The morning sun filtered through the windows of the Bristhaven inn, catching Kazuki mid-yawn as he sat at the breakfast table, stabbing at eggs with a wooden fork. Aria, ever composed, was already on her second plate.
> SYSTEM NOTICE: Daily System Sync Complete.
Mana Regeneration: 100%
Skill Slots Available: 1
Recommendation: Expand arsenal in anticipation of advanced threats.
Kazuki blinked at the floating text, then glanced at Aria.
> Kazuki: Alright, System. Let's get creative.
> Celestia: Finally. I was starting to think you'd just keep winging it with Soulcut and dramatic speeches.
> Kazuki: You love the speeches.
> Celestia: I tolerate them. Now, what's the plan?
Kazuki closed his eyes and let the [Create] skill interface shimmer into view—a canvas of infinite possibility, limited only by the toll it would take on his mana and body. He thought back to the last fight. The corrupted being's speed. Its refusal to be cut clean.
"I need a way to counter regeneration," he muttered. "And something that punishes enemies for dodging."
A blueprint began to shape itself.
> NEW SKILL CREATED: [Phantom Edge]
Type: Active
MP Cost: Moderate
Effect: Temporarily imbues your weapon with ethereal properties. Slashes bypass physical armor and leave a delayed spectral wound that ignores healing for 10 seconds. If the enemy dodges, an afterimage replicates the missed strike, targeting them again at half damage.
Cooldown: 30 seconds
> Celestia: Ohoho, Kazuki's getting spicy. That's… clever.
> Kazuki: It's insurance. Next time something cheats death, I'll make sure it pays the price.
> SYSTEM NOTICE: [Phantom Edge] has been added to your active skill list.
Aria raised a brow. "You just created another power, didn't you?"
"Is it that obvious?"
"You have this stupid grin every time."
Kazuki chuckled and waved for another plate. "We're gonna need to be ready for anything. Especially now."
---
Far across the continent, in the obsidian spires of the Black Citadel, the Demon Emperor stirred.
Velkaron the Eternal, Demon Emperor of the South, sat upon his throne of bone and shadow, gazing into a blood-red crystal pulsing with foreign energy. Cloaked figures knelt in a semicircle around him, each shivering as his gaze passed over them.
"The anomaly has acted," he said in a voice that seemed to echo through the walls.
One of the figures raised his head. "Your Majesty, do you mean the false Demon Lord?"
Velkaron's lip curled. "He is no lord. He is… interference. Something tossed into our realm by powers that overstep."
He turned the crystal slowly in one clawed hand. Inside, an image of Kazuki flickered—fighting, laughing, talking to a voice no one else could hear.
"His magic... is unnatural. Even for this world."
Another figure stepped forward. "Shall we dispatch a hunting unit?"
Velkaron shook his head. "No. Not yet. He draws attention. If we strike too soon, the gods may turn their eyes toward us again."
"But sire—"
"Silence," Velkaron snarled. "Let the world believe he is a hero. Let them cheer him. When they lower their guard... we consume."
The chamber darkened as his power flared briefly.
"I will send an invitation."
---
Back in Bristhaven, Kazuki stood in the marketplace, trying to decide between two different meat skewers while a local vendor eagerly pitched both.
Aria waited nearby, arms crossed, watching with amused disapproval. "You can cut ghosts with your sword, but you can't pick dinner?"
"It's called analysis paralysis," Kazuki muttered. "This is a big decision."
Then the air shifted.
A gust of unnatural wind swept through the square, scattering papers and silencing chatter. A parchment sealed in obsidian wax dropped from the sky, landing at Kazuki's feet.
> SYSTEM ALERT: [An Invitation Has Arrived]
Kazuki bent down and picked it up slowly. The wax bore the symbol of a crowned skull wrapped in black flame.
His fingers twitched.
> Celestia: Don't open it.
> Kazuki: Why not?
> Celestia: Because I don't want you vomiting before lunch.
Kazuki broke the seal anyway.
The parchment unfurled, revealing a flowing script written in some arcane tongue—yet he understood it clearly. The meaning bled into his mind like poison:
> To the Pretender Demon Lord,
You walk in shadows not your own. You claim a throne that does not belong to you. Should you wish to see the truth of what you challenge, come to the Vale of Black Sun at the next lunar turn. Or remain hidden—and know I am watching.
— V.E.
Kazuki blinked.
"Aria… I think I just got invited to die dramatically."
She peered over his shoulder. "...Oh. That's ominous."
Kazuki tucked the parchment into his coat and walked away from the crowd. His heart raced, but his face remained unreadable.
> Kazuki: So. He's aware of me now.
> Celestia: More than aware. This is him marking territory. Like a very murdery cat.
Kazuki grinned. "Then maybe it's time I leave a few claw marks of my own."