First Son of the Flames

Takami sat across from Rei, his expression unreadable. His mother had just excused herself, leaving them alone in the living room.

"What do you want?" Takami asked, cutting straight to the point.

Rei leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees. "Enough games, Takami. I know what you've been up to."

Takami didn't even blink. "So you're confronting me now, since the bounty didn't work?"

Rei's expression remained neutral, but his mind raced. Did he really take down the bounty hunter himself? No… that shouldn't be possible unless he had the backing of a high-ranking guild member, but who exactly did it for him?.

"I'll have to admit, though," Takami continued, his tone almost casual. "Thanks for trying to have me killed the first time. It taught me a lot."

Rei frowned. "Killed? We wanted you alive."

"Tell that to the first assassin you sent after me."

A name flashed in Rei's mind. Iruka? He dismissed the thought quickly and refocused. "That doesn't matter now." He studied Takami closely before speaking again. "Tell me, are you even human?"

Takami had wondered the same thing countless times before now. But with a confident smirk, he answered, "Yeah, I am."

"Your Grant level, then?"

"Low Grant level."

Rei scoffed. "Lies."

Takami shrugged.

"If you're so sure, why not come for a re-evaluation?" Rei asked, his smirk returning.

Takami went silent for a moment, considering the idea. But in the end, he shook his head. "Not interested."

Rei smiled, as if expecting that response. He stood up, pulling out a card and placing it on the table. "Whenever you change your mind, call me."

And with that, he left.

Moments later, Takami's mother came out of her room, holding her phone with a surprised look.

"I just received a message from Tomoe and Yosuke's principal," she said. "They can continue coming to school. All debts have been cleared, and full payment for the year has been made."

Takami nodded.

She hesitated before speaking again. "The landlord also messaged… saying I was lucky to have paid the rent and bills on time…" Her eyes met his. "Takami… was it you?"

Takami simply nodded.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she rushed forward, wrapping her arms around him. "So this is what you were gone for… What would I have done without you?" she whispered.

Takami let her hold him for a moment before stepping back. "I was thinking maybe we go to the mall. Groceries, clothes, maybe some other stuff."

She gasped. "You shouldn't waste what you have left—"

"Don't worry, there's still enough for this," Takami said casually.

She froze. "...What?"

Takami sighed. " I joined some raid teams. The pay for killing spirits were high. So uh… just get ready, I'll go tell Tomoe and Yosuke to get ready too"

She hugged him again, this time, even tighter.

That night.

The sky darkened, thunder rumbling. Jimin and Yona were at a restaurant, finishing their meal.

"Thanks for bringing me out," Yona said.

Jimin gave a small nod.

She glanced outside. "We should leave before it starts raining."

They stepped out, but it was too late. Heavy raindrops pelted the streets, forming puddles instantly.

Instead of running for cover, Yona grinned. "Might as well enjoy it!" She spun into the rain, arms outstretched, completely soaking herself.

Jimin stood still, watching her in mild disbelief. "I didn't know she was this playful and full of energy,"

She turned to him. "Come on!"

He shook his head. "Come back, you're gonna fall sick,"

"It's fun" she added

"No"

She pouted, then suddenly ran towards him, grabbing his wrist. "No escaping!"

Before he could react, she pulled him into the downpour.

Seconds later, a taxi approached. Jimin quickly stopped it, and they both got inside, dripping wet.

The driver sighed. "Forgot to warn you about the roadblock ahead. Flood damage. You won't be able to pass until tomorrow morning."

Jimin frowned. "Any nearby hotels?"

The driver pointed at a small building. "That one. Only place close by."

They dropped off and checked in, wanting to book two rooms, but the receptionist had bad news.

"All rooms are taken. Only one left."

Jimin and Yona exchanged glances.

"Even if we went out in the rain again, where would we find another hotel?" Yona said to Jimin "Let's just take it."

Inside the room, Jimin sat on the floor, arranging a blanket for himself.

"You sure you're okay down there?" Yona asked, lying on the bed.

"Yeah.", he replied

She turned to say something else, only to freeze as he casually pulled off his shirt.

Her face turned red. "I-I , Uh…"

Nyx snickered in her head. "Someone's malfunctioning"

Yona quickly turned on her back, staring at the ceiling. "Shut it!"

Jimin raised an eyebrow then looked at her. "You said something?."

"N-No, I uh, just wanted to uh… say goodnight, yes, goodnight,"

"Ouh ok, goodnight too," then he layed down.

The next day, Monday morning.

Tomoe and Yosuke had already left for school. Takami went to the gym as usual, finishing his routine before resting with a towel over his head.

A hand appeared in front of him with a bottle of water, "Gonna leave me hanging today too?"

A familiar voice. Shion, he looked up, "Ohh it's you," and then he collected it.

She sat beside him, taking a sip of her own , "You thought I left just because of what you told me yesterday right?"

Takami shrugged.

She smirked. "Thought as much. Well I didn't. My guild called me for an emergency."

That caught his interest. "What guild are you with?"

"Phantom Order," she said. "Rank-1 High Grant level. Healer, although I'm still fit for an assassin."

Takami raised an eyebrow, impressed.

He leaned forward. "What was the emergency?"

Shion glanced around before answering. "Strange activity across Japan. Sparks appearing in the air, then disappearing. We investigated the latest one, but it stopped before we arrived."

Takami tensed. Unstable energy detected.

Could it be related?

"Hey," Shion waved a hand in front of his face. "You good?"

Takami nodded, pushing his thoughts aside.

Shion smirked. "Alright then. But enough about that. Tell me, why do you always train alone? No sparring partner?"

Takami shrugged. "Don't need one."

She grinned. "Cocky. Let's test that sometime."

That afternoon. Shibuya.

