20 years ago...
Before the Second Renkai Awakening, there was a small group of hunters from the Destruction class, where the most powerful demon hunters in the world gathered.
The group was known as the Hunters of Complexity, composed of four main members: Raizer Fainer (55), Raintalya Fainer (50), Jonhye Vick (22), and Natasha Vick (22).
Raizer and Raintalya were the couple of the group, the oldest and the strongest of their time.
Jonhye and Natasha were blood siblings, people of great talent who could one day surpass the duo. They were incredible, while they were alive.
Slady, however, was not part of the group. He was only an acquaintance, a friend. To this day, he remembers the day Elisa was born.
***
15 years ago...
Slady was alone in his library, a silent and lonely place, almost identical to what it is today.
Suddenly, the door opened. Raizer and Raintalya came in. The woman carried a baby in her arms, still weak after childbirth. She looked at Slady and smiled tenderly.
"Good morning, Slady. I have some news..."
"I'm a mother!"
The woman looked happier than ever. Slady yawned and watched her.
"I'm glad for you."
Raizer approached and took Elisa in his arms.
"Let's see if Slady wants to hold her."
"Of course, dear."
Raintalya leaned against the couch to rest. Raizer walked up to Slady, as happy as his wife.
"Want to hold her for a bit, Slady?"
Slady looked at Raizer, then at the baby.
"I suppose it won't hurt."
"You'll like it, Slady. Just be careful not to drop her."
Raizer placed Elisa in his arms. Slady held her with his bionic arm, gently enough not to cause pain.
Elisa watched him with innocence. She bit her own toes and, without fear, pulled at Slady's long hair, trying to put it in her mouth.
He remained silent, thoughtful. Then he looked at Raizer.
"Are babies always this strange?"
The question sounded sincere and curious. Raizer laughed briefly, taking Elisa back.
"They're not strange, Slady. She's just a baby."
When he tried to take her, Elisa clung to Slady's shirt, refusing to leave his arms. Raintalya laughed softly.
"I think my daughter likes you, Slady."
Slady placed his hand over Raizer's, stopping him from pulling the child away.
"You can leave her with me."
"Sure, take good care of her."
Raizer stepped back and sat beside his wife. Raintalya rested her head on his shoulder, and he caressed her belly gently.
"Still hurting, dear?"
"A little, but I'll be fine soon."
The couple stayed embraced. Even after so many years, the love between them was still beautiful.
Meanwhile, Slady was occupied with Elisa. The baby tried to climb his body, and he, expressionless, let her do as she pleased.
She reached for Slady's neck but slipped. He caught her easily and placed her back in his lap.
"Don't try again, little one."
His voice was firm and low, leaving no room for disobedience.
Elisa mumbled and stretched her tiny arms toward Slady's left arm. He didn't understand at first, but he brought the arm closer. The girl wrapped her fingers around it and began to suck on them as if she were nursing. Soon after, she fell asleep in his arms.
A few hours later, everyone was at La Taberna. Slady, sitting in a corner, drank sweet wine. Raizer served beer to Jonhye and Natasha, who laughed and talked. Raintalya, near them, breastfed Elisa while sipping her drink.
It was a pleasant night. Nothing disturbed that moment. Even sitting apart, Slady felt at ease among those people. He wished it could last forever, that the feeling would never fade.
***
13 years ago...
One day, the oldest and most dangerous of the Inferius, the Complex Inferius, awakened the Second Renkai Awakening.
At its core, resembling a gate, was sealed the cruelest and most wicked being humanity had ever known: Krythos, also called Satan. He had been subdued by Zyrionq, known as God, and cast down to Earth in human form.
Even reborn as a man, Krythos nearly brought the world to its end. He committed unthinkable atrocities and, wielding Renkai Energy, created the Complex Inferius, triggering a global catastrophe that nearly wiped out humanity.
His end came when a man awakened the Mana Liberator and faced him in the final battle. He managed to seal Satan within his own creation, vanishing without leaving a trace of his identity.
Even after the First Renkai Awakening, nothing returned to what it was. Humanity had to adapt, facing new Inferius that constantly emerged, seeking destruction. People began to explore the Renkatas and master magic to survive.
***
13 years ago (Libretãnhya)
The city of Libretãnhya, humanity's last hope, burned in flames. Bodies of demons and humans lay around Slady, who walked forward with a sniper rifle in his right arm toward the Complex Inferius portal.
Behind him, Jonhye and Natasha's bodies remained still. Men and women tried in vain to use healing magic. Everyone had already accepted they could not bring them back.
***
The Complex Inferius
The dimension of the Complex Inferius is vast and divided into several biomes:
Inferius Frostlands: filled with ice and snow, inhabited by creatures of icy energy.
Inferius Infernal: a hot, rocky place resembling hell, home to demons engulfed in flames.
Inferius Aquatic: a submerged realm inhabited by marine entities.
Inferius Forestal: the most natural, where demons maintain wild and unpredictable forms.
***
When Slady entered the dimension, a body was hurled at him at high speed. He caught it with his mechanical arm. It was Raizer, gravely wounded and unconscious.
Ahead, Raintalya awaited him. She had changed. She was now the Blood Destroyer.
***
Destroyers
Destroyers are humans corrupted by Renkai Energy but who do not fully transform into demons. Their bodies become stronger, yet if they lose control, they are driven by only one instinct: to destroy.
***
Raintalya looked at Slady without recognizing him. Her gaze was cold. She conjured a blood spear and charged.
Slady didn't hesitate. He threw Raizer's body toward her. The woman prepared to strike her own husband, but Slady moved quickly, sweeping her legs and pointing the sniper rifle at her face before firing.
She narrowly dodged and redirected all her fury at him.
"You will not live to see tomorrow."
The battle began. Spear and metal clashed violently. Slady dodged and countered with shots and mechanical strikes. Every explosion, every burst of energy mixed fire and lightning with Raintalya's corrupted blood.
Raizer was thrown safely away from the portal. Slady and the Destroyer kept fighting.
The clash was fierce and brutal. Slady endured slashing blows, retaliated with precise shots, mechanical punches, and sharp movements. When he finally struck Raintalya's heart, she staggered and spat blood.
For a moment, her eyes returned to normal. She seemed to regain consciousness. But soon the red glow returned in full force. Now the corruption was complete. Her hair turned crimson, and her eyes reflected the living blood dripping onto the ground.
Slady took a few steps back.
"Then I have no choice."
He holstered the sniper rifle on his back, joined his pistols, and prepared. The eyepatch fell, revealing a black ocular prosthesis glowing red.
From his back, five mechanical claws extended, vibrating and pointing toward the Blood Destroyer.
The battle had reached a new level.