Long ago Lucifer was not a powerful king or a leader of shadows. He was just a small boy living in a dark village hidden between cold mountains. The people in that village were very poor and the weather was always freezing. Lucifer had no parents and no friends.
The other children in the village were very mean to him because he was small and weak. They would hit him with sticks and push him down into the cold mud every single day. Lucifer had no shoes and no food to eat.
He slept under wooden carts near the dirt road. He cried every night while looking at the dark sky. He hated his life and he hated every person in his village. He wanted to be strong so that no one could ever hurt him again.
He wanted everyone to bow down to him and fear his name.
One terrible winter night when the cold wind was blowing hard Lucifer walked deep into the dark forest behind the village.
He was looking for dry wood to make a small fire. While walking through the deep snow he saw a strange red light shining from under a big black stone. Lucifer walked closer to see what it was.
He moved the heavy stone with his weak hands. Under the stone lay a small red rock that looked like a glowing heart. It was a rare and ancient Boron stone. The Boron stone had a dark spirit trapped inside it for hundreds of years. The moment Lucifer touched the red rock with his fingers a loud voice echoed inside his mind. The dark spirit spoke to him and made a terrible deal. The spirit told Lucifer that if he sacrificed his humanity and ate the cold flesh of his enemies for seven days the Boron would grant him the power to control shadows and live for four hundred years without ever getting sick.
Lucifer did not hesitate for even a single second. His heart was already full of deep hatred and poison. That night he returned to his village while everyone was fast asleep inside their warm wooden houses. Using the dark red rock Lucifer created his very first shadow blade. He went from house to house in the middle of the night.
He killed every single person who had ever been mean to him. He killed the bad boys who hit him with sticks and he killed the old men who refused to give him food. For seven long days and seven long nights Lucifer stayed alone in the ruined village fulfilling the terrible ritual of the Boron stone. By the end of the seventh day his human soul was completely dead. His eyes turned bright red like burning coals and his skin became cold like stone.
The shadows on the ground began to move on their own and obey his every command. He created his first three shadow warriors out of the dark souls of the village leaders. From that day on Lucifer was no longer a human child. He became the dark master of the Shadow Army.
Now inside the big hall of the Ghost Village Lucifer sat on his giant stone throne remembering his past.
He looked down at Saikyō with his red glowing eyes and smiled. Saikyō did not care about Lucifer's past or his dark power. Saikyō stood near the heavy wooden doors with his black eyes fixed on the throne. His dark red aura was still radiating from his body making the air in the hall feel extremely hot.
Lucifer set his glass cup down on the stone table and stood up slowly. He was very tall and wore a long black coat that dragged on the stone floor. Lucifer said you have come a long way boy but your journey ends right here in this room. Saikyō did not answer him. Saikyō raised his right hand and pointed his finger at Lucifer. Saikyō said give me my sister Hanako and my friend Miyamoto or I will destroy this entire hall along with your body. Lucifer laughed loudly. His voice echoed off the high stone walls. Lucifer said you are just a fifteen year old child who does not understand true power. My shadow Boron is far superior to yours because I have spent centuries perfecting my control over the dark arts.
Lucifer snapped his fingers and ran forward with incredible speed. He moved so fast that he looked like a black blur gliding across the floor. He raised both of his hands and ten long shadow blades shot out from his fingertips like sharp steel needles.
Saikyō did not dodge. He raised his arms and blocked the incoming shadow blades with his bare forearms. The collision of their power created a massive shockwave that shattered the stone tiles under their feet. Dust and small rocks flew in every direction.
Lucifer's shadow blades scraped against Saikyō's red aura creating bright orange sparks. Lucifer was surprised by the sheer density of Saikyō's energy. He pressed harder trying to drive the sharp shadow blades directly into Saikyō's throat. Saikyō stood his ground like a mountain. His black eyes did not flicker for a moment. Saikyō tightened his fists and
expanded his red aura all at once. The explosion of energy pushed Lucifer back three steps.
