In the training grounds of Gosha Village, the sharp clang of steel rang again and again, echoing through the trees.
On one end stood Shinganji Kurenai, feet planted, posture flawless.
On the other was Leo Fuuma, breathing steady, muscles burning as he pushed forward with everything he had.
Their blades locked.
Kurenai narrowed her eyes, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
"You've been training seriously lately."
Leo grit his teeth and forced her back half a step.
"After what happened at the dock… I realized something."
He twisted his wrists, breaking the lock and pressing the attack.
"I can't afford to hesitate. Not ever again."
Kurenai slid back, boots scraping the dirt.
"And fighting me was the best option?"
She raised her sword, stance tightening.
"Good answer."
Her Taima energy surged.
"Wind Art — First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter."
She vanished.
A violent spiral of cutting wind erupted as she dashed forward, her body spinning, blade flashing in a horizontal cyclone. The gusts tore into the ground, ripping leaves and dirt into the air as the attack closed in.
Leo's eyes sharpened.
'Too fast to block. Then I won't block.'
He inhaled deeply.
'Water Arts — Third Form.'
"Flowing Dance."
Leo moved.
His body bent and twisted with the motion of water itself, blade flowing in wide, arcing swings. Each slash redirected the incoming wind, not stopping it—but guiding it.
Steel met air.
The two techniques collided.
Wind screamed.
Water surged.
For a split second, the battlefield froze.
Literally.
The moisture in the air flash-froze as the conflicting elements overlapped, shards of ice exploding outward like shattered glass. Frost crept along the ground, coating the training field in white.
Both fighters slid back, boots digging in.
Kurenai stared at the ice spreading between them.
"…You're starting to merge elements unconsciously," she said, impressed despite herself.
Leo exhaled slowly, vapor misting from his lips.
"Guess my body's adapting."
Inside, his heart pounded.
'That wasn't planned.'
Alex's voice echoed in his head.
'But it worked.'
James followed, amused.
'Kid's learning how to flow, not just hit harder.'
Kurenai rolled her shoulders, re-centering her stance.
"Careful, Leo. Mixing elements like that isn't just talent."
She smiled—sharp, dangerous, approving.
"It's the path to becoming a monster… or a master."
Leo tightened his grip on his sword.
'Good,' he thought.
'Because I'm done being the weaker one.'
He raised his blade again, water rippling faintly along the edge.
"Then don't hold back, Senpai."
The ice beneath their feet cracked.
And the training resumed.
Kurenai leapt into the air, her body twisting gracefully as she flipped upside down. In that inverted instant, she swung her blade downward.
The air screamed.
Violent, compressed gales erupted from her slash, tearing forward like invisible blades meant to shred anything in their path.
'Wind Arts: Seventh Form — Gale, Sudden Gusts.'
Leo didn't hesitate.
He planted his feet, steadied his breathing, and let the rhythm guide him. His sword moved—not with force, but with flow.
Slash after slash followed in seamless succession, each strike carrying rippling waves of condensed water that overlapped and reinforced one another.
'Water Arts: Fourth Form — Striking Tide.'
The two techniques collided midair.
Wind met water in a deafening crash, pressure exploding outward as spiraling currents shredded, folded, and slammed into each other. Mist and debris filled the training ground as the shockwave rippled across the earth.
For a brief moment—
No one could tell who had the advantage.
The mist finally thinned.
Leo and Kurenai stood a few paces apart, blades lowered, both breathing hard as the remnants of wind and water dissipated into the air. For a moment, there was silence—heavy, tense, wrong.
Leo was the first to notice it.
"Kurenai…" he said slowly, unease creeping into his voice. "Are you okay?"
Kurenai staggered.
"…Not—now," she muttered, her hand flying to her head as her knees buckled.
Crack.
Red, lightning-like veins of energy burst around her body, snapping violently through the air. Her skin darkened by degrees, veins surfacing as her muscles tensed unnaturally. Sharp fangs pushed past her lips, and when she looked up—
Her eyes burned crimson.
Leo stepped back instinctively. "That's—Demon Mark?"
Asagi reacted immediately, drawing her sword and moving between Kurenai and the others. Sakura scooped Yukikaze up without hesitation, retreating several steps.
"No," Asagi said sharply, eyes locked on Kurenai. "It's not a full awakening… it's the reaction. Like someone about to awaken it."
Kurenai screamed.
Power erupted outward from her body in a violent surge, the ground cracking beneath her feet as killing intent flooded the training grounds. Even Leo felt it—raw, unfiltered, barely restrained.
