Kanoru wrenched his sword from the twitching corpse of a goat monster, its blood steaming against the cold steel. He exhaled sharply, his breath ragged from the constant battle. Around him, the ground was a scarred and broken graveyard—bodies of humans and monsters lay sprawled in a grotesque tapestry of death, their blood mingling with the debris of shattered buildings. Smoke drifted through the cracked streets, stinging his eyes, but he barely noticed.
He scanned the battlefield. His eyes quickly found Yun Feng and Yun Ming fighting alongside the Black Ice Guards, their blades flashing with deadly precision as they cut through the monstrous horde. With every strike, their movements were fluid and relentless, keeping the civilians behind them safe.
Kanoru's gaze drifted upward. The sky was still bleeding red. Monstrous silhouettes continued to pour from the black hole, a never-ending tide of horror. Farther in the distance, he felt it—the clash of titanic spiritual energy, the unmistakable pressure of Spirit Realm experts locked in battle. Explosions of raw power flared above the inner city and around the royal complex, where the fiercest fighting raged.
His heart tightened with urgency. His eyes flicked back to his brothers-in-law. "I'm going back to the mansion!" he shouted over the din.
Yun Feng, locked in combat, only gave a sharp nod, too focused to reply. Yun Ming slashed through the throat of a charging monster, sending its corpse tumbling to the ground, and called back, "Go quickly!"
Without hesitation, Kanoru turned and sprinted, his boots pounding against the blood-soaked ground. His chest tightened with dread, and his mind screamed a single command: 'Get back. Protect them.'
But the path was far from clear.
A snarl to his left—Kanoru barely turned in time, raising his blade to parry the jagged claws of a lunging goat monster. The creature's fetid breath washed over him as it slashed wildly. Without mercy, he drove his sword through its chest, twisting hard, and kicked its lifeless body aside. More came at him in waves—low and middle-ranked monsters, lesser in power but many in number.
Kanoru didn't slow. He couldn't afford to.
He charged through them with ruthless efficiency, his blade flashing with each step. No flourish, no wasted movement. He struck with every ounce of strength, putting everything he had into each blow. His chakra burned hot and fierce, and he spent it without hesitation. His only goal was speed.
One monster leapt at him from the roof of a ruined building. Kanoru barely glanced up. With a quick flick of his wrist, he sent a chakra-infused slash through the air, cleaving the creature in half before its claws could reach him. He didn't stop running.
Another monster lunged from the side, its claws aimed at his throat. Kanoru ducked low, pivoting on his heel, and slashed through its legs in a single, fluid motion. The beast howled as it fell, but Kanoru was already gone, leaving it writhing behind him.
Blood splattered his face, his arms ached, and his chest heaved, but he didn't slow.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the mansion came into view.
The scene made his blood run cold.
The front gates were shattered. The guards meant to protect them were dead, their bodies broken and torn, scattered among the corpses of the monsters they had managed to take down. The heavy iron doors of the mansion had been reduced to splinters, gaping wide like a mouth missing its teeth.
Kanoru's eyes narrowed, and he sprinted through the ruins.
Inside, the mansion was in chaos. Screams and the clash of weapons echoed through the corridors. He could hear fighting breaking out in multiple rooms, the monstrous roars of the invaders mingling with the shouts of the desperate defenders.
'I'm too late.'
Kanoru didn't waste time. He turned toward the nearest sound of combat and bolted down the hall.
Turning the corner, he spotted a group of mansion guards, bloodied and battered, fighting to hold back a cluster of goat monsters. Behind them, trembling servants and maids clung together, their faces pale with terror.
Kanoru didn't hesitate.
With a fierce shout, he charged into the fray. His blade cut through the nearest monster, slicing it from shoulder to hip in one clean stroke. Another turned toward him with a snarl, only to have its head separated from its body before it could even react.
Kanoru's presence turned the tide. The guards, emboldened by his arrival, pressed forward. Together, they cut down the remaining monsters with ruthless precision.
Within five minutes, the battle was over.
The last monster crumpled to the ground, its blood pooling beneath it. The servants huddled together, wide-eyed but safe. The guards, though wounded, held their ground.
