"The shadows are my home, and in the darkness, I find the freedom the world has denied me." – Noboru Moonfang
The battle raged on. In both fights, it looked grim for the heroes. Noboru and Yurei were formidable, serious foes. Miho was still trapped in a barrage of strikes from Yurei. One hit connected, and the next was already coming. It seemed endless, even hopeless. The heavy blows caused the roof of the temple to crumble slightly. Sunlight streamed through and hit the stone floor. The girl quickly set up a thread barrier, even though she knew it wouldn't help.
Moonfang Arc
First Mission
Episode 13 – Land of Kings (Part 4)
Suddenly, Yurei stopped and completely halted his attack. "W-What?" The man was confused. He took a stable stance, ready for any attack. He looked around in panic. Miho was just as confused as Yurei. "Why... can't he see me?" But then the girl realized where she was standing. She stood directly under the beam of light. Slowly, Miho realized what had happened. Apparently, she had subconsciously created the threads with the perfect consistency and angle, reflecting the light in such a way that she had become practically invisible. However, Yurei merely smiled. "Your invisibility won't help. If I blow everything up here, you'll definitely be forced out." He stretched out his hand. A large ball of threads formed in the Sect member's hand. With force, he began pressing them toward the center of his palm. With a slight grin, he released the threads, causing them to explode outward in all directions. Miho was hit and thrown back. Dust swirled up everywhere in the room.
When the dust settled, Miho sat in the middle of the room. Yurei was surrounded by ghost threads. "What you can do, I've been able to do for a long time." With his next step, his leg suddenly disappeared. Another step caused his left side to vanish. By the third step, Yurei's entire body had become invisible. Quickly, Miho got up. Now the attacks could come from anywhere. Immediately, thread blades shot toward Miho from all directions, and for a moment, she felt only panic. "He's going to finish me... how can I fight someone like him?" The pressure of responsibility weighed heavily on her, pushing down on her chest. Every Sentinel was stronger, faster, better—and now she stood alone against Yurei, an enemy she could barely understand. A bitter taste spread in her mouth as words from the past echoed in her mind. "You're not ready." How many times had she heard that? The uncertainty gnawed at her, but in this moment—under the blinding beam of light that fell through the crumbling roof—she knew: She couldn't fail. Not now. Not here.
Yurei was invisible, but the threat he emanated was omnipresent. The blades sliced through the air while Miho shaped her threads, but this time... this time something was different. Her hands no longer trembled. Her heartbeat slowed. "If I don't get stronger, I will always stand in the shadow of others. They will leave me behind." A spark ignited within her—a spark of an idea.
"I will not be left behind."
A whisper, barely audible: "Dance of the Threads." The threads moved around her in a way she had never tried before—graceful, flowing, like the dance of a wind in autumn. Every thread blade that came at her was blocked with precise elegance, her own threads forming a harmonious barrier that rendered Yurei's attacks ineffective. Her eyes gleamed with determination. "I will not just give up anymore. I will fight."
Yurei, still invisible, couldn't believe it. One of her blades hit him, slashing his arm. "What...?!" he gasped, surprised. But Miho didn't stop. She didn't just defend with her threads; she sent them toward her attacker as if they were extensions of her will. The pain from Yurei's attacks, which cut into her body, burned in her flesh, but she ignored it. "This is nothing. This is the price I must pay to become stronger." Her threads pierced through his invisibility, hitting him over and over. Yurei swung wildly, but his movements became weaker, more uncertain.
"No!" he screamed in desperation as she finally wrapped him in her threads. The pain in Miho's body intensified, but she barely felt it anymore. All that mattered was to keep going, to never stop. "I will not be the weakest link anymore. I will not stop."
With a final scream, her threads pierced Yurei's chest. A gasp escaped his throat, and he collapsed lifelessly to the ground. Blood dripped from his wounds onto the stone temple floor, and the silence that followed was oppressive. Miho stood over him, her breathing heavy, her own blood dripping from her wounds. She gazed at the beam of sunlight streaming through the crumbling roof and let her last threads fall.
