Son of Heaven

Darkness.

Toji felt it swallowing him whole... his body cold and lifeless. The last thing he remembered was the sting of death... not unfamiliar, but this time it felt more permanent. The sensation of his soul being ripped apart was unlike any pain he had ever experienced. So this is what death feels like... again.

But then... something pulled him.

A deep, low hum echoed through the void. It was not a voice, nor a sound... It was simply... existence itself. Something ancient, unfathomable. And it was calling to him.

Toji's eyes shot open. He was standing. Barefoot. In nothing but his old combat gear, bloodstained and torn. Around him, a dark abyss stretched endlessly. The air was heavy, thick like molasses, and in front of him stood it.

A being beyond comprehension. Its form shifted constantly... tentacles, limbs, eyes, mouths, and things no human mind could describe. The very sight of it would've driven any mortal insane. But Toji didn't flinch. Instead, he scoffed.

"Tch... this hell?" he muttered. "Figures."

The eldritch god watched him in silence... then spoke — not with words, but directly into Toji's mind. "You defied death... twice. You have no curse energy... no divine blood... yet you broke fate repeatedly. I find that... amusing."

Toji smirked bitterly. "Glad I could entertain you, ugly."

The being didn't react to the insult. Instead, it seemed intrigued. "Your mind burns with grief... your wife... your son... a life you never deserved, and a death you still curse. Why do you resist?"

Toji's jaw tightened. He didn't respond.

The god leaned closer... a dozen eyes forming on its grotesque face. "I could offer you peace... I could erase your suffering... your son... your wife... all of it gone, like it never happened."

A sharp, bitter laugh escaped Toji. "Peace?" He spat on the ground. "Fuck that."

The eldritch god paused. "Then what is it you desire, mortal?"

Toji's fists clenched. The image of his wife's lifeless body flashed through his mind. His son, crying, abandoned. The weight of his failure sat heavy in his chest. He gritted his teeth.

"Erase it."

The god stirred. "Erase what?"

"All of it..." Toji's voice cracked. "The pain... The memories... My wife... my son... everything. Just take it away."

The eldritch god tilted its head. "And what shall I give you in return?"

Toji chuckled darkly. "I don't give a damn... Send me anywhere... Hell, some cursed battlefield — anywhere but heaven." His voice dropped, bitter. "Just don't let me remember."

Silence hung in the air. Then the god spoke. "You amuse me, mortal. You defy fate... and now you defy peace. Very well."

A long, sinewy hand emerged from the void, and the god's touch burned like acid on Toji's skin. Images flooded his mind... his wife, his son, his home. Every loving moment, every ounce of pain — ripped away.

Toji's knees hit the ground. He gasped, but the god didn't stop. It tore his soul apart, stripping every last memory connected to his family. Until finally... nothing.

Toji blinked. His body felt... light. Like nothing was weighing him down anymore. His head felt empty, hollow. He couldn't even recall why he was here. Only one thing remained — his desire to fight.

"It is done," the god said, towering over him. "You are cleansed of love... pain... and grief. I shall grant you what you truly desire."

Toji slowly stood... his mouth curling into a bitter grin. "Yeah? And what's that?"

The god's multiple mouths grinned. "A new death."

And with that, the void cracked open beneath Toji's feet... and he fell. Not to heaven. Not to hell. But to a world where he could fight endlessly. His fists clenched... his grin widened. No pain. No love. No grief.

Just pure violence.

And that was exactly what some one like Toji wanted

The god's multiple mouths grinned. "Amuse me more mortal....defy the fate more....until it breaks you completely.then I shall absorb your soul"

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13 years later.

In the darkest pits of Guryong Slums, where the stench of piss and blood mixed with the thick haze of smoke, the crowd roared like beasts. Hundreds of thugs, drunk and high, screamed and hollered as a brutal underground fight unfolded in the middle of the ring. Bottles clinked, dirty money exchanged hands, and blood splattered across the makeshift cage. This place was where the absolute filth of Korea gathered ,murderers, rapists, traffickers, drug lords, and the most despicable scum imaginable. In this forgotten alley of Gangnam, money ruled over life.

A group of suited men entered the den, their expressions blank as they dragged a cage covered with a dirty rag sack behind them. One of them spoke to a bald, scar-faced man sitting like a king on the highest platform of the slum. His name was Slum Dog — the man who ran this hellhole like a tyrant.

"Hide this package until the deal's done. You know how it works."

Slum Dog grunted, a half-lit cigarette dangling from his chapped lips. "How much?"

"Enough."

Without a care, Slum Dog gripped the cage, dragging it like garbage before throwing it into a corner, barely glancing at what was inside. "Yeah, yeah. Leave it here. No one touches it until your guys show up." He flicked his cigarette. "Now get the hell outta my den."

