As morning light spilled through the academy's training field, the six swords sparred with fluid grace. Riku stood beside them, arms folded, observing silently. It was then that Wonryou, the red-haired girl, walked up to him. Her crimson ponytail shimmered under the sun, damp with sweat from training.
"Riku," she said, her voice calm but laced with a hint of excitement, "While you were in seclusion… the academy held the Demon Cave Trial. All of us attempted it."
Riku tilted his head. "And?"
She lowered her gaze. "None of us passed. We reached the inner wall, but traps were very hard to see through , we couldn't defeat it."
Riku simply nodded. "I see."
He didn't ask for more details. Instead, he turned and headed toward the baths without another word.
Wonryou blinked, unsure whether he had taken it personally or not.
After a long, silent bath where steam curled against polished jade walls, Riku changed into his formal robe and moved directly toward the Right Guardian's pavilion.
The sun was high when he arrived. The Right Guardian, a lean, sharp-eyed man draped in ceremonial armor, raised a brow. "Riku? To what do I owe—?"
"Tell me about the Demon Cave Test," Riku said plainly, without any greeting.
Before the guardian could answer, a courier burst in—Cheong, a boy from the Blade Clan. He stepped forward, bowed, and handed a scroll sealed in silver wax.
The Right Guardian frowned. "A personal dispatch? At this time?"
Even as confusion spread, Riku broke the seal and glanced at the content. His expression didn't change. He folded the scroll and slipped it into his robe. Then he looked at the Right Guardian again.
"Tell me."
"…Very well." The man straightened. "The Demon Cave lies beneath the western ravine. A cursed place from ancient times. Inside, it's a maze of traps, illusions, and ancient seals. They say at the heart of the cave lies a demonic beast—it chooses the worthy. If you defeat ."
Riku's eyes gleamed with Sharingan light.
Without another word, he turned and vanished in a blur, headed toward the cave.
The entrance of the Demon Cave loomed like a gaping mouth. Darkness poured out of it like breath from an ancient corpse. As Riku stepped inside, the light disappeared entirely.
Pitch black.
But to Riku, it was clear as day. His Sharingan spun, detecting qi signatures, heat sources, and even air flow.
He recalled the map of the cave—passed on to him within the silver scroll from hidden location of detention place —and moved precisely through winding tunnels, avoiding deadly traps, collapsing paths, and cursed stones.
Minutes later, he reached the final wall—a thick mass of dark stone, pulsing with suppressed demonic energy. He placed his palm on it.
"Behind this... you wait."
Drawing his blade, Riku whispered, "Heaven Severing Doctrine—First Form."
With one smooth, flowing motion, his sword sliced the wall in half. The stone didn't shatter—it simply parted, as if it had been waiting to be cut.
Inside, the demonic beast roared—a hulking creature with two horns, obsidian scales, and fire leaking from its eyes. It charged at Riku the instant their gazes met.
But Riku had already moved.
"Wood Style: Binding Domain."
From the ground, thick roots and branches erupted, moving with terrifying speed. They bound the beast's legs, then pierced into its back, pinning it before it could take a full step. It collapsed with a thud.
Riku stood over it. "You are strong. But not enough."
He bit his thumb, forming a sign with one hand, and slammed his palm on the ground.
"Fuinjutsu: Demonic Contract Seal."
A glowing circle of crimson runes appeared beneath the beast, pulsing in unison with his chakra. Blood from his thumb ran into the lines of the seal, and the creature's eyes turned from rage to obedience.
The contract was complete.
In that moment, something ancient beneath the cave stirred.
The runes lit up again—this time brighter. They merged into his chest, forming a demonic lotus crest just beside his heart.
A system alert rang in his mind:
[You have absorbed the core of the Demon Emperor's Inheritance. Demon Emperor Qi Unlocked. Only the Chosen may wield it.]
A multicolored flame spread inside his dantian, fusing with his own energy.
His Qi transformed—denser, colder, yet divine. He was now only a step away from the Life and Death Realm.
Hours later, Riku emerged from the cave.
His body was covered in dust and beast blood, and the stench was unbearable. The moment he stepped into the outer courtyard, everyone near him stepped back instinctively.
But more disturbing than the smell—was the silence.
No one could feel even a trace of his Qi. It was as if he were a shadow with no soul, a sword without edge, unreadable and silent.
The Right Guardian stood up as Riku approached.
"I'm back," Riku said.
"Y-You…" the guardian stammered. "You really—did you pass the trial?"
Riku didn't answer that. Instead, he turned and asked, "What is the Fifth test?"
Gasps spread across the courtyard. The elders who'd been silently observing couldn't hide their shock. Even the sky seemed to grow heavy for a moment.
The Right Guardian was speechless.
"Answer me," Riku said calmly.
"…The fifth test," the Right Guardian finally whispered, "is to fight against a Council Member."
Riku's eyes gleamed.
"Then prepare it for me to fight my father ." he said.
And with that, the winds shifted—something powerful had awoken, and all who witnessed it knew—
Riku's ascension was far from over and his revenge.