"I need to become stronger," she whispered softly, her eyes fixed on the daylight. Her heart burned with determination, and despite the pain coursing through her body, she knew this was only the beginning. Her entire body burned. In the last few minutes, she had pushed herself far too much. The wounds Yurei had inflicted on her hurt like hell. "Damn... I need to stop the bleeding!" So, she wrapped all her wounds in threads, creating a makeshift bandage. Quickly, she went to Yurei and realized he was still alive. She wrapped him in bandages as well. "I hope you've learned from this..." Then she turned to Ayame. "Come on, let's go." The girl was so shocked she could barely move. Miho could empathize with her and took her by the hand. She led the girl out of the temple and quickly made her way back to the city.
Meanwhile, the fight between Noboru and the two boys continued. Tatsuo had been hit pretty hard, but he took a stable stance. Tatsuo placed a calming hand on Aki's shoulder. "Don't worry, Aki. We've got this." His tone was calm, full of confidence. Aki nodded briefly and turned his gaze back to Noboru, who was waiting for them, ready for battle. "It's not over yet."
With a determined shout, Aki charged at Noboru with Red, his Module. The red blade gleamed dangerously in the air as Aki approached at lightning speed. Noboru had already raised his arms, ready to block the attack, but at the last second, Aki changed direction. "Now!"
Tatsuo, who had kept to the shadows up until this point, leaped forward, his fists covered in massive layers of stone. He roared as he launched a powerful strike at Noboru. Stone against shadow—the force of his punches shook the ground. Again and again, Tatsuo pounded his stone fists against Noboru. But Noboru wasn't finished yet. With a sharp grin, he raised a hand, and shadow tendrils shot out of the ground, wrapping swiftly around Tatsuo's feet.
Tatsuo gritted his teeth, but instead of freeing himself, he pressed both hands to the ground. "Earth Golem!" he called, and a massive golem made of earth formed beneath him. With a single mighty pull, the golem yanked Tatsuo out of the shadow's grasp. But that wasn't the end.
Aki was already back in position, and without hesitation, he switched to Blue. In one fluid motion, he let the blade of Red dissolve into red gas, which immediately enveloped the golem. With a shout, Tatsuo jumped once more, his fists still encased in stone, and launched himself at Noboru.
Noboru, surprised by the combination, grimaced. "So, you're giving it your all... fine, then so will I." With a wave of his hand, his necklace—his Module—began to glow, and the room suddenly darkened. Shadows crept up the walls, and within seconds, the entire temple room was engulfed in darkness. "Shadow Blades," he murmured, sending sharp-edged blades made of darkness shooting out in all directions. An attack from everywhere at once.
But instead of fleeing, Tatsuo and Aki saw their chance. "Now is our time," Aki called, raising his Module. "Tatsuo, the earth wall!"
Tatsuo slammed his stone fists into the ground, and a massive wall of earth rose between them and Noboru. But Aki wasn't done yet. With a swift thrust, he activated Green. A green spiral formed around his sword, and with a powerful stab, he pierced through the earth wall, but it still wasn't enough. "Blue!"
At the same time, Aki extended the range of Green with Blue by several times. The green spiral surrounding the sword shot forward with enormous force, piercing through Noboru's shadows. Stone fragments, carried along by the sword, flew through the air and collided with Noboru's defenses. But Blue didn't just increase the range; it also amplified the power of the attack, and with Red's strengthened energy, the tip of the sword turned into red gas, which wrapped itself around Noboru.
"That's it!" Aki shouted as the attack from Green and Blue broke through Noboru's Module. The shadows began to dissipate, and with a final scream, Noboru fell to his knees, his blade shattered, the chains of his necklace torn apart.
Meanwhile, Miho arrived where Yamato and the others were. The girl was in a panic. She quickly handed Ayame over to the king. "Ryoko, Yamato, I need your help. Aki and Tatsuo... they're..." Yamato immediately understood what was going on. He asked Ryoko to join him and quickly headed for the temple.
