a large mountain called the Mountains of Kahnryu, known for their vast amounts of demons within the volcanos which host fire beasts, and humanoid fire ants. There were dead demons on the mountain, and the Head and his son were flicking blood from their own hands.
"Ew! Dirty beasts!" Siren scoffed. "So gross."
The Head asked, "So this contact of yours is planning to destroy the Luminous Vanguard?"
"Him and his weirdo friend are setting up two different areas with their light affinities, they both have two separate big plans which will connect in the end. After they studied and garnered secreted of the Vanguard, they have everything set."
"Good. I have something to tell them as well."
"Like what? Don't embarrass me, dad."
"Silence. This is important. Recently, I came across a boy. A boy who can devour the essence of the beings he kills. And can even devour gods."
"Oh yeah? Where is the brat?"
"He's dead, killed by the Lust Deity."
"Ah. Him. In the archives of the Vanguard, there were many documents of him, he played a part in the entire cosmic fracture, the event that caused this entire situation of the demons. So what else is so special about this brat?"
"His heart."
The Head stuck his hand out, and Joon's heart formed in his hand.
Siren said, "Oh, there they are."
They looked ahead, and saw two figures dressed in white flowing robes with light golden sigils on the back with glowing gold runes on it as well.
Siren introduced everyone, "Dad this is Helian, and the other is…what's your name again?"
The man beside Helian, scoffed, "Fool, it's—."
The Head grabbed him by the face, and the man's eyes instantly cried blood.
The Head smiled, "Only I can call my son a fool. Jun is not a fool to any of you, understand?"
"Dad. My name is Siren now, not Jun." His son said behind him.
The Head said, "I'm not calling you that."
Helian said, "Can we calm down with the violence. We are expected to be back quickly to cleanse a town of demonic qi."
The Head let the other man go, and his name was Osamu.
Helian had short brown hair and gold eyes and glasses, with a white lotus tattoo under his left eye. Osamu had a bald head and a golden bushy beard, and golden eyes, with a glowing gold qi-rune on his head.
Helian explained, "We have the forbidden flowers that the Luminous Vanguard have been trying to withhold from anyone trying to get their hands on it."
KATHROOM!
Bursting from the mountain, was a large humanoid red ant with red flames attached to it.
Siren laughed, "I uhhhh gotta handle this! I'll be back!"
Siren dashed off to fight them, but the Head paid it no mind as he heard the explosions and destruction and screeched behind him.
The Head said to Helian and Osamu, "I heard you say you two have things planned for the Vanguard. Using two forbidden flowers. I'm confused, so I need enlightenment."
Helian replied, "If we explain it to you, it would take hours. And we do not have that long to explain. Just know what we plan to do can possibly destroy the Tree of Domain, in which the light deity Aurion encased himself. The destruction of the tree and the killing of Aurion is the first step."
"May I ask your motives?"
"That also will take a long time to explain. But the cult needs dealing with first. They have killed many Vanguard members. And with the Blood Sect harboring assassins, we can feed you the locations of the demon sect sanctuaries. They're in the way of what we need to do."
Osamu added, "The demon sect is known to be vile and ruthless, able to tame demons and demonic beasts with ease. Their downfall would be our ascension."
"All these hidden demands and I have not said what I wanted." The Head grinned.
Helian asked, "What is that you seek?"
At the summit of the mountain, a horde of Ignixteros, humanoid red ants standing a towering ten feet tall, with crimson flames licking their hardened exoskeletons, encircles Siren. Unperturbed, Siren unfurls his blood blanket—a deep crimson tapestry etched with ancient symbols, shimmering with a malignant energy. With seamless grace, he leaps into the air, the blanket snapping like a flag in a tempest.
Siren laughed, "Come get me!"
As he lands, Siren swings the blood blanket, slicing through three Ignixteros in a single, fluid motion. Their incendiary blood splatters, but before it can scorch the earth, Siren's blanket absorbs it, glowing ever more fiercely. He spins, delivering a roundhouse kick that shatters the chitinous armor of another attacker, his movements a blur of devastating precision. Next, he unfurls the blanket wide, covering a swath of enemy ranks. Stomping powerfully on its edge, a shockwave of lethal, blood-enriched energy pulses outward. The blood energy erupts from the ground, tearing through the Ignixteros ranks, disintegrating dozens of the fiery ants instantaneously.
"Dad! Dad, look at me go!"
Launching into the air, Siren executes a series of backflips, his movement so swift it evades the angered swipes of his foes. From above, he directs the blanket to sweep underneath a cluster of Ignixteros, wrapping them tightly. With a fierce tug, the wrapped enemies implode, consumed by the blood energy. Landing amidst the chaos, Siren charges forward. His rapid strides leave craters in the rocky terrain. Each time his fist connects with an Ignixteros, the resulting shockwave pulverizes its exoskeleton, sending fiery shards like shrapnel through the ranks of their brethren.