Kanoru wiped the blood from his blade, his chest heaving with labored breaths. His eyes were sharp, scanning the wreckage and blood-soaked halls for any sign of his loved ones.
"Where are the ladies?" he demanded, his voice low but firm.
A nearby guard, sweat and grime smeared across his face, pointed toward the inner mansion. "They're protecting the Marquis!"
Kanoru's jaw tightened. He gave a curt nod. "Help the others and gather inside the mansion. Fortify wherever you can."
Without waiting for a reply, he sprinted toward Asuna's mother's chamber. His boots pounded against the fractured stone floor, his blood boiling with adrenaline.
As he neared the hall leading to the room, a searing fireball, the size of a carriage, plummeted from the sky. It slammed into the roof of the mansion with a deafening crash, piercing through layers of stone and wood, sending molten shards flying in all directions. The entire structure groaned from the impact.
Kanoru barely flinched, but his eyes narrowed. From the burning wreckage came an inhuman, guttural roar—a monstrous bellow that rattled the walls. The heavy, ragged snarl was unmistakable. One of the higher-ranked goat monsters.
For a split second, Kanoru's fingers twitched on the hilt of his sword, but he shook the urge away. He knew his limits. Those creatures were too powerful—ones only Higher-Ranked warlocks could handle. Luckily, three of them were already stationed inside the mansion.
'Let them deal with it.'
He turned and kept running.
The hallway blurred past him as he sped through, ignoring the growing heat and the tremors shaking the mansion's foundation. When he reached the chamber, two guards were stationed outside, their faces pale but resolute. Seeing him, they immediately stepped aside and pulled the door open.
Kanoru rushed in.
"Asuna!" he called.
She was seated beside her mother, holding her frail hand. At the sound of his voice, she snapped her head toward him. Relief flooded her eyes. Without hesitation, she leapt to her feet and sprinted toward him. She threw her arms around him, clutching him tightly.
"Are you hurt?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Kanoru exhaled softly, wrapping his arms around her, feeling the warmth of her body against his blood-streaked armor. "I'm fine," he murmured. He pulled back slightly and cupped her face, his eyes scanning hers. "Are you all alright?"
Gu Mingzhu, standing beside the bed, her face tense with worry, spoke up. "What's happening out there? What's going on?"
Before he could answer, the mansion trembled violently again. Another section of the roof somewhere nearby gave way with a splintering crash, followed by the guttural howls of monsters tearing through the broken halls.
Kanoru's eyes hardened. He turned back to Asuna and her mother. They couldn't stay here.
"You can't remain in this room," he said firmly. "Is there a basement?"
A maid standing near the wall, pale but composed, quickly nodded. "Yes, my lord."
Kanoru spun toward the guards at the door. "Get the Marquis out of here. Now!"
Without delay, the guards moved with trained efficiency. There was already a stretcher in the room, prepared for an emergency. They carefully lifted Asuna's mother onto it and secured her.
Kanoru turned to the maid. "Lead us to the basement. Quickly!"
The maid nodded and hurried ahead. Kanoru walked alongside Asuna, keeping her close as they followed. Gu Mingzhu and Mika stayed behind them, keeping pace.
The mansion trembled with every step they took, distant roars and shattering stone echoing through the hallways. But Kanoru never slowed. His hand remained steady on the hilt of his sword, his eyes flicking to every shadow, every corner.
When they reached the basement, he helped guide them inside.
"Asuna," he murmured, pressing his forehead to hers for the briefest moment. "Stay here. No matter what you hear, do not leave."
Her hands tightened around his. "You'll come back?"
"I will," he promised, his voice low but resolute. He pressed a firm kiss against her forehead, then turned to the guards. "Protect them with your lives."
Without another word, Kanoru spun on his heel and rushed out.
The moment he stepped into the open, the battlefield greeted him with full, unrelenting brutality.
The mansion was collapsing into ruin, reduced to rubble and ash. Sections of the upper floors had already crumbled, sending cascades of stone and wood tumbling down. Smoke and fire choked the sky.
