Seventeen years ago
The world lay shrouded not in light, but in a heavy, dark-red haze. The air was dry, the ground cracked and ruined. Sunlight couldn't pierce the suffocating sky. Amid the wasteland rested a lifeless demon mother, her body still fresh yet unmistakably taken by hunger and thirst.
A newborn's cry broke the silence.
The infant had slipped from her mother's womb only moments before. Beside the scene stood a lone figure draped in a dark-purple cloak. He stared down at the tiny form, then slowly bent to lift the baby from the dead earth. His voice was deep and cracked as he muttered, "Sorrow for the one born so unlucky."
His gaze drifted to the demon mother's still body. "You will serve as a fine experiment... a step toward breaching the Human World."
He pulled the hood of his purple cloak back from his neck, revealing a pale, expressionless face. He studied the infant still wailing in his arms. "It's a girl..."
A faint pause.
"I will name you Jinx."
Back in the present
Elias and Gottfried were busy setting up their tent when thunder rolled across the sky, low and distant at first. Then the wind surged, sweeping violently across the open meadow. Before either of them could comment on the sudden change, a beastly scream tore through the air—deep and feral, something like a bear, yet warped and wrong.
Both men jolted, eyes darting across the vast, empty field.
"A beast?!" Elias shouted.
"Is there a beast?!" Gottfried echoed, his voice tight with alarm.
Elias drew his sword in one fluid motion, then handed his backup blade to Gottfried. As Gottfried remained where he stood, gripping the weapon with both hands, he watched his father walk a little farther ahead, scanning for the source of the sound.
Elias glanced back at him. "Gottfried, stay there, okay?"
Gottfried nodded, drawing the second sword fully as he braced himself.
Elias continued forward, brow furrowed. "No way... where is that sound coming from? This place is completely open—nothing can hide out here..." His voice trailed off as a prickling sensation crawled up his spine. An ominous aura pressed in from behind.
He froze.
Slowly turning, Elias's breath caught. A towering monster—massive as an elephant—stood directly behind Gottfried. Its body resembled a golem carved from obsidian, its surface shrouded in swirling dark energy. Four glowing eyes stared unblinking, fixed on the boy.
Elias's gaze locked onto Gottfried—
Adrenaline surged through Elias as he screamed, "GOTTFRIED, DODGE!"
Gottfried froze, shocked, looking up just in time to see the golem looming above him. Before the creature could swing its massive arm, Elias moved with blinding speed, propelling himself toward Gottfried and shoving him out of the way. Gottfried was flung aside, tumbling, while the golem's swing came crashing down and crushed Elias against the ground—
the impact sending a violent shockwave that shattered the earth into dust.
Gottfried scrambled up, grabbing his sword, voice trembling as he screamed, "Dad!!"
As the dust thinned, Elias was revealed—holding back the golem's crushing strike with his sword, roaring through clenched teeth, "HEAAARRGH!"
He tightened his grip, flames igniting along the blade. With a burst of strength he unleashed several blazing slashes on the golem's arm, shattering it. Jumping back to recover, he threw a glance at Gottfried, eyes wide.
"I've never encountered this... Not this species—this kind of beast doesn't exist on Earth. And inside it... I can see so many souls trapped inside..."
Gottfried stared, confused. What even is this...? What's going on?
Elias spoke quickly. "Gottfried, I'll distract the monster. I have no idea what it is, but its weakest spot has to be the head. Remember—aim for the head!"
Gottfried locked eyes on the golem, muttering under his breath, "This creature... it looks created? And this aura... It's intense..."
Taking a breath, Elias braced himself—his sword blazing heavier with fire—then launched forward with such speed that the ground cracked beneath him.
The golem let out a piercing shriek, like a mutated eagle fading into an energy beam's whine. Its head morphed, glowing yellow as power surged inside, before unleashing a massive laser beam that tore through everything in its path. The dirt burned instantly from the heat.
Startled, Elias shouted, "What the?!" and barely dodged. Closing the distance, he slashed the golem's leg and arm in one swift motion—
only to freeze in shock as the limbs regenerated instantly, obsidian rock pulling itself together.
The golem swung, striking Elias and sending him flying. He rolled violently across the ground, skidding to a dusty halt.
Gottfried sprinted around the creature to get a blind angle, but he couldn't see Elias through the explosion of dust.
"DAD!!!" he screamed, heart pounding.
Gripping his sword, he charged and leapt high toward the golem, roaring, "ARGHHH!" as he aimed for its head.
But the golem vanished—
then reappeared in a flash above him, ready to crush him.
Gottfried gasped, frozen. I can't react—it's too fast!
