Chapter 103 – The Lovers Torn
The night dragged on in unbearable silence.
Aiko sat on her bed, still in the school uniform stained with ash and blood. Her hands clutched the necklace's twin piece — a small charm Zael had given her. It should have felt warm, comforting. Instead, it burned with guilt.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw him — standing amid corpses, his wings dripping fire, his smile sharp and cruel.
Not Renji.
Not the boy she loved.
But Zael, the Demon King.
Her heart waged war with itself.
He's a monster… but he's mine. He saved me, loved me, risked everything for me. How can I fear him?
Tears slid down her cheeks. She pressed the charm against her chest.
"Renji… come back to me. Please…"
Meanwhile, across the city, a hidden council chamber shook with fear.
The hunters had gathered, but the room smelled of smoke and fear more than authority. Old scrolls were scattered across the table, their wards useless now, their sacred blades shattered in the streets.
"He slaughtered an entire battalion," one whispered, voice trembling.
"Not just slaughtered," another corrected. "He devoured them."
The commander slammed his fist against the desk, but his own hand shook.
"He cannot be human. He cannot be allowed to live."
Silence hung heavy. They all remembered the sight — a shadow with wings of fire blotting out the moon, his laughter carrying through the smoke. Even the bravest among them felt their souls recoil.
"Then we use her," the commander muttered darkly. "The girl. The key to his heart. If his rage makes him unstoppable, her betrayal will break him."
A hush fell. No one dared speak against it.
Back in her room, Aiko shivered suddenly, as though a shadow had passed through her heart. She didn't know why, but something deep within her whispered of a choice she would soon have to make — one that could save Zael… or destroy him.
Chapter 104 – Chains of the Heart
The chains were cold. Too cold.
Aiko's wrists ached as she struggled against them, the iron biting into her skin. Strange runes glowed along the shackles, pulsing faintly like living veins. She had been dragged deep into an underground cavern, lit by flickering blue torches. The hunters had found their way back into her life — crueler, more desperate than before.
"This is the only way," one of them hissed, his scarred face illuminated by the flames. "We bleed the girl, the Demon King will come. His heart is bound to hers."
Aiko's eyes widened. Her breath caught in her throat. "You're… using me as bait?"
The leader smirked. "Bait, and blade. With you, little songbird, we'll pierce his armor."
She shivered. Not from the chains, not from the cavern's chill, but from the terrible truth: Zael would come. She knew it, just as surely as she knew the beat of her own heart. The bond between them was unshakable, dangerous, and it would lead him straight into their trap.
Above the cavern, night had fallen.
Zael stood in silence on the rooftop of the academy, his long hair whipping in the cold wind. His wings curled tight behind him, fire dripping faintly like molten tears. His chest rose and fell, every breath sharper than the last.
He could feel her pain. Every scrape of the shackles, every tremor of fear, rippled through him as though his own veins carried it.
「藍子…俺に耐えられると思うな…」
("Aiko… don't think I can bear this…")
The fire inside him roared. His claws curled into fists, and the necklace she had given him burned hot against his chest.
In the cavern below, Aiko whispered to herself, trembling but determined.
"Renji… Zael… please, don't lose yourself for me."
But the hunters knew better. They leaned close, one whispering to the other:
"His wrath is our weapon."
And as the torches flickered, the earth above them cracked.
The Demon King was coming.
Chapter 105 – When Bonds Break Chains
The cavern trembled. Dust rained from the ceiling as the hunters tightened their grip on their weapons.
"He's here," one whispered, his knuckles pale on the hilt of his sword.
Aiko's heart lurched. The air itself thickened, pressing down on her chest like the weight of an ocean. She didn't need to see him to know—Zael's fury had filled the earth, a storm racing toward her.
Her wrists burned as she pulled against the chains. The runes pulsed hotter, sensing his nearness.
"No… don't come to me like this," she whispered. "Renji… don't lose yourself."
Above ground, Zael's wings unfurled with a snap that cracked the night air. Fire dripped from his feathers, trailing embers that burned holes into the stone as he descended. His chest was bare beneath the open black jacket, muscles taut, every breath trembling with rage.
The hunters at the cavern's mouth scattered, shouting warnings, but it was already too late.
Zael blurred forward—swift as shadow, sharp as flame. His twin-bladed sword sang as it cut through the first line of guards, sparks hissing with every strike. Blood sprayed, and their screams echoed into the night.
「俺のものを奪うな…!」
("Do not take what is mine…!")
His voice shook the earth.
Deep below, Aiko fell to her knees, tears spilling. She pressed her forehead to the cold chains, her voice trembling.
"If he fights like this… they'll turn me against him… they'll use me."
