That night, the Mountain Shrine rested beneath a cold silver moon. Pale mist clung to rooftops and stone walkways, drifting lazily between guardian statues carved by hands long turned to dust. Fires burned low. The clash of steel and magic from the day's brutal training had faded into uneasy silence. Exhausted trainees slept deeply, bodies aching, minds dulled by fatigue-unaware that death was already walking among the trees.
Not everyone slept.
Three reckless silhouettes slipped through the outer corridor, cloaks pulled tight, whispers barely louder than the crunch of gravel beneath their boots.
"Come on, it's just a quick trip," Daichi said with a crooked grin, eyes glinting with excitement rather than sense.
Ren glanced back toward the shrine, fear tightening his chest. "If the masters find out, we're dead. Juzo will skin us alive."
"They won't find out," Kiro said confidently, adjusting the strap of his lamp. "There's wine in the village. One drink. That's it."
Against better judgment, they disappeared into the forest.
High above the training grounds, Saburo, a senior Lampman, paused mid-patrol. His brows knit together as he noticed three trainee missing from their posts.
"...Foolish children," he muttered. His hand tightened around his weapon. "The mountain punishes disobedience."
He motioned to an elite Lampman beside him. "With me. We bring them back before dawn."
They moved swiftly through the moonlit forest, guided by faint laughter echoing through the trees.
Saburo stepped forward, voice cutting through the night. "Enough sneaking around! You think the mountain sleeps when you disobey it?"
The three froze.
"Master Saburo-please!" Daichi stammered, face pale. "We-we only wanted-"
"Silence," Saburo snapped. "You'll explain later. Turn around. Now."
A sickening shhk! tore through the air.
The elite Lampman stiffened. His eyes widened in horror as long, jagged nails burst through his chest. Blood sprayed across the forest floor, steaming faintly in the cold air. His body slumped forward, lifeless.
Ren screamed. "W-what is that?!"
A deep, guttural chuckle echoed between the trees.
"Humans..." the voice rasped. "How fragile you are."
The shadows parted.
Four figures emerged-each radiating a pressure so heavy it crushed breath from lungs.
Enma, flames licking his stolen body, eyes burning with cruel intelligence.
Kemono, the Beast King, massive and hunched, muscles rippling with raw savagery.
Kazane, wings slicing the air as he hovered effortlessly, talons gleaming like executioner's blades.
And Nagatsume, his long, grotesque nails scraping against stone and bark as he crawled forward.
Saburo raised his lamp. "Run!" he roared.
Enma smiled.
Fire erupted.
"NO-!" Saburo screamed as crimson flames engulfed him, devouring flesh and bone in seconds. When the fire faded, nothing remained but drifting ash.
The trainees scattered in terror.
Kazane swooped first. His talons closed around Kiro's shoulders, crushing bone instantly. The boy's scream cut short as Kazane carried him upward-then released him. The body struck the ground with a dull, final sound.
Kemono lunged, slashing through Ren with overwhelming force. Blood sprayed across the trees as Ren crumpled, unmoving.
Daichi ran.
Heart pounding, lungs burning, he sprinted toward the shrine gates, screaming at the top of his lungs. "ALERT THE GUARDS! DEMONS-THEY'VE BREACHED THE SHRINE!"
The alarm bell rang.
Chaos exploded.
Trainees jolted awake as flames lit the sky. Shadows danced violently across stone walls. Screams echoed through the compound.
"Everyone, arm yourselves!" Juzo roared, storming from the training hall, dual hooks already spinning. "Riku! Hana! Nao! NOW!"
Riku drew his twin swords, jaw set. "We won't let them take the shrine."
Hana's hands ignited. "They'll regret stepping foot here."
Nao swallowed hard, summoning his Baby Dragon and Beast Dog. "We fight... together."
Enma's laughter rolled across the battlefield. "Fools... you cannot stop the inevitable!"
The Mountain Shrine trembled.
Above, Kazane dominated the skies.
He dove again and again, talons flashing as he snatched trainees from the ground. One Lampman tried to spear him mid-flight-Kazane twisted, severing the man's arm before tearing out his throat in passing.
"MOVE!" someone screamed. "GET DOWN!"
Too late.
Bodies fell broken.
On the forest paths, Kemono tore through elite Lampmen with brute force, crushing shields, snapping spines, roaring with savage delight.
In the courtyard, Nagatsume moved like a nightmare. His claws stretched impossibly long, slicing through stone, flesh, and steel alike. Two trainees fell instantly.
"Don't engage him alone!" Ichiro shouted, narrowly dodging a swipe that gouged deep trenches into the floor.
Near the shrine gate, Batsu planted himself like an immovable fortress, shield blazing with runes.
"No one passes while I protect this gate!" he thundered.
Enma reached the shrine gate and hurled his flames at the barrier. Fire screamed against the shield, boiling the air-but it did not break.
Enma's gaze hardened. "So the human dares to stand."
Fire erupted again-stronger, hotter-pushing Batsu back step by step.
Above the chaos, Kazane turned his gaze toward Nao.
A grin split his monstrous face.
Nao felt it-pressure bearing down from the sky.
"Attack now!" Nao shouted, pointing upward.
The Baby Dragon leapt skyward, unleashing a torrent of flame. Kazane twisted midair, wings snapping like blades. He passed through the fire untouched, talons slashing across the dragon's side.
The Baby Dragon screeched and crashed to the ground.
"No!" Nao cried.
Kazane descended like a falling star.
Nao barely rolled aside as talons tore through the stone where he had stood. Wind pressure slammed him backward. Pain exploded as claws raked across his armor, drawing blood.
"Pathetic," Kazane hissed, circling. "Your beasts are toys."
Nao staggered to his feet, blood dripping from shallow wounds. He summoned the Beast Dog-only for Kazane to tear through it mid-leap, dispersing it in a howl of shattered light.
Fear surged.
Then-
A sacred lamp flew through the air.
"Light, protect him!" Akari shouted.
The lamp flared, forcing Kazane to recoil with a shriek. Akari grabbed Nao, dragging him back.
"Thank you..." Nao whispered, trembling.
Kazane screamed in fury-and dove again.
He slammed into Akari, claws ripping through armor and flesh. Akari cried out, collapsing beneath the weight.
Nao froze.
Memories flooded him-Hunter Ren dying. Running. Failing.
Something inside him snapped.
"No," Nao whispered.
Then he screamed.
"NOT AGAIN! I WON'T RUN!"
Power erupted.
Flames spiraled violently around him. The Baby Dragon roared as its form expanded-scales hardening, wings unfurling, eyes blazing like molten suns.
The ground cracked.
The Baby Dragon transformed into a colossal dragon, its roar shaking the mountain itself.
Kazane recoiled-too late.
The dragon lunged.
Jaws closed around Kazane midair. Bones shattered. Wings snapped. The demon's scream was cut short as he was crushed, torn apart, and hurled lifeless to the ground in pieces.
Silence followed.
The colossal dragon lowered its massive head, nudging Nao gently.
Nao knelt, trembling, placing a hand against its warm scales. "Good... good boy."
Around him, the battlefield burned.
Corpses littered the ground.
Nao rose, eyes hardening.