The fight was boring. Most demons did not have much intelligence, so asking too much from them was not a good idea.

Shuu disposed of anything and anyone that came at him without thinking. That included his allies as well, so most of them chose to maintain their distance.

The only ones who came close to him were the other generals, and that was also because they needed his help on their side.

The first thing Shuu noticed about Goddess Astoria’s side was the fact that no one was strong. They were all decent fighters, but they did not have the killing instincts needed to get rid of the enemy.

He did not know whether they were weird or if the fault lay with him. Maybe Shuu was the weird one who felt nothing when he stuck his sword into someone else.

"W-We are winning? How is that possible?"

"Does a single strong person make this much of a difference? We might be able to win this time."

People cheered their upcoming victory, and Shuu instantly wanted to tell them not to let their guard down. But at the same time, he was sure that no one here could challenge him either.

So he allowed the generals to celebrate.

Just when he decided he had helped enough and it was time to head back, the sky split apart, and an overwhelming force covered the area.

Shuu, along with everyone else, looked up as the sky split apart and wings began to appear from the crack.

"W-What is that?"

"Oh no! Why is he here? This is not his fight. Everyone, we need to run away."

The celebratory atmosphere instantly turned into one of fear. Shuu was the only one who did not turn his back on this new threat. He embraced the new obstruction and welcomed it.

Seeing him not even flinch, the generals grabbed him and tried to run back.

"Hey, what are you doing? Do you have a death wish? We need to get going—"

A spear blocked their way. Feathers fluttered around the spear, and it made a crackling noise before creating a barrier around their forces.

The wings in the sky also parted, and Shuu saw the most beautiful face he had ever seen in his short life.

The energy swirling around the other person was directly opposite to his, but that only served to attract Shuu even more. He felt drawn and moved an inch, only to be grabbed immediately.

"Don’t move. You may be afraid right now, but don’t let your fear take over. Our goddess’s grace will protect us."

One of the generals called out to him and held Shuu back.

Shuu felt confined, and he did not like that feeling. He immediately tried to brush that hand off him and take a step forward.

"I don’t—"

"Oh! What do we have here? Is that a new face? Did the goddess gain a new lapdog while I was not looking—"

Shuu felt his face boiling, and he threw his spear before he realized what he was doing.

Gasp

No one said a word as his weapon grazed the demon’s cheek, and a drop of red escaped from that wound.

The demons lost control instantly at the sight of their emperor’s blood, and they went for Shuu. But Shuu disposed of them in the blink of an eye.

The air was tense, but both Shuu and the devil only had eyes for each other.

"You feel different from that wretch’s usual lapdogs. Why don’t you leave her and come to me? I think that you and I can make a great team. What do you say?" 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

That offer was tempting, but the bridge it was being built on had already been burned by the demon.

Shuu did not answer him. Instead, he recalled his spear and attacked the demon king.

The other demons tried to interfere and stop him, but their emperor raised his hand to stop his subjects.

"That kid is a little different from the people you fought before. You’ll all die if you try to fight him. Leave him to me."

The demons backed away, and both weapons clashed in mid-air. The resulting clash caused everyone to bow their heads. They could not see what was happening, but they could feel the energy rising around them.

It was the kind of clash that only happened once in a lifetime, so the generals decided to take advantage of it.

"Let’s kill the demons while they are distracted. This is our chance."

The generals moved toward the demons, and the demon king noticed. He tried to stop them, but Shuu blocked his way.

"Hey kid, you were endearing before, but now you are annoying. I need you to get out of the way—"

The demon king used his powers, but Shuu blocked him once more. They clashed and fell back, unable to overpower each other.

Similar tattoos covered both their bodies, and they pulsed when the pair clashed. It distracted the demon king first, and he looked shocked.

"This is—"

Shuu did not give him any time to explain. He surged forward, his instincts trying to tell him something, but he did not understand what they were saying. So he kept pushing forward until he physically could not move.

The demon king seemed to be in a similar situation. But unlike Shuu, he was in the losing position. He did not want to take any more losses to his forces, so he decided to retreat.

"Kid, it seems like we will have to conclude our fight as a draw this time. Why don’t we introduce ourselves and call it a day?"

Shuu felt a stab of irritation at that. He did not want to go back. He wanted to keep fighting and force the demon to show him more.

His lack of a response did nothing to deter the demon king, and he gave a small bow before speaking.

"I am Kaiden, the current demon king and the first creature to be birthed by the thing you call father. May I have your name?"

Shuu felt compelled to give his name to this stranger. His mouth moved even without his permission.

"I am Shuu."

That was all Shuu could say. He had nothing else to his name, not even a title.

But the demon king did not seem to care much. He grabbed Shuu’s hand quickly and pressed a kiss on the back of it.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Shuu. I hope we continue to meet like this in the future as well. And if possible, I would like to have a chat with you too."

Kaiden disappeared after saying this, and Shuu was left behind. He suddenly felt all alone, not knowing what to do with himself.

The generals behind him walked toward him to talk to him, but no one said anything.

And just like that, they all came back to Goddess Astoria’s castle with their first victory. But it did not feel like a victory to most of those gathered.

They had only won because the new kid had taken charge.

The atmosphere inside the castle shifted the moment they returned.

What should have been a celebration felt restrained, almost suffocating, as if everyone was waiting for something to go wrong. The generals reported their victory, their voices steady, but their eyes kept drifting toward Shuu as though he were the true center of the outcome.

Whispers spread quickly. Some were in awe of his strength. Others were wary.

Shuu ignored them all.

He walked past the gathered soldiers without sparing them a glance, his mind still lingering on the battlefield. The clash, the overwhelming presence, the way his body had reacted without hesitation—

And that name.

Kaiden.

It echoed faintly in his thoughts, carrying a strange weight he could not explain.

Before he could think further, a presence approached him.

Goddess Astoria.

"You did well."

Her voice was soft, but there was a sharp edge beneath it, something calculating that Shuu could not quite place. She stepped closer, her gaze sweeping over him as if assessing every detail.

"You exceeded my expectations."

Shuu did not respond immediately.

His eyes met hers, calm but distant, as if her praise did not reach him the way she intended.

"I only did what was necessary."

He said at last.

Astoria’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second before returning, more controlled this time.

"Of course. That is exactly why you are valuable."

Her hand reached out, resting lightly on his shoulder, but this time, Shuu noticed it.

The control hidden beneath that simple touch.

Something in him stirred, subtle but present.

A quiet resistance.

But it faded just as quickly as it came.

"Rest for now. We will have much to discuss moving forward."

Astoria continued.

Shuu nodded without thinking.

And yet, as he turned to leave, his thoughts were no longer as quiet as before.

Something had changed.

He just did not know what it was yet.