At the last moment, Elias broke through the dust and shoved him aside.
"DON'T SPACE OUT!!"
The golem's punch slammed into the ground, creating a deep fissure. A shockwave hurled both Elias and Gottfried backward.
Dizzy and bruised, Gottfried spotted his father—blood streaming from a cut on his forehead. Both of them were panting, strained and exhausted.
Elias steadied his stance, sword raised. "We can't attack it alone—this thing's too strong, Gottfried."
Gottfried, breath shaking, raised his sword again. "Dad... what should we do?"
Elias answered quickly, "You'll bait the monster. When I give the signal, use your Fire Flash to blind it."
Gottfried hesitated. "Dad... you know that'll drain my stamina. I won't be strong enough to help yo—"
"It's just for a moment. Got it?" Elias cut him off.
Gottfried nodded firmly, taking position.
The golem let out a deafening roar and charged toward Gottfried, its steps like thunder—
BADUM BADUM BADUM—
the ground trembling under each stride.
Elias moved swiftly to flank it. Gottfried braced himself, panic rising.
"NOW!!" Elias shouted as the golem came within reach.
"FLASH IGNITE!" Gottfried roared, releasing a blinding flare. The golem staggered, stunned.
Elias seized the opening—
leaping in from the side, rising from below with a powerful upper slash. The fire ignited in a roaring burst—
VVVSSSHHOOOSH!
—and the golem's head flew off, crashing to the ground.
Elias stepped back. "It's over... creature..."
But then—
before their eyes—
the golem's head regenerated instantly, morphing into an even more menacing form.
A deafening shockwave burst from the monster, forcing both of them to clutch their ears.
Elias gritted his teeth. "THAT'S NOT ENOUGH, HUH?!"
Roaring, he dashed toward the monster. The golem lunged to meet him.
With one swift motion, Elias drove his sword deep into the golem's core.
"CRIMSON WEB OF INFERNO FLAME!!!"
Fire erupted everywhere—hundreds of fiery rays bursting through the golem's body. Elias shoved the blade deeper, heat intensifying.
"DIEEEEE!!!"
The golem screamed in agony as it exploded—
fragments scattering across the field as the shockwave flung the pieces away.
Elias stabbed his sword into the ground, gasping for breath. Gottfried watched from a distance, panting.
A raindrop struck his cheek. He looked up. "It's... raining..."
He tried to stand, but collapsed to his knees. "Damn it... that Flash Ignite really drained me..." He forced himself upright. "I have to help Dad..."
But Elias's eyes widened.
The fragments...
were moving.
"No... IMPOSSIBLE!"
He sprinted toward the reforming pieces—but they merged too fast, constructing an even larger, more monstrous golem.
Elias skidded to a halt, horrified. "Cutting the head is impossible... attacking the core only shatters it... and now it's evolving?! How the hell are we supposed to defeat this creature?!"
From the side, Gottfried arrived—
just in time.
He ignited fire beneath his feet, boosting into the air. In mid-air, frustration twisted his expression. Fire gathered on his right arm, forming a blazing gauntlet as he fell.
"Leave my father... AAAALONEEE!!!"
He launched downward, fire roaring like a jet engine. The punch struck the creature's head—
BOOOOM!
—fire splattering everywhere like burning fireworks.
The golem slammed into the ground, carving a massive crater.
As dust settled—
the golem vanished.
Reappearing beside the crater, charging full speed—
its body twisting, mouth opening, churning power.
"WATCH OUT!!!" Elias yelled.
The beast unleashed an electric yellow beam—
tearing across the ground toward Gottfried.
He had no time to react.
"Shi—!"
The beam hit. The ground erupted in crackling electricity. Gottfried was blasted away, rolling violently as his skin burned.
"SON!!!" Elias screamed.
Rage consumed him.
"YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!!!"
Flames erupted around his body—
hotter than before—
turning blue.
His sword melted into pure fire, shaping itself into a chaotic, dancing blue inferno.
With a roar, Elias launched forward.
"DURENDAL — HELL OF FLAME!!!!"
The golem swung a massive fist—
meeting Elias head-on.
Elias didn't dodge.
He accelerated—
slicing deep through the monster's arm, cutting further into its core until the golem's body nearly split in half.
He swung his chaotic, fiery blade in every direction, slicing relentlessly to keep the creature from regenerating.
Gottfried, far in the distance, wasn't even standing anymore—he lay collapsed on the ruined ground, weak, battered, bloody, every breath shaky as he watched the battle unfold. Blue flame impacts detonated across the field, each one bursting with blinding flashes like miniature thunderclaps. His eyes could barely keep up, blinking against the searing light as Elias completed another flurry of slashes.
