Shoto was still rage-baiting Azael.
Or maybe—just maybe—he was the one getting baited.
"You know," he muttered, sharpening his blade on a whetstone, "for someone who's supposed to be immortal, you sure talk a lot. Maybe that's your real power—annoying people to death."
Azael, lounging upside down on a chair, twirled a strand of her ink-black hair. "And yet you're still alive. A testament to my mercy… or your irrelevance."
"Keep talking, shadow snake. I'll bury you in a rockslide and call it pest control."
"Please," she purred. "You couldn't even bury your own ego."
Shigen sat on the bed, eyes half-lidded, watching the verbal tennis match with the emotional investment of a brick.
Then—knock knock.
A soft voice from the other side of the door. "Receptionist."
Shigen stood up without a word.
He opened the door.
And was immediately sliced in half.
A flash of silver. A blur of motion. Blood sprayed across the room in a perfect arc.
Shigen's torso hit the floor with a wet thud.
Azael screamed.
Shoto leapt to his feet, blade drawn.
But before either could move, Shigen's body stitched itself back together. Bone, muscle, skin—reforming in seconds. He stood, shirt torn, eyes glowing faintly red.
He grabbed the woman by the throat before she could react.
She gasped, her blade clattering to the floor.
"Bad manners," Shigen muttered. "You didn't even knock twice."
His hand ignited.
"Incinerate."
She went up in blue flames, her scream cut short as she turned to ash in his grip.
Then came the chanting.
Low. Rhythmic. Sinister.
Then—silence.
Then—
Chaos.
---
The Swarm
The walls trembled. Screams echoed from the streets below. Windows shattered as creatures poured in from every direction—Dread-class demons, a tier just below Calamity. Smaller, faster, more numerous. Over a hundred of them.
The inn shook as they swarmed, tearing through villagers, scaling walls, crashing through windows.
Shigen sighed. "Well. That escalated."
Shoto peeked out the window. "Shinomiya's gonna beat your ass for this one."
Azael's eyes lit up, her grin feral. "Finally. Something to kill."
The door exploded inward.
And the fight began.
---
The Battle
Shigen stepped forward, flames coiling around his arms like serpents. His voice was calm, but his eyes burned.
"Ash."
He swept his hand across the room. A wave of blue fire surged forward, vaporizing the first wave of demons in a flash of heat and light. Their bodies disintegrated mid-leap, leaving only scorched shadows on the walls.
Shoto slammed his fists together. The ground cracked beneath him.
"Stone Coffin!"
Pillars of jagged rock erupted from the floor, impaling three demons at once. He spun, his gauntlets glowing, and punched through another's skull with a sickening crunch.
"Come on, you ugly bastards!" he roared. "I've got enough stone for all of you!"
Azael danced through the chaos, her movements fluid and deadly. Her claws shimmered with dark energy.
"Blood Bloom."
She slashed through a cluster of demons, and their blood exploded outward, forming razor-sharp petals that tore through the next wave like shrapnel.
She laughed, wild and beautiful. "Oh, I missed this!"
The room was a storm of fire, stone, and shadow. Demons screamed. Walls cracked. The floor was slick with ichor.
But they didn't stop.
More poured in.
Shigen's flames began to dim. Shoto's breathing grew ragged. Even Azael's grin faltered.
Then—
Silence.
The last demon fell, its body twitching before dissolving into ash.
They stood in the wreckage, bloodied, breathing hard.
And then—
Two figures stepped through the smoke.
---
The New Threat
The man was massive—at least seven feet tall, with skin like granite and eyes like molten coal. His aura was dense, oppressive. A Stone-type, no doubt.
Beside him stood a girl, lithe and sharp-eyed, her hair crackling with static. Sparks danced across her fingertips. Lightning-type.
Shigen stepped forward, calm as ever. "Surrender."
The girl laughed. "Cute."
The man cracked his knuckles. "We are members of the Black Vatrint Mages."
Shoto raised an eyebrow. "Oh wow," he said dryly. "It's not like it was obvious. Dumbass."
The girl smirked. "You'll be the first to die."
Shigen's eyes narrowed.
"Try me."
The air between them cracked with tension.
The towering man stepped forward, each footfall like a drumbeat. His skin was veined with glowing gray lines, and with every breath, the ground beneath him trembled.
