Chapter

  The underground shrine collapsed in silence.

  Dust drifted through the broken chamber like gray snow.

  Cracked pillars leaned dangerously against the walls.

  At the center of the destruction stood Mckell.

  Crimson energy still flickered faintly around his body.

  The six-armed Oni general stared at him carefully now.

  Gone was the earlier confidence.

  Instead… curiosity.

  “Interesting,”

  Six blades rose slowly.

  “So the Vessel truly awakened.”

  Mckell didn’t answer.

  He was still staring at his hands.

  The power moving through his veins felt ancient.

  Heavy.

  Like something alive had just taken residence inside him.

  Behind him, Rin slowly stood.

  Lightning flickered across her blade again.

  “Hey,” .

  “You still with us?”

  “…I think so.”

  “Well that’s disappointing.”

  All six swords swung forward.

  “Because you won’t stay alive long enough to enjoy it.”

  He charged.

  The ground exploded beneath his step.

  But this time—

  Mckell moved first.

  CRACK.

  The crimson energy around him surged violently.

  The Oni general’s blades stopped mid-strike.

  Not by force.

  But by pressure.

  The air itself had become heavy.

  The Oni general’s eyes widened slightly.

  “…spirit authority.”

  Mckell didn’t fully understand what he was doing.

  He simply lifted his hand.

  The Oni general was thrown backward like a cannonball.

  BOOOOOOM.

  His body crashed through a stone pillar.

  Rin stared in shock.

  “…okay that’s new.”

  The remaining Crimson Circle hunters quickly grabbed the injured general.

  “This mission is compromised,” .

  The Oni general stood slowly again.

  His armor cracked.

  But he was smiling.

  “Enjoy your awakening, Vessel.”

  He pointed one blade toward Mckell.

  “The world will hunt you now.”

  Then the three hunters vanished into a spirit rift.

  Silence filled the ruined shrine.

  Emeka finally spoke.

  “…so nobody is going to talk about how he just punched a six-armed demon across the room?”

  Emaji tapped his staff once.

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  CLACK.

  “The awakening is complete.”

  “…what happens now?”

  “Now the world notices.”

  At first, people thought it was an earthquake.

  Cameras shook.

  Windows rattled.

  Then the sky split.

  A massive crimson energy column erupted from beneath the city.

  It spiraled upward through the clouds like a burning vortex.

  People flooded the streets.

  Phones lifted everywhere.

  Videos began recording instantly.

  Within minutes—

  The footage spread across the internet.

  A television played the footage on repeat.

  News anchors struggled to explain what viewers were seeing.

  Security footage showed flashes of crimson light exploding beneath the city.

  A blurry image of Mckell standing inside the energy storm appeared briefly on screen.

  The café erupted in whispers.

  “Is that a person?”

  “No way.”

  “Look at the energy around him.”

  Phones buzzed nonstop.

  The clip went viral.

  Millions of views.

  Then tens of millions.

  Hashtags appeared in dozens of languages.

  #TokyoEvent

  #SpiritAwakening

  And one new name began trending everywhere.

  Godblood

  Mckell sat quietly watching the screen.

  His face appeared briefly in the viral footage.

  He didn’t recognize the person staring back.

  Rin paced across the room.

  “This is bad.”

  “Bad is an understatement!”

  He spun the screen toward them.

  “You’re trending in twelve countries!”

  “And someone gave you a nickname.”

  “…let me guess.”

  “Godblood.”

  “Oh great.”

  A massive circular chamber filled with golden light.

  White-robed figures watched the footage silently.

  Symbols carved into the walls glowed faintly.

  At the center of the chamber stood the High Priest of the Celestial Order.

  The video paused on Mckell’s glowing eyes.

  The High Priest spoke calmly.

  “So…”

  “The Vessel lives.”

  “If he has accepted the mark… then the prophecy accelerates.”

  “Then the timeline must be corrected.”

  A command appeared on the floating screen.

  PROTOCOL SILENCER — INITIATED

  “Send the agents, let's take advantage of this.”

  Mckell trained outside the shrine.

  Crimson energy flickered around his fists as he practiced controlling it.

  “You still look like you’re fighting your own body.”

  “I kind of am.”

  Suddenly—

  A sharp metallic click echoed through the darkness.

  Rin’s eyes narrowed.

  “…we’re not alone.”

  Five figures dropped silently from the rooftops.

  Their armor looked different from the Oni hunters.

  Sleeker.

  More modern.

  Each one carried advanced spirit-tech weapons.

  Their armor bore the same symbol.

  A glowing celestial sigil.

  The leader stepped forward.

  “You weren’t supposed to survive the Awakening.”

  “…who are you?”

  The assassin’s weapon powered up.

  “Correction.”

  “We’re here to fix that.”

  The fight erupted instantly.

  Mckell sat quietly again.

  Bruised.

  Exhausted.

  But alive.

  Emaji stood beside him.

  “You walk with fire now.”

  He looked toward the city lights.

  “Some will warm themselves by it.”

  “Others will try to burn you alive.”

  Mckell looked back at the television.

  His face still played on the news.

  “…then let them watch.”

  A quiet rooftop overlooking Tokyo.

  A lone figure stood watching the glowing skyline.

  The viral footage played on a small device in his hand.

  He turned the screen off.

  Then slowly removed the mask covering his face.

  A celestial sigil glowed faintly on his chest.

  The same symbol carried by the assassins.

  But stronger.

  More ancient.

  His eyes focused on the distant shrine.

  He smiled faintly.

  “…little brother.”

  Ashé.