Elsewhere, Kaito, Daiki, Yuta, and Shouta stumbled upon Moriki's looming figure. At first, they mistook him for a forest demon. But Shouta's voice broke the illusion, trembling:
"No... he's not ordinary. He's a Forest Ogre."
Moriki roared, ripping a massive tree from the ground with his bare hands. With terrifying strength, he hurled it. The trunk crashed into Shouta before he could move - crushing him into the earth with a sickening crunch. Blood spread through the dirt like roots drinking deep.
"Shouta!" Yuta screamed, his body convulsing. Dark veins surged across his skin as his demonic side clawed its way free. His eyes glowed with madness.
Moriki thundered forward. Daiki stood tall, fists clenched. He met the ogre's strength head-on, blows shaking the air like thunder. But Moriki's huge hands caught Daiki's torso. With a savage roar, he ripped Daiki apart, tearing him in two. The forest floor was painted in crimson.
Kaito's rage burned. Moriki lifted another tree and hurled it with killing intent. Kaito's blade flashed - splitting the trunk cleanly in two, the shards exploding past him.
Side by side, Yuta and Kaito pressed their attack. Yuta leapt, his claws piercing Moriki's leg, blood gushing as the ogre stumbled. "Now!" Yuta roared.
Kaito surged forward, katana gleaming in the dim light. In a single, precise strike, he severed Moriki's head. The ogre's body fell with a thunderous crash, shaking the forest as his lifeless head rolled into the brush.
Breathing heavily, Yuta's demonic aura flickered dangerously. Kaito grabbed his shoulder, grounding him.
Moments later, Akari and a healer appeared with their glowing lamps. They looked at the corpses of Shouta and Daiki in silence, then guided the surviving pair - Kaito and Yuta - out of the cursed jungle.
Hana, Riku, Nao, and Aoi were catching their breath after hours of wandering through the suffocating forest. The moonlight filtered weakly through the twisted branches above, making the shadows dance like living things.
From behind them, hurried footsteps echoed-Hinata emerged with one of the Lampmen, his lantern casting a shaky glow.
Hinata (panting, urgent): "We need to move! This jungle isn't safe anymore... something is hunting us. Get out before it's too late!"
The Lampman raised his lantern higher, the golden light pushing back the darkness.
But before anyone could move, the night split apart.
A roaring fire blast shot from the treeline, its heat searing the air. It struck the Lampman directly, engulfing him in a blinding inferno. His scream tore through the silence before being drowned in flames. The lantern shattered on the ground, its light flickering out instantly.
Ashes scattered where he once stood.
Everyone froze. The forest fell into a chilling quiet, broken only by the crackling fire on the ground.
From the flames, Enma emerged. His burning eyes locked on Hana. "Ah... the girl of fire. How fitting." He bowed mockingly.
Hana's rage flared. "You... bastard!" She hurled a blazing torrent of flames at him.
Enma raised his hand, absorbing her fire, shaping it, bending it. The flames doubled, tripled, twisting into a roaring inferno that he hurled back at them like a tidal wave of hellfire.
The heat was suffocating - it would have consumed them all -
But in a blinding flash, the fire scattered.
Ryuu appeared, his entire body sparking with electricity, his foot still smoking from kicking the inferno away. His eyes blazed with focus as arcs of lightning danced across his skin.
"Step back," Ryuu growled to the hunters. "This one's mine."
Enma smirked. "Electricity... how amusing." His flames surged, licking the air like a dragon's tongue.
Then the ground shook as the two collided.
⚡🔥 Lightning against fire. Hand to hand. Power to power.
Every strike cracked the earth. Ryuu's fists blazed with thunder, each blow shaking the trees. Enma countered with burning palms, each hit leaving molten scars on the ground. The forest itself trembled, caught between fire and storm.
Souten and Wataru arrived at the shrine, the air thick with the metallic stench of blood. The shattered remains of Tenzin littered the floor, mangled beyond recognition. Over him, Jibakurie hunched, its monstrous claws tearing through flesh, eyes glinting with unholy hunger.
Souten immediately began incanting, runes igniting around him, flames of arcane power scorching the shrine walls. Wataru drew his gun, loading magical bullets that shimmered with lethal energy. They attacked in perfect synchrony: Souten's spells raining fire and ethereal chains while Wataru's bullets pierced through the shadows, each impact sending chunks of cursed flesh flying.
