Korvus crouched low in the twisted undergrowth of the black forest, his newly discovered night vision allowing him to track the movements of his prey. The creature resembled a six-legged lizard with translucent scales that reflected the dim red glow of the distant magma rivers. Its movements were quick but predictable—darting from one shadow to another as it hunted smaller creatures.
This would be his first real hunt in the demon realm. After three days of observation and careful planning, Korvus felt ready to test his abilities against the fauna of this hellish world.
He regulated his breathing, keeping it slow and silent. The action triggered a memory from his human life—of an anime he had once binge-watched during a particularly stressful deadline week. Demon Slayer. The irony wasn't lost on him.
"Total Concentration Breathing," he whispered to himself, recalling how the characters had used specialized breathing techniques to enhance their physical abilities.
The lizard paused, its head tilting as if sensing something amiss. Korvus froze, holding his breath. Then, with a burst of speed that surprised even him, he lunged.
His clawed hands caught the lizard mid-leap, piercing its scales. The creature thrashed wildly, its barbed tail whipping around to strike Korvus's arm. Pain shot through him, but he maintained his grip, driving his claws deeper until the creature finally went limp.
As the life faded from the lizard, a small orb of pale light emerged from its body—not as bright or substantial as the soul he had seen the gun-wielding demon extract, but a soul nonetheless.
Korvus reached out, half expecting the soul to resist or flee. Instead, it seemed drawn to him, floating into his outstretched hand. The moment it touched his skin, the soul dissipated, absorbed into his being. A rush of warmth spread through him, accompanied by fragmentary images and sensations—memories, perhaps, of the creature's brief existence.
"So that's how it works," Korvus murmured, examining his hand. He felt slightly stronger, more energized, though the effect was subtle. One small soul wouldn't transform him, but it was a start.
The hunt had been successful, but Korvus knew he needed to improve. His attack had been clumsy, leaving him injured when a more skilled predator might have emerged unscathed. If he was going to survive in this realm, he needed to develop his combat abilities beyond the basic instincts of his demon form.
And perhaps, he thought, those memories of fictional techniques weren't as useless as they might seem.
Over the next week, Korvus established a small territory within the twisted forest. He found a natural cavity beneath the gnarled roots of a massive black tree, expanded it with his claws, and disguised the entrance with stones and dead vegetation. It wasn't comfortable by human standards, but it provided shelter and a place to rest between hunts.
More importantly, it gave him a secure location to practice.
Korvus had hunted and consumed seven more souls, each one adding incrementally to his strength and speed. But raw power wasn't enough. He needed technique, strategy—a systematic approach to combat that would give him an edge over the purely instinctual demons around him.
That's where his human knowledge, combined with the Essence of the Blank and the Essence of Training, became his greatest advantage.
"Status," Korvus said, sitting cross-legged in his shelter. The translucent panel materialized in his vision:
Name: Korvus Meryer Ywatt Alucard Lundisha Bloodborn Skywalker
Race: Demon
Form: Newborn (Developing)
Hierarchy: Bottom of the low rank
Attribute: Dark
Strength: 15
Speed: 14
Magic Energy: 12
Vitality: 16
Skills: None
Essences: Involate Self, The Blank, Training
Progress, but still no skills listed. Korvus frowned at this. The status system seemed to recognize only innate abilities or fully developed techniques. His current level of combat proficiency—slightly improved hunting techniques—apparently didn't qualify.
He needed something more defined, more structured. And his mind kept returning to the breathing techniques from that anime.
"The Essence of the Blank allows me to learn any discipline, even if I shouldn't be capable of it," Korvus reasoned aloud. "And The Essence of Training lets me progress far faster than normal. So theoretically..."
He closed his eyes and began to focus on his breathing.
Total Concentration Breathing, as he recalled it, was a technique that maximized the oxygen in the blood, enhancing physical abilities beyond normal limits. In the anime, each practitioner developed a specific "Breathing Style" that suited their personality and fighting preferences.
Flame Breathing had always been his favorite—the bold, aggressive techniques of Kyojuro Rengoku resonating with him even as a human. The flames represented passion, determination, and an unyielding will—qualities Korvus would need in abundance to survive this realm.
Of course, he had no sword, and he wasn't fighting demons—he was a demon. But the fundamental principles might still apply. Control of breath, focus of mind, and the visualization of flame.
Korvus inhaled deeply, filling his lungs to capacity, then exhaled slowly. He repeated this, concentrating on the flow of air through his body, imagining it fueling an inner fire that spread through his veins with each heartbeat.
After an hour, he felt light-headed but otherwise unchanged. He tried again the next day, and the day after that, gradually increasing the duration of his practice.
On the fourth day, something changed. As Korvus focused on his breathing while visualizing flames coursing through his body, he felt a strange warmth in his chest that wasn't just his imagination. He opened his eyes and looked down at his dark red skin.
Faint patterns, like glowing embers, traced across his chest and arms, following what he imagined were the pathways of veins or energy meridians. They pulsed in rhythm with his breathing—brightening as he inhaled, dimming slightly as he exhaled.
"It's working," he whispered in disbelief.
The patterns faded when he lost concentration, but Korvus had seen enough. The techniques from his human memories could be adapted to this demonic realm. With his essences, he could indeed learn skills that should be impossible for a newly hatched demon.
