Ryuji slowly opened his eyes. At first, everything appeared blurred, like looking through a haze. Gradually, his vision cleared enough to notice a girl tending to his wounds. He sat up on the bed, still weak, as she cautioned him to be careful—the wound had not yet fully healed. Ryuji realized that both the front and back of his body were covered with bandages. The girl called others from outside.
Before long, Leoric, Captain Obito, and two royal advisers entered the room to check on him.
Leoric placed a reassuring hand on Ryuji's shoulder. "Are you alright, Ryuji?"
"Yeah, just a headache," Ryuji replied.
Leoric asked once more, "Do you remember anything about what happened last night?"
For a moment, Ryuji remained silent.
Captain Obito interjected, "Young Lord Leoric, perhaps we shouldn't disturb him now. He needs his rest."
Leoric nodded. "Okay, Ryuji, rest. We'll talk later." And with that, they all left.
Left alone in the room, Ryuji lay on the bed with one hand pressed against his forehead. Quiet tears began to fall from his eyes.
The previous night:
Ryuji ran to his mother's side to see if she was alright, with Fumiko crying and trailing behind him. He reached the place where he, Fumiko, and Leoric had been separated from his mother. There, behind a massive stone, he could see only her legs. Rushing forward, he reached behind the stone and then froze. His mother lay motionless on the ground, not even blinking. A deep cut across her stomach spilled blood that reached Ryuji's feet. Speechless, he stood frozen as Fumiko ran up behind him and saw their lifeless mother.
Upon seeing her mother's lifeless body, Fumiko moved closer and pleaded, "Mom? Hey, mom? Wake up. Don't lie here like this. Daddy is coming to see us, you know?" Though tears streamed down her face, a faint, sorrowful smile appeared—a mixture of hope and despair. Despite her tender age, she knew her mother was gone, though she refused to accept it. Unable to hold back her sobs, Fumiko clung to her mother and cried, "I'm so sorry, "Mother". I wasn't strong enough to protect you. I'm such a worthless daughter. I wish you had a strong daughter who could protect you."
Traumatized and unable to restrain his emotions any longer, Ryuji's inner voice screamed silently: Mother is dead. I don't even know where Father is or what he's doing. Father told me that, as the eldest son of the Takashi family, I must protect both Mother and my little sister. But what… what have I done? I couldn't protect my own mother! I let my little sister witness this heartbreaking scene. Why? Why? Why?
The atmosphere around Ryuji shifted as his inner torment deepened. Why am I, a scum like me, still alive while my mother lies dead? I won't forgive them. I will destroy everything—I will kill them, every single devil. I won't let them breathe! In a burst of uncontrollable anger, Ryuji screamed and released his mana. It was so potent that even Fumiko lost consciousness. Hunters, soldiers, and devils alike could feel the dark, overwhelming surge of energy.
In the midst of battle, Captain Obito shouted, "What is this mana? I can feel the anger in the air!"
At the same time, where Takeshi lay heavily injured from Zeric's last attack, he sensed the intense mana emanating from his son.
"Oh no… This isn't good. He might lose complete control," thought Takeshi.
Zeric's voice echoed ominously, "I can feel the pressure of this mana—this anger. Your son is still alive, isn't he?"
With eyes wide in shock, Takeshi demanded, "What are you plotting, you damn devil? Why are you trying to kill my family?"
Zeric replied dismissively, "I don't think it's important to answer you. But listen: your son must die, and so must your daughter." With a cruel laugh, he launched another devastating attack.
Takeshi struggled to move in his wounded state.
Boom!
A captain from "Team 2" cried out, "We can't win this battle—they're too strong. We can't—" His words were cut off as an ancient devil of rank A beheaded him.
Zeric attacked Takeshi, taunting, "You can't last long with this wound, supreme hunter. Admit your defeat."
Takeshi vomited blood and fell to one knee.
"See? I told you. You humans are scum. You would've won, but your love for your wife distracted you when I made you witness her death. And look where that got you."
Gritting his teeth, Takeshi murmured, "I understand…I can't defeat you in this state. And I don't know why you're trying to kill my son—and eventually my daughter, too. In just a few minutes, you'll break through the underworld gate or whatever barrier you have. If that happens, not only this kingdom but the entire planet will be destroyed. I can't let that happen. I have no choice but to use forbidden magic."
Zeric scoffed, "Forbidden magic? Haha, do whatever you want. You can't deny fate. Just die, you scum."
With pained determination, Takeshi plunged his white sword, burning with white flames, deep into his own heart.
"Huh? What are you plotting? Why did you do this?" Zeric's voice wavered, as a strange feeling stirred within him.
Outside the castle, a C-rank hunter—on the verge of being slain by a devil—wondered, Why? Why did I come to this battle? Why must I end up like this? A devil nearly killed him, but suddenly, a white rope pulled him back into the castle. One by one, devils were being dragged back inside.
Meanwhile, Captain Obito battled an SS-rank devil. "It seems master is performing his forbidden magic. I respect your decision, master. I won't be sad—I only wish I could have helped, even though I couldn't keep my promise to cover your back. I'm sorry, master." With that, Obito inflicted a deep cut across the SS-rank devil's eye. As the devil prepared to deliver a fatal strike, it was ensnared by white ropes forged of white flames.
Zeric roared, "What the—What are you doing, you scummy bastard?"
Through coughing blood, Takeshi managed to say, "This is forbidden magic that traps enemies no matter how strong they are. I can only utter one wish: to trap them and pull them back to where they came from. According to the rules, if a dungeon devil is forced back after breaking out, it cannot return until the dungeon reopens in time. This power demands my life. But with it...I will save this world.
Zeric snarled, "You're giving your life just to stop me? But you can't—you fool, you can't pull me!" Even as thousands of white flame ropes surged behind him, they were not enough to hold him back.
"Look at them… they can't!" Zeric stammered.
Takeshi pressed his sword deeper into his heart, empowering the ropes even further. The enhanced white flame ropes finally pulled Zeric into the dungeon beneath the castle.
Zeric's last words echoed, "It's not finished…I will come again, but this time sooner. I will come back." Though Zeric was not originally a devil, his possession by a powerful demon transformed him. The white flame ropes pulled him back, and as the dungeon boss reclaimed him, the broken dungeon reset once more.
Takeshi lay slowly on the ground, a faint smile on his lips as he whispered, "Now it's all up to you. Protect my son, Obito," before finally collapsing.
In that moment, the greatest devil hunter—the supreme hunter and the strongest hunter in history—was dead.
To be continued..