Kenji stood beneath a solitary tree on the outskirts of the city.
Monsters' corpses lay scattered around him.
A demon's severed head rested beside his flaming sword, still dripping dark ichor.
The air smelled of smoke, blood, and burnt iron.
He wiped the sweat and blood from his brow.
Baran's whispers echoed in his mind.
"The world will notice you now. It cannot ignore the flames you carry."
Kenji smiled softly.
Not out of cruelty…
Not out of pride…
But because for the first time, he felt alive.
The fire within him had grown, but so had his purpose.
Far above, clouds swirled violently.
A storm brewed, lightning splitting the sky.
From a distance, Yumi Imoja watched silently, lightning dancing across her fingertips.
Her blue eyes, sharp and calculating, never left him.
"This is only the beginning," she whispered.
The red mark on Kenji's palm pulsed once more.
It was a sign.
A warning.
A promise.
The city remained unaware of the war that had already begun.
The battles that would shake the very foundation of the Battler World were still ahead.
And somewhere, deep within the shadows, Demon King Ostrich prepared his next move.
Kenji was alone, yet no longer weak.
The fire had awakened.
The world had begun noticing.
And the storm…
was coming.
Next Chapter coming soon.....
To Be continue.....