Chapter 55: Fight to Live

The air was thick with the stench of blood and burning debris. The Lord-class demon's roars echoed through the ruined streets, shaking the very foundation of the Imperial Capital. In the distance, screams of the fleeing citizens were drowned out by the clash of battle.

Under the broken remains of a collapsed building, Rin carefully laid Asami down on a clean patch of stone. Her pristine white robes were torn and stained with blood, but the White Empress was still alive. Rin reached into his shadow domain, pulling out a mana potion before pressing it into her trembling hands.

"Drink this," he urged softly.

Asami looked at the potion, then at Rin, her silver eyes narrowing. "You... I should be the one giving you orders, not the other way around," she murmured, a weak but amused smile playing on her lips.

Rin chuckled as he watched her drink. "That does sound like you," he admitted. "Sitting down issuing commands while the rest of us run around, scrambling to keep up."

Asami huffed but didn't deny it. Instead, she finished the potion and exhaled, some of her strength returning.

The humor faded as the weight of the situation pressed down on them again. A Lord-class demon was beyond reason, beyond control. If left to rampage, the death toll would be catastrophic. Neither of them wanted that.

Rin's expression hardened. "Can you run?"

Asami hesitated before nodding.

"Good." Rin stood, his black cloak fluttering as he turned toward the battle-torn city. "I'll lure it away from the center. If I keep moving, it won't catch me."

Asami's grip tightened around the empty potion bottle. "That's reckless, Rin."

"It's necessary," he countered. "You can't fight another one in your condition, and I—" He exhaled sharply. "I can at least buy time."

A cold silence fell between them.

Asami looked at him—the boy she had raised, the son she had loved, now a man standing between the Empire and destruction. She saw it again in his eyes. That burden. The weight he carried alone, never asking for help.

"You're just like your mother," she murmured, her voice softer than before.

Rin flinched. For a moment, his expression wavered, but he quickly hid it behind a smirk. "Then Father will be sad if you die, right?"

Asami's breath hitched.

"...Don't say things like that," she whispered.

Rin didn't respond. Instead, shadows wrapped around his body, cloaking him in darkness. His golden eyes gleamed for a moment before disappearing into the night.

Asami clenched her fists. She hated this. She hated that he was always the one leaving. Always the one fighting alone.

As she turned to flee, she spoke one last time—more to the night than to him.

"You better not die, Rin."

And just like that, the White Empress vanished into the ruins.

Rin, standing alone beneath the crimson sky, smirked to himself before dashing toward the towering beast, his shadows stretching behind him like wings.

"Let's see if you can catch me."

The chase had begun.

The city burned, the sky choked with smoke and ash. Screams and howls mixed in the chaos, but Rin moved like a shadow through it all, cutting down low-class demons and Dark Order cultists with ruthless precision. His blade flashed, his shadows lashed out, and bodies fell in his wake.

Yet, his true target loomed ahead—a towering, rampaging Lord-class demon, its monstrous form tearing through buildings like paper.

Rin barely spared it a glance as he moved. He needed its attention.

Darting through the wreckage, he weaved between collapsing structures and lunging enemies, his movements fluid, untouchable. The demon's roars shook the air, but it hadn't noticed him yet. That would change.

His hand flicked up, shadows coiling around his fingers. With a sharp motion, he wove them beneath the beast's feet—thick, binding tendrils stretching across the shattered ground. At the same time, he crackled with lightning magic, sending a powerful jolt surging through the dark restraints.

The effect was immediate. The Lord-class demon bellowed as its limbs seized up, its massive form locking in place. Then, with a deafening crash, it toppled forward, shattering the street beneath it. Dust and debris exploded outward.

Rin didn't wait.

He took off, sprinting toward the rooftops just as the beast roared, enraged. The ground trembled as it pushed itself back up, its fury now solely fixed on him.

Perfect.

The demon lunged. Rin leaped.

A massive claw tore through the space where he had stood a second before, carving through stone like butter. He landed lightly atop a crumbling building, only to vault to the next as another devastating strike shattered the structure behind him.

The chase was on.

Rin moved fast, barely a blur against the burning skyline. He leapt from rooftop to rooftop, dodging, weaving, flipping over wreckage as the demon pursued him with mindless rage. Every impact of its limbs sent tremors through the city, entire buildings crumbling under its wrath.

One misstep meant death. One second too slow, and he would be nothing more than a smear beneath its claws.

But Rin didn't slow.

Shadows curled around him, propelling him forward. Sparks of lightning danced at his fingertips, ready to strike. The night belonged to him, and if this beast wanted to catch him—

It would have to be faster.

