The winds howled through the Northern Ravine, echoing with the crashing of stone and steel.
A C-rank adventurer party of four fought desperately against a towering Berserker Troll. Its monstrous body was covered in deep wounds, its breathing ragged, and its club cracked from repeated attacks.
"We're almost there!"
shouted the team's swordsman, panting hard.
"Just a little more—push it back!"
The archer fired another volley of enchanted arrows.
"Aim for the leg! We can bring it down!"
The mage behind them was chanting the final spell. Her staff glowed fiercely.
"One more shot! I can finish this—!"
Renji looked at them and walk back.
"Ohh they are ahead of me"
"Guess I'll take another"
The cleric stood ready to heal, eyes focused and hands glowing.
Victory was in sight.
But then—
CRACK!
A rift of black lightning tore open in the air behind the troll.
"W-What's that?!"
the mage screamed, stumbling back.
From the rift, a demon stepped out—tall, with ashen skin, curved black horns, and red eyes glowing with malice. His dark cloak billowed unnaturally, and the magic radiating from his body made the air itself tremble.
"A demon?! Why would a demon here?!"
the swordsman gasped, raising his blade.
The troll, half-dead, snarled in confusion—but before it could react, the demon raised a hand and unleashed a dark pulse that pierced its chest.
BOOM!
The troll collapsed in an instant.
"Mine now,"
the demon growled.
"And you're next."
He dashed forward like a shadow, slamming his fist into the swordsman's side and sending him flying.
"DAMN IT—He's too fast!"
"I can't reach him"
the archer cursed, drawing another arrow.
"Scatter!"
the cleric yelled, casting a barrier just in time to block a shadow spike from the demon.
They fought back—spells, blades, arrows—but it wasn't enough.
The demon was strong. Too strong. And now the boss was starting to regenerate, its wounds closing slowly under corrupted magic.
"We can't beat both… not at once!"
The demon smirked.
"Is humans this weak?"
Dark mana surged in his palm, forming a crackling sphere of death—a compressed orb of shadow magic, aimed at the mage and cleric.
"DIE."
He hurled the orb with a scream.
But then—
FWOOOOOSH!!
A sudden gust tore through the battlefield.
A black figure dropped from the cliffs above—faster than a blink—and slammed his sword into the orb of magic.
CLANG!!!
The spell shattered instantly, dispersing into sparks and smoke.
The demon blinked in shock.
"Huhh?!"
The adventurers froze.
From the smoke stood Renji in a tattered coat, sword drawn. The blade looked old—faded and worn—but it hummed with power.
He didn't look back. He stood firm between the demon and the shaken party.
"…I'm maybe disturbing your quest,"
Renji said, calm and composed.
His black hair shifted in the wind. His eyes were cold. Focused.
"But if I don't, you guys will die."
He pointed his blade toward the demon and the regenerating troll.
"So…"
He glanced over his shoulder at the party, a slight smirk forming.
"Can I have permission… to kill them?"