Demonic Ki

*****AUTHOR NOTE: Akashi POV***

This damn brat…

I never thought I'd be pushed this far. My fists clenched around the small crimson pill in my palm, my heartbeat hammering against my ribs. To think I'd have to rely on something like this…

There was no turning back now.

I tipped my head back and swallowed it whole.

"Good luck, child."

The moment it slid down my throat, my veins ignited. It was as if molten fire had been injected directly into my bloodstream.

My body exploded into flames, raw power coursing through every fiber of my being. My Ki, once a controlled force, raged like an unchained beast, turning my skin incandescent with heat.

I could see it—the way his expression barely flickered.

Takeda. That impassive look of his. Like I'm not even a threat.

A twisted laugh ripped from my throat, the power feeding into my rage.

"Come on, brat! Do better!" I bellowed, flames crackling around me.

But Takeda merely tilted his head, his eyes sharp as a blade.

"A fool relying on a pathetic drug." he mused, his voice calm but cutting. "You have no shame or honor."

That tone.

Like I was beneath him.

Like I was nothing.

Heat surged within me, hotter than any flame I had ever conjured.

"You—!" My voice roared, and with it, my Ki. The ground beneath me cracked under the sheer force of my power as I lunged, a streak of living fire.

My flame-forged sword whistled through the air, its edge aimed for his throat—

But he was gone.

A sudden gust of wind sent me staggering backward.

I barely caught myself before snapping my gaze up—

He stood a few paces away, untouched, a slight crease in his brow.

Impossible…

I knew I was fast. The pill had amplified me beyond my limits.

And yet, this brat—he was faster.

"Just who are you, brat?!" I snarled.

"Didn't you challenge me?" Takeda asked, unbothered, his stance relaxed but unshakable. His aura shimmered with a deep violet glow, an ominous energy thrumming beneath his skin.

It was the look of someone who had already won.

"Give up, Akashi. You've already lost."

The words—so simple, so absolute—sent my fury into overdrive.

"NEVER!"

I thrust my hands forward, conjuring a storm of fireballs, each one dense with heat, streaking toward him like flaming meteors.

At the same time, I summoned a ring of flames, closing us in.

Nowhere to run.

Takeda flickered.

Damn it! He's still too fast!

I pivoted, switching tactics—

Flame projectiles, rapid and precise, struck toward him in a deadly cascade.

Then—agony.

A sharp pain erupted in my shoulder.

I stumbled back, my breath catching as my gaze dropped—an earth-formed arrow embedded deep in my flesh.

When—?!

Takeda's stance hadn't even changed. He had thrown it so seamlessly, so effortlessly, that I hadn't even registered the moment it left his hands.

A roar of frustration tore from my throat. My Ki burst outward, a wave of scorching heat engulfing everything around us.

It still wasn't enough.

Not to beat him.

Not to erase the shame.

Then—

A voice.

Not my own.

"Do you want power?"

A sharp pain lanced through my skull.

"Do you want to reign above all your enemies? Even the one before you?"

The world swam in a haze of red and black.

"Yes. Yes!"

I begged.

"Then surrender your body."

"I will lend you my strength."

Yes! I don't care! Give it to me! I BEG!

Pain erupted in my chest, my vision darkening.

And then—everything changed.

***AUTHOR NOTE: TAKEDA HANZO POV***

<2x Mystery Box, 1x New Skill>

I exhaled. 

The moment Akashi took that pill, I knew.

He wasn't human anymore.

The system didn't just increase rewards for any opponent.

Akashi was a legitimate threat now.

His body convulsed, mutating before my eyes—His limbs twisted unnaturally, bones snapping before realigning themselves in grotesque shapes. His jaw unhinged, widening too far for a human face, jagged teeth protruding like broken glass.

Yellow blood poured from his flesh, pooling around his feet in thick, steaming puddles.

And his eyes—those weren't Akashi's anymore.

"AKASHI! GIVE UP!" I commanded, my voice carrying through the ruined battlefield.

But the thing standing before me wasn't listening.

The Demonic Ki rolling off him was suffocating, pressing against my lungs like lead.

"BRAT!" His voice was a guttural snarl, barely human.

A shudder ran through the students who had gathered. Even the instructors—hardened warriors trained in combat—stood frozen in their places.

He's terrifying them.

My own Ki reserves were running low.

If I didn't end this now—

Akashi reared back, flames coiling around his arm like a serpent before he launched a fireball so massive it could engulf half the academy.

