Chapter 39 – The Crimson Baptism of Saphira

The battlefield was drenched in blood. The scent of burnt flesh and shattered bones filled the air as Saphira stood amidst the corpses of fifty elite-ranked demons. Her body was covered in cuts and bruises, but she remained standing, her chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. The once-pristine ground of the Forest of Hell was now nothing but a wasteland of torn limbs, blackened earth, and the lingering echoes of agony.

Kuragami watched from his throne of darkness, his expression unreadable. His forgotten sword rested beside him, its blade pulsating with the essence of the forgotten world. His gaze lingered on Saphira, who had just annihilated the demons he had summoned without hesitation.

She was a monster.

Not because she had won, but because of how she had fought.

Her movements had been savage—more brutal than any demon Kuragami had ever encountered. She had ripped throats out with her bare hands, broken bones with a single punch, and laughed as she tore through the ranks of his chosen warriors. She did not hesitate. She did not falter.

She bathed in their suffering.

And that is why Kuragami was impressed.

Not because of victory.

But because of her cruelty.

Kuragami rose from his throne, his piercing purple eyes glowing in the darkness. The air around him twisted, distorting reality itself. Every remaining demon in the forest fell to their knees, their instincts screaming at them to submit to his presence. Even Saphira, despite her exhaustion, felt an overwhelming pressure pressing down on her, forcing her body to tremble involuntarily.

But she did not kneel.

Instead, she locked eyes with Kuragami, defiance burning in her gaze.

A slow, twisted smirk formed on his lips.

"From now on, I will not call you Alexandra's daughter." His voice was calm, yet it carried the weight of absolute authority. "You have earned the right to be called by your own name, Saphira."

For the first time, she felt something strange.

Her heart pounded. Her body felt hot.

Was this… embarrassment?

She had never blushed before.

Not from fear. Not from pain. Not even from rage.

And yet, standing before Kuragami, hearing him say her name as an acknowledgment of her strength, she felt something she could not explain.

She clenched her fists.

This was weakness.

She could not afford weakness.

Kuragami stepped closer, closing the distance between them. He could sense it—the confusion in her mind, the storm of emotions she was desperately trying to suppress. He leaned in slightly, his presence suffocating.

"You fought well, but this is only the beginning," he said, his voice almost a whisper. "I have no use for warriors who hesitate. If you want to walk beside me, you must become something greater. You must become something even the gods would fear."

Saphira swallowed hard.

Kuragami's words were not just commands. They were absolute truths.

She had seen what he was capable of. She had witnessed his power firsthand. The way he moved, the way he controlled everything around him—it was as if he had already ascended beyond the limits of demons and gods alike.

She wanted that power.

She wanted to stand beside him, not as someone who needed protection, but as someone who could strike fear into even the strongest beings in existence.

Kuragami turned his back to her and raised his hand.

From the ground, dark tendrils emerged, twisting and writhing like living shadows. The remains of the fallen demons began to dissolve into pure energy, flowing towards Kuragami like rivers of black fire. The moment the energy touched him, his aura exploded outward, sending shockwaves through the forest.

"This world is nothing but a stage of deception," he continued, his voice carrying across the battlefield. "Loyalty is a fragile illusion. Strength is the only truth."

He turned his head slightly, just enough to meet her gaze once more.

"Saphira, do you swear to follow me, not as a subordinate, but as a force that will bring ruin to the gods?"

Saphira did not hesitate.

She knelt on one knee, placing a fist against her chest. Her golden eyes gleamed with unwavering determination.

"I swear it," she said, her voice steady, unyielding. "I will follow you into the abyss. I will burn the heavens to the ground."

Kuragami smirked.

Then, he extended his hand toward her.

"Then rise, Saphira. Rise as the harbinger of war."

The moment her fingers touched his, a surge of dark energy engulfed her body. The ground beneath her cracked, and the very air around them trembled. Her muscles tightened, her veins burned with raw power, and an unfamiliar sensation filled her soul.

She was changing.

Evolving.

Kuragami's power was reshaping her into something more.

Her skin darkened slightly, her nails sharpened, and her eyes glowed with a haunting crimson hue. Her once-golden aura was now laced with streaks of black and violet.

She was no longer just Alexandra's daughter.

She was a nightmare reborn.

The demons who had witnessed this transformation trembled in silence. Even they, creatures of darkness, could feel the unnatural power surging through Saphira's body.

Kuragami turned away, walking back toward his throne.

"The war against the gods will not be won with brute strength alone," he said. "Deception. Manipulation. Betrayal. These are the weapons we must master."

He sat down, his forgotten sword resting at his side.

"Saphira, from this moment on, you will not only be my warrior—you will be my blade in the shadows. You will learn the art of war, not just in battle, but in the mind."

Saphira's lips curled into a smirk.

"I will not disappoint you, Kuragami."

He nodded.

"You never will."

As the demons in the forest knelt before them, pledging their allegiance, Kuragami closed his eyes for a brief moment.

This was just the beginning.

He had gathered his first true warrior.

But there were still nine more demons to claim.

And the gods above had no idea of the storm that was coming for them.

The world would burn.

And Kuragami would sit upon the throne of its ashes.

To be continued…