Panting heavily, Elias stared at the golem's fragments as they began to twitch—moving again, trying to reform. His eyes widened.
He stomped the ground so hard cracks rippled outward.
"Not yet?!"
Suddenly, the blue flame replacing his sword's blade surged—extending upward, stretching impossibly long, almost reaching the sky. The heat radiating from it was overwhelming, scorching the ground so severely that even distant grass withered and burned. A massive column of blue fire erupted skyward like a raging tornado, roaring with a deep
WHOOOOSHHHH!
As the golem pulled itself together once more, Elias let out a primal roar:
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGHHH!"
He swung the massive, elongated blade downward.
BOOM!
The impact carved a colossal, straight crater across the land. Gottfried was flung backward by the shockwave, groaning as he tumbled through the dirt.
"Erghaakk! Dad!!!"
The earth split apart—crust shattering, splintering in jagged lines as explosive shockwaves tore through the meadow. Dust and debris spiraled high into the air while blue flames scorched everything in sight. Even the rain clouds above were blown away, leaving only harsh, blinding light piercing through the aftermath.
Gottfried struggled to lift his head. His clothes were in tatters, his body lined with cuts, blood dripping from countless wounds.
"I have never seen my father battle before... His power and strength are nothing like mine... I saw that flame turn blue... that blue fire..." he muttered shakily. "According to the books I read... blue flame can only be achieved through incredible experience... through countless tough battles... and with stronger genetics..."
His gaze shifted to Elias in the distance—his father staggering, fighting to remain standing after the brutal outburst of power. Elias gritted his teeth, struggling to draw breath.
"This is bad... I'm running out of stamina... Last time I used this much power was during the first war..."
Panting, he cursed under his breath.
"Damn it!! The beast golem's body is roasted—why is it still reforming?!"
The beast twisted as it rebuilt itself, its body morphing into a more menacing form. Spiked crystal protrusions jutted from its frame, humming with dark energy. It let out a piercing, inhuman scream that shook the earth.
Elias smirked, a wild, exhausted laugh escaping him.
"HahahaHaaa! Is that not ENOUGH for you?!"
He lowered his voice, muttering to himself, "I have to go beyond..."
His thoughts flashed back—Marie holding his hand, her eyes filled with both fear and trust.
"Promise me you'll take care of Gottfried."
Now, in the present, he whispered, "Don't worry... my son will survive... because of me."
A strained, desperate smile formed on his face.
"C'mon, monster! How many stages can you go through?!"
The crystalline beast twisted its neck unnaturally—its head smoothing over like liquid—before reshaping into a destructive weapon. Purple electricity crackled violently inside it, energy surging until a bright sphere formed, shifting the atmosphere into a threatening, violet haze.
Elias gathered every last drop of stamina he had left. His flames intensified once more, turning that deep, brilliant blue as his eyes glowed, also shifting into blue light. The ground beneath him began to melt from the sheer heat of his aura.
The golem charged its beam—while Elias ignited his own fiery power.
The clashing colors—purple and blue—painted the entire battlefield.
Gottfried stared at the impending collision, anxiety crushing his chest. Gritting his teeth, he dragged himself across the ground with his arms alone.
"I'm so useless... I can't do anything. Why can't I just stand...?!"
He remembered the beast's yellow energy ray striking him earlier. The pain. The shock. The helplessness.
With a surge of will, he screamed:
"E–EEAAA... AARGHHHH!!!!!"
But his legs still wouldn't obey. His body collapsed again. Tears filled his eyes as he looked toward his father, powerless.
"DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT!!!"
The crystalline beast locked onto Elias, its massive purple electric ray seconds away from firing—when suddenly—
A sharp whistle sliced through the air.
The beast abruptly halted its charging as the purple beam flickered and faded away. Its body reverted to its original form, standing unnervingly still—obedient, like a trained hound listening for its master.
Elias froze mid-preparation, thrown completely off guard.
"Who just whistled?!" he barked, eyes scanning the battlefield. "Someone is commanding the monster!"
Then he spotted Gottfried lying on the ground.
Fear overtook everything else.
He ignored the golem entirely and leapt high into the air, landing beside his son and grabbing him tightly.
"Gottfried!!!"
Gottfried stared up at him, confused and scared.
"Who just whistled?!"
"I don't know," Elias answered urgently, "but we have to get out of here—now!"
He tried to support Gottfried, lifting him as they turned to escape. But Gottfried suddenly froze, his voice trembling.
"D-d-dad..."
Elias followed his gaze—and his breath caught.
Someone was walking toward them.
