The air shifted between them.
Toji stared at Yeng with pure anger burning in his eyes, but Yeng simply sat down on a nearby rock with a smirk resting on his face, completely unbothered by the pressure filling the mountain peak. The cold wind screamed across the cliffs, carrying dust and dead leaves into the sky, yet Yeng looked as calm as if he were sitting in his own backyard.
Toji clenched his fists.
After everything he had seen in that basement… he honestly wasn't that surprised anymore.
Not surprised that Yeng could release an aura like this.
Not surprised that he carried something monstrous inside him.
Because there was no way—absolutely no way—a normal human being could build something like that beneath their house.
That basement wasn't human.
The size of it alone made no sense. The darkness inside felt endless, almost alive, as if the underground itself was breathing. Even now, remembering it made Toji's stomach tighten. He could still hear the faint whispers crawling through the walls. Still remember the feeling of countless eyes staring at him from the dark.
And the worst part?
Yeng acted like it was normal.
Like there was nothing strange about it at all.
Toji slowly raised his eyes toward him again.
"Just what the hell are you?" he asked coldly. "And what do you know about the Nine-Tailed Fox?"
For the first time, Yeng's smirk faded slightly.
The wind blew through his silver hair as his eyes narrowed.
"Can I ask you a question first, Toji?" he said quietly.
Toji frowned. "What?"
Yeng leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
"Why are you here?"
"What?"
"What's your goal in life?" Yeng continued. "What pushed you so far that you came looking for me? Why aren't you living like a normal child your age?"
Toji's face tightened.
"Where are all these questions coming from?" he asked cautiously.
Yeng tilted his head, his smile returning—but this time it looked wrong. Forced. Twisted.
"What's with the long face, Toji? You look stressed. Are you okay?"
Toji froze.
Something about him had changed instantly.
The atmosphere around Yeng felt colder now, heavier. His expression still carried a smile, but his eyes looked completely emotionless.
It was as if another person was staring back at him.
"You're starting to fit in with everyone around you," Yeng said softly. "You're forgetting your purpose."
Toji's eyes widened slightly.
"Weren't you going to avenge your father and mother?"
Silence.
"I thought you wanted to get stronger."
Yeng slowly stood up from the rock.
"Or were you just being delusional?"
The words pierced Toji like knives.
"Are you happy right now?" Yeng continued, his voice growing harsher. "You don't hear your father talking to you anymore? Asking for revenge?"
Toji's breathing became uneven.
"You don't hear your mother begging for help anymore?"
"Stop…"
"Are you satisfied living peacefully while the people who killed them are still alive?"
"I said stop…"
Yeng's aura suddenly exploded outward, cracking the ground beneath his feet.
"ANSWER ME!"
"SHUT UP!"
Toji screamed so loudly the mountain trembled.
A violent burst of dark aura erupted from his body like black flames. The air around him distorted instantly. Stones rose from the ground before shattering into dust.
His memories flooded back against his will.
His father's blood-covered face.
His mother crying.
The smell of smoke.
The helplessness.
The hatred.
Toji grabbed his head in pain as the dark aura spread wildly around him. Unlike before, the energy was denser now—heavier. It felt cursed.
Yeng's eyes sharpened immediately.
So that's where it comes from…
No normal child should possess an aura like this.
Toji slowly raised his head.
His pupils had almost disappeared.
Bloodlust flooded his face.
And then—
He vanished.
BOOM!
The rock Yeng stood on exploded apart.
Yeng barely crossed his arms in time before Toji's claw slammed into him with monstrous force. The impact blasted him backward across the mountain, his feet dragging through the stone.
CRACK!
The cliffside split apart behind him.
Yeng coughed violently as blood spilled from his mouth and nose.
"What the—"
Before he could finish, Toji appeared again.
Too fast.
A second strike tore through the air toward Yeng's neck. Yeng bent backward just enough to avoid losing his head, but the claws still sliced across his cheek, spraying blood into the wind.
Toji moved like a beast.
No rhythm.
No hesitation.
Pure killing instinct.
Yeng tried to track his movements, but every second Toji became faster.
A black trail followed his body each time he moved, like shadows were dragging behind him.
Toji attacked again.
And again.
And again.
The mountain peak erupted into chaos.
BOOM!
A punch missed Yeng by inches and shattered an enormous boulder behind him.
CRASH!
Another strike carved through the cliff wall like paper.
Yeng jumped backward, breathing heavily.
"He's getting stronger every second…"
Toji dashed forward with terrifying speed.
Yeng widened his eyes.
Too fast!
He blocked another claw strike, but the impact snapped the ground beneath him. Pain shot through his arms as Toji forced him backward across the mountain.
Yeng gritted his teeth.
If this continued, Toji would completely lose himself.
Then the village…
No.
Too many people would die.