Aki and Tatsuo slowly stood up. They saw Noboru sitting before them, holding a hand to his forehead. Immediately, Aki held his sword to Noboru's throat. "Tell us what you want from us and, more importantly, what you know about my Module." A powerful presence emanated from the boy. Noboru instantly knew he was serious. "Fine, fine. I'll tell you." He paused briefly before continuing: "As you probably already know, your Module is a demonic Module. A demonic Module always contains the soul of a demon. Your demonic Module, Akuma, is something very special. Akuma was one of the most powerful fighters to ever exist. He was a true demon. Because of his unbeatable power, your Module is the strongest demonic Module that exists."
The boy thought for a moment before asking another question: "And what do you want with my Module?" Noboru grinned. "We were once led by someone else, none other than another bearer of a demonic Module—by the third demon, Shinigami." A tense silence followed before Noboru continued: "Shinigami is the third demon, meaning the third person ever to possess a demonic Module. He was once part of Kenkai but turned against them. He was imprisoned in another world, where he still resides. We need Akuma to free our master, Shinigami. But that marks the end of the information I will give you. Thank you for offering me mercy, Aki. By letting me talk for so long, I was able to recover." Noboru had said it so simply and relaxed that neither Aki nor Tatsuo realized that Noboru's Module had fully regenerated. Shadows whipped the two boys against the wall, cloaking Noboru like a veil.
"Heh... hehe... hehahaha... AHAHAHAHA!" The man laughed. In the end, he was the one who had won. He swung one last time and fired a targeted shadow whip at Aki and Tatsuo's necks, who were too weak to defend themselves. But the whip was intercepted by something.
"The girl spared me, so I'll make sure you two are spared as well."
The heavily wounded Yurei stepped onto the battlefield. "Noboru, stop! Let's leave and deal with Aki another time!" A battle ignited between the shadow fighter and the thread fighter. Yurei stood there, panting, his body heavily marked by the wounds from the previous fight. Yet he stepped forward resolutely, the ghost threads surrounding him glimmering weakly in the temple's fading light. Noboru sneered as he looked at Yurei. "You can barely stand, Yurei. Do you really think you can stop me?"
But Yurei, instead of replying, let his threads hiss through the air like snakes, forming a dense net that moved toward Noboru. Noboru lightly stepped back, letting his shadows slice through the threads like daggers. The sound of the clashing blades echoed through the temple. "You're weak, Yurei. Pathetic."
But Yurei wasn't fazed. Taking a deep breath, he focused and used his last bit of strength to form a massive thread wall that momentarily held back the shadow blades. He leaped forward, ignoring the pain, and used his threads to bind Noboru, but the latter was faster. With a sharp motion, Noboru brought down a large shadow whip on Yurei, slamming the thread fighter hard to the ground.
Yurei coughed up blood but struggled back to his feet, his eyes fixed on Noboru. "I won't let you win," he forced out. Noboru laughed coldly. "You've already lost." Before Yurei could retaliate, shadows like knives slashed through the air, striking him at the side. Yurei gasped, falling to one knee, his hands trembling. "It's over," Noboru declared triumphantly, ready to deliver the final blow.
But before he could strike, a deafening crash echoed through the temple. The outer wall of the temple suddenly collapsed under a powerful impact. Dust and debris filled the air as a beam of light shone through the newly created opening.
Yurei used the moment of confusion to retreat, breathing heavily. Noboru turned his gaze toward the shattered wall. "What...?!" But before he could figure out what had happened, the room was filled with an unexpected presence. Shields formed around the injured fighters, including Yurei. When Noboru looked to the side, he saw Yamato, who had just arrived. Sensing Yamato's presence, Yurei immediately understood what was coming. He grabbed Aki and Tatsuo, slung them over his shoulder, and fled with them. Ryoko followed suit. Now Yamato and Noboru were alone.