Then—
Fwoosh.
Talismans burst into the air from multiple directions, snapping into place around Kurenai in a perfect formation. Ancient seals ignited with pale-blue light, chanting symbols flaring as a holy barrier slammed down.
Kurenai dropped to one knee, gasping as the pressure forced the demon energy back inside her. The red lightning sputtered, then slowly faded. Her body trembled violently as dizziness overtook her, the transformation reversing piece by piece.
A calm, annoyed voice cut through the aftermath.
"Of all times for this to happen, Kurenai."
Everyone turned.
A man stood at the edge of the training grounds—black hair falling neatly past his shoulders, glasses glinting in the sunlight. He looked young, almost deceptively so, yet his presence carried weight, authority, and familiarity.
"Well," he continued, adjusting his glasses, "it's a good thing I returned to the village early."
He glanced at Kurenai, still kneeling, breathing unsteadily.
"You can't handle that yet," he said flatly. "Your father warned me this might happen."
The realization hit at once.
"…Uncle Sakyo," Asagi said.
Shinganji Sakyo stepped forward, the last talisman dissolving into light as he waved his hand.
[Insert image of Shinganji Sakyo]
Continuation
Leo stared at him, instincts screaming.
Something about this man felt wrong—not hostile, not evil—but dangerous in the way a sealed blade was dangerous.
Sakyo's gaze slid to Leo.
"…So," he said mildly, eyes narrowing with interest, "you must be the Fuuma boy."
Leo stiffened. "Leo Fuuma."
"Mm." Sakyo nodded. "The one who fought Ingrid and lived."
That made the air go cold.
Asagi snapped her head toward him. "You knew about that?"
Sakyo smiled faintly. "I know a great many things."
He turned back to Kurenai, crouching beside her. "Your inner demon reacted because you overextended yourself. Wind Arts alone wouldn't have done it."
His eyes flicked—very deliberately—toward Leo.
"You synced with someone incompatible."
Leo frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Sakyo stood, hands sliding into his coat pockets. "It means your presence accelerates things. Growth. Awakening. Collapse."
He looked directly at Leo now.
"Tell me, Fuuma… are you aware that demons respond to pressure?"
Leo didn't answer.
Because deep down—
He already knew.
Sakyo adjusted his glasses again, tone calm but sharp.
"This training can't continue like this," he said. "Not without supervision. Not with you involved."
Asagi bristled. "You're saying this is Leo's fault?"
"No," Sakyo replied. "I'm saying he's a catalyst."
He turned back toward the village.
"And catalysts either refine steel—"
He paused, just long enough.
"—or cause explosions."
The training grounds fell silent.
Kurenai finally looked up, eyes meeting Leo's.
And for the first time—
She looked afraid.
Sakyo glanced once more at Leo, then turned his attention fully to Kurenai.
"But no," he said calmly. "Right now, she needs rest."
He placed a steadying hand on Kurenai's shoulder. "Come, niece."
Kurenai nodded weakly and allowed herself to be guided away. As they walked back toward the Shinganji estate, she looked over her shoulder one last time.
Her eyes met Leo's.
There was no fear in them now—only apology.
Then they were gone.
The training grounds fell silent.
Leo stood there, unmoving, long after they disappeared from view. The wind stirred the scorched earth where their blades had clashed, the faint chill of lingering ice brushing against his skin.
Finally, he turned away.
"I'm gonna be gone for a while," he said quietly.
No one tried to stop him.
Asagi wondered where he would be going—but in the end, she chose not to pry.
She had known Leo long enough to understand one thing clearly:
he didn't run.
If he left, it was because he needed to.
And he would come back.
Meanwhile, Leo had already vanished into the mountains surrounding Gosha.
Deep into territory even veteran Taimanin avoided.
The air was thick with the stench of monsters—onis, orcs, warped beasts that prowled the slopes and caves. For most, this place was a death sentence.
For Leo, it was a proving ground.
The Blacklight Virus surged through his body as he moved.
An oni charged.
Leo's arm twisted mid-stride—bone and flesh reshaping into hooked claws. One slash. The creature didn't even finish its roar before collapsing.
Another came from the side.
His forearm flattened, hardened—becoming a blade. He pivoted, severing its head in a single clean arc.
Then—
A third.
Leo's arm unraveled into a whip-like tendril, snapping forward and piercing straight through its chest. He yanked, and the corpse was dragged in, dissolving as the Blacklight consumed it.
Bio-mass absorbed.
Power retained.
He didn't stop.
Claws to blade.
Blade to whip fist.
Whip to tendrils.
