1st Prologue: The Birth of Dreadspawn
Human beings possess a shared trait: emotions. These emotions can be a wellspring of energy, and from them, a unique form of energy called Ryoku is formed.
The most common form of Ryoku stems from dread. When Ryoku of the same specific emotion combines under the right conditions, it can form a massive cluster of energy. Eventually, this collective Ryoku becomes so dense that it collapses in on itself, giving birth to a new being. These beings, known as Dreadspawn, are semi-immortal. They feed on negative emotions and the flesh of those who produce them. The more they consume, the stronger and more intelligent they become.
Humanity was brought to the brink of extinction — until individuals with special abilities emerged to fight them. These warriors were called Auramancers.
The events of Battle
Explosions and combat tore through the skies as Auramancer General Ritokoji Arufa battled a mysterious humanoid being. Its hair flowed upward, white as snow, and its skin was grey with heavily defined muscles. From its back, openings released streaks of energy that flowed into its body. Its eyes glowed completely white, with cracks at the edges.
Ritokoji delivered a mighty blow, flinging the creature across the landscape. It landed with such force that it left a massive crater.
"Oops, did I hit you that hard? Lol," Ritokoji said, standing at the edge of the crater.
The Dreadspawn rose, barely standing.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, human," it said pompously, grinning.
"Aww, don't be like that," Ritokoji mocked.
"Such strength for a mere human… incredible," the Dreadspawn thought.
"I have to admit, you're different from what I'm used to," Ritokoji continued. "Oookay, here comes the next attack! Get ready." He prepared his technique, Blade Art.
The Dreadspawn, shocked, thought to itself, "That attack… could it actually be him? No, I'll wait." It assumed Ritokoji's fight would be pathetic.
"With this, I'll grant you your death. Prepare," Ritokoji said, his voice laced with venom. He unleashed Fission, slicing the crater in half. The attack, powerful enough to split mountains, split into two streams as if meeting a mountain.
"Impossible… how did you-–" Ritokoji lamented.
The Dreadspawn remained unfazed, laughing maniacally.
"Really, humans tend to kick up a lot of dust, don't you?"
Ritokoji frowned. "Haa?"
The Dreadspawn continued laughing.
"Honestly, what were you trying to do? Make a brizz? Use that party trick to blow out lanterns? Seriously, you must be a circus clown — and yet, you're rather good at your job. To think that would grant me my death."
Composing itself, the Dreadspawn said,
"Now that I think of it, you are what I'm looking for. You are one of those abominations, aren't you? I thought humans stood no chance against me… but I see a glimmer of hope in you. I can't wait… I need to know when I get to have fun," it smirked menacingly, stretching out a hand toward Ritokoji.
"Evensage Progeny!"
A strong gust of wind thrashed the area.
"What… I didn't receive any damage? What exactly did you do to me?" Ritokoji asked, confused.
"Clown… I mean… human," the Dreadspawn said calmly,
"that was merely a skill used to signal the birth of a worthy descendant who would put up a real fight instead of a comedic act."
"You piece of shit! I'm not done yet! Don't belittle me!" Ritokoji exclaimed.
"Don't bother," the Dreadspawn replied.
"Your strength is admirable, but your reasoning is obscure. Human, shall I bestow upon you the embrace of true power? Rejoice, mortal, death awaits!"
The Dreadspawn prepared its most powerful technique, a Realm Augmentation called INFINITY'S EDGE. Inside this pocket dimension, the victim is forced to submit to the user's will. Roshi was trapped, experiencing a living nightmare: being skinned over and over again 4,592 times per second. When released, he was a trembling, whimpering mess.
"Don't bother. Just go home and copulate with your spouse to give birth to offspring who can actually fight," the Dreadspawn said, calm but stern.
Ritokoji smiled.
"I hope my descendants beat the shit outta you," he muttered before fleeing. The Dreadspawn was later given the title Tenkiroshi.
3000 Years Later
City lights gleamed under a full moon. A lone young man, Kogoshi Kyun, walked the streets. Known as an oddball, he was also one of the city's most powerful Auramancers.
"What do we have here?" a gruff voice called from the shadows.