With the same attack that had overwhelmed Aki, Tatsuo, and Yurei, Noboru now attacked Yamato. The latter simply took one step to the side and drew his sword from its sheath. The mere act of unsheathing the sword split Noboru's entire attack, causing a small crack in the walls. Noboru realized whom he had just challenged. He wanted to flee, but Yamato blocked the large hole in the wall. The sect member fell to the ground. Slowly, he slid back, but Yamato was unstoppable. He assumed a fighting stance, ready to end it all with one blow. "You can insult me, you can hit me, you can even humiliate me in front of others. But you've made a grave mistake. You laid hands on my students and don't even regret it. You're scum, and scum like you deserves…"
"...to go to hell."
Aki and Tatsuo, who had already reached Miho and the others, watched as a bright light fell over the landscape. Parts of the temple collapsed in on themselves—such was the power of Yamato's attack. Aki, Tatsuo, Miho, and the others stood there, staring in shock at the scene unfolding before them. The intense light from Yamato's attack illuminated the entire landscape, and even from a distance, they could see parts of the temple crumble under the sheer force of the strike. For a moment, there was only an oppressive silence. The wind carried the dust clouds toward them, and everyone could feel the trembling of the ground.
Miho, still clinging to Ayame in exhaustion, blinked to make sure she had really seen what she thought she had. "Was that... Yamato?" she whispered, turning to the others. Aki, breathing heavily, nodded slowly. He knew exactly what that meant. Yamato had won the fight, and there was no doubt that Noboru was defeated—but the scale of that victory sent shivers down even his spine.
Tatsuo, barely managing to stay on his feet, wiped the blood from his forehead and stared in the direction of the now-destroyed temple. "I've never seen anything like that," he murmured in a mix of admiration and shock. "That's the true power of a master..." His fists clenched involuntarily. He knew he still had a long way to go if he ever wanted to reach such a level.
Ryoko, standing with them, nodded silently. Her eyes searched for Yamato in the distance, but there was still nothing to see. "He'll be back soon," she said quietly, though her confidence was unwavering. She sensed that Yamato had survived the fight, even though the sheer power of his attack had shaken everyone.
Minutes passed that felt like hours before a figure finally emerged from the dust cloud of the collapsed temple. Yamato walked calmly, with deliberate, steady steps toward them. In the evening silence, as the sun began to set and its light softly fell on the ruins, he seemed like a figure from another world. The air around him was cool but charged with a power that everyone could feel. He had won the fight, and no one doubted that Noboru had not survived the day.
As he approached, Ryoko stepped toward him, her eyes seeking confirmation. Yamato gave her a barely noticeable nod, and in that moment, the tension left everyone. "It's over," Yamato said quietly, though the relief in his voice was palpable.
Aki stepped forward, his eyes wide with reverence. "Yamato..." he began, but he couldn't find the words for what he had just witnessed. Yamato placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled gently. "You fought well, Aki. You've earned this moment."
Miho, still standing beside Ayame, looked down. She couldn't believe it. Yamato had accomplished something alone that far surpassed anything she had ever thought possible. The desire to become stronger burned even brighter in her eyes than before. She knew she had to continue down this path, no matter how difficult it would be.
The group retreated, and the evening passed in a strange calm. No one spoke much, as exhaustion and the weight of what they had experienced still hung over them. Yurei had already left by then. Night fell, and the stars glittered overhead as the group finally arrived at the Temple of Youth. It was a place of peace, in stark contrast to the day's events.
The temple loomed before them, quiet and majestic, bathed in the silver light of the moon. Here, where they gathered, the world seemed back in order—at least for a moment. The king stepped forward, dressed in a solemn, traditional cloak. "Oh, what a joy. You're already here! Come in, you may take part in the ritual for once!" The team entered the Temple of Youth, which was significantly smaller than the Temple of Eternity. They stood on a platform at the edge of the room. The floor was covered with gravestones, and a large, silken cocoon hung from the ceiling. On the large platform were five goblets filled with red liquid. The clock struck midnight.
