The room was dim, lit only by the soft glow of molten metal.[1]
"You understand this might make you lose your mind," the smith said. His voice was rough, "You may go mad."
Ryo stood in the center of the room, coat discarded, his left sleeve pinned and empty.
His one remaining hand rested on the hilt at his waist.
"I lost," Ryo said calmly.
The smith tilted his head.
"Two against one. Akechi and I. And we lost. With both arms."
Ryo's eyes were steady—cold, yet burning deep.
"If I hesitate now because of sanity, it won't make a difference later. This might make me stronger. It might not. Even if it meant killing that guy, while going mad…"
He raised his gaze to the smith.
"…I'll take it."
The smith hesitated.
Ryo went on, his tone quiet but cutting.
"There are hunters out there who are already at my level. Maybe stronger. When you look at it like that… taking this risk feels almost practical. Low risk, high reward. Wouldn't you say?"
The smith stared at him for a long moment.
Then he nodded once. "Alright, lie down."
The table was cold beneath Ryo's back.
The smith's hands filled with aura rippling from his palms as he grabs the devils aura, from another person, next to him.
It looked almost comical, like he was dragging the devil out of the body.
Ryo closed his eyes.
Two different kinds of research…
Akechi's notes had focused on manipulating the soul—altering a person's core to make them compatible with demons and devils.
The smith's taking aura from devils and embedding it into objects.
So my theory is to bind a devil to my aura, instead of my soul.
This way I don't lose my soul, can still use my blessing, whilst using the devil amp.
Ryo can feel his body burning, as if he was covered in fire.
The table cracked under his grip.
"Done," the smith said quietly, with cautiousness.
Ryo opened his eyes.
He raised his left side and looked at the air, where once had been his arm.
He closes his eyes, as black particles gathered around it and a black arm extended where nothing had been moments ago.
A black hand, that looks almost like drawn into the air.
A living shadow with long sharp fingers.
And as he opens his eyes again, the eye on the side of the arm, had turned yellow.
"…It worked."
The smith stepped back, awe flickering in his eyes. "I didn't think it would. Implanting a devil into aura instead of matter… That's insanity."
"It worked, huh?" Ryo simply said.
He flexed the claws. They hummed with restrained power, leaving faint scars in the air.
"It's light," he noted. "And more importantly…"
The arm disappears.
"…if it gets cut off again, I can just create it again."
The shadow reformed, solidifying once more.
The smith crossed his arms, a rare grin tugging his lips.
Ryo stood up.
He picked up his coat and put it on.
"There's a tournament in a colosseum," Ryo said. "In one month."
The smith raised a brow. "And?"
Ryo's expression didn't change.
"I heard rumors about Shinji there."
He turned around, his silhouette now a mix of human and devil.
With this arm… I'll participate.
"Thank you..." Ryo said.
"It's Andore."
"Thank you, Andore," he corrected.
He leaves the scene, his shadow darker than before.
[1] From this chapter on, thoughts are now in cursive :D