Years ago, Hana had trained tirelessly with her brother Toma and their father, the lessons echoing through the courtyard of their family estate. Hana's dual blades of fire clashed with Toma's attacks, and time and again she bested him.
"Come on, Toma! Focus!" Hana shouted, dodging his strikes effortlessly.
"Don't think I'll go easy on you!" Toma barked, frustration flashing in his eyes as he lunged forward.
Frustration and pride warred in Toma's chest, and Katsuro, the family head, finally intervened, stepping between them. "Enough! Both of you!" he commanded, raising his hand.
Hana reached out in victory. "It's over... I won this round," she said, smiling.
Toma recoiled, storming away. "You don't understand! I will surpass you one day!" His words burned with jealousy and anger.
In the shadows of the estate lay a forbidden area, sealed with ancient locks. Toma's steps led him there, drawn by whispers and an otherworldly energy. He discovered a shrine, its doors etched with glowing runes. He recognized it immediately: the prison of Enma, the fire demon his family had bound generations ago.
A deep, resonant voice called from within. "Toma... child of the bloodline... I can make you stronger than any living being... stronger than your sister..."
Toma shook his head, struggling against the temptation. "No... I won't give in to you!" he whispered. Yet the voice lingered, persistent, like a heartbeat in the dark.
That night, Katsuro summoned the family council. Hana, Toma, Nobuyuki (current elite demon hunter of their clan), and Uncle Isamo gathered in the ancestral hall.
"Hana," Katsuro began, his voice echoing with authority, "your immense power and potential mark you as the next head of the family after my passing."
Toma's fists clenched. "What? Why her? I trained just as hard!" he shouted, fury and jealousy surging. "This is... unfair!"
Unable to bear it, he stormed out, tears mingling with his frustration, running toward the forbidden shrine.
Alone and desperate, Toma approached the sealed door, his hands shaking. The voice returned, more insistent: "Give in, and you will wield power beyond imagination..."
"Enough! I... I can do this on my own!" Toma roared, summoning all his strength. With a surge of energy, the ancient locks shattered. The shrine trembled as Enma, the fire demon, burst forth, flames coiling and spiraling.
The demon's essence surged into Toma, burning through his veins, transforming him. His body radiated infernal power, eyes glowing molten red, hair streaked with fire. Flames licked the ground around him, and the air shimmered with heat. The boy who had once faltered now stood as a living embodiment of the demon sealed for generations.
The night air was thick with smoke and the acrid stench of burning wood. Hana awoke to screams and crashing structures. Heart pounding, she rushed outside, witnessing carnage. Members of the fire demon hunter family ran frantically, faces twisted in terror.
"Toma... what have you done?!" Hana shouted, shock and horror in her voice.
Above the chaos, Toma stood transformed, a furious storm of fire surrounding him. Flames spiraled like living serpents, eyes molten lava. With a roar that shook the night, he unleashed a sweeping firestorm, incinerating anything in its path.
"Uncle Isamo!" Hana screamed, but he was already engulfed, leaving only smoldering ash.
Hana and Nobuyuki leapt into the fray, launching torrents of fire to counter Toma. Sparks and molten shards scattered into the air, yet their attacks barely slowed him.
"Toma! Stop this madness! You're burning our family!" Hana shouted, desperation in her voice.
With a wave of his hand, Toma sent a devastating fire blast toward Hana. Nobuyuki threw himself in front, half his body seared black as he cried out in pain. Both were hurled across the courtyard, the ground beneath them melting from the heat.
From the edge of the inferno, Katsuro arrived, presence radiating authority and raw power. "Toma! Come back! Fight the demon within you!" he roared. He unleashed a torrent of concentrated fire, magma and flames colliding in a dazzling display.
At first, Katsuro's experience gave him the advantage, pushing Toma back with precise strikes.
"You... you think you can stop me?" Toma sneered, flames coiling like living whips. His body grew taller, eyes glowing inhuman red. "I am more than human now... I am Enma!"
With a single strike of molten magma, he incinerated Katsuro, reducing the veteran hunter to charred remains.
Scanning the ruins, Toma sought Hana and Nobuyuki, his gaze blazing with infernal hunger. They were nowhere in sight. Hana had carried Nobuyuki's burned, weakened body, racing toward the healer's temple under Hinata.
Meanwhile, Raiza, Shigeru, Yui, and Makoto, all elite demon hunters arrived at the estate, only to be met with devastation. "This... this can't be!" Yui whispered, horror-stricken. Ash and charred beams littered the ground, and the only sounds were crackling flames and wind through empty halls. Every body they could find lay lifeless, victims of Toma's unrestrained fury. But the demon-Enma-was gone, vanished into the night like a storm.
The northern canyon lay silent, the scent of scorched earth lingering from Enma's passage. Flames curled along his boots as he approached the ancient prison, the runes of binding glowing faintly in the moonlight. With a wave of his molten hand, the seals shattered, and a figure emerged from the shadows-Chio, the Blood Demon.
The air pulsed with the scent of iron and magic as Chio stepped forward, eyes glowing crimson. Blood droplets trailed from his form, sizzling as they touched the stone.
"So... you are the one who frees me?" Chio's voice was both whisper and growl, echoing through the canyon.
"I am Enma," the fire demon replied, molten energy flickering across his body. "You were imprisoned for centuries, yet your power remains unmatched. I offer you freedom-and a chance to reshape the world."
Chio's gaze flicked over him, curiosity and hunger intertwining. "And what would you ask of me, liberator?"
"Loyalty," Enma said, flames spiraling around his fists. "I will free more of the ancient demons, and together we will destroy those who restrained us. I have plans for the Shikyoku, the Death Sonata and Kuchihateru, the Rotting Demon. With your blood magic, we will sweep through their prisons with ease."
Chio's smile was dark, teeth glinting in the firelight. "You speak of the Death Sonata and Kuchihateru... two of my oldest companions. I have longed for their return."
Enma nodded. "We move as one. I will free them, but I will need your aid.
Chio tilted his head, considering, then extended a blood-streaked hand. "Very well, fire-born. I am yours. Together, we will awaken the others. And when the world trembles beneath our power, no one will stand in our way."
Enma's molten eyes glimmered with satisfaction. "Good. Then our alliance begins here. Blood, fire, and fury will herald the new age. Follow me, and the old world will burn beneath our footsteps."