"Oi! You alive, dude?!"
The voice shattered the fog in my skull like glass under a hammer. My eyes flew open, and I lurched upright—nearly headbutting foreheads with the stranger leaning over me.
"Wha—?! H-hey! Who… where the hell am I?!" My voice cracked, panic scraping my throat dry as my hands clutched the sheets beneath me.
"Whoa, whoa, easy!" the man said, throwing his arms up like that alone could stop me from unraveling. His grin was wide, his tone bright to the point of obnoxious. "Relax, you're safe. I found you half-dead outside the city. Honestly, I thought you were a corpse at first—well, a moving corpse. Which, not gonna lie, would've scared the hell out of me."
I blinked at him, thoughts sluggish, lips dry as sand. Somehow, I croaked, "You… you carried me here? … Wait. What happened to that… demon?"
The word alone ripped open the dam. Memories flooded in—blood across broken stone, smoke swallowing screams, shadows twisting in firelight. My squad. My brothers. My family. They were torn apart, one by one.
My chest seized. My hands wouldn't stop shaking. "It wasn't just me. My squad—they were—" My voice collapsed before I could finish.
For once, his grin faltered. His eyes softened, then sharpened with a strange kind of steadiness. "Hey. Don't force it. You're trembling all over. You don't have to relive it yet."
"But—"
"Listen," he cut me off, pressing a hand to his chest as if swearing by something greater. His tone was engaging, heavy, and carrying. "I don't know what kind of hell you crawled out of! But you're still breathing! That means fate isn't done with you! Demons won't stop—they'll keep hunting, keep tearing this world apart! That's why we rise! no matter how many times we're struck down. Falling is what makes us human… But standing back up?! That's proof we haven't surrendered!"
His eyes caught the dim light, burning with an intensity too bright, too stubborn—like a flame that should've died long ago but refused. For a fleeting second, his smile twisted and shadowed, and then it was gone.
"And me…" His voice dipped, low and resolute. "…I'll grind every last one of them into dust—even if it devours me!"
The words hung in the air like a vow carved into stone.
I swallowed hard. "…Not merely slain in battle… but erased? Stripped from existence itself?"
He let out a quiet, almost sad chuckle. "Not for thrill. They've lost themselves—turned into things that only destroy and spread rot. I fight to stop that. To protect what's left. Every strike, every battle… it's not about death. It's about life. Even if it costs me mine."
His words were dramatic, almost absurd. And yet I couldn't look away. He carried a burden that should've crushed anyone else, but he bore it like a second skin. Fire clung to him—unyielding, relentless, alive.
Then, with a sudden flourish, he pressed his thumb to his cheek, tilting his head as a sharp, confident smile carved across his face. His blazing eyes locked onto mine, and for an instant the whole world narrowed to that gaze.
"The name's Arata Kurayami," he said, almost teasing. "But you can just call me Kura."
It shouldn't have felt so heavy. But even that casual gesture carried a promise—a dare to stand beside him or be left behind in the dark.
"…Arata Kurayami." The name brushed against the edge of memory like a ghost. "Feels… familiar somehow."
His grin flickered, then snapped back into place. "Doubt it. I'm no one special. Probably mixing me up with someone else." He waved it off. "Anyway—your name?"
"…Ryuto. Ryuto Kurogane."
"Kurogane, huh? Definitely not local." His smile softened, almost genuine. "Doesn't matter. Stay as long as you need. And if you ever need help? Just ask. I'll lend a hand."
Before I could reply, a roar split the air outside—shouts, steel clashing, and chaos rising.
I stiffened. "What's happening?"
Kura's grin faded. His voice dropped into something sharper. "Demons. They slip in sometimes. Prey on stragglers. Usually caught quick. Newly turned ones aren't strong." His eyes narrowed. "Judging by that noise… they've caught one."
Hatred surged through me like wildfire. "Kura. Let's go! I want to see it!"
He studied me—my eyes, my stance, the way my body now stood unbroken. The wounds that had once marked me were simply… gone, erased as if they had never existed. For a moment, disbelief flickered in his gaze. Finally, he sighed, shoulders loosening.