The leader of the hunters crouched before her, smirking.
"Good. Let him come. And when the moment is right… you will be the blade that kills him."
Aiko's chest tightened. Her heart screamed no, but the cursed runes tightened their grip on her soul, burning deeper into her veins.
Zael tore through the cavern entrance, the heat of his fury igniting the torches until the walls burned. His eyes found her immediately—Aiko, chained, her face pale, tears streaking her cheeks.
He froze. The fire around him dimmed.
"Aiko…"
For a moment, his fury faltered. The blood dripping from his claws, the corpses at his feet—all of it seemed to vanish in her gaze.
She met his eyes, voice trembling, torn between love and dread.
"Renji… don't… please… they'll make me…"
Zael stepped forward, his fire pulsing against the runes. The chains rattled violently, glowing brighter as if feeding on their bond.
The leader raised his blade high, shouting:
"Now! Break her spirit—bind her to the curse! She is the key to his end!"
The cavern erupted in light, fire against rune, love against trap.
And for the first time, Zael hesitated.
Chapter 106 – The Chains of Love and Fire
The cavern pulsed like a living beast, runes flaring with every heartbeat.
Aiko's body jerked against her will, the chains glowing red as the curse threaded through her veins. Her eyes stung, her fingers curled around nothing, but her body wanted—needed—to move toward Zael with killing intent.
"No… やめて! (Stop!)" she gasped, her voice breaking. "I won't hurt him!"
But the curse didn't care. Her hands trembled, rising as if holding a blade only she could see.
Zael saw it. His chest constricted—not from the battle wounds, but from the horror in her trembling form.
He growled low, wings flaring, fire dripping down like molten tears. His demonic aura surged, filling the cavern with a suffocating heat.
「俺を傷つけることなんてできない…愛してるからな.」
("You could never hurt me… because you love me.")
The hunters laughed cruelly from the shadows. "Fool. Love is the very chain that will kill you!"
Zael's sword slashed through one of them in a single motion, blood hissing as it evaporated in his flames. Yet, his eyes never left Aiko.
Inside, Aiko's mind was a storm. She could feel the curse pushing, whispering.
Strike him… you are his doom… his weakness… his end.
Her body took a step forward, her chained wrists straining as if to reach him with invisible blades.
Tears streamed down her face. "Renji… run… if I touch you, you'll die!"
Zael's fury cracked. For the first time, he roared not at the hunters—but at fate itself. His demonic voice thundered, shaking stone from the ceiling:
「俺の女に触れるな!!!」
("Do not touch my woman!!!")
The flames on his wings surged into a firestorm. The corpses of slain hunters burned to ash. The leader cursed and raised his staff, channeling the runes brighter.
Aiko collapsed to her knees, fighting the curse, clutching her chest. Her lips formed a whisper only Zael's sharpened ears could catch:
"Renji… if you believe in me, I can fight it…"
Zael froze. His sword lowered slightly. His wrath wavered.
She was begging him not to unleash all of his destruction—but to trust her strength.
His jaw clenched, eyes glowing blood-red, fangs bared in both rage and fear.
"Aiko…" he growled, his voice breaking between human and demon. "If they kill you… I'll burn the world."
The firestorm intensified. The hunters screamed as their weapons melted in their hands. The cavern became a furnace.
But still, he didn't strike her.
Because love, more than fury, was what bound him now.
Chapter 107 – Flames Against the Curse
The cavern walls groaned under the weight of Zael's aura, molten cracks running like glowing veins through the stone. His black wings spread wide, dripping embers like fiery feathers, and his dual-bladed sword spun in his hands with a predator's grace.
The hunters faltered. Their jeers were gone now, replaced by fear.
"This isn't a demon," one of them stammered, his knees knocking. "This is… a god of fire."
Zael's eyes flashed crimson. His voice rumbled with lethal promise:
「俺を神と呼ぶな.ただの怒れる男だ.」
("Don't call me a god. I am just a man in rage.")
Then he moved.
The first hunter's scream was cut short as Zael's blade split him in half, fire consuming his body before it could even hit the ground. Another tried to run—only for molten chains, birthed from Zael's aura, to lash out and drag him back into the inferno.
But as Zael burned the world around him, Aiko's struggle deepened.
The curse pressed tighter, each rune on her skin glowing like branding iron. Her veins felt like they were filled with poison fire. Her body moved again against her will, hand stretching toward Zael's exposed chest.
Strike him. End him. Only then will you be free.
"No… I won't!" she screamed inside her mind, tears blurring her vision.
The darkness mocked her. You are weak, girl. Your love is your leash. You cannot fight a power older than gods.