A lone figure... calm... deliberate... exuding a pressure so overwhelming it felt like gravity itself thickened. Gottfried whispered weakly, "Who... is that...?"
The figure's cold gaze alone sent a shiver through his bones.
Elias stepped forward protectively, shouting,
"Stop right there! If you won't identify yourself, and you come any closer, you'll be in trouble!"
But before he could even finish—
The figure vanished.
One moment it was walking... the next it had disappeared as if the world blinked.
Elias reacted instantly, releasing Gottfried and igniting his blue flames. He pivoted, instincts screaming.
But he was too slow.
The figure appeared right in front of him and swung its arm with lightning speed.
The impact cracked across Elias's face, sending him rolling across the ground. Blood splattered from his mouth as he struggled to stabilize himself, but the figure was already rushing again.
It moved in a zigzag pattern—flickering left, right, left—each movement untraceable, vanishing and reappearing before Elias could focus. By the time Elias registered the attack, it was already too late.
A flurry of punches tore into his body.
"AGKHH!! I... c-could not... react..."
Blood spattered everywhere as he was sent spiraling away again, crashing violently into the earth.
Gottfried's eyes widened in horror.
"Who is this person?!... A mysterious figure... cloak—dark purple..."
The stranger turned toward him. Their cold gaze pierced straight into Gottfried's core. Slowly, the figure pulled back their hood—revealing sharp, menacing horns jutting from their skull.
Gottfried and Elias both gasped.
"A demon?!"
Elias tried to push himself up. His voice shook.
"Demons with horns... they're classified as the high ones... the strong..."
But as he tried to stand, he felt something wrong. His vision blurred, and a spreading purple rash crawled across his skin. His muscles twitched uncontrollably.
He looked down at his body in disbelief, then back to the demon.
"The demon... poisoned me...! Shit!"
His breath hitched.
"ERAGHH!! W-What is this—poison?!"
He vomited blood, collapsing again, his strength draining rapidly.
"I... have to... protect... Gottfried..."
A memory flashed—him holding newborn Gottfried in his arms, overwhelmed with purpose.
"The reason I was able to feel alive... was because I had a family... And... I won't lose you... Gottfried!!"
He screamed desperately,
"Stop! Don't do anything to my son! Please—I beg you!"
The demon didn't react. Emotionless. Silent.
Then—
It rushed toward Gottfried at a speed like a beam of light.
Gottfried's instincts screamed. He ignited fire along his arm, pulling back to strike with everything he had.
"Die, you piece of shi—!"
But the demon sidestepped instantly. The attack missed completely.
A crystal shard formed in the demon's hand—its color shimmering silver and purple. With a brutally precise thrust, the demon stabbed the shard into the center of Gottfried's chest.
Bone shattered.
The shard tore through flesh, through rib, through heart—bursting out through his back in a shower of blood.
Gottfried's raised arm dropped uselessly. His strength vanished. Blood gushed from his chest as his vision wavered.
"A...grh... gag... ghak..."
His eyes lowered, dimming... his voice reduced to wet gurgles.
Elias watched from the distance—helpless, poisoned, dying—as his son collapsed.
His heart shattered.
"Nooooooooooooo!!
HAAAAAARGH!!!
GOTTFRIED!!!!!"
His scream echoed across the ruined field
Elias coughed up blood, his voice strained with agony.
"AGH—AGH! I WILL KILL YOU!!!"
Tears of rage streaked down his face as he forced his trembling arm up, firing a burst of flame from his palm toward the demon. But the fire sputtered out immediately—the poison and his fading stamina snuffing it out before it could form.
"D-Damn it...!" Elias gasped, panting, crying, his breath ragged. His body swayed as he tried to stand, only to collapse and vomit blood again. The poison crawled deeper through his veins, burning toward his heart.
"I have... no strength left... The poison... is killing me..." he choked.
Tears streamed down his cheeks as despair overtook him. "Marie... I'm sorry... I couldn't protect Gottfried... What... what should I do...?"
His vision blurred. His face twisted in grief as he stared at Gottfried's lifeless body lying motionless on the ruined ground.
The demon approached Elias, its footsteps calm, its stare cold and merciless.
"I don't have to finish you," the demon said, voice low and emotionless. "You will see your son's dead body... and soon, the poison will kill you as well."
It walked past Elias as if he were nothing, placing a hand on the massive golem beside it. The demon whispered a command:
"Open portal."
The air cracked. A swirling distortion formed—a circular tear in reality itself. The edges rippled like a storm as a portal opened before the demon.
Without another glance, the demon stepped toward it, leaving behind Elias and the lifeless body of Gottfried... drowning in despair.
Volume 1 ends here. The story continues in Volume 2