Satoshi's fists clenched, golden-red flames flickering around his arms. "Tell me, Miguel. Why are you doing this?"
Camila stood beside him, sword drawn. "You said Amelia is the key to breaking the boundary between realms. But why? What do you gain from this?"
Miguel chuckled, shaking his head. "Ah, finally, the right question." He stepped forward, hands behind his back. "It's simple, really. The Dark Clans—the ones who have lurked in the shadows of history, the ones your kind has fought for centuries—want more high-ranking demons."
Satoshi narrowed his eyes. "Why?"
Miguel's smirk faded, his gaze turning sharp. "Because they need them. The balance of power in the demon realm is… unstable. There are fewer true high-ranking demons than you think. Most of them were wiped out in past wars, others are barely holding onto their power. The old demons, the ones with real strength, are dying off."
He gestured to Amelia. "And that's where she comes in."
Camila's grip on her sword tightened. "She's human. She has nothing to do with the demon realm."
Miguel let out a short laugh. "Oh, Camila. You really don't know, do you?" He turned back to Amelia's containment tube, tapping the glass. "Amelia isn't just some girl. Her bloodline is special. She carries within her the potential to become something more—something beyond human, beyond half-demon. With the right process, she could ascend."
Satoshi's flames flared. "You're trying to turn her into a demon."
Miguel nodded. "Not just any demon. A high-ranking one. And if she ascends, others will follow. The Dark Clans have already begun preparing candidates. Amelia is just the first—a prototype, if you will. Once she crosses the threshold, it will pave the way for the rest."
Camila took a sharp breath. "You're creating high-ranking demons?"
Miguel tilted his head. "Well, yes. Or rather, I'm helping the process along." He clasped his hands together. "Do you know how hard it is for a demon to ascend naturally? It takes centuries of battle, of consuming power, of tearing through the weak. Even then, only a handful ever reach true monarchy-level strength. But what if we could force that evolution? What if we could accelerate the process?"
He gestured to the machine surrounding Amelia. "This facility was built for that very purpose. Not just to open the boundary, but to forge something new. If the Dark Clans can mass-produce high-ranking demons, the balance of power shifts. The human realm? The divine forces? They'll be nothing but prey."
Satoshi's eyes darkened, his rage barely restrained. "You're sacrificing people for this."
Miguel gave him a sideways glance. "And?"
Camila's breath hitched.
Miguel sighed. "You two are so shortsighted. You fight to maintain a fragile balance, but you don't realize how unnatural that balance is. The human world, the demon realm, the divine realm—it's all built on conflict. The weak are devoured by the strong. That's the truth of our existence."
He turned fully to face them. "But the Dark Clans? They don't want balance. They want dominance. They want to reshape the world into something more… honest. No more hiding in shadows, no more being restrained by old rules. With enough high-ranking demons, the Clans can wage a war that will end the stalemate once and for all."
Satoshi stepped forward, flames surging. "And you think that's a good thing?"
Miguel met his gaze, unflinching. "I think it's inevitable. You can fight all you want, but change is coming. The Dark Clans are already moving. Even if you stop me, you can't stop them. And when the time comes—" His lips curled into a smirk. "—I wonder which side you'll be standing on."
The Power She Will Become
The chamber trembled as the machines roared to life, the glowing liquid inside Amelia's containment tube pulsing like a beating heart. Her body twitched, her silver hair floating weightlessly in the thick fluid, and her eyes—those once soft, innocent eyes—flickered with something unnatural.
Miguel stood before the control panel, bathed in the eerie glow of the monitors. His smirk never wavered, even as Satoshi and Camila stood ready to strike him down.
"You still don't understand, do you?" he mused, tilting his head slightly. "You're acting as if stopping me will stop this. But you're too late. Amelia isn't just going to become a high-ranking demon—"
His golden eyes gleamed.
"—she's going to become something far more terrifying.
"Camila's grip on her sword tightened. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Miguel turned, gesturing toward Amelia's floating form. "Her bloodline is unique. Not only does she have the potential to ascend, but she carries a power that very few—even among demons—possess. The Eyes of Lust."
Satoshi's expression darkened. "We know about them."
