Morning came with a knock on the door.
Knock.
I sat up in the hospital bed, body stiff from last night's reckless training session.
"Come in."
Creeeak—
The door swung open.
It wasn't Shoko this time.
A man stepped in—tall, wearing a white suit with gold trim. Not Mephisto, but someone who clearly worked for him. His eyes were sharp, calculating.
"Norikashimo-san. Mephisto-sama requests your presence."
'Already?'
I glanced at the clock on the wall.
8:47 AM.
I still had hours left on the deadline.
"I haven't made my decision yet."
"That's fine."
The man's expression didn't change.
"This isn't about the contract. Consider it... a demonstration."
'A demonstration?'
That sounded ominous.
But refusing would probably make things worse.
"Give me five minutes."
The man nodded and stepped outside.
Click.
I got dressed quickly, ignoring the protests from my still-healing body. My hands were steadier than yesterday, at least.
Rustle—
I pulled on my jacket and checked my reflection in the window.
Still looked like hell. But functional hell.
'Good enough.'
I opened the door.
Creeeak—
"Lead the way."
The man led me deep into True Cross Academy—far deeper than I'd ever been.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Our footsteps echoed through empty corridors. The walls changed from modern plaster to old stone. The air grew colder.
Shhh—
A draft cut through the hallway.
We were going underground.
Down a spiral staircase.
Stone steps worn smooth by centuries of use.
Finally, we reached a massive iron door.
THUNK.
The man pushed it open.
Beyond was an arena.
Not metaphorically. An actual arena.
Circular. Stone walls rising fifty feet high. Torches burned in sconces, casting flickering orange light across ancient stonework.
And in the center, standing with his hands behind his back—
Mephisto Pheles.
"Ah! Norikashimo-kun! Right on time!"
His voice echoed across the space, cheerful and theatrical as always.
Tap.
I walked forward slowly, eyes scanning the arena.
Something felt wrong. The air was too heavy. Too thick.
Like the atmosphere before a thunderstorm.
"What is this place?"
"This?"
Mephisto gestured grandly.
"This is the Crucible! Where we test potential recruits. Think of it as... an interview."
'An interview.'
Right.
Because normal interviews happened in underground torture chambers.
"I thought I had twenty-four hours."
"You do, you do!"
Mephisto waved dismissively.
"But I thought it would be helpful for you to see exactly what you'd be getting into. Call it... professional courtesy."
SNAP!
He snapped his fingers.
The torches flared brighter.
And from the shadows on the far side of the arena, something moved.
Growl—
Low. Deep. Inhuman.
My hand instinctively moved to where my katana would be.
Empty air.
'Damn it.'
I'd left everything in the hospital room.
"Don't worry, don't worry!" Mephisto called out. "I wouldn't send you in unarmed! That would be terribly unfair!"
He gestured, and the escort who'd brought me stepped forward.
In his hands was a sword.
My katana.
The one I'd summoned from the Ten Shadows last night.
'How did he—?'
"You really should be more careful about where you train, Norikashimo-kun. My eyes are everywhere, remember?"
He smiled that theatrical smile.
I took the blade from the escort.
Shhhhk—
The familiar weight settled in my hands. Good. At least I wasn't completely defenseless.
"Now then!"
Mephisto clapped his hands together.
"Let me introduce your opponent!"
The shadows moved.
Stepped forward.
Into the torchlight.
'What the hell is that?!'
It was massive—easily fifteen feet tall. Humanoid in shape, but wrong. All wrong.
Skin like charred wood. Eyes burning with red flame. Horns curling from its skull.
A demon.
Not a Curse. This thing was from a completely different supernatural system.
Gehenna. The demon realm.
"A Mid-Level Coal Tar!" Mephisto announced proudly. "Nasty creature. Breathes fire, regenerates from most wounds, and has a particular fondness for human flesh!"
The demon's mouth opened.
ROOOAAAAR!!
The sound hit me like a physical wave, rattling my bones.
Fire spilled from between its teeth—actual fire, not cursed energy.
Whoosh!!
Heat washed over me.
"Your task is simple!"
Mephisto continued, completely unbothered.
"Defeat it. Or survive for ten minutes. Either works!"
'Ten minutes?!'
Against THAT?!
"Oh, and one more thing—"
SNAP!
Mephisto snapped his fingers again.
Suddenly, the air changed.
Got heavier.
Thicker.
My cursed energy... felt sluggish. Like moving through molasses.