Monsters still poured from the black hole above. Like a gruesome rain, they plummeted to the ground, slamming into the earth with bone-crushing force before rising and charging into the fray.
Kanoru ran toward the nearest sound of battle, his eyes hard and merciless.
From the shattered corridors, more goat monsters emerged. Snarling, their blood-red eyes locked onto him. Their claws glinted, dripping with fresh blood.
Kanoru's blade was already moving.
The first creature lunged, but he ducked low, slashing upward in a vicious arc. His sword tore through the monster's gut, spilling it open with a wet, ripping sound. Without pausing, he pivoted sharply, driving his elbow into the face of the second beast before plunging his blade into its throat.
Another came at him from behind. He sensed it—spun around—and cut through its arm with a chakra-infused strike, severing the limb before thrusting his sword into its chest.
Blood splattered his face. He didn't stop.
More monsters swarmed toward him. Kanoru didn't hold back. With each swing of his sword, he poured his chakra into the strikes, slicing through flesh and bone in single, brutal strokes.
A creature lunged from above, aiming for his head. Kanoru's eyes flashed. He crouched low and slammed his blade into the ground, releasing a wave of chakra-infused force. The ground cracked and split, sending jagged stone spears shooting upward, impaling the beast midair.
Its body fell limp, twitching against the spikes.
He charged forward again, not letting up.
The battle roared around him, but Kanoru moved through it like a force of nature. His blade was a blur, carving through goat monsters with ruthless efficiency. He left corpses in his wake—mangled, broken, and lifeless.
But the monsters kept coming. More poured through the crumbling walls, clawing and shrieking, their grotesque faces twisted with bloodlust.
The battle raged on, now centered around the basement door—the last safe place.
Kanoru stood his ground at the threshold, blood-splattered and panting. His eyes burned with fury, his knuckles white around the hilt of his sword.
The bodies of the slain monsters piled around him, a wall of broken flesh. The ground beneath his feet was slick with blood. Yet, he didn't falter.
Even as his limbs ached, even as his breath came in ragged gasps, Kanoru refused to fall back.
'As long as they're behind me, I won't let anything through.'
The monsters charged again.
Kanoru roared back into the fight.
Without slowing, he slashed through three middle-rank goat monsters in quick succession. Blood sprayed across the broken ground as he cut them down, his sword moving in swift, precise arcs. Their bodies collapsed in heaps of twitching limbs, but Kanoru didn't pause. He exhaled sharply, consuming a food pill to recover his chakra reserves.
Panting lightly, he glanced up at the black hole swirling above the ruins, watching as more monsters poured out. 'When will this end?'
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a massive fireball hurtling toward his position. It tore through the smoky sky like a meteor, trailing flames and ash. But it wasn't just fire—it was a monster.
Three higher-rank beasts were still battling in the mansion's crumbling remains, clashing with three higher-rank warlocks and several middle-ranked ones. The warlocks fought relentlessly, their spells lighting the ruins with elemental fury. But Kanoru knew they couldn't hold out forever. If more high-rank monsters landed, the tide would turn against them.
He made his decision.
'I have to hold this one off until they finish theirs.'
As the fire-cloaked monster slammed into the ground, debris exploded outward. Without hesitation, Kanoru lunged forward. He struck the beast with his full strength, not giving it a chance to find its footing.
Their blades clashed with violent sparks. Kanoru's strikes were swift, relentless. His chakra-infused sword cut deep into the monster's flaming hide, but the creature's thick skin and raw power made it a brutal match.
The battle turned into a savage dance of skill and power.
Though the beast was a rank higher, Kanoru's superior swordsmanship allowed him to hold his ground. His movements were fluid and precise, evading the monster's heavy swings while delivering rapid, calculated counterattacks. Sparks flew with each clash, the battlefield a whirlwind of fire, steel, and blood.
But no matter how many times he slashed, stabbed, or struck, the monster refused to fall. Its flaming horns and clawed hands burned with relentless heat, but its most terrifying trait was its self-healing.
Kanoru gritted his teeth. No matter how deep he cut, the monster's wounds closed instantly. Its flesh knitted itself back together, regenerating with unnatural speed.