Tendrils to bow and arrows—formed and fired in the same breath.
Rapid-fire transformations.
No hesitation.
No wasted motion.
Every change was faster than the last, every strike lethal.
The monsters never knew what killed them.
And as the hours passed, Leo felt it—
his control sharpening, his instincts syncing with the Blacklight instead of fighting it.
This wasn't ninja training.
This was evolution.
'What are you trying to prove, kid?'
The voice echoed in Leo's head just as his clawed arm tore through an orc's chest. The creature collapsed, dissolving into black mist as the Blacklight Virus consumed what remained.
'I'm not trying to prove anything, James,' Leo replied internally, barely pausing as he ripped his arm free. 'I'm just training.'
'Training?'. James repeated, unimpressed. 'This doesn't look like kata. This looks like punishment.'
Leo moved again—his arm splitting into twin blades as another orc lunged. He sidestepped, severed its legs, then its head, the motions clean and efficient.
'Call it what you want,' Leo shot back. 'I saw what happened back there. Kurenai almost lost control. Tendo escaped. Ingrid knew who I was. People are moving pieces I can't see.'
He stopped for half a second, breathing hard.
'If I'm going to be dragged into this mess,' he continued, quieter now, 'then I refuse to be the weakest piece on the board.'
The Blacklight pulsed, responding—not violently, but eagerly.
James went silent for a moment.
'Then: Careful. That mindset is how soldiers become weapons instead of people.'
Leo clenched his fist, the claws retracting.
'Then I'll make damn sure I'm the one holding the weapon,' he said. 'Not the other way around.'
From deeper in the mountains, something roared—lower, heavier, far stronger than the orcs he'd been cutting down.
Leo lifted his head, eyes narrowing.
'Looks like training's not over yet,' he muttered.
Alex then spoke in his head. 'Judging by that sound, it's the same kind of call alpha animals make within certain species.'
Leo rolled his shoulders, Blacklight rippling beneath his skin as his arms shifted briefly—testing forms, then settling back into a neutral state.
"So," he muttered aloud, eyes locked on the treeline, "basically a boss."
The ground trembled.
Branches snapped apart as something massive pushed through the forest. The smell hit first—iron, rot, and old blood. Then the shape followed.
An oni.
Not like the others Leo had been tearing through.
This one stood nearly twice his height, skin layered in thick, scarred muscle, tusks curved and broken from countless battles. Glowing markings burned across its body—crude, ritualistic symbols carved into flesh and filled with something that pulsed like molten light.
Alpha.
It slammed a fist into the ground and roared again, the sound shaking dust loose from the mountainside.
'Confirmed,' Alex said calmly. 'Enhanced musculature, reinforced bone density, elevated aggression, and—'
The oni charged.
Leo didn't wait.
His legs exploded with force as Blacklight reinforced muscle and tendon, launching him forward instead of back. At the last second, his right arm morphed into a long blade while the left unraveled into a whip-fist.
The blade struck first—skidding off hardened hide in a shower of sparks.
"Figures," Leo grunted.
The oni swung.
Leo ducked under the blow, the shockwave ripping trees out by the roots as his whip-fist snapped upward, wrapping around the creature's arm. He yanked, using its own momentum to drag it off-balance.
The oni staggered—but didn't fall.
It grinned.
A deep, feral intelligence burned behind its eyes.
James' voice cut in, sharp. Kid. That thing's not just strong. It's experienced.
Leo planted his feet, claws digging into stone as the Blacklight surged brighter.
"Good," he said, teeth bared in a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Then it won't break too easily."
The oni roared as Leo rushed it again.
A massive hand swung down, fast enough to blur, but Leo slid beneath it, boots skidding across torn earth. He twisted mid-motion and drove his heel straight into the oni's abdomen.
Boom.
The impact sent the creature staggering backward, feet carving trenches in the ground.
Leo didn't give it time.
His right arm unraveled and reformed, Blacklight flowing like liquid metal until it locked into the familiar shape of his bow.
"Take this."
The forest lit up.
Arrows screamed through the air in rapid succession—Blacklight projectiles tearing forward like tracer fire. The oni crossed its arms, batting most of them aside, sparks flying as hardened flesh deflected the shots.
But one slipped through.
It struck the knee.
The oni bellowed as its leg buckled, dropping it to one knee.
That was all Leo needed.
His body blurred red as he detonated forward, Blacklight flooding his limbs. The bow collapsed, reforming into a long, curved blade as he spun into a cleaving strike.
The oni ripped a tree from the ground and swung it like a club.