"I've dampened the cursed energy in this arena. Can't have you going all-out and destroying my lovely Crucible! So you'll be working at about... thirty percent capacity? Give or take."
He smiled.
"Good luck~!"
THUNK!!
A gate slammed shut behind me.
I was trapped.
In an arena.
With a fifteen-foot demon.
At a fraction of my normal power.
'Fuck my life.'
The Coal Tar demon didn't wait for pleasantries.
ROOOAAAAR!!
It charged.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Each footfall shook the ground.
I dove to the side.
Roll!
Stone scraped against my shoulder.
CRASH!!
The demon's fist smashed into where I'd been standing, pulverizing stone into dust.
'Too close!'
I scrambled to my feet, katana raised.
The demon turned—fast, way too fast for something that size.
WHOOSH!!
Its arm swung in a wide arc.
I ducked.
Wind pressure ruffled my hair.
Close. Too damn close.
I needed distance. Needed time to think.
But the demon wasn't giving me either.
ROAR!!
It lunged again.
I parried with the katana.
CLANG!!
The impact rattled my arms. The demon's strength was inhuman—literally.
I was forced back.
Skid—
My feet scraped across stone.
'Damn it, this thing hits like a truck!'
And I couldn't use my full cursed energy.
Thirty percent.
That meant no massive Yin Lightning attacks. No overwhelming the demon with raw power.
I'd have to be smart.
'Think. What do I know about demons?'
Not much, honestly.
But I knew Curses.
And both were supernatural entities with cores of concentrated energy.
'If I can find its weak point—'
WHOOSH!!
Fire erupted from the demon's mouth.
FWOOOOSH!!
A torrent of flames rushed toward me.
'Shit!'
I slammed my hands together, forming the hand sign.
Whoosh—
My shadow exploded outward.
BARK! BARK!
The Divine Dogs materialized—both of them, white and black.
They leaped in front of me, taking the brunt of the flames.
FWOOSH!!
The white one yelped.
WHINE!!
But they held.
Just long enough.
I rolled to the side again, away from the fire.
The Divine Dogs dissolved back into shadow—too damaged to maintain form.
Whoosh—
'Sorry, guys.'
But they'd bought me time.
Time to counter.
I channeled cursed energy into the katana.
Hummm—
Even at thirty percent, I could still activate my techniques.
Just... smaller. Weaker.
[Heavenly Disaster: Yin Lightning]
Crack!
Blue-white electricity crackled along the blade. Frost formed on the steel.
Ssszzzt—
The demon roared and charged again.
I waited.
Held my ground.
Closer.
Closer.
NOW!
I swung.
Whoosh!!
The katana cut through the air.
Clang!
The blade bit into the demon's leg.
Crack!
The flesh flash-froze on contact.
Ssszzzt!
Lightning arced through its body.
ROOOAAAAR!!
The demon stumbled, black ichor spraying from the wound.
Drip... drip... drip...
'Got you!'
But it wasn't enough.
The demon's leg—frozen solid just a second ago—started regenerating.
New flesh grew over the ice, pushing it out.
Within seconds, the wound was gone.
'You've got to be kidding me!'
Mephisto's voice echoed from above.
"Did I mention Coal Tars have enhanced regeneration? My mistake!"
'That bastard!'
The demon was already moving again.
It swung both fists down like hammers.
I jumped back.
Thud!!
Stone exploded where I'd been standing.
Debris flew everywhere.
Shhk!
I raised my arm to shield my face.
Sharp pain—
A stone shard cut across my cheek.
Drip...
Blood ran down my jaw.
'This isn't working.'
I couldn't kill it with normal attacks. It regenerated too fast.
And I didn't have enough cursed energy to overwhelm it with raw power.
I needed a different approach.
'Think. Think!'
The demon charged again.
Thud.
I ran—sprinting along the arena wall, keeping distance.
My mind raced.
'Demons have cores. Like Curses. Destroy the core, destroy the demon.'
But where was it?
I glanced back.
The demon was gaining.
ROOOAAR!!
Its mouth opened.
Fire built in its throat.
Orange light glowing brighter.
'Not again!'
I changed direction.
Skid—
My feet slipped on loose stone.
WHOOSH!!
I barely dodged the next gout of flames.
Fwoooosh!!
Heat singed my jacket.
Sssss—
Smoke rose from the fabric.
'Too close. Way too close.'
But I'd seen something.
When the demon opened its mouth to breathe fire—
There.
Deep in its throat.
