The Mugen district was quiet that night.

  Too quiet.

  Ren stood near the doorway of the small house where Moriya rested. His breathing was shallow but steady. Bandages wrapped around her side, still faintly stained despite treatment.

  The cat lay curled near his feet, golden eyes watching him.

  “You should rest,” Moriya murmured weakly.

  Ren didn’t turn.

  “I will.”

  But he knew he wouldn’t.

  The mission had to move forward. Sidikatu’s words still echoed in his mind — corruption, torture, disappearances.

  And now he could feel it.

  Something wrong.

  Deep within the heart of the Mugen clan.

  He exhaled slowly.

  “I’ll go alone.”

  Moriya’s eyes widened slightly.

  “Ren—”

  “It’ll be faster,” he said gently. “Less risk.”

  The cat’s tail flicked once.

  As if it knew.

  Ren stepped out into the night without another word.

  The air felt heavy as he approached the central district — where the Mugen Council once held its assemblies.

  Lanterns burned dimly along the path.

  Few guards.

  Too few.

  Ren’s steps slowed as he reached the massive structure — carved wood, old stone pillars, banners hanging still.

  But something was different.

  He heard it.

  A sound.

  Faint.

  Muffled.

  A strained breath.

  Then—

  A scream.

  Ren froze.

  It came from the side wing of the building.

  Another sound followed — a sharp crack, like wood striking flesh.

  Ren’s jaw tightened.

  He stepped toward the entrance.

  An attendant stood near the corridor, expression neutral.

  “What’s going on in there?” Ren asked quietly.

  The attendant didn’t even look at him.

  “That’s none of your business.”

  Another muffled cry echoed from inside.

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  Ren’s fingers curled.

  “That’s really none of your concern,” the attendant repeated.

  Ren didn’t respond.

  He walked past him.

  The attendant stepped in front of him.

  “I suggest you walk away.”

  Ren’s eyes darkened.

  “And I suggest you move.”

  For a moment, they stared at each other.

  Then—

  Ren pushed past him.

  The door at the end of the hall was slightly open.

  He could hear it clearly now.

  Grunts.

  Struggling.

  Something heavy hitting stone.

  Ren pushed the door open.

  And stepped inside.

  The room smelled of iron.

  A man was bound to a chair at the center.

  Bruised.

  Barely conscious.

  Three figures stood around him — one holding a blade, another gripping his hair, forcing his head up.

  “You betrayed the council,” one of them said coldly.

  The man coughed weakly.

  “I only— told the truth—”

  The blade pressed against his throat.

  Ren stepped forward.

  “That’s enough.”

  All heads turned.

  The blade-holder narrowed his eyes.

  “This chamber is restricted.”

  Ren moved closer.

  “So is torture.”

  One of them scoffed.

  “You don’t understand what’s happening here.”

  Ren’s gaze shifted to the bound man.

  Blood trickled from his lip.

  “I understand enough.”

  The man with the blade stepped forward.

  “This is council business.”

  Ren didn’t move.

  “Then your council is rotten.”

  Silence.

  The tension thickened instantly.

  “You dare?” one of them hissed.

  Ren stepped between them and the bound man.

  “Yes.”

  The first strike came without warning.

  A fist slammed into Ren’s ribs.

  He staggered back but didn’t fall.

  Another blow followed — sharp, precise.

  Ren blocked, countered — but his body still wasn’t fully recovered from the previous battles.

  He felt it immediately.

  His muscles strained.

  His breathing grew uneven.

  “Leave,” one of them warned.

  Ren swung, landing a clean hit — knocking one man into the wall.

  But the other two pressed in.

  He blocked one strike — barely avoided the blade aimed at his side.

  Pain flared as another blow struck his back.

  His vision blurred slightly.

  He forced himself forward.

  “I won’t let you—”

  The door behind them burst open.

  Three elders of the Mugen Council entered.

  Their presence shifted the entire room.

  “You,” one of them said coldly.

  Ren turned slowly.

  His body already trembling from strain.

  “You interfere in matters beyond you.”

  Ren wiped blood from his lip.

  “You torture your own people.”

  The eldest elder stepped forward.

  “Sometimes,” he said calmly, “order requires sacrifice.”

  Ren’s breathing grew heavier.

  “You call this order?”

  The elder’s expression didn’t change.

  “Remove him.”

  All of them moved at once.

  Ren fought.

  He truly did.

  But he wasn’t ready.

  Every movement burned.

  Every block felt heavier.

  A strike landed against his temple.

  Another slammed into his chest.

  He fell to one knee.

  The bound man cried out weakly.

  Ren tried to rise.

  A boot struck him down again.

  The blade-holder approached slowly.

  “You should have walked away.”

  Ren coughed, blood touching his lips.

  He tried to push up again.

  His body refused.