"I am Gorath, Warden of the Earth's Wrath," he said, voice like boulders grinding together.
The girl beside him twirled a dagger between her fingers, sparks dancing along its edge. Her eyes glowed with electric blue, and her smirk was pure voltage.
"And I'm Lira, the Thunder's Kiss," she added. "We're Black Vatrint Mages. You've made quite the mess."
Shigen tilted his head. "Surrender."
Lira laughed. "Cute."
Shoto crossed his arms. "Oh wow. It's not like it was obvious. Dumbass."
Gorath's eyes narrowed. "You'll regret that."
Azael stepped forward, her claws flexing. "I hope they make it interesting."
---
The Showdown Begins
Gorath slammed his fists together.
"Stone Tyrant's Grasp!"
The ground erupted in jagged fists of granite, reaching for Shigen and Shoto like hungry beasts. Shoto met them head-on, his own stone aura flaring.
"Iron Vein Pulse!"
He punched the ground, sending a shockwave that shattered the incoming fists and launched a barrage of stone spikes toward Gorath. The giant raised an arm, letting the spikes shatter harmlessly against his hardened skin.
"Cute," Gorath grunted. "But I've broken mountains."
Meanwhile, Lira vanished in a flash of lightning, reappearing behind Azael mid-air.
"Volt Fang!"
Her dagger crackled as she slashed downward, but Azael twisted mid-spin, catching the blade between two fingers.
"Predictable," Azael whispered.
"Blood Bind."
Tendrils of crimson energy erupted from her back, lashing out like whips. Lira dodged, flipping through the air, but one tendril grazed her leg—drawing blood.
"Ugh," Lira hissed. "You're disgusting."
Azael licked the blood from her claw. "You taste like static and bad decisions."
---
Shigen Unleashed
Shigen stood still, watching the chaos unfold. His flames flickered low, almost lazy.
Then Gorath charged him, fists raised.
"Stone Breaker!"
The punch came like a meteor.
Shigen didn't move.
He raised one hand.
"Ash."
A pulse of blue fire exploded from his palm, colliding with Gorath's fist mid-swing. The impact sent shockwaves through the air, blowing out windows and cracking the walls.
Gorath stumbled back, his arm scorched and smoking.
"You're not human," he growled.
Shigen's eyes glowed crimson. "Not anymore."
He stepped forward, flames spiraling around him like a storm.
"Cinderfall."
The ceiling above them cracked, and a rain of burning embers poured down, each ember seeking flesh, searing through armor and skin alike. Dread-class demons still crawling through the windows were reduced to ash before they could scream.
---
The Turning Tide
Shoto and Gorath clashed again, fists meeting stone, the ground beneath them cratering with every blow.
"Stone Requiem!" Gorath roared, slamming both fists into the ground.
A dome of rock erupted around them, sealing them in.
Inside, it was a brutal slugfest—raw power against raw will. Shoto's knuckles bled. Gorath's jaw cracked. Neither yielded.
Outside, Azael and Lira danced through lightning and blood.
"Thunder Bloom!" Lira shouted, unleashing a burst of electricity in all directions.
Azael absorbed it, her body glowing red-hot.
"Blood Furnace."
She exhaled a wave of boiling crimson mist, melting the floorboards and forcing Lira to retreat.
Shigen walked through the chaos, untouched, his flames now eerily silent.
He raised both hands.
"Final Ember."
A sphere of blue fire formed above his palm, pulsing like a heartbeat. He hurled it into the air—where it exploded, raining down searing light that vaporized the last of the Dread-class demons.
---
The Aftermath
The stone dome shattered.
Shoto emerged, dragging Gorath's unconscious body by the collar.
Azael stood over Lira, one claw at her throat.
"Yield," Shigen said, voice flat.
Lira spat blood, grinning. "You're strong. I'll give you that."
She looked at Gorath, then back at Shigen.
"We're not the only ones. The Black Vatrint is just getting started."
Shigen's eyes narrowed. "What's your goal?"
Lira smirked. "You'll see. When the Ninth Gate opens… and Keziah takes her throne."
Azael's expression darkened.
Shoto groaned. "Oh great. More cryptic demon prophecy crap."
Shigen turned to Azael. "You know what she's talking about?"
Azael didn't answer.
She was staring at the horizon.
And for the first time since they met… she looked afraid.
[End of Chapter Seven]