In the midst of that storm, a memory surfaced. Zael, in his human guise, smiling awkwardly as he gave her an umbrella on that rainy day outside school.
Renji.
His clumsy Japanese, his quiet laughter, the necklace she had once shyly tied around his neck.
That warmth… that humanity.
Her chest tightened. Her lips trembled. "I love him. Not his power. Not his curse. Him."
And with that, the runes around her wrists began to crack.
Zael cut down another hunter, flames eating through armor and bone. But his eyes flicked back to her—saw her knees digging into the stone, saw her lips forming words against the curse.
"Aiko…" he whispered.
The leader of the hunters snarled, raising the cursed staff higher. "No! You are the vessel of the demon king's end! Kill him!"
Aiko's body surged forward one last time—chains dragging her toward Zael.
Zael dropped his sword, wings snapping forward like a shield. He opened his arms.
"If it's you, then kill me." His voice shook, but his eyes burned with absolute resolve.
「愛してるから,すべてを受け入れる.」
("Because I love you, I'll accept everything.")
Her hand froze inches from his chest. The runes flared, then shattered like glass.
Light exploded through the cavern, blasting the hunters back. Aiko collapsed into his arms, sobbing.
Zael caught her, his fire dimming, his wrath folding into something softer.
She whispered against his chest, voice trembling but free:
"Renji… I won't let them take you from me."
Zael smiled faintly, his fangs glinting. His voice was low, dangerous, but filled with relief.
"Good. Because I was about to burn the whole world for you."
Chapter 108 – Ashes and Echoes
The cavern was still trembling, dust and ash drifting like snow through the air. Flames licked across broken walls, painting everything in shades of crimson.
Zael stood in the wreckage, his sword driven into the ground, his wings folding slowly, fire dripping from them in dying embers. His chest heaved, bare skin streaked with blood—though most of it was not his own.
In his arms, Aiko stirred, her breath shallow but steady. She lifted her head, and for a moment, she thought she saw the boy she first met—the aloof senior, Renji, who never smiled much but somehow made her feel safe.
"Zael…" her voice trembled, "you… you didn't let it consume you."
He looked down at her, crimson eyes softening just enough. A faint smirk curved his lips.
「君がいるからだ.」
("Because you're here.")
Suddenly, a groan echoed through the ruins. Both their heads snapped toward it.
From beneath a pile of stone and ash, the leader of the hunters dragged himself out, half his body burned, eyes blazing with fanatical hatred. The cursed staff he wielded cracked with sparks, still pulsing faintly with life.
"You think… you've won?" His voice was ragged. "Foolish child of shadows. You don't even know what you are."
Zael's grip on his sword tightened, fire flaring at his shoulders. "You're still breathing? I should fix that."
But the hunter laughed, coughing blood. "Do you think you are the only king, boy? There are three more. Waiting. And they will come for her—because she is the key to binding you."
Aiko froze in Zael's arms, her heart pounding. "Me…?"
The hunter spat blood, his cracked lips curling into a sick smile. "Yes. Without her, your flames will turn on you. She is your chain… and your cage."
Zael's rage surged. Fire poured from his wings, shadows curling around his sword as he raised it. But Aiko's hand touched his wrist.
"Renji… don't. He wants to drag you deeper into hatred."
For a long, tense moment, Zael's crimson eyes locked with hers. The fire burned wildly, but slowly dimmed. With a grunt, he turned, slamming the blade into the ground instead.
The hunter sneered, but the defiance faltered when cracks began to crawl across his cursed staff. The energy inside it collapsed, and in one final scream, his body turned to ash, carried away by Zael's flames.
Silence returned.
Zael dropped to one knee, finally letting himself breathe. His chest rose and fell heavily, blood dripping from deep gashes across his arms. His aura flickered, unstable, like a beast pacing inside him.
Aiko slid from his arms to kneel before him, tears in her eyes. She cupped his face, ignoring the heat radiating from his skin.
"Renji…" she whispered, her voice breaking. "You're bleeding so much. Why do you always fight like you don't care if you survive?"
His lips curled faintly, his fangs glinting in the firelight.
「俺は人間じゃない.だが…君がいるから生きたい.」
("I'm not human. But… because you're here, I want to live.")
Her tears fell, landing on his skin. She pressed her forehead to his, trembling. "Then let me keep you alive. Even if the whole world fears you."
For the first time since the battle began, Zael's hand rose gently to her cheek, rough and bloodied fingers brushing her skin. He smirked, but his eyes softened in a way few would ever see.
"Then I guess I'm yours, little one."
And in that quiet ruin, amidst ashes and echoes, they held each other—two souls bound by a fate far darker than either yet understood.