The grand doors of the Imperial Palace swung open, and four figures entered the vast hall. Dressed in fine but tattered robes, their expressions were grim. Suzuki, Rei, Miharu, and Akane—the four consorts of the Crown Prince—approached the raised platform where Emperor Masaki sat upon his throne.

Masaki's piercing presence was undeniable, but as the consorts knelt in unison, there was something heavier in the air—an unspoken fear beneath the formalities.

Rei, usually composed, was the first to speak. Her voice was steady, but there was a tension in it. "Your Majesty… we bring grave news regarding the White Empress, Asami-sama."

Masaki's fingers clenched against the armrest of his throne. "Speak."

Miharu took a deep breath. "A Lord-class demon attacked the capital. White Empress Asami… she held it off to give us time to evacuate the civilians."

Silence.

Masaki's breath hitched, but he didn't speak.

Akane continued, her voice quieter. "She ordered us to leave while she kept the demon occupied. We—" She faltered but forced herself to continue. "We had no choice but to follow."

A sharp crack echoed through the chamber. Masaki had gripped the throne's armrest so tightly that the lacquered wood splintered beneath his fingers.

The weight of those words settled like a storm over the room.

The White Empress. His consort. The woman who was not a warrior, yet had stood against a Lord-class demon.

Masaki slowly lifted his gaze, turning toward the two men standing at his side.

Grand General Takigawa Yoshito, a pillar of Imperial military might.

Prime Minister Shinegori Arata, the Empire's most cunning strategist.

Both men flinched.

They knew what he was thinking.

A Lord-class demon was dangerous, but the Dark Order was worse. They hunted Imperial royalty, and Asami had thrown herself directly into their path.

Takigawa's jaw tightened. "She should never have—"

"She knew exactly what she was doing," Shinegori interrupted, his voice low. "We were all occupied. The 2nd Official Purge is underway, and someone had to watch over the consorts. It was the perfect opportunity for the Dark Order to strike."

Masaki's lips pressed into a thin line. "So she took it upon herself."

His voice was unreadable.

But those who knew him—those who had served under him for years—recognized the flicker of something rare.

Fear.

Suzuki, silent until now, finally spoke. "She was buying time for us. She knew we could escape, but the civilians... they would have been slaughtered if not for her intervention."

Another tense silence.

Takigawa exhaled sharply. "Damn that woman," he muttered, but there was no anger in his voice. Only grudging respect.

Shinegori ran a hand through his graying hair. "This is Asami we're talking about. She always made it seem like she wasn't involved, but she's been working from the shadows all along. Even when she was supposed to be resting."

Masaki finally let out a slow breath. His expression was unreadable, but his fingers curled into his palm.

This was his fault.

He had given the order for the purge. He had assumed that Asami would remain safe. That she would simply play the role assigned to her—watching over the consorts, keeping them from danger.

But she had never been one to sit idly by.

Before anyone could say another word, the chamber doors flew open.

An Imperial attendant rushed in, panting from exertion. He dropped to one knee, voice urgent.

"Your Majesty! White Empress Asami has returned to the Imperial Palace! She has been taken to the medical bay!"

The room was frozen for half a heartbeat.

Then Masaki was on his feet.

"Prepare an escort," he ordered, striding forward with a speed that left no room for argument. "Take me to her. Now."

The Grand General and Prime Minister exchanged glances before quickly following.

Behind them, the four consorts remained kneeling, exhaustion settling into their bones.

Miharu let out a soft breath of relief. "She made it back."

Rei closed her eyes, a rare moment of vulnerability. "But at what cost?"

No one had an answer.

The scent of antiseptics and blood clung to the air as Emperor Masaki strode into the medical bay. He was known for his composed, almost unshakable demeanor, yet as his gaze swept the room, searching, his steps hastened.

Then he saw her.

Sitting on a medical bed, White Empress Asami was waving at him. Her once-pristine robes were stained with blood, her long hair disheveled, yet she still had the audacity to smile at him as if she had merely gone out for a walk.

Masaki exhaled sharply, his jaw tightening before he crossed the room in an instant and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Asami," he muttered, his voice strained.

Asami sighed against his chest but didn't pull away. Instead, she relaxed in his hold. "I was just lucky," she murmured, resting her forehead against his shoulder.

Masaki didn't reply. He didn't need to. His grip on her spoke volumes—relief, frustration, unspoken worry.

After a moment, Asami finally returned the hug, her arms wrapping around him. "Masaki," she said softly, her voice a little more serious, "I have a report."

Masaki reluctantly released her, stepping back just enough to look at her properly. "Tell me."

