The chapter begins with Ryuji. After seeing his mom lying motionless on the ground, he couldn't control himself and went on a rampage. He screamed, "Ahhhhhhh!" His mana pressure was strong enough to shake the entire kingdom—a kind of power Ryuji gained after losing his temper. Fumiko became unconscious due to Ryuji's mana pressure. Ryuji grabbed a sword from a dead hunter beside him—and vanished into the air.
On the other hand, Leoric had lost one arm fighting an S-rank devil. He was half-dead.
The devil: "Ahh, so boring. Okay, kid—playtime's over. Now prepare yourself to die."
Leoric (hearing Ryuji's scream and feeling his strong mana pressure, vomiting blood): "This mana pressure is so strong... What happened to you, Ryuji? I hope you don't die here with me."
The devil was about to leave a hole in Leoric's body, but suddenly it sensed a dense aura. It looked in the direction of that danger—and received a powerful punch from Ryuji.
Ryuji sent the devil flying.
Leoric (in a fading voice): "Why are you here? Run. Take Fumiko and run away, you idiot."
The devil was smashed against a mountain. It stood up, angry, and said, "You filthy human. How dare—" Before the devil could finish, Ryuji jumped in an instant, closing the gap, and took the devil's arm.
The devil jumped to avoid close combat. Sweating and afraid, it muttered, "What the hell? This was the same kid who ran from me. How has he become this powerful?"
The devil looked into Ryuji's eyes—Ryuji wasn't conscious.
The devil: "What? He unconsciously took one of my arms?"
Ryuji was no longer in control of his body. His instincts, powered by rage, had taken over.
Ryuji gave an intense look toward the devil. The devil froze as it felt Ryuji's aura and mana pressure in the air.
In the devil's mind: This kid… this kid just wants to kill me. He doesn't care about himself anymore.
Ryuji started channeling his mana into the sword.
The devil stopped thinking. It was as if the world had stopped for him. He witnessed something horrible—a power all devils fear: the fire of hell (black flames).
The devil saw that Ryuji was channeling mana into the sword. At first, it was an ordinary flame, but then the flame turned into black flames.
Seeing this, the devil didn't waste any time. It tried to run away as far as it could. After putting some distance between itself and Ryuji, the devil thought, "This is my lucky break—I can't believe I just saw a black flame user." Suddenly, a white flame rope trapped it. The devil was pulled toward the castle.
The devil: "What the—what is happening?"
The devil saw that Ryuji was running toward it, his face full of anger and pain. The devil was scared.
The devil shouted loudly, "White flame rope—take me! Take me where you want. Just take me away from this mad human!"
But the white flame ropes couldn't save it from Ryuji's rage. Ryuji, with the sword burning in black flames, cut the rope.
Seeing Ryuji's speed, the devil couldn't believe its eyes. It screamed in fear and pleaded, "Forgive me! Forgive me!" But Ryuji, without a second thought, cut it into pieces.
It was the first time Ryuji had used this godly power. His body couldn't keep up with the force; after killing the devil, his body collapsed onto the ground. Ryuji had also burned himself with his black fire. His body was overwhelmed—burning with black fire.
Even his own power had become his enemy.
But then, someone showed up from the darkness.
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The scene shifts to the present. Ryuji is covered head-to-toe in bandages beneath his clothes.
Fumiko and Leoric enter the room. Fumiko runs over and hugs her big brother, crying.
Fumiko: "I thought you were also going to leave me alone."
Ryuji places his hand on Fumiko's head, just like their father (Takeshi) did.
Ryuji: "Don't worry, Fumiko! I won't leave you, and I won't let you be harmed either."
Leoric couldn't feel any emotion from Ryuji. To him, it was as if Ryuji had died the previous night and someone new had taken his place.
Leoric: "Ryuji... Uncle Takeshi is—"
Ryuji (with a blank expression): "I know. You don't have to tell me."
Leoric: "But Uncle did fulfill his promise. Captain Obito, please come in."
Captain Obito enters the room holding Ryuji's father's sword and cloak. Ryuji takes them from Captain Obito and thanks both him and Leoric.
Leoric shouts: "You idiot! You don't need to thank me. We are family. In fact, I'm the one who should thank you for saving my life."
Ryuji (with a slight smile as he looks at his little sister): "Yeah, we are family."
Leoric felt a small relief seeing Ryuji smile for his sister, even though he tried to act normal.
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Scene shifts to the royal garden. Everyone was in shock. In just one night, they lost the country's supreme hunter, the king, and two princes. It was a great loss.
Some nobles who had supported the king began talking about a new king; they wanted to choose one.
One royal adviser said, "Yesterday we lost our royal blood. We can't start demanding a new king yet. We should wait a while."
Another noble asked, "Waiting a few days is okay, but who will be the next king?"
A royal adviser shouted, "Shut your mouth! The one who will rule the kingdom now is young Lord Leoric."
But the nobles disagreed. They said young Lord Leoric was too small for the responsibilities and that he didn't even have an arm after last night. Who would follow orders from someone like him?
At that moment, Leoric appeared—with two arms.
Leoric: "Don't worry. After my Aunt Ruka Takeshi passed, our country had no healer magic user—but Aunt Ruka sealed some of her magic for emergencies to protect the royal blood."
Her magic was meant to be used only in the worst times—and last night was one of them.
One of the former king's advisers said, "Young lord, you shouldn't call her 'aunt' in front of your people."
Leoric, with a heavy look that made the adviser uneasy, replied, "You don't need to tell me what to do."
The adviser: "Yes, young lord."
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Scene shifts again—Ryuji, holding his father's cloak and sword, looked toward a beautiful waterfall at night. Someone appeared behind Ryuji.
Ryuji: "What do you want?"
Unknown person: "It looks like you aren't scared this time. I am your father's beloved master—the one who taught your father everything about white flame magic."
Ryuji wasn't shocked by his presence—but something about the aura of this man felt familiar.
Ryuji's eyes widened. He turned and asked, "You... you are my father's master? You knew him?"
Unknown person: "Yes, I do. I also know where your mother is—and she is alive. By the way, my name is Ryuji Shiratori."
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To be continued…