It was 12:22 PM, but the sky had turned dark, as if it were midnight. The alleys were plunged into darkness, only torches and powerful lightning illuminating the earth, accompanied by the sounds of battle.
A man in armor raised his sword and said:
"My friends, my brothers, my sisters, this battle will not be the last, but it will allow our children and future generations to live in peace for a time. So, we cannot lose. We must destroy these demons who have killed us!"
The entire crowd on the battlefield let out a war cry and charged into a fight that would become legendary.
100 YEARS AGO
A hundred years after the First World War, two scientists were working on a machine that was supposed to revolutionize the world: a teleportation device. During its exhibition in Western America, the machine malfunctioned and connected multiple worlds together—the worlds of demons, elves, and others.
Due to this fusion, the Earth saw its size multiply, and the continents merged into one. Humans quickly allied with the elves, but things were different with the other creatures, who wanted to see mankind wiped out. They declared war on the humans, and in 1944, the greatest war in human history broke out: The First Demonic War.
Before the war, humans noticed marks appearing on their bodies. These were the Sacred Marks, granting them the strength and power to fight their attackers. They fought back and managed to repel the demons. Afterward, humanity created a single, unified nation called "Humanity."
Within this nation, certain individuals were born with the strength and abilities necessary to defeat these creatures. They were the marked ones, the Demon Hu
6:19 PM
A very skinny young boy with a large afro sat on a bench in the university garden. His clothes looked as if they were hanging on a hanger, swaying with the wind.
He held a barely bitten sandwich in his hands and complained:
"Aah, yuck! Why did I buy a sandwich with mayonnaise? I hate mayonnaise, it's disgusting!"
He tossed the sandwich into a nearby trash can and grumbled:
"I should have saved my money..."
Just then, he heard someone calling him from his left:
"Hey, Igris!"
Turning around, he saw his best friend, Sempai, walking toward him with a smile. He immediately got up and responded cheerfully:
"Sempai! I've been waiting for you, man! What were you doing?"
Sempai scratched his head and replied:
"I was talking with a professor at the university."
Igris tilted his head in surprise:
"Dude, it's the first day of university, and you're already getting close to the professors? You're something else, you know that?"
Sempai smiled and said:
"Well, I like to get to know the professors in advance."
Then, he observed Igris and added:
"Igris, you should start working out, you know?"
As he spoke, he started walking toward their home. Igris replied with a smile:
"Nah, man, nah. I don't have the strength to lift that kind of stuff, and you know it."
Sempai insisted:
"But you're 1.88 meters tall; you shouldn't be this skinny. At least do some push-ups, it might help."
Igris shook his head:
"No thanks, it's not really my thing. But let's talk about you! You have an Assassin's Mark, and your dream is to become a Demon Hunter, right, Sempai?"
With an optimistic look, Sempai replied:
"Yeah, it's my dream! To become a legendary assassin that everyone talks about, to stop the Great Demonic War... I've always admired the Demon Hunters. They inspire me to pursue my dream when I see them preventing demon appearances. So, when my parents told me that the X on my neck means I'm an Assassin, my heart was filled with joy! I'll do whatever it takes to become a great assassin warrior!"
Then he turned to look at Igris and added:
"But you, Igris… you'll never have that chance since you don't have a mark."
Still smiling, Igris replied:
"Yeah, I don't care about this war and demon stuff. Even if my father died on the battlefield… He died as a Class C. So, even though I hate violence, I won't really get involved."
Before they could continue their conversation, a security alarm suddenly blared, followed by an emergency message:
"To all residents of GOMBE! A level B demon has been detected. We ask all individuals in the city of Gombe to return home and not go outside under any circumstances."
Panic washed over Sempai as he shouted:
"Igris! We can't stay here, or we'll die! Let the Hunters handle this!"
But when they looked around, the streets were deserted. They knocked on several doors, but no one was willing to open them. Filled with fear, Igris said:
"Sempai, we have only one option: run home, that's it! It's that way, but it's a kilometer from here..."
"Alright!" Sempai responded.
They started running through the city's alleys, Igris already out of breath.
He saw a shadow moving swiftly across the rooftops. Though he didn't fully understand, he sensed that it was a demon. Sempai then shouted:
"Come on, Igris, let's go!"
Igris followed him, but as they neared their home, he felt a crushing pressure above them. Fear gripped him, and he quickened his pace, his legs barely keeping up with his pounding heart.
In a tense voice, Igris said:
"There's the house! It's only a few meters away!"
But as they approached, a chilling sensation filled the air. A shiver ran down Igris' spine. He glanced behind him but saw nothing. When he turned his head back forward, he suddenly saw a pitch-black creature appearing in front of them.
They stopped dead in their tracks.
The creature stood about two meters tall, completely black, with claw-like hands and blood-red eyes. It smiled with a psychotic expression and said:
"Hello, friends..."