Asami straightened, her Imperial demeanor returning despite the exhaustion weighing her down. "The Dark Order is moving with precision. They weren't just aiming for the civilians—this was a coordinated strike meant to destabilize the capital."

Masaki's expression darkened. "And you were in the middle of it."

Asami chuckled. "Not by choice, believe me." Then her smile faded. "Rin saved me."

Masaki's breath hitched at the mention of him.

The Second Imperial Prince. The son of the Azure Empress. The child who had chosen to disappear, hiding in the shadows of the Empire.

Masaki had long known that Rin was keeping his identity concealed, yet he had never interfered. If anything, it was moments like this that reassured him—Rin was still watching, still protecting what he could from the darkness.

"He's luring the Lord-class demon away as we speak," Asami continued. "He's not strong enough to kill it, but he has two of the most elusive elements—Lightning and Shadow. If anyone can slip away from that monster, it's him."

Masaki exhaled through his nose, his mind flashing back to all the times he had seen Rin return injured, battered, but alive. He trusted his son's ability to survive. But still…

"He'll be fine," Asami reassured, reading his silence with ease.

Masaki pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling slowly. "I'd rather he didn't have to prove that every time."

Asami simply smiled. "You say that, but you know he wouldn't stand by and do nothing."

Masaki sighed, knowing she was right. Instead of dwelling on it, he changed the subject. "The purge is nearing its conclusion. The rescue and purge squads should be returning soon."

"Then it's time for a counterattack," Asami said, her tone sharpening. "The situation needs to be stabilized before more damage is done."

Masaki stared at her for a long moment before shaking his head. "You're sitting in a medical bay, covered in blood, and you're still thinking about your duties as White Empress."

Asami smirked. "Would you expect anything less?"

Masaki sighed, rubbing his temples. "I should have you restrained to this bed until you actually rest."

"I'd escape."

"Then I'll have the entire palace guard watching over you."

"I'd bribe them."

Masaki groaned, but a ghost of a smile tugged at his lips. "At least let the medics finish their work before you start making plans."

Asami chuckled, leaning back against the pillows. "Fine, fine. But only because I know we don't have much time to waste."

Masaki sat down beside her, the weight of the Empire still heavy on his shoulders, but for now, just for a moment, he allowed himself to breathe.

The doors swung open once more, and the air shifted. A presence filled the room—one of heat, strength, and unwavering confidence.

Vermilion Empress Hikari strode inside, her red combat robes slightly dusted with ash and dirt, the scent of battle still clinging to her. Her sharp eyes scanned the room before settling on Asami, and upon confirming that she was still in one piece, her lips curved into a smirk.

"Well, well," Hikari drawled, crossing her arms. "I see you're still alive, Asami. But barely."

Masaki shot her a warning look, but Asami simply rolled her eyes.

"I was lucky," Asami admitted, resting against the bed.

Hikari's smirk widened. "You know, I've been saying this for years, but you really should just stay in the office and yell at people instead of running into danger. It suits you better."

Asami let out a small laugh. "Rin said the same thing."

Hikari barked out a laugh. "Smart boy."

Masaki, though weary, couldn't help but shake his head. Even amidst the chaos, these two were still the same.

That said, Hikari's teasing expression softened ever so slightly. "I'm glad you made it back, Asami."

Asami smiled. "I know."

Hikari straightened, her posture shifting back to the warrior she was. "Now, for the actual reason I came here—The purge of the nobles connected to the Dark Order has been completed. Every corrupt house that was aiding them has been dealt with."

Masaki gave a slow nod. "Good. That removes their political leverage, but that doesn't stop the demons lurking in the Imperial Capital."

"Exactly." Hikari's gaze sharpened. "The purge was one thing, but we still have demons running loose in the city. We need to decide on our next move."

Asami sighed, already thinking. "Azure Empress Nao and Black Empress Minako are outside the Empire dealing with their assignments. Which means we need to handle this ourselves."

Masaki rubbed his chin. "Our forces are split between relief efforts, the purge, and keeping order within the capital. We can't afford prolonged battles, not with civilians still at risk."

Hikari nodded. "Then we should take advantage of what we do have. If Rin is still leading the Lord-class demon away, that means we have a brief window to deal with the remaining forces."

Asami tilted her head. "We need to focus on two things: securing the capital's safety and tracking any remaining Dark Order members who may have slipped through the purge. If they still have demons under their control, they won't give up so easily."

Masaki exhaled. "Then it's time for the counterattack."

Hikari grinned, cracking her knuckles. "Now that is what I like to hear."