But developing a full combat system would require more than just breathing exercises. He needed to integrate movement, strikes, and defensive techniques. And for that, he needed space to practice.
Korvus ventured beyond his small territory, seeking an open area where he could train without attracting unwanted attention. He followed one of the smaller magma rivers downstream, maintaining vigilant awareness of his surroundings. The underground world was vast, and he had barely explored a fraction of it.
After traveling for several hours, the twisted forest gave way to a rocky plain dotted with steaming vents and pools of bubbling liquid that gave off a noxious smell. In the distance, he could see where the magma river emptied into a vast lake of fire, its shores lined with strange crystalline formations that refracted the red light into mesmerizing patterns.
But what caught his attention was a relatively flat area of black stone, elevated slightly above the surrounding terrain. Steam vents surrounded it on three sides, creating a natural barrier that would deter most predators. The fourth side dropped off in a steep cliff that overlooked the fiery lake.
It was perfect—isolated, defensible, and with enough open space to practice movement techniques.
Korvus approached cautiously, confirming the area was unoccupied before climbing up to the stone platform. The surface was surprisingly smooth, almost as if it had been deliberately polished. He wondered if this place had once served some purpose for the more advanced demons he had yet to encounter.
Standing in the center of the platform, Korvus closed his eyes and began his breathing exercises, feeling the now-familiar warmth spread through his body. When the sensation reached its peak, he opened his eyes and began to move.
First, basic stances—positions that would maximize his stability while allowing for quick transitions between offense and defense. Then simple strikes, incorporating his claws as natural weapons. He practiced lunges, dodges, and blocks, mentally mapping each movement to the Flame Breathing techniques he remembered.
"First Form: Unknowing Fire," he murmured, executing a swift forward lunge followed by a diagonal slash. His movements were still awkward, lacking the fluid grace of the technique as he remembered it, but he could feel his body adapting, learning.
Day after day, Korvus returned to the stone platform to train. In the mornings, he would hunt, gathering souls to fuel his growth. In the afternoons, he would explore different areas of the underground realm, carefully expanding his knowledge of this new world. And in what passed for evening in this timeless place, he would practice his developing Flame Breathing technique.
Weeks passed, and Korvus's body continued to change. He grew taller, stronger, and his movements became more fluid and controlled. The glowing patterns that appeared during his breathing exercises became more pronounced, sometimes persisting for minutes after he stopped actively focusing on them.
One day, during a particularly intense training session, Korvus executed a perfect "Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun"—a powerful upward strike followed by a circular slash. As his arm completed the arc, he was startled to see an actual trail of flame follow his claws, hanging in the air for a moment before dissipating.
He froze, staring at his hand in disbelief. Had he imagined it?
Focusing his breathing once more, Korvus repeated the form, putting more intention and visualization into the movement. This time, there was no doubt—a thin ribbon of actual flame traced the path of his strike, flickering orange against the red-tinted darkness of the underground world.
Excitement surged through him. He tried again, executing "Third Form: Blazing Universe," a series of consecutive slashes in multiple directions. Each motion produced thin arcs of flame that lingered briefly before fading.
The flames weren't strong enough to be useful in combat yet—more like sparks than the raging infernos wielded by the character he admired—but they were real. Somehow, through the combination of his breathing technique, focused visualization, and the unique properties of his essences, Korvus had manifested actual fire.
Exhausted but exhilarated, he sat down on the edge of the platform, looking out over the lake of fire. Despite his fatigue, he felt compelled to check his status once more.
"Status," he said, and the now-familiar panel appeared:
Name: Korvus Meryer Ywatt Alucard Lundisha Bloodborn Skywalker
Race: Demon
Form: Juvenile
Hierarchy: Low rank
Attribute: Dark, Fire (Developing)
Strength: 24
Speed: 22
Magic Energy: 19
Vitality: 25
Skills: Flame Breathing (Novice)
Essences: Involate Self, The Blank, Training
The changes took him by surprise. Not only had his attributes increased significantly, but a new attribute—Fire—had appeared alongside his original Dark attribute. And most significantly, "Flame Breathing" was now listed under Skills, though only at Novice level.
Korvus smiled, a rare expression in this harsh realm. His plan was working. The combination of soul absorption, physical training, and the adaptation of techniques from his human memories was allowing him to develop in ways that ordinary demons couldn't.
But he knew he was still weak compared to the adult demons that ruled this world. Mastering Flame Breathing would take time, even with his accelerated learning. And there were still so many mysteries to unravel about how this realm functioned.
Korvus looked down at his hands, watching as tiny flames danced between his fingers when he concentrated. This was just the beginning. With each soul he consumed, each day of training, each new discovery about this world, he was growing stronger.
And someday, when he was ready, he would find that gun-wielding demon again. Together, perhaps they could uncover the true nature of this realm—and why they had been brought here.
In the meantime, there was work to do. Tomorrow he would hunt larger prey, seeking stronger souls to fuel his development. And perhaps, he thought, it was time to venture beyond the twisted forest and fiery plains—to explore the mountains he could see in the distance, where new challenges and opportunities might await.
Korvus stood, taking one last look at the vast underground landscape spread before him. Then he turned and began the journey back to his shelter, mentally reviewing the forms he would practice tomorrow.
Fire in a world of darkness. It felt right, somehow. Fitting for a human soul burning bright in a demon's body.