On the deserted battlefield, the war between humans and demons continued without mercy.
Yuki stood silently with his cracked sword in hand, staring directly at the demon before him.
The demon clutched its severed arm while screaming in unbearable pain.
"AGGH!! Aaa... ahh...! You... you bastard! How dare you cut off my hand!!"
Its eyes burned with rage as it glared at Yuki.
Without even looking away, Yuki spoke calmly to the nearby humans.
"Leave. I'll handle this demon."
The humans who had been watching the fight quickly retreated.
The demon glanced at them before speaking arrogantly.
"Hmph! Did you really think you can beat m—"
Before the demon could even finish its sentence—
Yuki vanished.
A sharp flash crossed the battlefield.
The next second, the demon's head separated from its body.
Its severed head rolled across the ground.
A moment later, the body collapsed as well.
Yuki didn't even bother looking back at the corpse.
He simply turned around and began walking away.
Talking too much during war is dangerous...
That's something my master taught me.
Yuki's expression remained serious for a moment.
Then, with a childish thought, he smiled faintly.
Although... I still don't understand how Master Precious knows so many things...
Meanwhile, Konta continued advancing toward the demon leader while using two or three humans as cover.
Just as he finally got close—
A gigantic demon suddenly landed in front of him.
BOOM!!
Konta froze instantly.
The demon was enormous.
Unlike the other demons, it had no horns and no hair. Its massive fists were covered with golden gauntlets decorated with small pink emeralds.
Fear and tension appeared clearly on Konta's face.
He's too big...! he thought.
The giant demon stared down at him with overwhelming pressure.
"You will go no further."
Konta forced out a nervous smile and slowly stepped backward.
"I will," he replied. "And I'll kill that bastard."
The moment those words left his mouth, the giant demon narrowed its eyes.
Then—
BOOM!!
A monstrous punch slammed into the ground.
Konta barely dodged it in time.
Good thing I stepped back earlier... otherwise I wouldn't have dodged that attack...
The demon slowly pulled its fist back.
A small crater had formed where the punch landed.
Konta immediately rushed forward with his sword.
But the giant demon blocked the blade effortlessly using its gauntlet.
Konta landed on the ground and instantly aimed for the demon's leg.
However, the demon noticed the attack.
It stomped the ground violently.
BOOOOM!!
The battlefield trembled.
Konta lost his balance and fell onto the ground.
Then—
The giant demon slowly lifted one leg into the air.
Fear completely overtook Konta's face.
Did... we lose this battle...?
The next instant—
CRUSH!!
The demon stomped down.
The ground shook violently.
A horrifying cracking sound echoed across the battlefield.
GRK—!
Bones shattered beneath the demon's foot.
Blood spread across the ground from beneath its leg.
The giant demon looked down and smirked coldly.
"Hmph."
Meanwhile, Yuki had been running toward the battlefield chaos.
And then—
He saw it.
He saw Konta being crushed to death.
Yuki froze completely.
Pain filled his eyes.
His pupils trembled.
Slowly, his eyes turned red.
Shock, confusion, and fear covered his face.
"No... not again..." he whispered weakly.
A flashback suddenly appeared in his mind.
Villagers were throwing stones at him and his parents.
Their eyes were filled with hatred and killing intent.
Another memory appeared.
Yuki stood inside a room while the principal of Doramai School, Rana, sat behind a table with a serious expression.
"We are sorry to tell you this," Rana said coldly.
Yuki looked at him with innocent confusion.
"But the teacher who brought you into this school... was killed by monsters."
Rana waved his hand through the air.
A screen appeared.
On it was the corpse of Yuki's teacher lying on the ground.
The body was covered in bite marks.
Blood stained the earth around him.
The moment Yuki saw it—
His eyes widened in shock.
Tears began flowing down his face.
His legs lost strength, and he collapsed onto the floor.
Rana closed his eyes silently before continuing in a cold voice.
"We are sorry. But now that your mentor is dead, you must either leave this school... or pay the fees yourself if you wish to continue studying."
Yuki slowly lifted his head.
Tears continued streaming down his face.
Rana didn't even look at him.
His eyes remained closed.
And Yuki could do nothing except cry silently.
Several days later—
Yuki was working inside his family's restaurant.
Suddenly, Precious, Shai, Pretty, and Lior entered the shop.
Yuki and his parents noticed them immediately.
"You people...?" Yuki asked in surprise.
Precious wasted no time.
"Why aren't you coming to school anymore?" he asked seriously.
Yuki stayed silent.
Sadness was visible on his face.
Then Precious glanced toward Yuki's parents.
"Did you notice it?" Kail asked.
"Yes," Precious replied calmly. "They also possess Kema Cores."
Kail nodded.
"Yeah. Kema Cores are already extremely rare... but this entire family has them."
Yuki's father lowered his head.
"We... we can't pay the school fees anymore..."
Lior looked confused.
"But Yuki already has a mentor, right?"
"Yes," Yuki's father answered sadly. "But he's dead now... and we can't afford the fees."
Silence filled the restaurant.
Even though the shop was open, there were no customers inside.
Pretty looked like she wanted to say something—
—but Precious spoke first.
"I'll pay."
Yuki and his parents stared at him with shocked expressions.
"But how can you—" Yuki's mother asked.
"I want to unlock Yuki's Kema Core," Precious interrupted calmly. "Not for myself... but for him. And one more thing—both of you also possess the same Kema Core."
Precious stretched his hand toward Yuki's parents.
Suddenly—
Their bodies began glowing.
TANG—!
The sound echoed like a hammer striking metal.
Both parents looked at themselves in complete shock.
"I've unlocked your Kema Cores," Precious explained. "With experience, you'll learn how to use them."
The flashback ended.
Back in the present—
Yuki stood frozen on the battlefield with tears falling from his eyes.
Images of Konta flashed through his mind.
Going shopping together.
Eating together.
Training together.
Even though their time together had been short...
To Yuki, those memories were precious.
Slowly, with trembling lips, Yuki whispered—
"Maybe it was only a short time... but to me... it was precious time..."