Chapter 109 – Chains of Flame
The night sky above the ruined battlefield still glowed faintly red, but dawn was creeping at the edges. Smoke curled from broken stone, the air heavy with the stench of burnt flesh and sulfur.
Zael—Renji to those who didn't know his truth—stood silently, his wings now folded, their flames fading into smoldering embers. Aiko leaned against him, her breath finally steady.
But her mind wasn't calm. The words of the dying hunter gnawed at her:
"She is your chain… and your cage."
The Conspiracy
Later, as they walked the quiet road back toward the edge of the city, Aiko dared to speak.
"Zael… what did he mean? The three others? Are there… more like you?"
Zael's crimson eyes glowed faintly in the dim light. His tone was low, almost reluctant.
"There are kings older than me. Stronger in some ways. Beasts of the abyss, bound to blood and war. I've kept my distance… until now."
His jaw clenched, and fire rippled faintly from his shoulders.
"They will come. Not just for me. For you. Because if they control you…" He glanced sideways at her, voice dropping into something almost dangerous. "They control me."
Aiko swallowed, her heart pounding. She remembered the way his flames reacted to her pain, the way his rage had ignited when she screamed. Was she truly the thread holding him together—or the spark that could unmake him?
The School Life Tension
Two days later, the world pretended nothing had happened. The city's news explained the explosion as a "gas line accident." People whispered, but no one suspected demons. Humans rarely saw what hid in their shadows.
At school, Aiko sat at her desk, still shaken. Her friends chattered around her, but she found herself staring out the window, fingers trembling.
And then, like a ghost slipping into sunlight—Renji walked into class.
The senior who rarely showed up, the one girls whispered about but never approached. His uniform neat, his white shirt slightly open at the chest, his long hair tied back lazily.
The room went silent for a beat as he passed, his aura impossible to ignore. The teacher stammered but nodded him to the back seat.
Aiko bit her lip, heat rising to her face. He hadn't looked at her, not once, but she could feel the pull like a chain between them.
At lunch, he appeared again—not at her side, but perched casually on the roof ledge, one knee raised, his crimson eyes half-lidded as he let the wind move his hair. From below, girls squealed about how "cool" he looked.
But when Aiko slipped out to find him, his gaze cut through the crowd and found hers instantly.
「こっちに来い.」
("Come here.")
Her heart skipped. She obeyed, climbing to the roof.
When she reached him, his smirk deepened. "You look pale. Can't sleep?"
She looked away, embarrassed. "How could I, after what happened… after what that hunter said?"
His expression darkened for a moment, shadows flickering in his gaze. But then, with a deliberate shift, he leaned closer, his voice brushing her ear.
"Then let me give you something else to think about."
The Intimacy
Before she could respond, his hand slid against her jaw, tilting her face toward his. His lips met hers—slow, deliberate, but hungry, a kiss that stole her breath and every coherent thought.
The world fell away. The whispers of students below, the danger that loomed, even her doubts—melted in the heat of him.
When he finally pulled back, his smirk carried a dangerous softness.
"You're mine, Aiko. Not theirs. Not anyone's. Remember that."
She pressed her forehead to his chest, hearing his heartbeat—steady, fierce, alive. For now.
But in her mind, the hunter's words still echoed.
"She is your chain… and your cage."
And she wondered—not for the first time—if loving him was the same as destroying him.
Chapter 110 – Fractures of Fate
The rooftop kiss haunted Aiko for days. Every time she closed her eyes, she felt the burn of his lips, the danger in his voice, the possessive heat in his crimson stare. And yet—every time she remembered the hunter's dying words, her chest tightened with fear.
"She is your chain… and your cage."
Could she really be the reason Zael lived—or the reason he would die?
Aiko's Inner Conflict
Aiko sat at her desk, staring at her notebook but not writing. The words blurred. Around her, classmates laughed and talked about exams, but her world felt split in two.
Renji—the boy everyone thought was just a quiet, dangerous senior—wasn't just a boy. He was Zael. The Demon King. The one whose flames could consume entire armies. The one whose pain was tied to hers.
And she loved him. Terrifyingly, deeply, beyond reason.
But if she was his chain, wasn't she also his weakness? If they hurt her, he would break. If she left him, would he burn everything down?
She pressed a trembling hand to her chest. "Zael… why did you have to choose me?"
The First Demon King Appears
That night, as rain tapped against her window, Aiko woke to a strange pressure in the air. She shivered, pulling her blanket tight. Then she froze.
A voice—low, ancient, like gravel grinding under flame—slithered through her mind.
「小さな鎖… 君が彼を縛っているのか.」
("Little chain… so you are the one binding him.")