Leo's blade flashed—
The tree split cleanly in half.
But the oni had already committed.
Its fist slammed into Leo's gut with crushing force.
CRACK.
Leo was sent flying, smashing through bark and stone before slamming into a tree hard enough to shatter it. Pain exploded through his torso as bones folded inward with a sickening crunch.
For a split second, his vision went white.
Then—
Blacklight surged.
Broken ribs snapped back into place. Torn muscle rewove itself. Organs knit together as if the damage had never existed.
Leo coughed once, straightened, and rolled his shoulders as the last of the healing finished.
He looked up at the oni, eyes glowing faintly red.
"Stronger than I suspected," he admitted calmly.
A thin grin spread across his face.
"No matter."
His arms morphed again—one into claws, the other into a whip-fist, Blacklight pulsing harder than before.
James' voice came low and serious in his head. You're adapting faster than it is.
Alex followed, analytical. Its movements are slowing. Your regeneration is outpacing its stamina.
Leo planted his foot into the earth, cracking stone beneath him.
"Then let's end this."
The oni roared and charged—
—and Leo rushed to meet it, no longer dodging, no longer testing.
This time, he went for the kill.
Leo looked at Oni as he turned his arm into the Blade Arm.
Leo's stance shifted.
His breathing steadied—deep, controlled, rhythmic—Taima particles responding as water condensed around the blade-arm, flowing not like a wave, but like a calm lake disturbed by a single drop.
'Water Arts: Seventh Form — Drop Ripple Thrust.'
He moved.
Not fast.
Instant.
The oni swung, claws crashing down with enough force to flatten stone—but Leo's thrust pierced straight through the attack. The blade slipped between the oni's movements with surgical precision, water ripples exploding outward in concentric rings.
Each ripple deflected the force of the oni's strikes, redirecting power away from Leo's body rather than meeting it head-on.
The thrust landed.
The blade pierced deep into the oni's chest.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened.
Then the ripples multiplied.
Water pressure detonated inside the oni, tearing through muscle and bone from within. The creature staggered back, black blood spraying as cracks spiderwebbed across its torso like shattered glass.
The oni roared—then faltered.
Leo didn't pull the blade out.
He stepped in closer.
"Breathing techniques aren't just forms," he said quietly, voice steady. "They're control."
Blacklight surged along the blade, weaving into the water instead of overpowering it. The two forces synchronised—biomass reinforcing the flow, Taima particles stabilising the pressure.
The ripples collapsed inward.
Implosion.
The oni's chest caved in as its core was crushed, its roar cutting off into a wet, hollow gurgle. Its massive body froze—then collapsed forward, hitting the ground like a fallen tower.
Silence returned to the mountain forest.
Leo stood there for a moment, breathing slowly as the water evaporated from his arm. The blade dissolved back into Blacklight tendrils before retracting into his skin.
The oni's corpse began to decay unnaturally fast.
Leo extended his hand.
Blacklight spread, tendrils piercing the body as biomass was absorbed—strength, density, resistance flooding into him in a controlled surge.
Alex spoke first.
'Clean execution. Minimal wasted energy'.
James followed, impressed despite himself.
'You just turned a Demon Slayer technique into an internal-pressure kill move. That wasn't canon'.
Leo exhaled and wiped blood from his cheek.
"Yeah," he muttered. "This world doesn't do 'visual effects'."
He looked down at his hand, flexing his fingers as faint ripples of water shimmered and vanished around them.
"Breathing techniques here aren't imitation," he realised aloud. "They're summoning laws."
The wind shifted.
Leo's eyes narrowed.
From deeper within the mountains, something answered—a presence heavier than the oni, older, watching.
Alex's tone sharpened.
You're no longer hunting prey.
James finished the thought.
'You're announcing yourself'.
Leo smiled faintly, rolling his shoulders as Blacklight stirred beneath his skin.
"Good," he said.
"Let them come."
To be continued
Hope people like this Ch and give me Power stones and enjoy
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Should I remove Alex and James from story, they will still be there, just won't talk so often anymore, I will leave it to you, because a lot of you like there comedy and others don't
1. Yes
2. No
I am gonna be honest here, what is your thoughts in Ai, because I have released my writing style is like that of GPT, and I can explain that, that's Is simply because I use to fix my graner, spelling mistake and more.
I give to to be fixed and GPT does it for me, I say improve I take and then give, but the world building, character interaction and dialogue and story beat and plot points are from me, so yeah, I wanted tout all though, if you don't like I am usihg Ai, I will delete this fic and desipered from Webnovel.