'Damn it…'
He knew the warlocks would eventually join him once they killed their opponents. They were capable—they had already slain one or two higher-ranked monsters. But the battle was dragging on. The monsters' self-healing made them absurdly difficult to put down.
'If more high-ranks land before they finish… we're done.'
Kanoru's eyes narrowed. He realized he couldn't wait. He needed more power.
'I can kill it,' he thought grimly, 'but I need to unlock the fifth gate's energy.'
He had already comprehended ninety percent of its composition. With another week, he could have converted it into chakra. But there was no time for caution. He had to do it now.
While fighting with his right hand, he reached into his pocket with his left, yanked out three food pills, and tossed them into his mouth. The bitter taste barely registered as he chewed and swallowed.
Then he opened the Fifth Gate.
A surge of chakra flooded his system. His strength, speed, and reaction time spiked. Though he still wasn't as strong as the monster, his increased agility made the battle far easier to manage. His movements became faster, sharper—his strikes more precise.
With the increased flow of chakra heightening his mind, he directed a fraction of his focus toward the remaining ten percent of the fifth gate's energy composition.
Driven by desperation and battle instinct, he worked through the energy with razor-sharp concentration.
For thirty minutes, he fought in this heightened state—dodging, slashing, and countering with deadly efficiency.
Then, in a single breakthrough moment, he understood the final ten percent.
In an instant, he converted the gate's released energy into pure chakra. His reserves surged. His strength grew.
And with it came a new sensation.
The moment the fifth gate's energy fused into chakra, he felt the sixth gate stir.
Without hesitation, he forced it open.
A violent wave of energy erupted from his body. His skin flushed crimson, his blood boiling with raw power. A green aura surged around him, crackling and shimmering with fierce intensity. The sheer force of it caused the ground beneath his feet to crack and splinter.
Kanoru's eyes narrowed as he felt the energy rampaging inside him. His body screamed under the strain, but he gritted his teeth and held on.
'Five minutes.'
That was all he had before the energy destroyed his muscles and ligaments, leaving him in shreds. Five minutes of raw, uncontrollable power.
For those five minutes, he was a higher-rank samurai.
Now, his strength was equal to the monster's.
He met the beast head-on, blow for blow. Their strikes shook the ground. Each clash sent shockwaves rippling through the broken battlefield.
Kanoru's movements were faster, his strikes heavier. He drove his knee into the beast's ribs, cracking bone. The monster roared and lashed out, but Kanoru caught its flaming arm mid-swing and twisted, snapping it at the joint.
The creature howled in pain, but Kanoru gave it no reprieve.
Seeing an opening, he pivoted sharply and drove his sword through the monster's eye. The blade punched clean through its skull, erupting out the back of its head in a spray of black blood.
The monster spasmed violently, its claws swiping blindly. Kanoru wrenched his sword free and watched the beast collapse in a lifeless heap.
But he didn't stop.
He still had one minute left.
Without closing the Sixth Gate, he turned and sprinted toward the nearest higher-rank warlock still battling a monster.
The warlocks were strong, but they were spellcasters, and the monsters' self-healing and spell resistance were slowing them down. Each time their higher-rank spells struck the beast, the monster's skin absorbed the magic, reducing the impact to that of a middle-rank attack.
Kanoru's physical attacks, however, were far more effective. His raw, unrelenting power cut through their regenerating flesh, leaving wounds too deep to heal instantly.
With his remaining time, he charged into the fray.
He struck fast and hard. His sword flashed in brutal arcs, slashing through limbs and carving deep, jagged wounds. The monster roared, staggering under the onslaught.
The warlocks seized the opening. Chanting in unison, they unleashed a barrage of spells. Fire, lightning, and frost slammed into the wounded monster, the combined force overwhelming its regeneration.
The beast let out a final, blood-curdling shriek before Kanoru's sword pierced its heart.
It fell.
Kanoru stood over the corpse, his chest heaving, his sword dripping with black blood. The last of his sixth-gate time drained away, and his crimson skin gradually returned to normal. His muscles throbbed with pain, but he barely registered it.