Her breath hitched. She turned—and through the glass she saw it: a tall figure cloaked in darkness, horns spiraling like twisted blades, eyes glowing violet. His wings were not fire but smoke, unraveling into the night.
Her scream caught in her throat.
The figure smirked, laying a clawed hand against the glass without breaking it.
"The chain of Zael," he purred, his voice echoing inside her head. "If I break you, I break him."
And then—he vanished.
But she knew. One of the three Demon Kings had found her.
Cracks in Renji's Human Life
Elsewhere, Zael sat in his room, hair damp from the rain. He had felt the intrusion, felt the whisper of his kind pressing against Aiko's soul. Rage simmered in him, but he forced it down.
The door creaked.
"Renji?" His adoptive mother's soft voice filled the silence. She stepped inside holding folded laundry—but froze.
The smell of smoke. The faint ember glow at the edges of his wings, barely hidden. The torn shirt shoved into a corner, still blood-stained.
Her hands trembled. "Renji… what's happening to you?"
He turned, crimson eyes flashing for a heartbeat before softening. He forced a smile—the kind that carried both warmth and menace.
「心配するな,母さん.育ててくれて,感謝している.」
("Don't worry, Mother. For raising me, I am grateful.")
His tone was calm, but the smile was wrong—sharp, almost predatory. His mother stepped back, frightened, the folded laundry slipping from her hands.
Zael's eyes lowered. He hadn't wanted her to see. Not like this.
But the cracks in his human mask were spreading.
The Closing Note
By morning, Aiko carried the weight of a whispered threat from an ancient king. Zael's adoptive parents carried the fear of what their son truly was. And Zael himself carried the gnawing truth that the war he had tried to hold back… was finally at their door.
The chain had been rattled. Soon, it would either bind him forever—or break, and unleash him.
Chapter 111 – When Shadows Touch
Aiko sat alone in the music room after school, fingers hovering above the piano keys. The faint sunset glow painted the floor golden, but her chest was heavy.
Renji—Zael—was her everything, and yet, the hunters' words gnawed at her soul: "She is your chain."
Every time she thought of his crimson eyes, of the way he kissed her, her heart swelled. But every time she remembered the Demon King at her window, whispering threats, her hands shook.
The door creaked.
She turned—and froze.
Renji leaned against the frame, his uniform jacket hanging lazily off his shoulder, chest exposed beneath. His long hair caught the dying light, horns hidden, but his aura… his aura burned.
"Why do you look like the world's ending?" he asked, stepping closer.
"Because maybe it is," she whispered, her voice trembling.
He crouched beside her, eyes softening. "Aiko." He reached out, cupping her cheek. "You think being my chain means you'll destroy me. But you don't understand—" he leaned closer, lips brushing her ear— "you're also my anchor. Without you, I'd already be lost."
Her throat tightened, her resolve cracking. She wanted to trust him, but the whisper of that other voice still lingered.
The Attack
Before she could answer, the glass of the window behind them shattered with a thunderous crack.
Dark smoke bled into the room, twisting into a towering figure. Horns like jagged blades. Eyes burning violet.
The First Demon King had come.
「見つけたぞ… 鎖.」
("Found you… the chain.")
Aiko gasped, stumbling back. Renji immediately pulled her behind him, his entire aura shifting in a heartbeat. Flames licked at his shoulders, wings cracking open with embers dripping like molten fire.
"Get away from her," Renji growled, his voice rumbling with power.
The Demon King laughed, the sound shaking the walls. "You dare stand against me, whelp? You, who still clings to humanity?"
Aiko clutched Renji's sleeve, her fear choking her. "Renji—"
He turned his head just enough to catch her eyes. His smile was sharp, terrifying, but it was meant for her reassurance. "Don't move."
Then the room ignited.
The Relationship Deepens Amid Chaos
As flame met shadow, Aiko pressed against the wall, trembling—but her eyes never left him. For the first time, she wasn't just seeing the boy who teased her in class, or the one who kissed her on the rooftop. She was seeing the Demon King in full wrath, protecting her like she was the only thing in the universe.
And in that moment, she realized the truth she had been running from:
She didn't just love him despite what he was. She loved him because of it. Because he bore the burden of power, pain, and rage—and still chose her.
Even if the world called her his chain, she would become his strength.
Her voice broke through the clash of flame and shadow. "Zael!"
The sound of her calling his true name made him falter—just a flicker—but it was enough. His flames surged higher, his eyes locking on the intruder with a fury that cracked the air.
"You will not touch her."
The First Demon King snarled, retreating into smoke with a hiss, but his voice lingered:
「お前は彼女によって破滅する.」
("You will be ruined by her.")