I reacted instinctively.

Summoning the last of my Earth Ki, I fortified a barrier, shielding the academy behind me.

The fireball slammed into it, scorching the air, but my barrier held—barely.

This is it. One move left.

I activated Shadow Step, flickering through the flames.

Akashi's monstrous gaze snapped to me—too late.

The Eclipse Blade found its mark.

A clean slash.

And his head fell.

His body stood frozen, as if his corrupted soul refused to acknowledge the death that had already claimed it.

Then—

He collapsed.

Silence.

The battlefield, once alive with flames and fury, was now deathly still.

Blood splattered onto the scorched earth.

And just before the darkness swallowed me whole—

Everything faded. 

***** AUTHOR NOTE: Director Jin POV ****

Shit. Shit. Shit. I arrived too late.

The moment I stepped onto the training grounds, my chest tightened.

The once orderly training grounds had become a wasteland of scorched earth and cindered debris. What remained of the wooden training dummies lay in smoldering piles, their edges still glowing with embers. Even the academy's stone pathways bore deep scorch marks, cracks running along them like veins of ruin. 

And in the heart of it all— A boy, barely thirteen, lay unconscious.

Takeda Hanzo.

His uniform was tattered, the fabric burned in places, but what caught my eye was the blood.

It wasn't his.

A few feet away, the lifeless remains of Instructor Akashi lay still, his severed head a few paces from his twisted, monstrous body.

The air was thick with the stench of burnt flesh and demonic Ki.

My hands clenched into fists. Damn it.

The worst had happened. A warrior of Shinsekai—an academy instructor, no less—had succumbed to Demonic Ki. The one thing this land had outlawed centuries ago.

And yet, here it was. The corruption of the Demonic Spirit Domain had slithered into the academy's walls, leaving its mark in blood and fire.

And Takeda…

"Get him medical attention." I ordered, my voice sharper than steel. "Now."

The instructors hesitated for only a second before rushing to follow my command. 

I didn't move, though. My gaze was still locked onto the wreckage of what had once been Instructor Akashi.

Someone gave him that pill.

Someone inside the academy had access to forbidden Demonic Ki.

And worst of all—

They wanted Takeda dead.

"Who the hell is behind this…" I muttered under my breath.

**** AUTHOR NOTE: TAKEDA HANZO POV**

Pain.

A deep, aching pain that settled into my very bones.

I forced my eyes open.

The infirmary ceiling greeted me.

Then—footsteps.

Director Jin entered, his expression unreadable.

"Takeda, how you're doing?" he asked.

I sat up slowly. "What the hell was that?"

Jin sighed. "Demonic Ki."

My jaw clenched.

"I figured I'll give you time to rest before rushing into anything." Jin said, breaking the silence. "Meet me in my office once you've recovered." 

As Jin walked out, I leaned back against the firm pillow, exhaling slowly. The battle with Akashi had been… unexpected. Not just because of his strength, but because of what he had become.

That wasn't a man. That was a beast.

A demon.

I glanced down at my trembling fingers. Even now, the sensation of his Demonic Ki lingered—an ominous, almost sticky presence that refused to wash away.

Somebody had given him that pill.

Somebody had wanted me dead.

And if they had access to Demonic Ki…

They weren't going to stop at Akashi.

I need to find out who's behind this before they try again.

But first—recovery. I stared at "Absolute Restoration" debating on using it. 

It wasn't worth it. 

I forced my thoughts back into focus and pulled up my system interface.

The notification was still there, waiting.

Silent Kill?

I swiped my fingers across the air, opening the skill description.

•Erases all sound and Ki presence, making the user completely undetectable while moving or attacking.

Level 1 Perks: •Completely removes footstep noise and lightens user's presence.

•Attacks from behind have increased critical damage.

•Can be maintained for 5 seconds before Ki drain occurs.

•Limitation: Sudden, large Ki releases (such as bursting attacks) will briefly break concealment.

I let out a slow breath, rereading the ability carefully.

This… this was perfect.

It was practically designed for assassination. A tool that could render me invisible in the middle of battle. If I combined it with Shadow Step, I could launch attacks without an enemy ever detecting me.

But…

I clenched my jaw.

I hadn't done any actual assassinations in this world yet.

In my past life, as Damian West, taking a life had been as natural as breathing. Each kill was precise, calculated, efficient. But in this world… things were different.

I had killed Akashi.

And yet, it didn't feel like a victory.

I shook my head. Focus.

There was still one more box to open.