Rikuya's footsteps echoed softly through the cave, each one purposeful as he advanced deeper into the shadowed corridors. The air grew colder, and the weight of the silence was thick with tension. His instincts screamed at him—someone was here. Not just any foe, but a strong presence, one that carried an air of experience.
As Rikuya moved into a wider section of the cave, the shadows ahead shifted. A figure emerged, tall and imposing, its body language radiating power. The figure had noticed him, their eyes narrowing as they sized him up. Rikuya didn't hesitate. His body had already made the decision for him.
In a flash, he was moving forward, closing the distance between them with unmatched speed. His feint—a low shift of his body—distracted the opponent just long enough. The figure shifted slightly, trying to adjust, but Rikuya was already there.
He swung his hand in a fluid, horizontal chop toward the side of the neck. The sound of the impact was sharp, the edge of his palm striking the carotid artery and the base of the spine with bone-crushing precision. The force of the blow stunned the figure, their eyes wide for a brief moment as their body locked in place.
Without giving the opponent a chance to recover, Rikuya shifted his weight. His knee shot up, connecting with the figure's face with a sickening thud. The impact was immediate and devastating. The opponent's body went limp, their neck severed or paralyzed, leaving them lifeless before they even had the chance to hit the ground.
Rikuya stood over them, his breath steady, his heart calm. The cave was eerily quiet again, the only sound being the steady dripping of water from above. His eyes scanned the shadows, alert for any other movement. He knew there were more ahead, but for now, he took a brief moment to center himself before continuing down the treacherous path.
Rikuya's muscles tensed as a deep, primal roar echoed through the cave. His senses sharpened. Someone—or something—was coming. Out of the shadows, a massive figure appeared, towering with a brutish presence. It was a hulking thug, its massive chest rising and falling with each heavy breath, eyes glowing with hostility.
Rikuya didn't flinch. He didn't have the luxury of hesitation. The thug charged at him, a monstrous figure intent on crushing anything in its path. But Rikuya was faster—his body already in motion, fluid and precise. His focus never wavered as he closed the gap in an instant.
The first strike came as a flash—his foot snapped forward, catching the thug square in the solar plexus. The air left the giant's lungs in a rush, its massive form stumbling back, gasping for breath. But Rikuya didn't give it a chance to recover.
Before the thug could take another step, Rikuya's body twisted mid-air, delivering a side kick to the ribs. The sickening crack of bones echoed through the cave as the thug was pushed back, staggering, the wind knocked out of it.
But it wasn't enough. The giant grunted, clutching its side, trying to regain its footing. Rikuya wasn't waiting around. With lightning speed, his knee shot up, connecting with the thug's jaw in a brutal strike. The thug's head snapped back, eyes wide in shock. For a brief moment, the world seemed to stand still—then the thug collapsed, knees buckling as the blow hit.
Yet Rikuya wasn't finished. He pivoted, fluid as water, and launched a roundhouse kick aimed at the thug's temple. The force of the impact sent the giant crashing to the ground, its body crumpling with a thud that reverberated through the cave. The thug was out cold, unable to move.
Rikuya stood over the fallen behemoth, his breathing steady, eyes scanning the cave's stillness. The echoes of the battle faded into silence. The adrenaline began to wear off, but his alertness remained sharp. He could feel the cave press in around him, the walls almost seeming to wait, anticipating his next move.
With a final glance at the downed thug, Rikuya knew this was just the beginning. He stepped forward, senses still heightened, as the cave seemed to hold its breath in the wake of his swift victory.
Rikuya placed his palm gently on the cold, jagged wall. His breath slowed, eyes narrowing with focused rage. He could hear them still — whispering madness, dark rituals, the murmurs of power they didn't understand. He didn't need to sneak anymore.
He'd already chosen violence.
With a deep inhale, Rikuya drew his fist back. Muscles along his arm coiled like steel cables, veins bulging, tendons tight. A silent promise surged through his body — not to fight, but to end.
Then—
BOOM!!
His fist thundered into the rock.
The wall exploded inward in a shockwave of stone and dust, shards flying like shrapnel. The cavern beyond was bathed in a blast of debris, silencing all whispers.
Mages spun around in panic — eleven robed figures, circles glowing at their feet, hands rising in reflex. The leader, older, pale, with cracked lips and wild eyes, stumbled back as the dust cleared.
"Wh—What the hell?!"
"An intruder?!"
Rikuya stepped through the gaping hole, his shirt fluttering slightly from the impact, his bare chest speckled with dust and stone powder. His glare was a dagger drawn — merciless and cold.
"I don't care what you're summoning," he said, voice like distant thunder. "You're not leaving this cave."
The mages froze for a heartbeat, the leader snarling and raising his staff. "Kill him! Burn him to ash!"
But Rikuya didn't flinch.
He took a single step forward — and the air shifted.
This wasn't going to be a battle.
It was going to be an execution.