And then—he was gone.
The Aftermath
Smoke clung to the air. Aiko's knees gave out, but before she hit the ground, Renji caught her, pulling her against his burning chest. His flames didn't hurt her—they never did.
Her tears fell against him. "I thought… I thought he'd take me…"
Zael tilted her chin up, his smile soft now, almost human. "No one takes what's mine."
And then, in the ruin of the shattered music room, with the scent of smoke still lingering, he kissed her.
Not desperate this time. Not forbidden. But a vow.
Aiko knew, in that instant, that she wasn't just his chain—she was his future.
Chapter 112 – After the Fire
The music room smelled of charred wood and smoke. The window hung in shards, moonlight streaming in like fractured glass. Aiko lay in Renji's arms, her heartbeat still racing.
He stroked her hair, his hand trembling more than hers. "You're shaking."
"So are you," she whispered back, pressing her forehead against his chest.
Renji chuckled low, though it held no humor. "I almost lost control again. If I did… you'd see the monster they want you to believe I am."
She pulled back, gripping his shirt so hard her knuckles whitened. "Don't you dare call yourself that. What I saw… was someone willing to burn for me."
Her voice cracked, but her eyes were fierce. "And I'm not afraid of you, Renji. Or Zael. Both are you."
He froze, her words striking deeper than any blade. His lips parted, but no words came. So instead—he kissed her.
It was nothing like before. Not teasing. Not even desperate. It was raw, lingering, as though he was memorizing her lips, her warmth, her very existence.
When they broke apart, both breathless, he whispered in Japanese, voice hoarse:
「お前が俺を繋ぎ止める.」
("You are the one who keeps me grounded.")
Aiko pressed her forehead to his. "Then let me keep doing it."
For the first time in centuries, the Demon King smiled like a boy in love.
Chapter 113 – Wrath of the First King
The quiet didn't last.
Three nights later, the sky over the city cracked open with shadow. Bells rang, hunters screamed through the streets, and darkness swept like a living storm.
At the center stood the First Demon King, towering, wings spanning the skyline, his violet fire drowning out the stars.
「鎖を渡せ.」
("Hand over the chain.")
Renji's flames burst alive as he stepped forward, Aiko behind him. His jacket flared open, wings burning molten fire, necklace glinting at his chest.
"You'll never touch her," Renji growled, his aura exploding, sending hunters and demons alike to their knees.
The battle tore across the city. Flames against shadow, fire against void. Buildings collapsed, the ground split. Each strike from the First King made the earth quake. Each counter from Renji set the night ablaze.
But the First Demon King's words echoed like poison:
"She will betray you. Or she will die. That is the fate of the chain."
Aiko, hidden behind shattered stone, clutched her chest. Pain seared through her—the bond. Every blow Renji took, she felt. And yet she refused to run.
She stood, her voice cutting through the chaos. "ZAEL!"
Both kings froze.
Her tears streaked, but her voice was iron. "I'm not your chain. I'm his choice! And he's mine!"
Her defiance fed Renji's fire, his flames roaring into an inferno that scorched the night.
With a final scream, he drove his burning fist through the First King's chest—shattering the shadow at its core.
The First Demon King collapsed, hissing:
「愛が…お前を滅ぼす…」
("Love… will be your ruin…")
And then—silence.
Chapter 114 – Eternal Flame
The night sky above the ruined city shimmered with a strange light. The war was finally over. The Demon King had not fallen by blade or curse—but by choice.
Zael knelt in the rubble, wings tattered, fire dripping like molten blood from their edges. Hunters surrounded him, their blades trembling, unsure whether to strike or bow. At his side, clutching him with all the strength her mortal body could muster, was Aiko.
Her voice was hoarse from screaming his name through the chaos. "Renji… don't you dare leave me. You're mine. You hear me? Mine."
Even as blood streaked his lips, Zael smiled with that familiar dangerous softness. "Aiko… still crying for a monster?"
She shook her head, tears falling on his burned skin. "No… for the man I love."
The hunters faltered. The king of demons, cradled like a broken man by the human girl he once threatened to destroy. The sight itself was prophecy undone.
And slowly, the war ended.
Years Later
The city healed, rebuilt brick by brick. Some hunters still whispered Zael's name with venom, some citizens crossed the street when Aiko passed with her head high. But time dulled fear, and life demanded peace.
In a quiet house on the outskirts, wrapped in blooming wisteria, warmth replaced ashes.
