The night grew colder as the moon disappeared behind dark clouds.
A strange whisper echoed through the forest.
"Help..."
Akira followed the voice without hesitation, leaving the village behind. The deeper he walked into the Crimson Forest, the denser the darkness became. Ancient trees blocked the moonlight, and the only sound was the rustling of leaves.
Then...
A low growl echoed from every direction.
One by one, glowing crimson eyes emerged from the shadows.
Wolves.
Giant spiders.
Horned beasts.
More and more monsters surrounded him until there was no escape.
Akira calmly drew his sword.
"I don't have time to waste."
The monsters charged.
The Sword of the Silent Wind
Akira took one step forward.
First Form: Flowing Gale.
His sword flashed like a gust of wind.
Three monsters collapsed before they realized they had been struck.
Another beast lunged from the side.
Second Form: Blazing Crescent.
Fire wrapped around his blade, leaving a crimson arc through the darkness.
The monster fell instantly.
One after another, the creatures attacked without fear.
Akira responded with the sword techniques he had developed over years of secret training.
Every strike was precise.
Every movement wasted no energy.
Within minutes, dozens of monsters lay defeated.
The forest became silent once again.
Akira slowly lowered his sword.
"It's over..."
Suddenly—
A massive killing intent erupted behind him.
Without turning around, Akira stomped the ground.
Earth Wall!
A thick stone barrier rose instantly.
BOOM!
The attack shattered part of the wall, sending pieces of rock flying through the forest.
Akira finally turned.
Standing before him was a tall demon clad in black armor. Dark crimson mana surrounded its body, and its eyes burned like fire.
The demon smiled.
"So... you're stronger than those insects."
A Gift from the Demon King
The demon slowly drew its sword.
"I have received a portion of His Majesty's power."
"It seems I was fortunate enough to meet an interesting human."
Akira silently took his stance.
The battle began.
Fire clashed against darkness.
Wind collided with demonic energy.
Earth rose from the ground while water formed shields around Akira.
He fought using only the four basic elements, carefully hiding both Lightning and Void.
The demon frowned.
"Impossible..."
"A mere human is matching my strength?"
No matter how fiercely it attacked, Akira calmly blocked every strike.
Not once did panic appear on his face.
The demon's frustration continued to grow.
The Innocent Child
During the battle, movement caught the demon's eye.
A small boy from Crimson Ashen Village stood frozen behind a fallen tree, too frightened to move.
The demon grinned.
"I see..."
"So this is your weakness."
Dark mana gathered around its hand.
"If I cannot defeat you..."
"I'll kill the child."
It unleashed its strongest attack toward the boy.
Akira's eyes widened.
"No!"
Without a second thought, he vanished from where he stood.
He appeared in front of the child.
Both hands rose.
Four magic circles appeared at once.
Earth formed an unbreakable wall.
Water wrapped around it, strengthening the defense.
Wind dispersed the force of the impact.
Fire burned away the remaining demonic energy.
The combined spell completely stopped the attack.
The explosion shook the entire forest.
When the smoke cleared, the child was unharmed.
The demon stared in disbelief.
"...Four elements..."
Before it could react, Akira looked directly into its eyes.
His gaze was colder than ever before.
The demon instinctively stepped back.
"...Monster."
Realizing it could not win, the demon clicked its tongue.
"This isn't over."
Dark mist swallowed its body before it disappeared into the night.
Collapse
Akira turned toward the frightened child.
"It's alright."
"You can go home now."
The boy nodded with tears in his eyes before running back toward the village.
Akira slowly sheathed his sword.
The battle had drained far more mana than he expected.
His vision blurred.
Still, he forced himself to walk back toward Crimson Ashen Village.
As he reached the entrance...
Rin and Liliya came running toward him.
"Akira!"
"We've been looking everywhere!"
Akira managed a faint smile.
"The village... is safe..."
Before he could finish—
His legs gave way.
He collapsed forward.
"Akira!"
Rin caught him before he hit the ground, while Liliya quickly supported his other side.
Both girls looked at him with fear and relief.
They had found him.
But neither of them knew what had truly happened in the forest.
Far away, in the Demon Realm, the injured demon knelt before the throne of the Demon King.
"My Lord..."
"The human..."
"He can command multiple elements."
The Demon King's eyes narrowed.
"So..."
"The one we've been searching for has finally appeared."
A faint smile spread across his face.
"Interesting."
The hunt had only just begun.