Yeng ducked under another slash and spun around, kicking Toji across the jaw. The impact sent Toji crashing through several rocks, but before the dust could even settle—
Toji burst back out.
Crying.
Yeng froze for a moment.
Tears streamed down Toji's face even while the dark aura consumed him.
It was as if a part of him was still trapped inside, screaming for help.
The aura around him expanded again.
The pressure became unbearable.
The clouds above the mountain darkened.
Lightning flashed across the sky.
Yeng's expression hardened.
"There's no time left…"
He quickly reached into his robe and pulled out a small wooden stick covered in ancient markings.
"Toji," he muttered quietly, "forgive me."
The moment Toji lunged again, Yeng slid underneath him and slammed the stick into the ground.
A glowing symbol appeared instantly.
Toji roared and attacked wildly, but Yeng ignored the incoming strikes and continued drawing strange patterns across the stone.
A ritual circle.
Ancient exorcism art.
The moment he stopped drawing, the ritual would fail.
Toji's claws slammed into Yeng's shoulder, tearing through flesh.
Blood splashed across the glowing markings.
Yeng winced but didn't stop.
Another strike hit his ribs hard enough to crack bone.
Still, he continued chanting.
Strange words echoed across the mountain.
Words that sounded older than humanity itself.
The glowing lines spread wider across the ground, forming symbols around them both.
Toji sensed danger immediately.
His attacks became more careful now.
Smarter.
The spirit controlling him realized what Yeng was trying to do.
It started circling him instead of charging directly.
Yeng cursed under his breath.
"Damn it…"
He needed Toji inside the center of the circle before completing the final hand signs.
But Toji refused to step near it.
The dark aura around him twisted violently, almost like a living creature protecting itself.
Yeng's breathing grew heavier.
He didn't have enough time.
The spirit was adapting too quickly.
Then suddenly—
Yeng smiled.
"I see…"
There was only one way.
Risky.
Very risky.
But it would work.
The next time Toji charged toward him, Yeng intentionally lowered his guard.
Toji's claws pierced straight through his side.
Blood burst from Yeng's mouth.
But instead of retreating—
Yeng grabbed Toji's arm tightly.
Toji's eyes widened.
Yeng pulled him forward violently and stepped backward into the center of the ritual circle with him.
"Got you."
The symbols beneath them exploded with light.
Toji immediately tried to escape, but Yeng wrapped both arms around him like chains.
"LET GO OF ME!" Toji roared.
Dark aura exploded outward wildly.
The mountain shook violently.
Yeng's skin began burning instantly from the ritual's holy energy. Smoke rose from his arms.
The demon blood inside him reacted painfully.
Still, he refused to release Toji.
Yeng quickly formed hand signs.
One.
Two.
Three.
"Sacred Flame Art—"
The circle ignited.
WHOOSH!
Massive pillars of white fire erupted toward the sky.
Toji screamed.
The dark aura around him thrashed violently as if it were alive. Shadowy shapes emerged from the flames, screeching horribly before burning away.
The black energy tried to crawl back into Toji's body, but the holy fire consumed it piece by piece.
Yeng gritted his teeth as the flames spread onto him too.
His skin burned.
His blood screamed.
The demon inside him hated the holy fire.
If he stayed any longer—
He'd die too.
"Toji… wake up already…"
Toji continued screaming as memories flooded his mind.
His parents.
The village.
His hatred.
His loneliness.
Then suddenly—
The dark aura cracked apart.
Like glass shattering.
The black energy exploded upward before dissolving into ash inside the holy flames.
Toji's eyes slowly returned to normal.
His body weakened instantly.
Yeng saw his chance.
With the last of his strength, he slammed his palm into the ground.
A hidden symbol outside the circle activated.
BOOM!
The earth beneath Yeng collapsed inward, opening a narrow escape path beneath him. He immediately dropped through it just as the holy flames intensified.
The fire barely missed him.
Still, the side of his arm was horribly burned.
Yeng crashed onto the lower rocks beneath the cliff, coughing heavily.
Above him, the white flames slowly faded away.
Silence returned to the mountain.
Smoke drifted through the air.
The entire peak had been destroyed.
Massive cracks stretched across the ground. Trees had been reduced to ash. Boulders were shattered everywhere.
Toji lay unconscious in the center of the burned ritual circle.
A few moments later…
His eyes slowly opened.
"…ugh…"
His vision blurred.
Everything hurt.
Toji slowly pushed himself upward before freezing completely.
The mountain…
Was gone.
The battlefield looked like a natural disaster had struck it.
His eyes widened in horror.
"What… did I do…?"
His hands trembled.
Fragments of the fight returned to his mind.
The blood.
The rage.
Yeng.
Toji's breathing became shaky as he stared at the destruction surrounding him.
Then he noticed something else.
The dark aura…
It was gone.
Or at least—
Quiet.