28: A DISGRACE
The room was silent
Only the faint sound of his heartbeat echoed in his ears
Benimaru stood motionless, staring at the spot with which Zeldris had disappeared
It still radiates power
Benimaru's hand clenched, his right hand, the one that had been severed—and reattached immediately after
He swung it around a few times, not even feeling the difference
Zeldris' words hung deeply in the air
"You reject your demonic heritage. That is the reason you are so weak"
Like an arrow piercing a heart—it deeply stung
But Benimaru wasn't surprised. He had noticed the decrease in the rate he was getting stronger
Even when he fought those anbu, he could feel his power being sapped
Maybe somewhere in his mind, he knew what was happening—he just refused to accept it
He gritted his teeth hard, gripping the wall of his home—it shattered instantly
"Even if I have to go to hell and back, I don't care. I won't remain weak"
Benimaru's gaze remained focused and determined. He would dominate his power no matter what
"That's quite the resolve, do you mind telling me where it came from"
From the doorway, Chandler stood—a look of seriousness plastered on his face.
"So he finally came" he muttered
"Was he right about me, Zeldris? He said I was weak because I didn't use my demon powers"
Benimaru's voice was soft, almost tiny—but his master heard it loud and clear
Chandler sighed deeply, thinking for a second before responding. "As much as I hate to say it, he wasn't wrong"
Benimaru shut his eyes slowly as a wave of silent acceptance washed over him. "I see"
The Ryota took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts—contemplating hard. "Ever since what happened with Neji, I've been hesitant. I lost control so easily"
The boy's voice cracked, tears held for too long suddenly flowing down his cheeks. "Even against Lee, I was scared. But since nothing happened, I thought I could ignore it—focus on my human side"
Chandler reached out to comfort him but he shook his head
Wiping his tears, his voice resolute and determined. "But I see now that I was wrong. This power is mine, and I will learn to control it. Mark my words"
On that same day, Benimaru and Chandler departed for the demon realm
Benimaru personally informed Tsunade that he was going to on a training journey
When asked why, he just said
"I've seen the error of my ways. I refuse to remain weak"
Although she couldn't fully understand what he meant, she didn't ask questions—it seemed to be a personal matter
Holding his new anbu uniform in his hands, a dark chuckle escaped the boy's lips. "I just got promoted, yet I won't even get to use it"
It was just a sleeveless version of the original anbu uniform—designed to grant greater mobility
The sensation of a chip to the neck broke him away from his thought, catching the incoming fist with a smirk.
Chandler grinned at him. "Sharp reflexes. You'll need them for where we are going"
Benimaru nodded slightly, a dark purple portal appearing in front of them—directing their gazes towards it
Chandler's eyes sharpened before curving upwards. "Seems like Lord Zeldris was growing impatient"
His statement caused Benimaru to get on guard, he could sense a really strong presence through the portal
A creature walked forward, purple skin marked with dark lines pulsing faintly with red light.
A single curved horn jutted from his forehead, the other cracked halfway. His body covered in sharp spikes which could penetrate even stone
He towered over the duo, eyes skimming the area until a look of respect dawned on him.
He stood on one knee, voice full of nothing but utter reverence. "Lord Chandler, I welcome your return back to the demon realm. The demon king awaits your presence, along with that of…him"
Chandler waved him off dismissively—formalities were a waste on old folk like him
Once the demon's eyes saw Benimaru, his respect vanished instantly—replaced by a searing, and undying feeling of contempt
A hybrid, one of their lord's lineage no less—it was a disgrace to even keep him alive.
Tossing away his hatred for a second, he forced a smile. "You must be Lord Zeldris' grandson, it's an honour to meet you, your highness"
A raised eyebrow could be visibly seen on Benimaru's face. He had clearly felt the malice this demon had been extending to him—he wasn't exactly trying to hide it
The demon, seeing Benimaru didn't respond, made a forgetful expression. "Forgive me your highness, I have yet to reveal myself"
The demon bowed a full 90. "My name is Fraudrin, a member of the Ten Commandments. The strongest group under Lord Zeldris' command"
A eye widened expression was plastered on the boy's face, Fraudrin smirked—this boy must've been impressed with his strength
However, a completely different thought was going through the young child's head.
'If these are the strongest fighter's under grandfather's control, then why is this one so weak?'
Benimaru wasn't wrong to think that as all the commandments had varying strength—and Fraudrin was the weakest of the ten
Chandler, sensing the boy's confusing spoke out. "Fraudrin here is actually the weakest of the Ten Commandments."
At his crude remark, Benimaru had to stifle a chuckle—lest he break out into uncontrolled laughter
Veins popped on Fraudrin's head as he exploded in outrage
Turning his gaze from Chandler, he knew he couldn't do anything—his eyes found the form of Benimaru
He might actually kill this brat
Composing himself, Fraudrin stood up—motioning for both Benimaru, and Chandler to pass through the portal
The latter had passed through just fine, all that was left was the former
Driven by pure outrage, a giant purple fist shot forward in Benimaru's direction
Brimming with killing intent, Fraudrin aimed to end Benimaru's life right then and there.
With his back turned, Benimaru wouldn't be able to dodge in time, and Chandler wasn't here to stop him.
Or so he thought
In an instant, Benimaru turned around, Fraudrin's fist hit a wall—no it hit something harder than a wall
Gripping the purple fist tightly with one hand—Benimaru wasn't smiling anymore
His hair had turned completel black, eyes darkened into a purple hue—a crescent demon mark above his eye
But this time something was different, black flame like patterns began spreading across his right side.
Fraudrin tried to pull back, only to fail miserably, Benimaru's grip was strong, too strong—he couldn't budge an inch
Upon noticing the change in Benimaru's mark, a look of surprise etched itself on his face—followed by pure rage. "How could a lowly hybrid like you possess the stage two mark. It's impossible"
Benimaru, hand still gripping Fraudrin's arm, took a contemplative stance. "Stage two huh? So that what this is. I feel…stronger"
One blow
That's all it took
A single strike to the gut had Fraudrin flying to the edge of the village, and into a dense forest
He spat out blood ferociously, but didn't have anytime to recover.
The Ryota dashed forward like a rocket, forcing the demon executive on his knees
Placing his foot above his head, his tone held a cocky edge. "You were cocky just a moment ago. What happened?"
Benimaru leaned in close, right beside his ear as he whispered—voice deceptively sweet but held a dark undertone. "I'm thinking of killing you, what do you think?"
Beads of heavy sweat rained down Fraudrin face at a heavy pace, he was frightened—he didn't know what he getting into
That he would have to fight…this monster
The blade of retribution formed in Benimaru's hands, twirling it in his fingers like it was just a toy—preparing to end it all
But right as the blade was about to strike, Fraudrin fainted from pure fear.
Benimaru "tch", dissolving the blade and switching off his demon mark. "What a disgrace"
He thought he was fighting one of his grandfather's top executives, he was rather weak compared to him, but still.
But he was just fighting a power hungry coward
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