Start the trip

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As Ryu sat on the balcony, he gazed at the sunset with eyes filled with sorrow, as if its rays reminded him of something distant yet painful. He recalled his childhood when his father used to carry him on his shoulders as they went to watch the sunset.

"The sunset is beautiful, but at the same time... sad," he whispered, as if speaking to himself. A heavy feeling began to settle in his heart, and without realizing it, tears streamed down his face. This was not a fleeting sadness but a deep pain that finally emerged from within him.

With each ray that disappeared behind the horizon, Ryu felt a part of his pain fading away. When the last trace of the sun vanished, the sorrow from his eyes disappeared, turning into a cold void, devoid of any feeling.

After stepping inside from the balcony, he headed towards the bathroom, filling the tub with hot water. He sat in the tub, relaxing his body with his head resting against the edge. He stared blankly at the ceiling. "I need to know the truth about my father's death..." he whispered to himself. For a moment, he considered asking Rias for help, but he quickly dismissed the thought. He didn't want any demons meddling in his personal affairs. "The last thing I need is to reveal my power to anyone, especially Rias. No, I can't trust her or any other demon."

He smiled bitterly. "It seems I'll have to rely on myself."

After finishing his bath, he stood in front of the mirror and gave himself a slight smile. "My body has become stronger... If I had seen this in the past, I would have been happy. But now, all I want is power that makes anyone who hears my name tremble in fear." He wrapped a towel around his waist and headed to the kitchen to prepare his dinner, but the sound of the doorbell interrupted him.

When he looked at the surveillance screen, he saw Rias, Akino, Kiba, Koneko, and Issei standing at the door. He sighed and walked over to open it.

As he opened the door, the group paused for a moment, shock evident on their faces. Rias, Akino, and Koneko's faces turned red, while Issei exclaimed in surprise, "Ryu-san! Why aren't you wearing anything?"

Ryu looked at Issei coldly and said in a quiet but chilling voice, "Because someone interrupted me when I was getting dressed."

Everyone felt embarrassed, and Rias tried to break the silence by saying, "We wanted to visit you and make sure you're okay."

Ryu glanced at her expressionlessly and replied, "Thank you, I'm fine. But now, I have things to do. I was about to prepare dinner."

Suddenly, Akino stepped forward with a smile and said, "How about I cook dinner for you instead?"

Ryu shook his head slightly and took a step back. "I appreciate your offer, Akino, but I need some time alone." Akino looked at him with that warm smile, but she felt a barrier between them that she couldn't cross.

Akino felt a deep sadness, for she knew that the kind and gentle Ryu had vanished, replaced by someone new who had closed his heart. Kiba broke the silence gently, trying to ease the tension.

"Ryu-san, why don't you let Akino-san cook for you? Maybe your injuries haven't healed yet."

Rias quickly interjected, her expression showing some hope. "Yes, Ryu. Let Akino cook for you, and we'll help you organize your home."

There was a glimmer of anticipation on their faces, hoping Ryu would agree. But his response came as cold and harsh as ever.

"No, I don't need that."

Issei was the only one who sensed something different. No one else noticed what was going on inside him, but Ryu had felt it. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Issei and thought silently, "Dark feelings... Is it anger? Or something else?"

Quickly, Ryu began to analyze the emotions emanating from Issei. He remembered his twisted nature and smiled coldly to himself: "Is he jealous of me? Of the treatment I receive?"

Suddenly, Ryu saw black threads rising from Issei toward him. Before he could do anything, he began absorbing those dark emotions, all happening in an instant. In mere moments, he had absorbed everything.

He glanced at Issei briefly before turning his gaze away and said coldly, "Sorry, but I have to go now. People might see me like this."

He closed the door behind him silently. Everyone, including Rias and Akino, felt deep sorrow. As for Issei, he continued to feel jealous, not only because Ryu rejected Akino's offer but because Akino hadn't offered to cook for him.

Behind the door, Ryu stood still, still absorbing the remaining threads of dark emotions. They were pure feelings of jealousy. He smiled slightly at the corner of his mouth and murmured quietly, "I don't know why I'm absorbing these emotions, but one thing is certain: I've become stronger. And it seems I now have the ability to sense emotions."