  The blade lifted.

  Pointed directly at his chest.

  “Goodbye.”

  The blade descended—

  And the world shifted.

  Darkness flared.

  Not around him.

  From him.

  The air cracked like thunder splitting open.

  A pressure exploded outward, sending several men stumbling back.

  Ren’s body rose slightly from the ground.

  His head tilted downward.

  Then—

  He smiled.

  But it wasn’t Ren’s smile.

  It was wider.

  Colder.

  Amused.

  A voice echoed from his throat.

  “…So fragile.”

  The room froze.

  The elder stepped back instinctively.

  — no.

  Emma no Kage — slowly straightened.

  Dark aura swirled around him like smoke caught in a storm.

  The ropes binding the tortured man snapped without being touched.

  One of the council members rushed forward.

  Emma no Kage moved once.

  Only once.

  The man flew across the room, crashing into the stone pillar — unconscious before he hit the ground.

  The others froze.

  “…Dark ashes rise,” Amado murmured softly.

  The floor beneath them cracked.

  Two shapes began emerging from the shadows on the ground — twisted forms crawling upward like living nightmares.

  The room’s torches flickered violently.

  The remaining elder stepped back in horror.

  “What are you—?”

  Emma no Kage tilted his head slightly.

  “What would you prefer?”

  His eyes gleamed.

  “Myself?”

  The shadow creatures fully emerged, towering and distorted.

  “Or my demons?”

  The elder couldn’t answer.

  He was shaking.

  Emma no Kage grinned wider.

  “This is going to be fun.”

  Guards rushed in the corridor.

  Chaos erupted.

  Emma no Kage moved like a storm.

  A dagger appeared in his hand — then another.

  He held one between his teeth casually, as if savoring the taste of violence before it began.

  And then he was among them.

  Steel clashed.

  Cries echoed.

  The demons lunged into the guards, sending bodies crashing into walls, screams filling the chamber.

  Emma no Kage spun, slashed, struck — movements fluid, almost playful.

  He laughed.

  Actually laughed.

  “So this is what it feels like,” he breathed, dodging a spear thrust and driving his blade into the attacker’s shoulder.

  “Being alive again.”

  More guards fell back in terror.

  He moved faster.

  Efficient.

  Merciless.

  But not angry.

  Happy.

  That was the terrifying part.

  He wasn’t protecting Ren.

  He wasn’t punishing corruption.

  He was enjoying it.

  “I am not going back,” he declared loudly, voice echoing through the chamber.

  A council member tried to flee.

  Emma no Kage caught him by the collar and threw him across the room.

  Another tried to attack from behind.

  Emma no Kage dropped his daggers.

  And still didn’t slow down.

  He moved with bare hands now.

  Striking.

  Throwing.

  Breaking.

  Blood stained Ren’s clothes.

  It dripped from Emma no Kage’s mouth where he had held the blade earlier.

  The demons tore through the last of the guards with inhuman ferocity.

  Soon—

  The room fell silent.

  Only broken bodies and shattered stone remained.

  Emma no Kage stood in the center.

  Chest rising slowly.

  Eyes glowing faintly in the dim light.

  He looked around.

  Disappointed.

  “That’s it?”

  He sighed.

  “I was just getting started.”

  He lifted his head toward the ceiling.

  “So this is how good it feels…”

  His voice softened.

  “To exist.”

  The demons dissolved back into shadow.

  The aura flickered.

  And suddenly—

  Ren’s consciousness surged forward.

  The world snapped back into focus.

  He fell to one knee.

  Breathing hard.

  The room…

  The bodies…

  The destruction…

  His hands trembled.

  “What… did you do?” Ren whispered internally.

  Emma no Kage’s voice echoed inside his mind.

  “I’m a cursed demon.”

  A pause.

  “What did you expect?”

  Ren’s jaw tightened.

  “They were corrupt,” Emma no Kage continued lazily. “But that’s not why I killed them.”

  Ren’s heart pounded.

  “Then why?”          Emma no Kage chuckled.

  “I wanted to have fun.”

  Silence.

  Cold realization spread through Ren.

  “You didn’t save me.”

  “No.”

  “You didn’t protect the man.”

  “No.”

  A grin echoed in his mind.

  “I was bored.”

  Ren felt something twist inside him.

  The weight of what had just happened.

  The lives taken.

  The fear he had felt as he lay helpless.

  Emma no Kage’s final whisper lingered.

  “You think I’m here to help you.”

  A soft laugh.

  “I’m here because I enjoy chaos.”

  Ren’s breathing steadied slowly.

  But his mind did not.

  For the first time…

  He truly understood.        Emma no kage wasn’t an ally.

  Wasn’t a guardian.

  Wasn’t a hidden protector.

  He was a demon.

  And demons didn’t need reasons.

  ---

  End of Chapter.