The warning came from the spirits first.
They screamed.
Thousands of voices at once, echoing across the spiritual plane like a storm tearing through reality.
I opened my eyes instantly.
"…A gate."
Dark energy spread across the horizon, thick and suffocating. The sky twisted as crimson cracks formed in the air itself.
Hell was opening.
Not metaphorically.
Literally.
Demons poured into the world like a flood breaking through a shattered dam — twisted shapes crawling from burning fractures between dimensions.
Low-level demons at first.
Wild.
Hungry.
Mindless.
I stood atop the walls of my estate, robes fluttering as spiritual pressure rolled outward.
Clan members gathered behind me nervously.
Anna stood nearby, watching silently.
"So it begins," I murmured.
Matamune appeared beside me, calm as ever.
You intend to fight them all?
I smiled slightly.
"Of course."
Mana surged through my body.
"Let's begin."
Oversoul — Formation
Spiritual light erupted as I merged with Matamune.
Energy wrapped around me, forming a radiant spiritual construct — elegant, controlled, perfectly stable.
My senses expanded instantly.
Every demon within kilometers became visible.
Every movement predictable.
Every weakness obvious.
I stepped forward.
And vanished.
The battlefield became effortless.
Talismans sliced through demons like blades of light.
Reishi manipulation crushed entire groups without physical contact.
Low-level demons disintegrated the moment my spiritual pressure touched them.
One after another.
Hundreds.
Then thousands.
And with each kill—
[Synchronization Increased +0.02%][Synchronization Increased +0.03%][Synchronization Increased +0.02%]
Notifications flooded my vision.
I laughed softly.
"So even weak enemies count…"
Individually insignificant.
Collectively priceless.
Each demon fed the system.
Each victory pushed my evolution forward.
Power accumulated rapidly — faster than any training arc could achieve.
Mid-level demons charged next, larger and intelligent enough to feel fear.
They coordinated attacks.
Used cursed energy.
Summoned hellfire.
It didn't matter.
Oversoul amplified every technique beyond reason.
A single gesture summoned layered barriers that reflected their attacks back upon them.
Explosions of spiritual light erased entire waves.
Hours passed.
The battlefield turned silent except for collapsing portals and fading screams.
Then the pressure changed.
Heavy.
Ancient.
Commanding.
The remaining demons retreated instantly.
A towering figure stepped through the largest tear in reality.
Horned.
Armored in condensed infernal energy.
A Demon Lord.
I tilted my head slightly.
"…So you're in charge."
Its voice shook the air.
"MORTAL SHAMAN. YOU WILL—"
I moved before it finished speaking.
Oversoul blade formed instantly.
One clean motion.
A flash of white light crossed the battlefield.
Silence followed.
The Demon Lord split cleanly in two.
I paused.
"…Yeah," I admitted quietly, "that wasn't very fair."
Having the template of Hao Asakura — and already reaching deep synchronization — made most opponents fundamentally outmatched.
Still, victory was victory.
The portal remained open behind the fallen demon.
Hell energy continued leaking into the world.
I sighed.
"Fine. Let's do this properly."
Drawing upon both magical systems I had studied, I began constructing a sealing array.
DC-style internal mana stabilized the structure.
Marvel-style dimensional runes locked coordinates between realms.
Talismans ignited one after another, forming a massive geometric pattern across the sky.
Reality resisted briefly.
Then obeyed.
"Seal."
Light collapsed inward.
The portal shattered like glass.
And Hell was cut off.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then—
[Major Event Completed: Hell Invasion Repelled]
Rewards Granted:
Massive Synchronization Increase
Dimensional Magic Mastery (Intermediate)
Title Unlocked: Demon Slayer
[Template Synchronization: 48%]
I blinked.
"…That jumped a lot."
Nearly half synchronized.
Power surged violently through my body, forcing me to stabilize my breathing as new memories and instincts integrated at once.
My mana density multiplied again.
The spiritual world bowed instinctively.
Far away, powerful beings awakened from meditation.
Something impossible had just occurred.
A child had defeated a hell invasion alone.
Matamune appeared beside me again as the battlefield faded into quiet.
You grow frighteningly fast, he observed gently.
I looked toward the horizon.
"I'm still growing slowly compared to what I'll become."
Because now I understood something clearly.
Training raised me steadily.
But crises…
Crises made me evolve.
And somewhere beyond this world, forces connected to Hell had undoubtedly noticed the destruction of their gate.
I smiled faintly.
"Good."
Let them come.