Aiko sat on the tatami floor, rocking a child swaddled in soft cloth. The boy's tiny face was serene, but his eyes—deep crimson, glowing faintly in the dusk—were dangerous. The neighbors muttered that no mortal child should carry such a gaze. Yet when he giggled, when he gripped Aiko's finger with surprising strength, he was nothing but her son.
Zael—now Renji in the eyes of the human world—entered silently, his long hair loose over his shoulders, his open-chested jacket marked by the necklace Aiko had given him. His presence filled the room like flame in still air.
He knelt beside her and looked down at the child, a rare gentleness in his crimson eyes. The baby immediately reached for his father's clawed hand, nails scratching faintly against demon-tough skin.
Renji smirked. "He already wants to fight."
Aiko laughed softly, though her voice trembled. "The others say his eyes are cursed… that he carries too much of you."
Renji's expression hardened, then softened as he leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Then let them curse. His name will make them tremble—and remember. Fire destroys, yes, but it also protects."
He looked at the boy, the glow in his eyes intensifying.
"His name is—羅威炎 (Ravien / Ra·vi·en)."
羅 (Ra) – net, to entangle, to bind fate 威 (Vi / I) – power, majesty, awe 炎 (En) – flame, fire
羅威炎 (Ravien) → "The Flame That Commands Fear and Awe."
Aiko whispered it reverently, letting the syllables linger: "Ravien…"
The child giggled as though recognizing his destiny.
Renji cradled him awkwardly, fire aura wrapping around the boy not as danger but as warmth. "羅威炎・ザエル・蓮次郎 (Ravien Zael Renjiro). Hunters will whisper it with dread. Demons will bow to it. But for you—" he kissed the child's tiny forehead, fangs flashing in a dangerous but proud smile, "—it is only the name of my son."
Aiko leaned against Renji's shoulder, watching their child laugh in the glow of the hearth. "Then we'll raise him together… not as a king and his prisoner. Not as a demon and his prey. But as a family."
Outside, the city exhaled into uneasy peace. Inside, a fire crackled—not the fire of war, but of home.
And though the prophecy had ended, a new legacy had just begun.
For the son of Zael and Aiko—the boy named Ravien—was born not into chains, but into fire.
A fire that could one day burn heaven and hell alike.
Epilogue – The Son of Fire
Sixteen years later, the wisteria house stood taller, its beams strengthened, its walls weathered yet proud. Peace had held longer than anyone thought possible.
But not all fires stay dormant.
On the training grounds behind the house, sparks crackled like thunder.
A boy—tall, broad-shouldered, with long black hair streaked crimson—stood barefoot in the dirt, chest rising with steady breath. His eyes glowed a deep, burning red, just like his father's, but sharper, hungrier. In his grip was no blade—he needed none. Flames licked around his fists, coiling like serpents.
Aiko stood at the engawa, hands folded against her chest. She still looked youthful, though lines of worry carved faintly at her eyes.
"Ravien!" she called, her voice firm. "Enough for today!"
The boy smirked, sparks dancing at his lips like he could breathe fire. "母さん (Kaa-san / Mom)… if I stop now, I'll never surpass him."
From the shadows, a familiar voice answered, deep and dangerous, yet carrying a twisted warmth.
"You think you can surpass me so easily?"
Zael—Renji—emerged, his long hair untamed, chest exposed beneath his black jacket, horns gleaming faintly in the late sun. His presence was still fire incarnate, but time had chiseled his cruelty into something quieter, heavier.
Ravien's flames roared higher at his father's challenge. "I'll do more than surpass you. I'll forge a fire no one can smother."
Renji chuckled darkly, stepping into the dirt circle. "Good. Because the world won't stay peaceful forever."
Mother and son exchanged a look—hers worried, his eager.
Renji's crimson eyes narrowed, his smile curving like a blade. "The blood of demons runs in you, Ravien. The fire of kings. But the heart—" he glanced at Aiko, softening for a fleeting instant—"that, you got from her. Never forget which burns stronger."
The boy straightened, his fire swirling brighter. "I won't. I'll protect you both. Whatever comes."
The wind shifted, carrying the smell of smoke far in the distance. A storm was brewing, though its face was not yet revealed.
Aiko clutched the necklace at her throat—the one she had once given Renji. She whispered as she watched father and son stand together, fire and blood mingling in the twilight.
"羅威炎 (Ravien)… our dangerous flame. Your story is only beginning."
The scene froze in firelight, leaving behind not an ending, but the beginning of a new legend.
Chapter 115 – Shadows of Inheritance
The city slept under a moonless sky, yet Aiyana's heart stirred. She watched her son—Akuma no Tenshi (悪魔の天使, "Demon Angel"), whom they fondly shortened to Tenshi—sleep soundly between her and Zael. But shadows moved in the world beyond, remnants of hunters and demons who saw the boy as the child of prophecy.