A Dreadspawn, monstrous with sharp teeth, a dog-like head, four-legged posture, and humanoid body with bulging muscles, crept toward him.
"Monkeys aren't supposed to be here at this time of day," the masked man sneered.
"Listen, you have something I need. Just give it to me, and I'll be on my way. Easy or hard?" Kogoshi asked calmly.
The beast roared, lunging toward him. "Flesh! Flesh! Flesh!"
Kogoshi stood his ground.
"Hard way it is, then. Don't say I didn't warn you," he said, hitting the creature with the back of his fist, sending it flying.
Grabbing a metal streetlight pole, he jumped and tackled the fleeing masked man, sending him crashing off buildings. Midair, Kuro appeared from nowhere to deliver another blow.
"One more time!" Kogoshi exclaimed.
The man squealed, "Agh?! Again?"
The final blow sent him from the rooftop into an underground garage. He lay prostrate at the center of the crater left behind, laughing in amusement.
"You're something else, aren't you?" the man said.
He threw something at Kogoshi, who caught it.
"You're giving it to me that easily? Don't you need to protect it?"
"Look, do you want it or not? I'm more than willing to take it back," Kogoshi replied.
"OK, fine," the man said. Kogoshi walked away, tossing a heavy card that embedded itself into the concrete floor.
It was a summon from the Auramancer Association: unusual Dreadspawn sightings in Hamatsu, with over 1.2 million reported dead or missing.
---
"It's because of a giant cluster of raw Ryoku floating above the site, ready to explode with the force of twenty-four nukes," a woman with glasses explained.
"And a rare artifact was found below it," she added.
"Normal humans only release small amounts of Ryoku, and it usually dissipates over time," she continued.
The only explanation for the cluster was if a large enough amount of raw Ryoku was released at once. The surface tension itself was sufficient to hold the cluster together.
Kogoshi looked at the destroyed city, his face grim.
"Where is our missing person?" he asked.
The missing person was Kuroshiraga Arufa. The Ryoku residue matched his signature perfectly.
---
In an unknown plain, Kuroshiraga had a brief flashback, unconscious:
It was him and a girl, Tami-chan, in high school.
"I'm gonna walk home with you," she said.
"Why me?" he asked.
"Because you don't have friends, silly," she giggled.
Tami realized she left her notebook and told Kuro (Kuroshiraga's nickname) to wait.
An object landed and bounced off Kuro's head. It was Tami's pocket watch, gifted to her late grandmother.
Visibly concerned, he lunged toward the classroom window three stories high. A sudden burst of energy erupted from the window, but Kuro managed to hold onto the frame. Once the onslaught was over, he pulled himself inside.
"Why is a summoning burst happening here?" he wondered.
Kogoshi was shaken by a voice.
"Kill me… please… kill me!" a man cried. He was undead, a spectral shell of a soul.
Kuro wasted no time, slaughtering the group of undead with one fell swoop.
However, when an undead is slain, it rises again from the "sip of its fallen brethren," giving rise to a Greater Undead.
"I just want to help… put you out of your misery," Kuro said.
He used Solar Flare, a beam strong enough to reach space, destroying the undead.
Standing among the destruction, something felt off. He heard Tami-chan's voice pleading with him to run, but she was instantly diced to bits.
A figure wearing a mask made of fingers and a dark coat appeared, with grey hair. Tami's entrails were absorbed into an orb wrapped in a symbol-covered cloth.
The man was accompanied by a Dreadspawn morphed from fingers, with large black eyes, a crown of long black fingernails, and numerous protruding arms.
The creature glared at Kuro.
"The 10th objective is near," it stated.
The man looked at Kuro.
"Is that him?"
"Certainly," the creature replied.
"What do you mean, Objective No. 10?" Kogoshi asked, confused.
"What did you do to Tami-chan?" he screamed.
"I'll make you pay! Lim for lim!"
Five minutes later, Kuro stood, battered and barely standing, smiling mockingly.
"Is that all you got?" he taunted.
Suddenly, a massive truck hurtled toward Kogoshi. He dodged, but the figure appeared in front of him. A second truck appeared, hitting him and sending him flying into a building. He fell unconscious.