The king immediately took a goblet and drank from it. He did the same with each of the goblets. "What kind of liquid is that?" Ryoko asked, puzzled. The king grinned. "To initiate the ritual, I must drink a sip of blood from five specimens of the princess's favorite animal." Tatsuo took a few steps back. He already had a suspicion. "A-And... what is her favorite animal?" The king turned around, a wide grin on his lips. "Cats." Tatsuo immediately remembered the five cats that the soldiers had taken from him. The boy fell to his knees and vomited.
All the other Sentinels were shocked. But before they could say anything, the king spoke again: "Oh, it's beginning, it's beginning! Finally, after so long, I can fulfill my dream and complete a ritual with good results!" Outside the temple, soldiers were singing some sort of hymn while Ayame, now conscious again, was carried to the top of the temple. Then, they heard the girl being dropped through a hatch in the roof into the cocoon. Miho was extremely worried. "W-What's inside that cocoon?"
Once again, the king turned around with a creepy grin. "A leader of Morihana must be strong and chosen by God to continue living. The cocoon is filled with poisonous caterpillars, larvae, and beetles. Ayame must now eat all these insects and miraculously survive the poison to prove that God wants her to live. Trust me, she should make it. After all, she's my biological daughter, haha!" Screams echoed from the cocoon. They were cruel, loud, desperate, and painful. Everyone present was shocked. Miho covered her mouth, Ryoko's eyes filled with tears, and Tatsuo crouched in a corner. The only one who seemed able to move was Aki.
The boy stood behind the king. He already had a suspicion. "I have a few questions. When was the last time you were in a relationship?" Without turning around, the man answered: "Six years ago." The suspicion grew stronger. So, the boy asked another question: "And when did your son disappear?" Again, the king replied: "Six years ago." Aki then turned to Tatsuo. "When did Takafuyu leave for Morihana for family reasons?" Tatsuo lifted his head. "Uh, six years ago, I think."
The boy immediately understood what was going on. His face grew angry, extremely angry. Slowly, he approached the king. Energy began to form in his hand, as if he was about to summon his Module. But someone placed a hand on his shoulder, causing Aki to stop his attack. It was Yamato, his face sad, full of remorse and pain. "Stop, Aki." The boy immediately knocked the hand away. "Why should I stop?! He has..." But then Aki noticed a small spark of anger in Yamato's eyes. The Sentinel leader replied: "Yes, I know. As much as I'd love to hit him, we can't. Stuff like this is everyday life in Kenkai. If we use violence now, we might start a war between Seiryoku and Morihana. We have no choice but to watch and wait. I'm sorry, but there are things you can't change, no matter what you do. Sometimes, the best decision is to close your eyes and not fight against it..."
A single tear slid down Aki's cheek. He sat down on the floor next to Tatsuo, filled with incomprehension and rage at this cruel world and the grim reality of Kenkai life. Eventually, the screams from the cocoon stopped. The king was shocked. "Aya... me...?" When it became clear that the girl hadn't survived, the king fell to his knees. At first, he breathed hysterically before letting out a long, shrill, high-pitched scream. He didn't stop screaming. The king screamed incessantly, his voice echoing through the temple like the wail of a madman. His hands clawed at the ground, his eyes wide open as he realized the loss of his daughter. The Sentinels stood frozen, the king's screams cutting through the icy silence of the room. Miho, Ryoko, Aki, and Tatsuo couldn't believe what they had just witnessed.
Yamato, the leader, realized there was no time to lose. He stepped in front of the group and called out calmly but firmly, "We need to leave. Now." Without waiting for objections, he placed a hand on Aki's shoulder and pulled him along. Aki, still full of anger over the cruel ritual, flinched for a moment, but Yamato's determined look made him stay quiet. Miho and Ryoko only nodded and followed silently. Tatsuo, pale and visibly exhausted, let Miho support him without resistance.
The king's screams echoed behind them as they hurried out of the temple. Outside, the cold, clear night air enveloped them, but the oppressive mood remained. No one spoke a word as they rushed along the streets to the nearest Tracky station. The path seemed endless, their steps heavy, and the silence of the night was only broken by the rustling of the wind and the faint clinking of their armor.