The Head said to Helian, "I have the heart of a god devourer. His name was Joon. I know the Vanguard has their way of purifying things that are tainted with darkness."
"You desire for us to purify this heart when it's already vanquished from life?"
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm commanding."
"Commanding…"
Osamu scoffed, "Hey..we just met you and you're already thinking you're above us?"
The Head smiled, "Oh but I am. As an ancestor of the deity of stars, I have dominion over you two. The only one above me is the deity of darkness and light. I want you to purify his heart, and I will place it back in the boy's body to see what it does."
Helian said, "You said he was a god devourer…"
'If he's able to successfully raise a boy who can devour gods…then this will definitely be a perk for us. We could use him. Osamu is picky, so I might have to persuade him. Destroying the tree that encased the light deity Aurion is ill cause catastrophic waves of hell in this area, but with the two forbidden flowers, we can make it spread through the entire world. Our true motive is restarting anew, resetting everything to how it once was, no strife, no violence, just companionship. That's how life was before everyone lost everything.'
Helian said, "Okay. We accept it. I can sense the darkness and demonic qi within this heart. How strong was this kid?"
Osamu said to Helian, "Did you even think about this?"
"I have. The boy seems to have served under this man, and if this man can get the boy to act as our trump card just in case Aurion comes out of the tree, then we automatically win. It's inevitable."
The Head smiled, thinking, 'This guy…he's insanity smart, he reminds me of myself. He'll be fun to work with.'
Helian continued, "I have a subordinate who's willing to give his life for the cause of rebirth, so he will be completing the mission of purifying the heart. But his only dilemma…"
"The leaders."
"Yes."
As the battle intensifies, Siren's understanding of his foes deepens. He dances among them, his movements a deadly ballet. The blood blanket, now saturated with the fiery blood of the Ignixteros, lashes out like a living creature, eviscerating ant after ant with an almost sadistic pleasure. At the peak of the chaos, Siren throws the blood blanket onto the ground, covering a wide area. His feet pound the blanket rhythmically, causing massive spikes of blood energy to erupt from beneath. Each spike impales multiple Ignixteros, lifting them into the air before letting their lifeless bodies fall back to the earth.
Siren laughed with a malicious, "HAHAH! Die! Die! Die! Look, dad! I'm kicking ass over here!"
With a swift twirl, Siren conjures a cyclone of bloodied air, its center void but its walls a torrent of destructive energy. The cyclone ravages through the Ignixteros, dismembering and decimating. The ground itself is scarred, a testament to Siren's merciless strength.
As the dust settles, Siren stands alone. His chest heaves slightly, the only sign of his exertion. The mountain landscape around him is forever changed—marked by the ferocity of the battle. With a flick of his wrist, he cleans his blood blanket, now eerily calm after the carnage. The remnants of the Ignixteros smolder quietly as he walks away, leaving the battlefield behind, an undeniable victor in a war that seemed one-sided from the start.
He walked back over to the group, and Helian was saying:
"Archbishop Luminar, The sagacious leader who guides with wisdom and wields light not only as a weapon but as a tool of revelation. Resides in the Sanctum of Radiance, a grand temple bathed in perpetual sunlight, located atop the Hill of Dawn's First Light in the largest mountain In this region. High Priestess Solaria - In charge of training neophytes in the arts of light, both martial and mystical. She's a former warrior who converted her prowess into spiritual leadership. Brother Solon - The tactician, scouring across lands to identify areas most in need of purification and leading expeditions to cleanse them. Known for his unyielding courage. Sister Lysa - The healer of the group; harnesses light to mend wounds and cure diseases inflicted by dark magic. Her presence brings hope and restoration to tainted lands."
"They sound decent." The Head grinned.
Siren added, "Those bastards are annoyingly strong. They're the main members of the Vanguard, so they have more light power then everyone else. Aurion sees them as their most cherished children."
"Are they even a threat for me?"
"I love you and all, but yes. One of them matches your power regarding strength, they're all 10th gate qi cultivators."
"10th gate..?"
10th Gate: Gate of Transcendence - This final Gate represents the peak of mortal Qi mastery, where the cultivator transcends physical limitations and can manipulate life force on a fundamental level, nearing a state of semi-divinity.
Helian said, "They all were 3rd gate qi cultivators at first. But once Aurion began to bless them, their power has grown rapidly in just over the course of 10 years."
Osamu folded his arms, "They get all the glory, all of the others like us can't even share our opinion without first achieving a mission of purification."
Helian, holding Joon's heart, asked the Head, "By any chance does this boy have the halo over his head when he fights?"
"Yes."
"That's all I wanted to know."
Helian and Osamu walked away, ready to attend and prepare the forbidden flowers.
Osamu asked Helian, "If this boy has the halo…"
"That means he's a direct and immediate blood relative of a deity itself, not just a long distance descendant. It's rare for any mortal to have it. And if the boy has it, he will be too powerful when the time comes."
"We just gotta make sure he'll be on our side."
"Oh he will."