Saikyō took advantage of the moment and lunged forward. He threw a heavy straight punch aiming right for Lucifer's chest. Lucifer reacted quickly by pulling the shadows from the floor to form a thick black shield in front of his body. Saikyō's fist hit the shadow shield with a deafening boom.
The force of the impact cracked the dark shield in the middle. Lucifer felt the massive power behind the punch through his shield and his eyes widened in shock. He realized that if that punch had hit his body directly his ribs would have been completely crushed.
Lucifer leaped backward creating distance between them. He landed near his stone throne and raised both hands toward the high ceiling. All the shadows in the corners of the big hall began to stream toward his hands like dark rivers of water. The shadows gathered together forming a giant ball of compressed dark energy. The black sphere grew larger and larger until it filled half the room. The air inside the hall became freezing cold as the dark energy absorbed all the light and heat.
Lucifer shouted die now Sekai Saikyō and threw the giant black sphere straight at Saikyō. The dark ball traveled across the hall destroying the stone floor beneath it and leaving a deep trench in the ground. Saikyō did not run away and he did not jump. He stepped forward with his left leg and planted his feet firmly onto the ground. He held out both of his open hands to receive the giant mass of dark energy.
When the black sphere made contact with Saikyō's hands a loud explosion shook the entire Ghost Village. Cracks spread across the stone walls of the main hall and pieces of the roof began to fall down. Saikyō was pushed backward by the force of the attack.
His boots carved deep grooves into the stone floor as he slid back ten feet. The dark energy burned his clothes and cut small scratches onto his face and arms. Blood trickled down from his forehead into his eyes.
Saikyō let out a deep roar and channeled thirty percent more of his Boron aura into his arms. His dark red aura burst outward engulfing the black sphere. Saikyō squeezed his hands tight around the giant dark ball.
The pressure of his red aura forced the compressed shadows to crack and fracture. With one final push Saikyō crushed the giant dark sphere into nothingness. The black energy exploded into a harmless cloud of dark dust that drifted away into the air.
Lucifer stood near his throne breathing heavily. He could not believe what he had just witnessed with his own eyes. A fifteen year old boy had stopped his strongest shadow technique with his bare hands. Lucifer's chest heaved as he tried to gather more shadow energy from the room but his body was reaching its limit.
Saikyō walked through the lingering dust cloud toward the stone throne. His steps were slow steady and heavy. His face was covered in dust and blood but his black eyes were as cold and focused as ever. He stopped five feet away from Lucifer.
Saikyō raised his right hand and gathered all his remaining red aura into his palm. The red light glowed so brightly that it illuminated every dark corner of the big hall. Saikyō looked at Lucifer and said your shadow army is finished and your dark reign ends today.
Before Lucifer could raise another shadow shield Saikyō struck forward with his full power. His glowing palm hit Lucifer directly in the center of his chest. The force of the blow shattered Lucifer's chest bone and sent a massive red shockwave straight through his body. Lucifer coughed up a huge spray of black blood as he flew backward crashing through his stone throne and slamming into the thick back wall of the hall. The heavy stone wall collapsed on top of him burying him under a pile of dark rubble.
Silence returned to the big hall. The dark shadow aura that had filled the room for decades slowly faded away. The dark red sky outside began to clear up revealing a peaceful blue horizon.
Saikyō lowered his hand and dropped his aura level back to zero.
He felt a sudden sharp pain in his chest as his Boron took away another portion of his lifespan in exchange for the power he had just used. Saikyō stumbled slightly but kept his balance. He turned his head and looked toward the quiet corner of the big room.
There lying side by side on a soft straw mat were his younger sister Hanako and his loyal companion Miyamoto. Both of them were fast asleep unaffected by the violent battle that had just taken place. Saikyō walked over to them slowly.
He knelt down on the floor beside his sister and gently placed his hand on her forehead. She was warm and breathing peacefully. Saikyō closed his eyes for a short moment feeling a sense of relief inside his quiet heart.