The sky shimmered. A spark, then a sudden burst of flames split the air.

Then, a gate opened.

A lone figure stepped out.

A shapeshifting spirit, wearing the form of a man. Red eyes. Long crimson hair.

He gazed at the city with disgust. "So this is the human world?"

He raised a hand, flames ignited instantly. A simple flick of his fingers, and a wave of fire erupted down the street.

The guilds were already alerted.

Based on it's aura level, there was no denying that a Great Spirit had arrived.

And it was already forming a charge with all the spirits nearby, preparing to burn everything.

The guilds arranged deployments for the teams nearby and in no time, High Grant level users were already there handling the charge effectively.

Yuri and Jimin were called to join the backup team.

Takami who was at home in his room saw the crisis already going viral on the internet. "I should stay out of this, but it's tempting to see how far I can go against a great spirit." Then he let out a sigh "No… They'll handle it."

Meanwhile in Shibuya,

Media drones already flew over, giving the live coverage to the internet.

The spirit watched from behind as it's charge was being wiped out, "they're putting on quite a fight, but that's not what I came for,"

It stood up, raising it's voice "Which of you humans know where Chronix is?"

Silence

The air thickened with shock, not a growl, not a mere killing intent, but a spirit that spoke. It was understandable how Seated spirits talked, but does this mean all other great spirits could talk too?

The spirit frowned, "Pathetic." Jumping into the battle.

As it landed, waves of flame sent everyone flying including some spirits, it raged at a downed hunter when it got blasted away by a blue beam.

"Huh?" It turned, seeing two people that emitted a fair amount of aura, then it smiled and stood up.

Spirit Keepers.

Ken Yunai, also known as 'Rifle', Hunter class from Phantom Order.

The second was Ayaka Sumeragi, a silent assassin from Shurin guild.

The air crackled as Ken spun his rifle, cocking it with one hand. "Alright, flame boy, I missed lunch cause of you. So let's see how you handle this." He took aim and fired, a blue energy bullet ripping through the rain-soaked air toward the spirit's chest.

The Great Spirit barely moved, raising a single hand as a wall of flames erupted from the ground, swallowing the shot.

"Tch." Ken clicked his tongue, already expecting it, and shifted his stance.

Ayaka didn't wait for an opening. In a blur, she vanished from her spot, reappearing above the spirit with her daggers drawn. A sharp slash cut through the fire defense, forcing the Great Spirit to step back as a thin cut formed on his cheek.

A slow smile spread across his lips. "Not bad," he muttered.

Ken smirked. "If you're smiling, then we ain't trying hard enough."

Ayaka landed without a sound, her daggers flickering in her grip. "We don't have time to play Ken, you talk too much," she said coolly. "End this fast."

The spirit let out a low chuckle, tapping his fiery blade against the ground. "Oh, you misunderstand. This is me being generous."

His aura flared, the flames around him turning from bright orange to a deep crimson red. "But if you want things to end quickly…"

Suddenly, the air rippled.

Ken's instincts screamed at him to move. He dove sideways just as a wave of fire exploded in his direction, melting through the pavement like wax. Ayaka flashed behind the spirit, her dagger aimed for his spine, but he didn't even turn.

A fiery spike erupted from the ground beneath her.

She barely twisted in time, the heat clinging onto her cloak as she landed a few feet away.

Ken whistled. "Shit. This guy's a problem."

Ayaka said nothing, adjusting her grip on her blades.

Meanwhile, the reinforcements were still on their way. The backup team had arrived, injured hunters were being evacuated, but time was running out.

The spirit rolled his shoulders, flames swirling around his fingertips. "Chronix," he repeated, his voice carrying across the battlefield. "Tell me where he is, and I'll let you all live."

Ken narrowed his eyes. "Never heard that name in my life."

Ayaka's eyes widened, as it was the same name the avatar who invaded their headquarters asked of.

The spirit sighed dramatically. "And I thought humans were supposed to be smart."

He lifted his sword. The flames compressed, growing smaller and brighter, then suddenly erupted outward in a devastating blast wave.

Ken gritted his teeth. "Brace for impact!"

BOOM!!!

Meanwhile…

Takami scrolled through his phone, watching the live stream of the battle with a lazy expression. He saw the flame explosion shake the ground, sending hunters flying like ragdolls. The comment section was going crazy.

{User_2601: "Wtf is that thing?!"

{SpiritSlayer19: "A great spirit… no way they're winning this."

{KenFanboy: "YO KEN IS THERE LET'S GOOO"

{PhantomOrderRep: "Reinforcements on the way. Hold the line."

Takami sighed, setting his phone down. "Still tempting…" He glanced at his system interface. The unstable energy reading was off the charts. A new one came.

⟨WARNING:

Unstable energy detected. Distortion forming. Probability of external interference: 72%⟩

His eyes narrowed. External interference? What did that mean?

He tapped his fingers against the table, debating his next move.

Back at the Battle

The flames cleared, revealing the devastation. The ground was scorched, a crater forming where the explosion had landed.

Ken groaned, pulling himself up from the rubble. "Yeah… that sucked."

Ayaka was already on her feet, breathing slightly heavier. Her cloak was burned at the edges, but her eyes were still sharp.

The Great Spirit stood untouched, flipping his sword casually. "Tsk. Still alive? Persistent little things, aren't you?"

Ken wiped blood from his mouth. "Oh, we're real stubborn." He reloaded his rifle. "But the real question is… can you handle all of us?"

At that moment, a presence descended onto the battlefield.

A rush of air.

A flicker of white fabric.

The ground shook.

The Great Spirit's smile faded slightly as he turned. "Huh?"

A new figure had arrived.

Another Spirit Keeper.

Hideo Kanzaki, Titan Fist

To be continued…