"…Alright," he said quietly. "Let's go."
We stepped out. His home melted into the shadows at the city's edge, so plain it could vanish from sight. The streets beyond were unnervingly quiet—too quiet for a place meant to be alive.
The noise grew until it crashed around us like a storm. A mob had gathered, voices thick with rage and bloodlust. I shoved through the press until I saw it.
A demon!
But not the kind I remembered. Its face still bore human lines, pale and gaunt, eyes wide with terror. "Its limbs were pinned by searing currents of untamed elements, twisting and writhing under the weight of forces that should not exist, every motion a futile struggle against the chaos imprisoning it."
At its feet, a priest ground his boot into the creature's skull, blood streaking leather. His voice bellowed over the roar:
"Your kind doesn't belong here, demon!"
The crowd howled approval. My gut turned to ice.
"…Kura," I whispered. "I thought demons couldn't feel pain. Why does it look like it's suffering? And how did it even get inside?"
His usual cheer was gone. His tone was heavy and deliberate. "You're right. True demons don't feel pain. But freshly turned ones… fragments of humanity cling. Pain. Fear. Memories. That's why it's cruel." His jaw tightened. "The corruption spreads fast. Once the seal grips the heart, the only way to end it is to tear it out—or to erase them completely."
They are human Victims... Just like me.
The priest raised his hand to deliver judgment. My blood roared. I moved before I could think.
I shoved forward.
The priest's eyes burned into me. "What do you think you're doing? This is an execution. Step back before you regret it!"
Behind me, Kura's voice rang, sharp and mocking. "Ryuto! Don't interfere! You'll only dig your own grave!"
I ignored him. My voice cracked as I screamed, "Stop! He's not just a demon—he's a man! A victim! You can't treat him like a beast because of a curse!"
The crowd gasped. Even Kura blinked, caught off guard.
The priest's face darkened. "You dare defend a demon?!"
"I'm defending humanity!" I shouted back. "He was one of us—and you don't care! You just want blood!"
The priest's fist smashed into my face. Pain detonated through my skull, and I crashed to the ground. Blood filled my mouth. Fury kept me moving, kept me trying to rise—until a firm hand clamped my arm.
Kura. Smiling, calm.
"My apologies, Mr. Priest," he said smoothly. "He's new. Doesn't know how things work here yet. Please forgive him."
Without waiting for a reply, he yanked me away.
"Are you insane?" he hissed once we were clear. "Picking a fight with the priest of this city, in front of the mob? You're reckless, Ryuto. Even I wouldn't be that stupid."
I tore free, trembling. "And you think that was justified? Beating him like that? Couldn't they at least try to cure him?"
Kura's smile thinned, heavy with truth. "There is no cure. Once the seal takes the heart, it's over. What you saw—that was mercy. True demons… some are tortured, experimented on, and dragged through horrors before death."
He looked skyward, shadows cloaking his face. "And the priest? His family was also turned into those. He had to kill his own family himself. To him, there's no difference anymore when it comes to a pure demon and a newly fresh victim."
The word "family" carved into me. My fury collapsed into a cold, heavy sorrow.
"…What even is this place?" I muttered. "It doesn't feel like a city. It feels… hollow. Where is everyone?"
Kura's grin snapped back, sharp and boyish. "Curious, huh? Beneath this city lies a chamber. A place where those who wield the raw forces of creation are gathered. They're called the Goshuin. Their duty? To guard this nation… and end the one who began the Demon Corruption."
The name crashed into me like a curse. Blood-red vines. Whispers in my head. Fire crawling under my skin.
My eyes narrowed. "…How do you know so much about them?"
For the first time, his grin faltered.
"…Kura. You're one of them, aren't you? A Goshuin?"
He scratched his cheek, suddenly awkward. "… Not exactly. I could've joined, sure—our goals overlap. But this? This is something I have to do alone. That's why I never became one of them. Strange, right? A life god refusing the system built to fight demons. But my path isn't theirs. It's mine."
The words slid out casually, but they cut deep. My chest seized. My throat closed.
"W-wait…" My voice cracked, raw and thin. "Did I hear you right? You… you called yourself a Life God?!"