Adryn and Haru...
Haru was sitting on a bench while Adryn brought them both a drink.
Haru asks Adryn how the hell did he manage to defeat the Essence Devil. Haru thinks it's very dangerous and scary and doubts if he will be able to defeat it. Adryn tells him not to be scared because that gives them the power.
Adryn to lighten up the mood decides to tell Haru how he managed to weak it.
Haru shows a face of excitement.
This is the story of three first year students Adryn, Kaito Shishiro and Akhiro Yamataro...
13 Years Ago....
The mission file said "B-Rank Investigation."
It was wrong.
The paper itself looked ordinary — a thin document pinned to the academy assignment board. Dozens of other missions surrounded it, most of them small extermination jobs or patrol duties for senior students.
But that one file carried a strange feeling.
Adryn noticed it the moment he walked into the hallway.
The sky outside the academy windows had already turned dark even though it was barely evening. Storm clouds gathered over the city, thick and heavy like bruises across the sky.
Wind rattled the glass.
Students moved through the hallway loudly, arguing about rankings and training sessions, but Adryn stood quietly in front of the board.
He read the file again.
Location: Denjiyon Valley
Incident: Possible Devil Manifestation
Threat Level: B-Rank Investigation
Recommended Squad: Field Assessment Team
Thirty-two people had vanished during the previous year's Monsoon Carnival.
No bodies were ever recovered.
Just empty houses and abandoned streets.
A voice suddenly spoke beside him.
"Hey, you planning to stare holes into the paper?"
Adryn turned.
Kaito leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching him with a crooked grin.
Behind him stood Akhiro, holding a training bag filled with talisman scrolls.
Kaito glanced at the file.
"Denjiyon Town?" he read. "That place sounds boring already."
Akhiro frowned slightly.
"You haven't even read the report."
Kaito shrugged.
"Village missions always suck. It's either a tiny swamp devil or some drunk farmer seeing things."
Adryn pointed to a line in the report.
"Thirty-two people disappeared."
Kaito's grin faded slightly.
"…Disappeared?"
Akhiro stepped closer and took the file.
He scanned the details carefully.
"Last year's monsoon festival," he murmured. "Witnesses reported something huge moving near the forest after midnight."
The hallway lights flickered.
Outside the wind howled harder.
Kaito exhaled slowly.
"…Okay. That's less boring."
He grabbed the file and slapped it back on the board.
"Then let's take it."
Akhiro blinked.
"You're volunteering?"
Kaito pointed his thumb toward Adryn.
"He already decided."
Adryn didn't deny it.
The truth was simple.
Something about that mission felt wrong.
And that feeling wouldn't leave him alone.
---
The train ride toward Denjiyon Valley lasted nearly six hours.
Rain began halfway through the trip.
By the time they reached the final rural station, the storm had already swallowed the mountains surrounding the valley.
The station platform was almost empty.
Only one dim lamp flickered above the exit gate.
No workers.
No passengers.
Just the sound of rain hammering the metal roof.
Kaito stepped off the train and stretched.
"…Wow."
Akhiro glanced around.
"Where is everyone?"
Kaito kicked a puddle.
"Probably hiding from the storm."
Adryn looked down the road leading away from the station.
It curved through thick forest toward the mountains.
Something felt strange.
No cars.
No bicycles.
Not even stray animals.
It felt like the entire area had already been abandoned.
Akhiro noticed his expression.
"You feel it too?"
Adryn nodded.
"Yeah."
Kaito groaned.
"Don't start the creepy atmosphere already."
But even he grew quieter as they walked.
The road toward Denjiyon Valley twisted through dark forest.
The rain grew heavier with every kilometer.
Water streamed down the slopes beside the road like thin rivers.
After nearly an hour of walking, the tunnel finally appeared.
A massive concrete structure carved directly into the mountain.
It stretched forward into complete darkness.
Water poured constantly from cracks in the ceiling, forming small waterfalls near the entrance.
Beyond that tunnel—
Denjiyon Town waited.
Kaito whistled softly.
"…That's the creepiest entrance I've ever seen."
Akhiro looked at the water flooding the road.
"During heavier rain this whole place will flood."
Adryn stepped closer to the tunnel entrance.
Cold air flowed out from inside.
It smelled like wet soil and rust.
For a moment he felt something else too.
Something deep beneath the valley.
Like a slow heartbeat inside the earth.
He ignored it.
"Let's go," he said.
Their footsteps echoed loudly as they entered the tunnel.
The darkness swallowed them immediately.
Water dripped constantly from the ceiling.
Halfway through, the road dipped downward and ankle-deep floodwater covered the ground.
Kaito kicked through it lazily.
"This place is cursed."
Akhiro whispered quietly.
"…Something feels wrong."
Adryn didn't answer.
He felt it too.
The deeper they walked, the heavier the air became.
Like something huge was breathing somewhere ahead.
Finally—
A faint grey light appeared at the end of the tunnel.
They stepped out.
And Denjiyon Town revealed itself.
The valley looked drowned in rain.
Small wooden houses lined empty streets.
Shutters were closed.
Doors locked.
Not a single person walked outside.
At the center of the town stood the Holy Tree.
It towered above everything.
Its trunk was pale and twisted.
Its roots spread across the ground like giant veins crawling through the streets.
Akhiro stared at it.
"…That thing is huge."
Lightning flashed across the sky.
For a brief second—
The roots moved.
Akhiro blinked.
"…Did you see that?"
Before anyone could answer—
The ground shook.
A deep sound echoed from the forest behind the tree.
Not a roar.
Not footsteps.
Something worse.
It sounded like wet breathing.
Kaito slowly pulled out his blade.
"…Okay."
Another tremor shook the valley.
Trees snapped in the distance.
Then the forest exploded apart.
Something massive forced its way through the trees.
Lightning illuminated the entire valley.
And they finally saw it.
The Essence Devil.
A towering creature made of tangled roots, mud, and dripping black water.
Its body shifted constantly like it wasn't finished forming.
Long tendrils dragged across the ground like dying trees.
Where its face should have been—
A hollow mass leaking dark liquid.
For a moment the giant creature simply stared at them.
Rain poured down harder.
Kaito's grin slowly returned.
"…Oh."
He lifted his blade.
"That's definitely not B-Rank."
The devil moved first.
Roots erupted from the ground like spears.
Adryn dashed forward instantly.
His fist slammed into the creature's torso.
BOOM
A massive chunk of the devil exploded apart.
Black liquid splashed across the street.
But within seconds—
The rain rebuilt the wound.
Akhiro slammed talismans onto the ground.
Flames erupted around the devil's legs.
Kaito leapt onto its shoulder and sliced through several tendrils.
"Come on!"
The devil roared.
The entire town shook.
But suddenly—
It stopped attacking.
The Essence Devil slowly retreated toward the forest.
Akhiro frowned.
"…Why is it running?"
Adryn looked at the Holy Tree.
Rainwater flowed down its bark.
The roots beneath the town were moving.
Then he understood.
"…It's not running."
Lightning flashed.
The tree glowed faintly.
The devil's body began growing larger.
Adryn's eyes widened.
"It's feeding."
And the real battle was about to begin.