Zael, now both feared and respected in the human world and demon realm, felt it too. "The boy carries both our blood," he muttered, brushing his long hair back, horns glowing faintly in the dark. "He will either save this world… or burn it down."
Aiyana, still the light in his darkness, whispered back, "And he will choose love, because that is what we gave him."
Chapter 116 – The Child of Dawn
Tenshi grew fast, faster than human children. At only five years old, he could already summon shadows like his father, and his eyes carried the same burning crimson glow. At school, whispers followed him—students both admired and feared the boy who looked like an angel but carried an aura like a storm.
One afternoon, a group of children mocked him, calling him "monster." His temper almost burst, claws forming—but then Aiyana appeared, hugging him. She whispered gently in Japanese:
"勇気は怒りではなく,愛の中にある."
(Yūki wa ikari de wa naku, ai no naka ni aru.)
"Courage is not in anger, but in love."
It was her voice that pulled him back from destruction. Just like she once did for his father.
Chapter 117 – The Last Trial
A secret faction of hunters, led by one of the old enemies Zael thought long dead, kidnapped Tenshi to draw the Demon King out. They bound the child in enchanted chains forged to nullify both human and demon power.
Zael's rage was apocalyptic. His wings erupted with fire that dripped like molten blood, and his sword of double blades screamed as he unsheathed it. Aiyana followed, torn between fear and love, knowing this was the battle that would decide everything.
In the final clash, Zael fought like a god of wrath, destroying hundreds, but the leader used Tenshi as a shield. At that moment, Tenshi awakened his hidden power, merging his mother's humanity and father's demonic might. Shadows and light burst together, annihilating the hunters.
Chapter 118 – Dawn Beyond Darkness
When the dust settled, Zael dropped to his knees, holding his son and Aiyana close. For the first time in centuries, he wept—not as Demon King Zael, but as Renji, the boy who once longed for love.
"父さん… 母さん… 大好きだよ."
(Tōsan… Kāsan… daisuki da yo.)
"Father… Mother… I love you."
The three of them stood under the breaking dawn. The world no longer saw Zael as just a monster, nor Aiyana as just a human. Together with their son, they were proof that love could exist even in the heart of darkness.
And thus, the legend of the Demon King who loved, the human who tamed his heart, and the child who would inherit both light and shadow, passed into eternity.
Epilogue – The Son of Fire
Sixteen years later, the wisteria house stood taller, its beams strengthened, its walls weathered yet proud. Peace had held longer than anyone thought possible.
But not all fires stay dormant.
On the training grounds behind the house, sparks crackled like thunder.
A boy—tall, broad-shouldered, with long black hair streaked crimson—stood barefoot in the dirt, chest rising with steady breath. His eyes glowed a deep, burning red, just like his father's, but sharper, hungrier. In his grip was no blade—he needed none. Flames licked around his fists, coiling like serpents.
Aiko stood at the engawa, hands folded against her chest. She still looked youthful, though lines of worry carved faintly at her eyes.
"Ravien!" she called, her voice firm. "Enough for today!"
The boy smirked, sparks dancing at his lips like he could breathe fire. "母さん (Kaa-san / Mom)… if I stop now, I'll never surpass him."
From the shadows, a familiar voice answered, deep and dangerous, yet carrying a twisted warmth.
"You think you can surpass me so easily?"
Zael—Renji—emerged, his long hair untamed, chest exposed beneath his black jacket, horns gleaming faintly in the late sun. His presence was still fire incarnate, but time had chiseled his cruelty into something quieter, heavier.
Ravien's flames roared higher at his father's challenge. "I'll do more than surpass you. I'll forge a fire no one can smother."
Renji chuckled darkly, stepping into the dirt circle. "Good. Because the world won't stay peaceful forever."
Mother and son exchanged a look—hers worried, his eager.
Renji's crimson eyes narrowed, his smile curving like a blade. "The blood of demons runs in you, Ravien. The fire of kings. But the heart—" he glanced at Aiko, softening for a fleeting instant—"that, you got from her. Never forget which burns stronger."
The boy straightened, his fire swirling brighter. "I won't. I'll protect you both. Whatever comes."
The wind shifted, carrying the smell of smoke far in the distance. A storm was brewing, though its face was not yet revealed.
Aiko clutched the necklace at her throat—the one she had once given Renji. She whispered as she watched father and son stand together, fire and blood mingling in the twilight.
"羅威炎 (Ravien)… our dangerous flame. Your story is only beginning."
The scene froze in firelight, leaving behind not an ending, but the beginning of a new legend.