The sky above the demon realm burned red, streaked with molten lightning and shadow. Mountains split, rivers boiled, and the very air seemed to scream under the weight of power converging in one place.
Kanji stood at the center of a shattered plateau, the colossal black sword in his hands. Chains of shadow and molten fire wrapped around him, fusing his demon blood and wizard magic into a single, living aura. Every muscle in his body pulsed with raw energy, every heartbeat in rhythm with the power of the sword and the calling of his father.
Across the plateau, Ravnos hovered, wings unfurling like blades of obsidian. His molten-gold eyes glared, a smile of cruel amusement on his lips.
"So… the boy finally dares to stand fully awake. Interesting."
He clenched his fists, dark energy exploding outward, forming jagged, massive constructs that hovered like dark spires.
"You think you can challenge me? The heir of your father… is nothing! You are still a child playing with fire!"
Kanji's golden eyes flared.
"I am no longer a child. I am Kanji! I am my father's heir! And I will end your tyranny!"
With a roar, he surged forward. The black sword blazed, chains lashing out like serpents, catching the spires Ravnos had summoned and tearing them apart with molten light. Shockwaves tore across the plateau, sending lava geysers skyward and shaking the surrounding mountains.
Ravnos countered instantly, shadow claws slicing through the air with impossible speed. The ground exploded where they collided. Energy spiraled outward in arcs of molten gold and crimson shadow, and the two locked in midair, the force of their aura bending reality itself.
"You are strong," Ravnos growled, grinning, "but strength without control is meaningless!"
He struck again, faster, darker, channeling the fury of countless demons into each blow.
Kanji's body glowed brighter with each strike.
Red and gold lightning coiled around him, his voice ringing across the battlefield:
"I am in control! I decide my path!"
The black sword pulsed, chains wrapping around Ravnos's attacks, absorbing them and sending molten energy back. Kanji leapt higher, spinning the sword, tearing through the air in a blinding arc that carved a trench into the volcanic mountains.
Ravnos laughed, the sound echoing like a storm across the rift:
"Impressive… but can you withstand this?"
From his hands, Ravnos unleashed a massive wave of dark energy, a tornado of shadow and fire, tearing the plateau apart. Kanji stood his ground, chains of the sword extending outward, meeting the attack head-on. The collision erupted like a second sun, blinding even the molten rivers below.
Kanji screamed, pouring every ounce of his demon and wizard power into the sword.
"I will protect them!"
The sword glowed brighter than the sun, chains spinning like whips of living fire. Ravnos staggered, thrown back by the force, but his eyes burned with fury.
"You… will pay for defying me!"
Kanji stepped forward, aura expanding, molten and shadow energy fusing completely. For the first time, he felt his father's presence fully within him. Every strike the sword had ever made, every ounce of power, every battle experience flowed through Kanji like a river of fire.
He roared:
"This ends tonight!"
With a final surge, Kanji swung the sword in a massive arc, chains exploding outward like a storm of molten light and shadow. Ravnos tried to counter, but the strike connected—impact so tremendous it shattered mountains, vaporized lava flows, and ripped a massive crater in the plateau.
Ravnos screamed, staggering, a mixture of fury and disbelief in his eyes.
"You… you… child…!"
Kanji's aura stabilized, molten gold and crimson energy settling around him like a crown of fire. He stood over his uncle, breathing heavily but unwavering.
"Your tyranny ends now, Ravnos," Kanji said, voice calm, controlled, yet laced with raw power.
"I am no one's pawn. I am Kanji, the Child of Destruction. And I choose to protect, not destroy."
Ravnos glared, hatred burning in his molten eyes. For a moment, silence fell over the battlefield, the demon realm itself quivering under the presence of such concentrated power.
Then, slowly, Ravnos nodded—grudging respect, shadowed with rage.
"Very well… heir of my brother. The first duel is yours. But this… is far from over."
With a final roar, he vanished into a rift, retreating into the demon realm. The remaining demons scattered, but their fear was palpable.
Kanji sank to his knees, the sword pulsing softly, chains wrapping back to rest against him. The molten aura faded slightly, but the power inside him remained immense, steady, controlled for the first time.
Ryou and the monks approached cautiously.
"You… did it," Ryou said quietly, awe in his voice.
"You have mastered… at least partially… the full extent of your power."
Kanji looked at the black sword, then to the horizon, where dark clouds churned above the demon realm.
"The fight isn't over," he whispered.
"But now… I am ready."
Far across the shattered mountains, a distant horn sounded, deep and terrible. Chains rattled. Lava rivers boiled. A voice echoed from the abyss:
"The Child of Destruction has awakened… but the war is only beginning."
And in the shadows of the demon realm, Ravnos plotted his return, fury burning, a storm of revenge gathering.
The battle for the worlds had only just begun.
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