Yuto plummeted from his window, the wind howling in his ears. The city lights blurred beneath him — a chaos of color, glass, and death rushing up to meet him. For a single heartbeat, he thought it was over.
Then the world erupted in light.
A streak of blue tore across the night sky — lightning, alive and furious. A hand seized Yuto mid-fall, stopping him just before the ground split him apart.
When his vision cleared, he saw the face of his savior.
"Sousuke…?"
Sousuke Kaminari hovered above the street, thunder still crackling across his arms. His familiar grin cut through the storm.
"You really know how to find trouble, don't you?"
Yuto's breath shook. "Yeah… thanks to you, I'm not a pancake."
Before either could laugh, the air went cold.
A sound like tearing metal echoed above them.
From the shattered remains of Yuto's apartment, a creature dropped to the street — its body a writhing mass of black veins and burning red eyes.
"I'll take both your hearts!" it shrieked, voice layered with a dozen screams.
Sousuke's grin vanished. His stance changed in an instant, calm replaced by raw killing intent.
Lightning coiled around his weapon — a spear forged from thunder itself.
"Thunder Power — Third Technique: Storm Breaker!"
He vanished in a flash. The ground shattered under the force as he reappeared behind the devil, driving his weapon clean through its chest. Sparks rained across the asphalt.
But before he could finish it, the devil hissed a curse.
"Devil Art — Escape Veins."
Its body dissolved into smoke and shadow, reforming behind them.
"Devil Art — Sixth Technique: Blood Needles!"
Thousands of crimson spikes erupted from its flesh, slicing through the air. Sousuke deflected most with arcs of lightning, but several pierced his shoulder and thigh. Blood spilled down his arm.
He didn't flinch. He just smirked.
"That all you've got?"
Electricity surged again, brighter, louder.
"Thunder Power — Seventh Technique: Flashstorm Barrage!"
A storm exploded around him. Bolts of lightning struck from every direction, hammering the devil in a relentless assault. The creature screamed as its body split open—only for the wounds to knit back together almost instantly.
Sousuke spat blood. "Figures. Regenerator."
The devil's grin widened. "You bleed so beautifully, warrior."
Its hands morphed into blades of black flame.
"Devil Art — Ninth Technique: Devil Sword!"
It charged.
Sousuke countered instantly, his spear clashing against the infernal blade. Sparks of light and shadow lit up the street.
"Thunder Power — Fifth Technique: Heaven's Rumble!"
The sky roared. A torrent of lightning slammed down, but the devil darted through the explosion, driving its blade into Sousuke's side.
The impact sent him crashing through a wall. Concrete split; blood streaked the ground.
"Sousuke!" Yuto cried, rushing forward — but the devil turned its burning gaze on him.
"Your heart beats strong. My master will enjoy devouring it."
Sousuke stirred, blood dripping from his lips. His voice came low and trembling with fury.
"No… he won't."
Lightning flickered again, brighter than before — not blue, but white-hot, divine. His eyes glowed with pure energy, his aura crackling like a storm on the edge of control.
"Thunder Power — Final Technique: Wrath of Raijin!"
The world went silent.
Then Sousuke moved — faster than sight.
A single strike.
The sound of thunder.
The devil's body froze mid-lunge, a hole carved clean through its chest. Its heart pulsed once — then turned to ash.
The creature let out a hollow scream before disintegrating into black mist.
Sousuke fell to one knee, panting, blood staining the pavement.
Yuto ran to him, eyes wide with horror and awe.
"You… you killed it…"
Sousuke smiled faintly. "Barely."
Far beneath them, in the deepest pits of the underworld, Akuma Ikari sat upon his throne of bone and flame. Before him, devils crawled, carrying the stolen hearts of men and women.
Those who failed him didn't get a second chance. One flick of his hand — and they dissolved into dust.
Akuma reached toward the pulsing Tree of Damnation, feeding it the hearts of the dead. Red light coursed through its veins, the power spreading across the underworld like wildfire.
"More," Akuma thundered. "Bring me more hearts until the world above drowns in despair."
On the surface, chaos erupted. Japan's military launched everything they had — tanks, drones, missiles — but against the devils, human weapons meant nothing. Entire battalions vanished overnight.
By dawn, cities burned.
Sousuke carried Yuto through the destruction to a fortress hidden deep within the northern mountains. Lanterns glowed through the mist, and ancient seals shimmered faintly along the stone walls. Inside, warriors trained in silence, their blades gleaming with sacred light.
"This," Sousuke said, his voice heavy, "is the Devil Hunter Corps. The last shield of humanity."
A tall man stepped forward, cloaked in black and gold. His presence silenced the entire hall.
"I am Master Masaru Yuudai," he said, his tone cold as steel. "The Devil King Akuma Ikari walks again. Every hunter will rise — or die trying. The time for peace is over."
Drums thundered through the fortress, echoing into the mountains.
War had returned — the war between lightning and shadow.
And this time, it would decide the fate of the world and training begins.