Ryu expanded his sense to cover a wide area with a radius of five hundred meters. He felt the emotions of the surrounding residents: feelings of happiness, anger, sorrow, jealousy, hatred, and lust. He tried to absorb those emotions but failed.

He muttered as he walked toward his bedroom, "It seems I can't absorb these feelings. Perhaps because they aren't directed at me, or because they aren't strong enough... Or maybe because I'm not the cause of them."

Ryu dressed in light clothing and headed to the kitchen, where he prepared a dish of rice, eggs, and bacon. After eating and cleaning up, he went down to the underground room.

When he entered the room, the lights turned on automatically. Ryu looked at the room, which was the size of two basketball courts, and approached the wall to find that there was a soundproofing spell, and the walls were covered with a layer of iron.

"It seems this room is designed for my combat training."

His arm veins bulged, and his nails transformed into sharp claws. Ryu looked at his hand and then attacked the wall, but he only left a scratch mark.

"These walls must be able to withstand an attack from a high-ranking demon."

After confirming the strength of the walls, he moved to the center of the room. He raised his hand and sent out his demonic energy, successfully forming a sword from the element of darkness, a European-style sword sharp enough to cut through anything.

Ryu was pleased that his idea worked and muttered to himself, "Ever since the battle against the rogue demons and my transformation, I've been able to control darkness. It seems I can now shape anything from the element of darkness."

He tried to form a spear behind him but failed.

"Okay, that's to be expected. It won't be that easy."

Ryu expected to fail in this task, as he didn't know much about other types of magic and lacked the ability to create a weapon he knew nothing about, such as its size and weight. But why did he succeed in making a sword? Because when he looked at the sabers and realized he didn't have enough magical energy, he decided to train with Kiba's sword.

However, Kiba's style relies on decoration and speed, and thanks to his knight piece, he had great speed. So Ryu decided to increase his speed, but he ultimately failed.

"If Kiba's sword represents speed, then I'll approach it differently. I'm not a pure swordsman; I'll use a sword to cut my enemies, so I'll focus on strength and precision to make my sword a one-hit kill. For that, I need strong sword fundamentals."

Rio began training on vertical cuts.

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He trained for several hours, and each time there was a mistake in his stance, he would start over until he succeeded in completing a thousand vertical cuts.

Rio could no longer bear it, and after finishing the last vertical cut, he was drenched in sweat, his hands trembling from the pain of swinging, and his legs could no longer support him. He collapsed, unconscious from exhaustion, and the sword of darkness disappeared from his hand.

Suddenly, two shadow knights appeared in the room, but their forms changed and became clearer. The first one became huge and strong, with a dark black color and glowing purple details. He wore black armor and had a giant sword at his side, with a large head covered by a black helmet and fiery purple eyes glowing from within. His claws were long and sharp.

The second one was tall and robust, wearing black armor with a purple sheen, giving him a semi-mechanical appearance. His head was covered by a large black helmet with long horns, enhancing his sense of power and control. There were small openings in the helmet resembling eyes, emitting a faint purple glow.

He wielded a long, thin sword, with a grip that suited his huge hand. The sword's blade was shiny blue, appearing to be made of a magical substance.

As for the third one, he looked powerful and strong, clad in black armor with a purple gleam that seemed to be part of his body, giving him a semi-mechanical appearance. He wore a large black helmet with long horns, increasing his sense of power and control. There were small openings in the helmet resembling eyes, emitting a faint purple glow.

He carried a massive axe on his shoulder and a giant shield on his back.

They were surrounded by an aura of glowing black and purple mist.

The change in them was evident, as when they emerged, they carried almost the same weapons and shapes, but they had changed significantly.

They looked at each other and then at Rio, who was sleeping on the ground.

All three nodded, and Number 2 stepped forward, gently lifting Rio, feeling very happy to be able to carry his master.

Meanwhile, the other two felt jealous, each wanting to carry their master, but they were weaker than Number 2, so they had to submit to his command when their master was not present.

After ensuring that Rio was sleeping peacefully, the three left to guard the house.

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