— — — — — —
During the days that followed, Kazuma pushed himself hard, training nonstop to raise his strength. Meanwhile, Tohru wasn't just sitting around waiting either.
She returned to her own world and gathered her friends, hoping to borrow their power to seal the passage leading to this side.
"Tohru, I'm surprised you came to me first," Elma admitted. "But sealing an interdimensional portal just to stop your father from coming after you… I really don't think it's going to work. Even if the few of us team up, we're no match for him."
Elma was a member of the Harmony Faction—both Tohru's friend and her rival. Their relationship had always been… strange.
When Tohru first showed up, Elma hadn't wanted to help at all. But after seeing the determined look on Tohru's face, she finally gave in.
"Even if it doesn't work, I still have to try."
Tohru trusted Kazuma, but if she could help it, she didn't want her father to meet him.
The best idea she could come up with was to seal off the passage between the two worlds entirely, while hiding her presence so her father wouldn't be able to lock onto her location. In short—hide.
"What a pain. Let's just get this over with," Fafnir muttered, glaring impatiently. He couldn't care less what happened. All he wanted was to hurry back to his territory to guard his treasure.
"It's a shame Lucoa can't help. With her, our chances would have been way better."
Tohru understood Lucoa's situation, but she still couldn't help complaining. Someone that powerful doing absolutely nothing… what a waste.
The three dragons began working, pouring their full strength into sealing the passage to the human world.
Calling it a "seal" was generous—they were basically wrapping that part of the dimensional boundary in an invisible membrane that blocked aura and prevented traversal.
"Alright, I've got other things to take care of. Good luck."
After thanking the other two, Tohru rushed back to the shrine and immediately began setting up a magical barrier.
"Izabella, I'll leave the magic circle drawing to you. You demons are much better at precision work than we are."
"I'll handle the mana infusion afterward."
Tohru could use magic, but compared to demon spellcraft, dragon magic was brute force incarnate—great for combat, terrible for delicate work. What she needed now was a concealment array, something detailed and subtle. Demon magic fit the bill perfectly.
"Yes, Lady Tohru."
Ever since learning Tohru's true identity, Izabella had become even more respectful. She now addressed her as "Lady."
She tore out half the pages from her own grimoire and used them to draw a massive magic circle around the shrine.
"…Still not enough?"
After hesitating for a moment, Izabella gritted her teeth and tossed in the rest of her grimoire. It was one of her most precious possessions. Without it, her spellcasting would weaken significantly. But she didn't have time to worry about that.
She had signed a contract making her a demon maid. If something happened to Kazuma, she wouldn't end well either.
"Lady Tohru, this is the strongest concealment array I can draw."
Drained of mana, Izabella spoke weakly. "The rest… depends on you."
"Leave it to me."
Tohru infused mana into the array, pouring in everything she had in one breath. The massive shrine vanished instantly.
But that wasn't enough. She could still sense it faintly. So over the next week, she kept feeding mana into the array until it finally reached its limit. By then, even she could barely perceive anything.
A few more days passed. Kazuma had finally mastered Genma's method for enhancing the body, pushing his physical power to its peak.
Yet the Emperor of Demise still didn't come. Kazuma didn't move either—he rested, slept, and restored his spirit.
He spent three full days asleep, waking with his mind razor-sharp, his mana full, and his body in perfect condition. Everything was ready.
Half a month flew by. Counting the preparation before that, it had already been a month.
...
"Maybe my dad gave up. He's always super busy, so maybe he decided not to come after all. We might actually be safe."
Tohru felt her efforts might have worked. Maybe her father had given up and wouldn't come.
Kazuma said nothing. He continued gathering strength.
Meanwhile, Genma, Ittosai, and Saotome Zenjuro sat outside discussing the situation.
"If the Emperor of Demise really shows up and a fight breaks out, we'll have to deal with the fallout," Ittosai said, hand resting on his sword.
"Let's hope it doesn't go that far," Genma replied. "We have a pact. Dragons and Demons aren't allowed to interfere with the human world so casually."
"If the Emperor of Demise acts, the consequences will be enormous. It could ignite another war. Dragons from other worlds, gods, demon lords—they might all start attacking the human world again."
Genma sighed. As guardians of this region, these old men had spent so much effort trying to keep the human world safe.
