Chapter—A Council Ambiguous Decision.
The earth cracked before the sky could scream.
A shockwave tore through the forest, flattening trees as if they were nothing more than dry grass. Stones lifted from the ground, hovering for a fraction of a second before exploding outward under the pressure of two colliding forces.
This was not a battlefield chosen by fate.
Standing amid the devastation was Kaizen Ryuga, his aura blazing like a contained sun, golden currents flowing around his body in disciplined patterns. His breath was steady, but the tension in his posture betrayed his awareness.
Opposite him hovered the devil.
Its body was incomplete—like something forcibly pulled into the world before it was ready. Portions of its flesh looked fossilized, others molten and shifting. Dark aura leaked from it constantly, staining the air like smoke that refused to disperse.
This was wrong.
Devils were sealed.
Bound to their caves.
Unable to exist freely outside their domains.
Yet here it was.
Kaizen narrowed his eyes.
"This is impossible," he said, his voice calm but edged with authority.
"You should not be able to exist outside your cave."
The devil's lips curled into something resembling a smile.
"One year," it croaked. "One year has passed since the system had change the world. We are gaining our real form and strength again after so long."
Its wings twitched, fragments of shadow tearing free and dissolving into the air.
"I have gathered enough energy," it continued. "Enough to walk this land… for a short while."
Kaizen's aura flared in response.
"And only one year remains," the devil added, its gaze locking onto Kaizen.
"You will be my last test and a pray then we will rule."
Kaizen did not waste words.
He launched forward.
The collision between them shattered the sound barrier.
Kaizen's fist, wrapped in concentrated aura, slammed into the devil's torso. The impact sent a ripple through the air, carving a trench across the ground below.
The devil retaliated instantly, its corrupted aura lashing out like claws. Kaizen twisted mid-air, narrowly avoiding a direct hit, but the residual energy burned across his shoulder.
They ascended.
The fight moved into the sky.
Kaizen's movements were precise—years of discipline, control, and restraint guiding every strike. The devil, by contrast, fought like a storm: wild, adaptive, fueled by centuries of rage compressed into raw instinct.
Blow after blow lit the sky.
Golden and black collided again and again.
For a while, Kaizen held the upper hand.
Then the devil changed.
Its aura shifted—condensing instead of expanding.
Kaizen felt it too late.
A surge of dark energy detonated beneath him, tearing through his defenses. Pain exploded through his body as he was thrown downward, crashing into the earth with brutal force.
The impact left a crater.
Kaizen tried to stand.
His legs failed.
Blood soaked into the cracked ground beneath him.
His aura flickered—unstable.
So it's begun, he thought grimly.
Without hesitation, he activated his communicator.
Distress Signal Sent.
But didn't wait for help and collected
energy and try to fight with Devil again.
---
A Shift Felt Across the World
Miles away, Evelyn stood among Aurafiest members, her posture relaxed, her expression unreadable.
Then her device vibrated.
She recieve the signal since she is closest auramaster near to Kaizen.
Her eyes sharpened instantly.
The change was subtle—but unmistakable.
"I have urgent business," she said calmly. "Continue without me."
Before anyone could question her, she turned and left.
Luke noticed.
He always noticed.
Something in Evelyn's aura had shifted—tightened.
That wasn't normal,As he know she is Auramaster ,he thought.
Moments later, Luke excused himself as well. In a shadowed alley, he activated the Illusioner, separating himself from his false presence.
The illusion continued on.
Luke became Auron.
From the sky, he followed Evelyn—keeping distance, staying unseen.
---
The Aftermath of a Forbidden Fight
By the time Evelyn arrived, the battlefield was silent.
Too silent.
The devil was gone and defeated.
Kaizen lay amid the ruins, barely conscious.
He had defeated the devil by his full of power.
Evelyn moved without hesitation.
Her aura flowed smoothly, efficient and controlled as she stabilized his wounds, knitting flesh and calming his chaotic energy. Kaizen exhaled slowly as the pain receded.
She transported him toward the city outskirts.
Only then did Kaizen sense another presence.
He looked up.
And froze.
Auron stood nearby, black cloak billowing slightly in the wind.
For a brief moment, three Auramasters stood in silence.
Kaizen broke it.
"What happened here?" Auron asked.
Evelyn explained—every detail.
The devil.
Outside his cave .
The fight.
Auron listened without interruption.
"This cannot be ignored," Auron said at last.
"If devils can now leave their domains, civilians will be endangered."
Kaizen nodded.
"I encountered it by coincidence. I sensed a corrupted aura and investigated."
"One year left," Auron repeated. "Then more will follow."
He turned his gaze toward Evelyn.
Evelyn seeing him introduce herself
By saying "I am Evelyn Cross Auramaster of America".
"You have excellent control over aura," Auron said. "And knowledge beyond expectation."
Evelyn's eyes narrowed slightly.
"How do you know that about me?"
Auron paused—He know that he speak something he didn't so he try to shift the topic smoothly.
"I seen you healing Kaizen efficiently,therefore I think you have a great control on your aura." he said. "Do you have plans regarding these devils?"
Kaizen answered instead.
"I'm reporting this all to the council."
Auron nodded once.
"Then I'll leave this matter to you."
Before anything further could be asked by both,he vanished.
Again.
Kaizen clenched his fist.
"We missed our chance again Why this occurs multiple times?."
Evelyn exhaled.
"Now I understand," she said quietly.
Kaizen turned.
"Understand what?"
"Why no one can ever catch him," Evelyn replied.
"His presence itself disrupts intent. You forget what you wanted to ask.
Today I also encounter him so close but still I can't ask him a question."
Kaizen stared at the sky.
"I have a council meeting," he said.
"I'll join you,lets see what guilde council say about this ." Evelyn replied.
The council chamber was tense.
Kaizen where late in meeting.
Kaizen explained everything happened in the way.
Evelyn confirmed it.
The heads listened in silence.
Then one spoke.
"You have created another problem."
Kaizen stiffened.
"What do you mean?"
The answer came like a blade.
"You should not fight with devil he was not harming any human."the head says.
Kaizen replied"But they can attack human too."
The room went silent.
Evelyn frowned sharply.
"That makes no sense."
The First Maiden objected.
But the order stood.
"This is for the greater good,I am giving all auramaster order they will do not act with any devil interaction from now on" the council declared.
They were dismissed.
Outside, Kaizen and Evelyn stood in silence.
This decison was like shattering them.
"For the greater good…" Evelyn murmured.
Kaizen looked toward the horizon.
"I don't know what they're planning," he said.
"But they believe this is necessary."
Evelyn nodded slowly.
Yet neither of them believed it completely.
Somewhere far away—
A devils smiled in shadows saying .
"Humans as always."
And somewhere closer—
A boy with two aura companions slept, unaware that the world was quietly shifting toward him.
---
End of Chapter.