The mages recovered quickly, hands rising as arcane circles flared to life beneath them — glowing symbols pulsing with malevolent energy.
"Ignis Fluctus!"
"Voltar Surge!"
Streams of flame and lightning screamed through the air toward Rikuya. But by the time they reached where he had been, he was already gone.
He spun to the side, the fire grazing just past his shoulder, the heat licking his skin. Without pause, he tucked and tumbled forward under the next bolt of lightning, dust curling in his wake.
One mage barely had time to react before Rikuya was in front of him — a blur of muscle and fury.
Crack!
Rikuya's knee crashed into the mage's throat, crushing his windpipe. The man's spell fizzled into sparks as he collapsed, choking.
Another mage screamed and stepped back, but too late — Rikuya used the momentum, twisting mid-air like a dancer trained by death, and with a shout, he slammed his heel into the second mage's ribs.
CRACK.
The robed figure flew sideways, crashing into a stone pillar and crumpling to the ground, coughing blood.
The cavern echoed with gasps. The remaining mages staggered back, realization hitting them like a cold wind:
They weren't fighting a man.
They had awakened something far worse.
As the cavern trembled with arcane power, the leader snarled, robes billowing from the force gathering at the center of the ritual circle.
"Buy me time! I don't care how many fall—complete the summons!"
The eight remaining mages reacted instantly, forming a half-moon around Rikuya. They raised their staves, chanting in dissonant unison as runes glowed crimson and violet. Spells erupted from every direction — fire lances, wind blades, bolts of freezing ice.
But Rikuya didn't falter.
He moved—not like a man, but like a force of nature.
No hesitation. No wasted motion. Just pure instinct sharpened into art.
He twisted low under the crackling projectiles, the wind of the spells brushing his hair as he closed the distance with terrifying precision.
Then he was among them.
One mage screamed, trying to backpedal, but too late. Rikuya's body dropped and spun, all tension and fluidity, legs whipping out and entangling the mage in a flurry of movement so fast it looked almost choreographed — almost beautiful.
A crack echoed across the chamber. The mage hit the floor twitching, limbs twisted wrong. Another nearby turned to flee, but a heel blurred through the air — and he dropped without a sound, neck twisted at a brutal angle.
Blood misted like paint across the cave wall.
Rikuya landed lightly, barefoot against stone, eyes burning under his wild black hair.
Four mages remained.
The summoning circle behind them flared brighter.
And the leader, watching wide-eyed from his chant, now understood —
This wasn't an intruder.
This was an executioner.
The four remaining mages stood, eyes wide with fear as Rikuya approached, his every step echoing through the stone walls. The summoning circle behind them pulsed with dark energy, but there was a noticeable crack in the ritual's stability.
The mage in front, the leader, raised a shaking hand toward Rikuya. "D-don't come any closer! We're completing the ritual!"
Rikuya paused for a moment, glancing at the leader with a smirk. "You really think this is going to work? Honestly, the only thing you're completing is the biggest mistake of your life."
The mage snarled. "You have no idea what we're doing! You don't understand the power we're about to unleash!"
Rikuya chuckled, his voice low. "Power? You guys couldn't summon a devil if you were holding a summon a devil for dummies book." He glanced at the others. "What, you all couldn't even pull off a simple fireball, so now you're summoning devils? What's next, you going to try raising the dead? Get out of here with that amateur hour crap."
The leader's face twisted in anger. "You're a fool! You can't stop this!"
Rikuya raised an eyebrow and slowly walked toward him, his hands in his pockets. "Stop it? You're giving me way too much credit. I'm not trying to stop anything… you're already stopping yourselves. Look at this mess." He gestured to the flickering, unstable summoning circle. "You can't even keep a circle steady. How do you expect to summon a devil? You think some demon's gonna pop out of that and respect you? The only thing coming out of that thing is a whole lot of failure, and maybe some bad luck for the rest of you."
The mage fumed, but his words faltered as he looked at the crack forming in the circle.
"You should've known better than to try this crap." Rikuya's voice turned mocking as he continued. "I've seen better rituals at kids' birthday parties. At least those come with cake and balloons."
The other mages exchanged uneasy glances, but the leader still tried to hold his ground. "You don't know what you're talking about!"
Rikuya grinned. "Oh, I know exactly what I'm talking about. You're playing with things you don't understand, and now you're gonna pay for it. But, hey, you tried. Can't blame you for ambition... even if it's the kind that gets you killed."
The leader's grip on his staff tightened, but his confidence was fading fast. "We... we will complete the ritual! You won't be able to stop us!"
Rikuya slowly shook his head, his smirk widening. "I already have. You're done."
The air was thick with the crackling energy of magic, the summoning circle glowing brighter by the second. Rikuya stood ready, his body tense, waiting for the right moment to strike. The old man, the leader of the mages, continued to chant in an ancient language, his hands raised toward the heavens as the arcane energy swirled around him.