The suited men didn't even respond they simply left. The cage, now exposed from one side, rattled. Beneath the rag, a young girl, no older than 10 or 13, shivered inside. Tear-streaked cheeks, matted hair, and fear burning deep within her eyes. She banged the cage frantically. "HELP! SOMEONE! PLEASE!"

Laughter.

A burly man with a cigarette in his mouth walked by and sneered. "Shut the fuck up, kid. We'll grill you and eat you if you keep screaming."

Terror consumed her. She backed up, crying harder. Suddenly... a faint sound beside her caught her attention.

Snoring.

The girl turned, shocked. Right beside her cage, laying on the floor with nothing but a dirty sack as a blanket, was a boy. Barely her age. Messy black hair, and a ridiculously muscular body for a kid his age. His chest rose and fell as he slept like a homeless bum, shirtless, wearing nothing but an oversized black pant, and his face looked far too peaceful for someone trapped in this nightmare.

"H-Hey...." she sniffled, her voice cracking as she poked his shoulder through the bars. No reaction. She poked again. Nothing.

Her tears didn't stop. "P-Please wake up... please! I don't know what they're going to do to us!"

Still nothing.

She swallowed hard. "Maybe... he's drugged like me..."

Minutes passed, and she accepted her fate. But then a faint rustle.

The boy groaned, cracking his neck lazily as his green eyes fluttered open. He yawned, rubbing his head like he had the best nap of his life. Stretching his arms, his gaze finally fell on her. They stared at each other for a long moment before he simply leaned his back against her cage without a word.

The girl was shaking. "W-Why aren't you scared...?"

The boy didn't answer. Instead, he yawned louder, scratching his butt shamelessly. It was like he didn't even register the hellhole around him.

Desperate, she spoke. "I-I was kidnapped! I snuck out to my friend's house and these people took me! They'll sell me... or kill me... or..." she started sobbing harder. "M-My father is the CEO of H-Group... he'll kill all of them if they hurt me! I swear, if my dad finds out, he'll—"

The boy's half-lidded eyes suddenly shot open. His lazy demeanor vanished instantly. "Wait... you're rich?"

The girl froze. "W-What?"

Before she could react, the boy shot forward, sniffing her hair like a bloodhound. She reeled back, disgusted. "W-What the hell are you doing?!"

The boy grinned wide, his teeth crooked and his breath reeking of whatever trash he slept on. "Yeah... you're definitely rich. You smell like money."

The girl gagged. "G-Get away from me!"

But the boy didn't stop smiling. Instead, he leaned closer. "How about this... I get you out of here... you tell your dad to pay me, yeah?"

The girl's eyes widened. "Y-You can't! They'll kill you!"

The boy simply shrugged, yawning again as he cracked his knuckles.

Then... with zero hesitation... he gripped the thick steel bars of the cage and bent them like plastic.

The girl gasped. "H-HOW?!"

The boy casually stepped out, dusting his hands. "Man... sleeping in that cage sucked. Alright." He suddenly turned, grinning at the crowd of criminals around them. "OI ASSHOLES! THANKS FOR HOSTING ME LAST NIGHT! BUT I GOTTA BOUNCE NOW. BYE, LOSERS!"

Dead silence. Every head turned toward him. Some laughed. Some ignored him. But then... one particular voice echoed louder than the rest.

The boy grinned as he casually pulled the rag sack off the cage, revealing the terrified girl to the entire room. Everyone turned to look at him ,some confused, some laughing like it was a joke, and a few not even bothering to glance.

A gruff, scar-faced thug sitting nearby spat out his drink, eyes narrowing. "You son of a bitch... what the fuck you doin' outta your cage?"

The boy raised a brow, still smiling. "Huh? Cage? Oh... yeah. I got bored, so I left."

Suddenly, the bald man running the place — Slum Dog — roared with laughter. "HA! Oi, you dumb fuck! You don't even know what happened to you, do you?"

Slum Dog leaned forward, his grin stretching like a demon. "You were drugged and sold last night, dipshit. That old lady who you lost all your money to pig race, she sold you off after you passed out. Some rich bastard already bought you for your fuckin' kidneys, your hair, your nails EVERYTHING."

The entire room burst into cruel laughter.

Slum Dog continued, his voice thick with mockery. "So why don't you do me a favor, yeah? Crawl back into your fuckin' cage however you got out. I don't wanna damage the goods before your buyer arrives."

The girl froze. "Y-You're sold?! W-Why are you so calm then!?"

The boy cracked his neck, his eerie green eyes glinting under the dim flickering light. His knuckles flexed, the joints making loud pop sounds. With a deadpan face, he looked at the girl inside the cage and muttered, "Close your eyes if you don't wanna learn human anatomy at this early."