In a bright flash of light—no, a flashbang of light—it appeared as suddenly as it came, in the endless forest.
Ah…
What happened?
No. Who—where… what…
A bizarre man stood in a circle of magical runes and scriptures written in a strange language. It was in a small clearing in the forest.
The man—or perhaps a late teen—was pale, with black eyes. Black eyes that didn't share even the slightest bit of emotion, looking like a void. His hair was awfully long, like a woman's—black, flawless, and straight. He wore a normal school uniform.
"???"
"???"
The student looked around, confused, but his face soon grew indifferent. He looked down at the ground, noticing the magic circle. Then he glanced around again, not seeing anyone so far.
"Where is this… no. Who am I…?"
He was confused—and reasonably so.
There he is!
The demon!
Damn cu—
Thief!
He heard voices.
No… voices? Some of them were from his own inner consciousness… but he heard a few others too—ones that were real. He sharply turned his head toward the direction where he heard them, and an arrow flew past narrowly.
It was dumb luck. Yes… had it not been for his sudden head movement, he would have died right there.
Damn bug.
Bug…?
Why did he think that?
Without a moment to ponder uselessly, people emerged from the shadows and bushes. They were wearing cloaks. They seemed like hunters—or assassins. Some were equipped with daggers, bows, and swords.
Numbering to… a dozen?!
What did he do!? This made no sense—!
!
A sharp instinct took over him, and he narrowly dodged a sudden swing from behind.
He was surrounded.
"Do you have no shame—!"
"Shut up, demon! We've seen your kind before!"
The person who had tried attacking him from behind yelled sharply at him, cutting him off. He seemed like a veteran.
But… what did he mean by his kind?
No. He had to fight—or he would die.
He scoffed, dashing forward in an instant. He bashed the veteran with his shoulder, using the momentum to flip the man over. The man seemed surprised, not expecting it from the young man in front of him. His grip over his sword loosened, letting it fall.
"!"
Slash.
It was quick—and merciless.
The student grabbed the sword, and in the next moment he cut the man's stomach open, revealing his organs inside. The man fell hard to the ground, bleeding out like a pig, his organs spilling out.
Meanwhile…
…I killed him.
Strangely, I felt relieved. Like I had gotten rid of a dirt stain.
His hair flowed softly in the wind, despite the act he had committed. The other hunters stood frozen.
"I understand… so my name is… Kussho?"
He remembered his name.
Kussho.
That was it?
He sighed tiredly, shaking.
The other hunters rushed at him, enraged by their comrade's death.
Killed via decapitation.
Killed by being split in half diagonally.
Killed—
Each time he killed them, he felt further relieved. However, his heart was still a void. His stance and style became more refined with every kill. By the ninth kill, it was beginning to resemble a proper fighting style.
Only one hunter was left.
"The hell… this kid is a demon…"
The hunter seemed experienced, no longer foolishly rushing in. He could sense it—the gap in power between them. He never thought he'd need to use this. He thought normal combat would be enough to deal with him, but—
"DAMN YOU DEM—!"
He yelled at the person in front of him.
Then suddenly, black and red magical runes began appearing on his skin. They hadn't been there before.
The hunter began using magic, focusing his attributes—fire and darkness.
Using darkness first, he created a ball of it, about the size of a basketball. Then, using flames, he fed them into the darkness like a black hole, absorbing the fire into it. The core temperature of the ball of darkness rose rapidly.
The darkness began changing.
Turning into a burning star?
No.
A black star with four pointed edges.
It increased and decreased in size, pulsating.
[Void Flames Hybrid Attribute; False Star]
???
What the hell—
I gripped my sword, covered in blood. My eyes widened in alarm.
Magic?
No… despite being several feet away, I could feel it.
The heat.
It was burning. It was painful.
I stepped back, recognizing the danger. I looked at the hunter.
Despite the natural resistance given by his flame attribute, he was melting—quite literally. His control over the false star was slipping.
If I didn't find a way to stop it, or get out of the possible explosion range…
I would die.
I turned my back to the hunter, dashing in the opposite direction.
I had to run.
I didn't even know magic existed in this world—let alone how to stop that move.
Even while running, I could feel it.
The heat.
It was increasing rapidly.
Any second now it was going to detonate.
I needed cover.
Dashing behind trees and any obstacles in the star's path, he hid.
?!?!?
Boom!
An explosion echoed out, and in the distance a ball of darkness could be seen expanding.
No.
It reached the sky.
As the darkness expanded, the shockwave arrived first. He was blasted back into another tree, cracking one of his ribs.
Next he saw the fading ball of darkness reaching the sky—and the flames.
No…
Damn it.
The black flames were rapidly devouring the forest.
He wouldn't be safe for long.
He needed to move.
Move—
The world spun before his eyes.
Then he fell into unconsciousness.
Oh dear…
What a mess.
Hey. There seems to be a survivor there!
I can barely sense him! Strange… this kid… he possesses nothing? Not even his channels are open… and his mana seems… so blank!
Yeah—
—?
I know this seems awfully rushed and fast-paced, but I'll try to make it make more sense in the next chapter.