Miguel let out a short laugh. "Oh, but do you really?" He stepped toward the tube, placing a hand on the glass. "You've seen the first stage. The power to influence emotions, to make others obsessed, to bend desires to her will. But that's nothing compared to what happens when she reaches the second stage."
The air grew heavier, as if his words alone carried an unnatural weight.
Satoshi took a step forward. "What happened, Miguel?"
Miguel turned, his smirk widening. "She will transcend what you understand as control." He raised a hand, listing off her newfound abilities as if reading a prophecy.
"First—Mindshifting."
Camila tensed.
Miguel continued. "She will have direct and absolute control over her own mind. Her emotions, her thoughts, her desires—everything will be at her command. Fear? Gone. Pain? Erased. Hesitation? A thing of the past. She will exist in a state of perfect mental supremacy, bending her consciousness in ways no human or demon ever could."
Camila's breath hitched. "That means—"
"That means she won't feel anything she doesn't want to," Miguel said smoothly. "You can try to break her. Try to talk her down. But none of it will matter. She will be beyond persuasion, beyond reason. She will shape her own perception of reality as she sees fit."
Satoshi clenched his fists. "And that's not all, is it?"
Miguel grinned. "Of course not." He took another step forward, his voice like velvet.
"Second—Mind Control."
The room felt colder.
"She will be able to infiltrate the minds of others effortlessly. With a thought, she can twist their perceptions, rewrite their memories, shape their emotions. She can make you believe you've lived an entirely different life. She can turn your closest allies against you, force you to love what you once hated, or break your will entirely until you're nothing but a puppet."
Miguel's smirk sharpened. "Tell me, Satoshi—what's the point of your absolute flames if you don't even remember why you're fighting?"
Satoshi said nothing, but the fire burning around him wavered slightly.
Miguel continued.
"Third—Hypnosis."
Camila's hands trembled slightly. "You mean like mind control?"
Miguel chuckled. "Oh, no. Mind control is forceful. Hypnosis is gentle—a whisper in the back of your mind, a suggestion that you can't shake, a command you think was your own idea." His voice lowered, almost hypnotic itself. "With just a word, she can send entire armies into a trance, making them turn their blades on themselves. She won't even need to fight—she'll simply convince her enemies that surrendering was what they wanted all along."
Camila swallowed hard. "This is insane."
Miguel exhaled slowly, as if savoring the moment. "And now… the most terrifying ability of all."
His golden eyes glowed.
"Nightmare."
A pulse of dark energy rippled through the room. The air itself seemed to shudder.
Miguel's voice dropped into a whisper. "She will become the master of nightmares. She will be able to invade the dreams of anyone, twisting their minds from the inside. She can fabricate horrors so real that the victim's body will react as if they were truly happening. Some will wake up screaming. Some won't wake up at all."
Camila felt her blood run cold.
Miguel's smile widened, knowing the effect his words had. "She will be able to trap people inside nightmares, dragging them into an endless abyss of fear and suffering. The pain they feel? Real. The wounds they take? Real. And if she desires, she can pull them fully into the dream world—where she is the god of their reality. No escape. No waking up."
He let that sink in before delivering the final blow.
"And the best part?" He chuckled darkly. "If she does it, their own terror will kill them. Their hearts will stop from sheer fear. Their minds will snap under the weight of horror. She won't even need to lift a finger."
Silence.
Camila's grip on her sword was so tight that her knuckles had turned white. She turned to Satoshi, but he remained still, staring at Amelia.
Miguel's voice softened, almost… affectionate. "You wanted to save her. But tell me, Satoshi—can you save someone who has already become something beyond human?"
Satoshi closed his eyes for a moment, his mind racing. If what Miguel said was true, then Amelia wouldn't just become a high-ranking demon. She would become something far, far worse.
A force that could crush nations. A nightmare given flesh.
And if they didn't stop this now—
There would be no stopping her at all.
Miguel took a slow step back, grinning. "Now, the real question is… are you going to try and stop the process?" He gestured to the roaring machinery. "Or are you just going to stand there and let it happen?"
Satoshi's eyes burned with golden-red fire.
The time for talking was over.
"Camila," he said, his voice firm. "We're shutting this down."
Miguel laughed. "Oh, I'd love to see you try."
And then—everything exploded into chaos
Gods of War
The moment Satoshi moved, the room collapsed into chaos.