"A fight is unavoidable. The best outcome is for Kazuma to settle things with the Emperor of Demise himself. To keep the damage to a minimum." Saotome, the victor of the previous Demon War and a graduate of Ishiyama High, spoke with the calm of someone who had seen true destruction.
---
"Tohru… good luck."
Far away, sitting atop a lonely mountain peak, Lucoa suddenly opened her eyes.
She felt a massive power approaching the human world.
She let out a long sigh. Knowing everything yet being unable to intervene… maybe that was the curse of being a bystander.
"Just showing up here is enough to make the air feel heavy. I really do hate leaving my nest." Fafnir complained nonstop about not wanting to come, yet here he was, standing in the human world anyway.
In the end, he chose to help his one and only friend.
"We're really going to fight the Emperor of Demise? We're gonna die, aren't we? Should we ask Grandma for help?"
Elma clutched her trident, feeling the overwhelming pressure rolling in. Part of her didn't want to get involved because of her own faction's politics. But because she and Tohru were friends, she couldn't walk away either.
---
At the interdimensional gateway…
"A membrane formed by mana. Definitely not human-made." The Emperor of Demise, Damocles, studied the barrier quietly. "Tohru did this? To stop me from going after her?"
"What a stubborn child."
He frowned slightly—not at the barrier, but at Tohru's attitude.
Then he reached out and casually tore apart the seal formed by three dragons working together.
In the next moment, he stepped into the human world's sky.
A quick glance around was all he needed. His pupils narrowed as he detected the shrine. He flew toward it and slipped through the concealment barrier without making a sound.
He didn't kick the door down. Instead, he knocked.
"Who is it?"
Aoi heard the knock and started toward the entrance, but she froze when Tohru grabbed her arm. Tohru's eyes were filled with fear.
"No. Don't open it. My father is here."
She stared at the thin paper door, feeling the crushing weight of her father's aura leaking through.
At once, Aoi, Hilda, all the demon maids, and even Kanna tensed up. Kanna's furious munching slowed to tiny bites.
Everyone was frozen in place except Kazuma, who stood up calmly, walked to the door, and slid it open.
The Emperor of Demise stood there, an elderly man with eyes sharp enough to devour the world.
"Tohru. Come home with me."
His voice held no anger, only a quiet certainty that brooked no argument.
"I… I don't want to. Father, I want to stay in this world. I… I don't want to go back."
Tohru's breathing hitched. Her throat tightened. She forced the words out with everything she had.
"Tohru. Stop causing trouble for this world. You are a dragon."
Damocles' eyes hardened, and his aura washed over her. Tohru immediately lowered her head, unable to meet his gaze.
"You're free to do whatever you want. Go anywhere, pursue anything, and I'll support you. If you need help, I'll be there. But not here. We cannot interfere with this world. So come home, Tohru."
He was the leader of the Chaos Faction, but that didn't mean he went around destroying things for fun. Dragons acted according to their own will, not out of pure malice.
He could have forced her back instantly, but he didn't. He wanted her to understand and walk back willingly.
"Tohru said she doesn't want to go. What's wrong with you?"
Kazuma stepped between them and blocked Damocles' gaze.
"Boy, I may not be allowed to interfere with this world, but that doesn't mean I can't deal with you. If you run your mouth again, you'll be the next thing I erase."
Damocles' aura flared. In an instant, blistering heat filled the entire shrine, boiling the moisture straight out of the air.
And that was only a fraction of his presence.
"Tatakae"
Kazuma didn't back down. His mana surged, and his Conqueror's Haki exploded outward. The air around him thickened, vibrating with pressure.
Scarlet killing intent rose like a faint mist. Everyone caught the metallic tang of blood in the air, and an instinctive fear of death tightened their chests.
"You two, stop."Tohru stepped forward, shaking. "Father, as you can see… I already have a place in this world. I don't want to leave."
"Tohru, think of me as unreasonable if you like. But this world can never truly accept you. There are no dragons here. As a dragon, you'll never belong."
"You'll have to hide behind a human disguise, worrying about being exposed every day. That's no life. Tohru, before you end up hurt and broken, come with me. Return home and start fresh. Choose the life you want again."
He looked at Kazuma with a gaze loaded with pure killing intent and battle hunger. It had been so long since anyone dared provoke him like this.
His anger rose hot and violent, but when he turned back to Tohru, he buried it deep and spoke again.
.
.
.