Suddenly, the air was torn apart by a powerful knockback spell. The force of it slammed Rikuya and the others back, sending them flying across the room. Rikuya managed to catch himself mid-air, landing with a roll to reduce the impact, but the rest of the group wasn't so fortunate. They tumbled across the stone floor, dazed and momentarily stunned by the blast.
"Dammit…" Rikuya growled, quickly recovering his stance, his eyes locked on the old man as he continued the ritual. It was clear the summoning was reaching its peak. He had to act quickly.
But then, just as Rikuya was about to move forward, a horrifying sight unfolded before him. The old man's expression hardened, his eyes filled with grim determination as he suddenly drew a dagger from his robe. In one swift motion, he brought it up to his throat and—
"No!" Rikuya shouted, but it was too late.
The old man's eyes flickered with an almost sad, resigned look before he slashed the blade across his own throat. Blood poured from the wound as the old man's life was extinguished in a single, terrible moment. He collapsed to the ground, his final breath leaving his lips in a rasp of air.
The ritual circle pulsed violently, and for a moment, everything was still. Then, the circle flared up with bright, blinding light, its power now unstable, swirling in erratic arcs.
The remaining mages were in chaos, but they were still intent on protecting the summoning. The old man's death didn't stop the ritual; it only made the remaining mages more desperate. Four of them stepped forward, their faces hard with resolve, ready to face Rikuya at all costs.
"Tsk," Rikuya muttered under his breath, not a flicker of hesitation in his eyes. The ritual was still ongoing, and he couldn't allow it to complete.
The first mage lunged at him with a burst of magical energy, but Rikuya was already in motion. He moved like lightning, his body a blur as he darted to the side, narrowly dodging a fireball that was sent his way. He grinned, knowing his time had come.
Without missing a beat, he closed the distance to the first mage. In one fluid, acrobatic motion, he jumped into the air, spinning mid-flight. His first leg shot out in a side kick, slamming into the mage's ribs with a sickening crunch. The mage staggered, breath knocked from their lungs, before crumpling to the floor in a heap.
Before the others could react, Rikuya spun again, his second leg swinging in a devastating hook kick that collided with the side of another mage's head. The kick was so fast, so precise, that the mage never had a chance to raise their guard. The impact knocked the mage out cold, their body crashing to the floor, lifeless.
Rikuya landed lightly, his movements smooth and controlled. His eyes now fixed on the remaining two mages, his expression cold but burning with determination.
"Sōryū-Ken," Rikuya muttered under his breath, the name of his technique carrying a quiet intensity. The ritual was almost over, but he would not let it succeed.
As the last of the mages collapsed, their bodies sprawled across the stone floor, a sudden, deafening crack echoed throughout the cave. The ground beneath them groaned and shook, as if the very earth itself was resisting the ritual that had just unfolded.
Rikuya's heart skipped a beat. He turned toward the summoning circle, eyes narrowing. The air was thick with dark energy, swirling with an unnatural force. The bright, blinding light that had flared when the old man took his life was slowly dimming, but something else had begun to take its place.
The ground cracked, large fissures forming around the ritual circle. Rikuya could feel the earth trembling beneath his feet as if something ancient, powerful, and horrifying was beginning to rise.
"No... it's not over yet." His voice was quiet, a grim realization settling in. The ritual hadn't failed. It had just been delayed.
Rikuya's eyes snapped back to the spot where the old man's corpse had fallen. But to his shock, the body was gone. The earth had swallowed it whole, leaving nothing but shattered stones behind.
Slowly, from the heart of the ritual circle, an unnatural presence began to rise. It wasn't visible at first, but Rikuya could feel it—the oppressive weight of something immense pushing against the air, filling the room with a suffocating, sinister energy. The temperature in the cave dropped, a chill creeping through the stone walls as if the very darkness itself was seeping into the world.
At first, it was only a subtle shift in the air, a faint ripple across the surface of the cracked ground. But then, a figure began to emerge. Slowly, impossibly slow, like the winding rise of a great storm that hadn't yet fully formed.
Rikuya's muscles tensed. He wasn't sure what was coming, but he knew one thing for certain: it was going to be dangerous, far beyond anything he had ever faced before.
The dark shape that began to rise in the center of the circle was vast, its outline shifting like smoke in the cold air. Rikuya couldn't see it clearly, but the feeling of dread that settled over him was unmistakable. It was something ancient, something bound by dark magic, and it was waking up.
The mages' blood had opened the door. And now, whatever was coming through it would be unstoppable unless he acted fast.
Rikuya didn't hesitate. "I can't let this continue."
His eyes flashed with determination. He charged forward, ready to face whatever horror was rising from the depths. The ground continued to quake, and the air thickened with dark power, but he wouldn't back down. Not now. Not when the world itself was on the verge of unleashing something that could destroy everything.
But before he could reach the circle, the shadow grew larger, its form almost fully emerging from the dark depths beneath the ground. And in that moment, Rikuya realized just how powerful, how terrifying this creature would be.
The summoning was complete.