Flames erupted from his body, golden-red infernos tearing through the laboratory. The machinery near Amelia's containment tube melted instantly, metal warping and glass shattering under the impossible heat.
Camila lunged at Miguel from the left, her blade a streak of silver light as she aimed straight for his throat.
Miguel merely exhaled—and the air itself obeyed.
A single pulse of unseen power rippled outward, and every living thing in the room froze.
Satoshi felt it immediately—his flames flickered out, his body refusing to move. His muscles tensed, his breath halted, his very cells unwilling to obey him. Camila's body locked mid-strike, her sword inches from Miguel's neck.
Miguel smirked. "Life is such a fragile thing," he mused, stepping away from Camila's frozen form. "Even something as powerful as your absolute fire still relies on a living body, doesn't it?" He turned to Satoshi, golden eyes gleaming. "And all living things… obey me."
Satoshi's heart stopped.
For a brief, terrifying moment, he felt the weight of absolute control. His veins tightened, his flesh trembled—his own existence felt rewritten.
No.
His eyes blazed.
Golden-red fire exploded from within him, burning away whatever unseen force had latched onto his body. The world lurched, and Satoshi moved—broke free.
Miguel's smirk faded.
Satoshi's fist met his face.
BOOM.
The impact shattered the ground beneath them, sending shockwaves that tore through the underground facility. Miguel was launched backward, his body crashing through layers of stone and steel like a ragdoll.
But Satoshi wasn't done.
Before Miguel could recover, Camila was on him.
Her sword sang through the air, the silver steel shimmering with divine energy. Miguel barely managed to twist his body, dodging by a hair's breadth as her blade carved a deep gash into the stone wall beside him. Camila pivoted—her blade whipped back around, this time aiming for his heart.
Miguel smirked.
His hand shot out, fingers curling into a grip—
And Camila's body betrayed her.
Her own nerves locked up, her arm twisting against her will. She faltered, her sword missing its mark by inches.
Miguel tilted his head. "I told you," he whispered. "Life itself bends to me."
Then, with a flick of his wrist, her own body turned against her.
Camila's own sword flipped in her grip, the blade reversing direction—
And she stabbed herself.
A sharp, wet gasp tore from her lips as the silver steel pierced her side, blood blooming across her armor.
Satoshi roared.
Miguel lifted his hand toward him—
"DIE."
Satoshi felt it.
His life force twisted, his heart tightened, his body screaming to obey.
But his fire burned hotter.
"NO."
The air ignited.
Miguel's control shattered as absolute fire roared outward, the heat melting the very concept of submission.
Satoshi moved.
Faster than I thought.
He appeared behind Miguel before the man could react, his palm pressed against his spine.
Miguel barely had time to turn—his golden eyes widening.
Satoshi spoke.
"Burn."
The world erupted.
BOOOOOOOM.
The entire facility collapsed as Satoshi's fire consumed everything. The walls disintegrated, the ceiling vanished, the ground beneath them cracked into oblivion.
Miguel's body twisted in the inferno, his flesh searing, his coat burning away to nothing.
But then—
He laughed.
The flames stopped.
Not because they faded—but because Miguel willed them to.
Satoshi's eyes widened.
Miguel straightened, his body restoring itself at an unnatural speed. The charred flesh peeled away, revealing flawless skin beneath. His golden eyes gleamed, and he smirked.
"You don't get it, do you?" Miguel whispered.
And then—
He snapped his fingers.
Satoshi screamed.
His own body—his **bones, his muscles, his cells—**were turning against him.
Miguel stepped forward. "Did you really think fire alone could beat me?" His voice was smooth, confident. "You burn flesh? I recreate it. You destroy? I restore. You fight against the living?"
His smirk widened.
"I command them."
Satoshi collapsed, his vision flickering. His own flames began eating away at his body.
He was losing.
Camila, clutching her wound, forced herself up.
She staggered forward, sword trembling in her grasp.
Miguel barely looked at her. "Stay down, Camila." His voice was absolute.
Her legs locked.
Her own body refused to move.
Satoshi gritted his teeth, rage burning hotter than the flames themselves.
No.
No.
NO.
Something inside him shifted.
Something beyond fire.
Beyond destruction.
Beyond existence itself.
The air warped.
Miguel hesitated, his golden eyes narrowing. "What—"
Then—