Eventually, they reached the entrance to the underground train station. The rusty metal stairs leading down seemed, at that moment, like the only escape from the nightmare. Yamato was the first to descend and quickly checked the schedule. "We're lucky, the next train is coming soon," he said with quiet relief before waving the rest of the group over.
When the Tracky, which ran on rails through the underground tunnel system, finally arrived, they quickly got on and sank into the hard seats. Exhaustion was written all over their faces, but no one spoke a word. The train began to move, and the faint rattling of the tracks mixed with the hum of the machines. Each of them was lost in their thoughts as the tunnel lights passed by like ghostly lanterns outside the windows.
Aki stared silently out the window, his face tense as he came to terms with the grim reality. Miho, still haunted by the image of Ayame in the cocoon, held a hand to her mouth, trying to forget the screams that still echoed in her ears. Ryoko sat next to Tatsuo, her eyes wet with tears, while Tatsuo stared blankly at the ceiling.
Yamato watched his students in silence. He knew they would carry the weight of this day for a long time. The fight was over, but the pain and brutality of the world they lived in had left scars—scars that would not heal easily.
Hours passed, and eventually, the lights of Seiryoku, the land where Kenkai resided, appeared on the horizon. Compared to Morihana, Seiryoku looked like a cold, untouched fortress in the night, but for the Sentinels, it meant a semblance of normality. The train rolled into the station, and with a soft hiss, the doors opened.
Yamato stood up and led the exhausted group outside. "We're almost there," he said quietly. "Rest now. We'll talk about it tomorrow." So, the Sentinels made their way to their dormitories. Thus, their shocking first mission came to an end. This day would stay in their memory forever.
Yurei had also arrived at his base. He stood before the throne, where the mysterious person who had witnessed the awakening of Aki's Module sat. "So, you failed?" The man on the throne had expected defeat, but disappointment was still evident in him. "I see now that I can't expect anything from you. Pity. When you asked me for help, I briefly had hope that the Moonfang Sect could support me. After all, we have the same goal—Aki Hayashi." Yurei briefly closed his eyes and bowed. "I... I beg for forgiveness... I didn't mean to..." But the man raised his hand and pointed forward with two fingers. Yurei looked up, and the mysterious man simply moved his hand from left to right. This caused Yurei's head to fall from his shoulders as if struck by an invisible blade.
The man then rose from the throne and walked toward the exit. Behind him, a voice called out. "What are you planning?" The phantom turned around, only to see a very familiar figure. "Ah, the Sect leader. I'm leaving this place and going my own way again." Even though his face couldn't be seen, the anger of the Sect leader was evident. "Who do you think you are? First, you want to cooperate with us to catch Aki, then you insist on sitting on my throne, only to kill my people and leave again. We had an agreement!"
The stranger looked at the Sect leader with fury. "I thought you were capable of something. I gain nothing from your help if I can catch the boy more easily by working alone." Immediately, the Sect leader moved to block the exit, but the stranger suddenly disappeared, only to reappear behind him. "You should be grateful I'm letting you live. If I wanted, I could kill you at any second. Do you understand me, Kagetsuki?" The Sect leader lowered his head. The stranger was dead serious. The wanderer left the leader of the Moonfang Sect and slowly made his way out of the Sect's base. In the end, the Sect leader called out to him: "I'll prove to you that we've got what it takes. In three days, we'll have caught Aki! We'll show you!" The mysterious wanderer began to grin. "Well, we'll see."
Hey, everyone! The first mission has come to an end, and the Sentinels have learned what a cruel world they really live in. One of the most important characters in all of Akuma was revealed a bit more, and the showdown with the Moonfang Sect is about to reach its climax. From the next chapter onward, it's only going to get more intense until the first arc of Akuma comes to its conclusion!
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Stay tuned for the next chapter, and don't forget to share your thoughts and feedback in the comments. Until next time!