But Jibakurie was relentless. With a guttural roar, it slammed its massive claws into the ground, summoning a cursed dimension that erupted like a black vortex around them. The floor warped, shadows twisting into writhing, skeletal hands that tore at their bodies. Souten and Wataru were pulled into the darkness, their limbs burning as invisible claws shredded muscle and sinew.
Souten gritted his teeth, sweat and blood mixing on his face. The shadows cut deeper with every movement, but he forced his power outward, igniting the cursed realm from within. Runes of light exploded like mini supernovas, tearing at the dimension's fabric. The skeletal hands screamed as the world cracked apart, giving them a brief opening.
Wataru fired relentlessly, his magical bullets ricocheting off the walls of the collapsing cursed space. Each shot tore Jibakurie's flesh, sending gouts of black ichor spraying across the floor. The demon shrieked, staggering from the combined assault. With one final surge, Souten amplified his energy, blasting Jibakurie's core with concentrated arcane fire, weakening it beyond recovery.
Seizing the moment, Wataru emptied his remaining bullets, each imbued with Souten's residual power. The bullets pierced through Jibakurie's chest and skull, ripping him apart from the inside. The demon's body convulsed violently before collapsing into smoldering black ash, leaving a silence that pressed down like a tomb.
Victory came at a cost. Souten's body quivered violently as cursed energy coursed through his veins. Blood poured freely from his eyes, mouth, and nose, staining the stone floor around him. His strength spent, he collapsed, barely breathing, leaving Wataru kneeling beside him amid the wreckage of the shrine.
Far from the shrine, Enma clashed with Ryuu, fire and lightning splitting the jungle apart. Mid-battle, Enma felt Jibakurie's presence vanish. With a smirk, he held up the key he had secured. Without another strike, he disappeared into the shadows, leaving Ryuu standing among smoldering ruins.
The forest fell silent as the Healer team led by Hinata and the Lampmen squad under Akari reached the survivors. They carried the injured back to the temple hospital, where the wounded hunters were treated with swift precision.
"Hold on, everyone," Hinata said softly, her hands glowing as she healed a deep gash on a hunter's arm. "You're going to be fine. Just breathe."
Akari directed the Lampmen, her voice sharp but kind. "Move carefully! Watch the stairs-don't drop anyone!"
At the temple gates stood Genzo, the Healer and leader of the Hunter Association. His presence radiated calm authority. With a wave of his hand, he restored the survivors' strength at a miraculous pace.
"You've done well to survive," Genzo said, eyes sweeping over Hana, Nao, Riku, Aoi, Yuta, and Kaito. "From this day forward, you are full-fledged demon hunters. Protect humanity, and each other."
Hana bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Genzo-sensei. We won't let you down."
Riku clenched his fists. "I'll train harder than ever. No demon will get past me."
Once recovered, the six were given dormitories. Aoi and Hana shared a room, Kaito and Yuta another, Riku and Nao together.
"Finally," Aoi sighed, dropping onto the bed. "A moment without blood and screams."
Hana laughed softly. "Don't get too comfortable. You know this peace won't last long."
In the kitchen, Aoi and Yuta prepared meals.
"Careful with that knife, Aoi," Yuta warned, eyeing his friend. "We don't need another trip to the infirmary."
"I've been cooking since I could walk," Aoi shot back with a grin. "I think I can handle one more cut."
Meanwhile, Hana and Nao sat in the common room, sharing stories of past missions.
"You really think we'll ever get used to this life?" Hana asked, looking out the window.
Nao shook her head, smiling. "Not fully. But that's what makes us strong. Fear keeps us alive."
In the dojo, Kaito and Riku sparred relentlessly, blades clashing.
"Again!" Riku yelled, pressing forward. "You're letting your guard down!"
Kaito smirked, parrying. "You talk too much. Fight or be hit!"
Peace seemed within reach, until Souten returned. Though weakened and scarred by the curse, he had survived. His appearance was a reminder: battles had been won, but the war against the darkness had only just begun.
Hana stepped forward cautiously. "Souten... you made it."
He gave a small, weary smile. "Barely. But surviving is only the first step. The darkness... it's far from over."
Nao tightened her grip on her weapon. "Then we'll fight it. All of us."
Souten nodded slowly, his eyes scanning the group. "Good. You'll need every ounce of strength... because what's coming next won't forgive weakness."