A glowing red core.
'That's it!'
That's what I needed to destroy.
But how?
I couldn't get close without being incinerated.
Unless...
'What if I use the demon's own attack against it?'
A crazy idea.
Reckless.
Stupid.
Exactly the kind of plan that would either work brilliantly or kill me.
'Guess we're doing this.'
I stopped running.
Turned to face the demon head-on.
It skidded to a halt, surprised.
Then grinned—a horrible expression on that monstrous face.
ROOOAAAAR!!
It charged.
I raised my katana.
Channeled everything I had left into the blade.
Thirty percent cursed energy.
All of it.
Every drop.
Hummm—
The katana vibrated.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Ice formed along the entire length. Lightning wrapped around it like a serpent.
Ssszzzt! Ssszzzt!
My arms trembled from the strain.
Huff... huff...
Breathing was hard again.
But I held.
The demon's mouth opened.
Fire built in its throat.
Orange. Red. White-hot.
FWOOOOSH!!
A massive torrent of flames erupted.
I swung.
SLASH!!
The katana met the fire head-on.
And split it.
The Yin Lightning didn't just cut the flames—it froze them mid-air.
Crack!
Frozen fire.
An impossibility.
But it happened.
For just a second, the path was clear.
I lunged forward.
Through the frozen flames.
Straight toward the demon's open mouth.
Its eyes widened—actual surprise.
Too late.
I thrust the katana forward with everything I had.
PIERCE!!
The blade plunged into the demon's throat.
Deep.
Deeper.
Until it struck something solid.
The core.
Crack!!
The red glow shattered.
ROOOOOAAAAAAAAR!!
The demon's scream was deafening.
Its body convulsed.
I yanked the katana free and jumped back.
The demon staggered.
Black ichor poured from its mouth.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Its body started crumbling—literally falling apart.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
Chunks of charred flesh broke off, disintegrating into ash.
Within seconds, there was nothing left.
Just a pile of black dust.
Whoosh—
A gust of wind scattered the remains.
Silence.
I stood there, katana still raised, breathing hard.
Huff... huff... huff...
My entire body shook.
Then—
Something was wrong.
My hand.
The one gripping the katana.
It was trembling.
Not from exhaustion.
From something else.
Crack—
A sharp pain lanced through my palm.
"Gah—!"
I looked down.
My skin—where I'd been channeling cursed energy—was splitting.
Tiny fractures, like cracks in porcelain, spreading across my fingers.
Drip... drip...
Blood welled up from the fissures.
Red mixing with the blue-white frost still clinging to my hand.
'What the—?'
The pain intensified.
Ssszzzt!
Residual lightning arced between the cracks, making the nerves scream.
I dropped the katana.
Clatter!
It hit the stone floor, dissolving back into shadow immediately.
Whoosh—
But the damage was done.
I clutched my hand, trying to stop the trembling.
It wouldn't stop.
Shake. Shake. Shake.
The cracks weren't healing. They just... stayed there. Like fractures in glass.
Ba-dum. Ba-dum.
My heart pounded.
'This is bad. This is really bad.'
I tried to channel cursed energy again.
Just a little.
To test.
Hummm—
The energy came.
But it felt... wrong.
Unstable.
Like trying to pour water through a cracked vessel.
Bzzzzt!
It leaked out through the fractures in my hand, sparking wildly.
Ssszzzt! Ssszzzt!
Pain shot up my arm.
"Agh!"
I cut off the flow immediately.
The sparking stopped.
But the damage remained.
My hand—my dominant hand—was compromised.
Permanently.
'No. No, no, no—'
CLAP!
Slow applause echoed through the arena.
Mephisto descended from the stands, walking down invisible stairs.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
His smile was as wide as ever.
"Magnificent! Absolutely magnificent!"
He stopped a few feet away, hands clasped together.
"Norikashimo-kun, you continue to exceed expectations! Using the demon's own fire breath as an opening? Brilliant improvisation!"
I didn't respond.
Just stared at my ruined hand.
Blood still dripping from the cracks.
Drip... drip...
Mephisto followed my gaze.
His smile didn't falter.
"Ah. Yes. That."
He tilted his head, examining my hand like it was a mildly interesting specimen.
"Cursed energy overload. You pushed your technique beyond its limits. The vessel—your body—couldn't handle the strain."
Tap. Tap.
He tapped his cane against the stone floor.
"It'll scar. Permanently, I'm afraid. Your cursed energy flow will always be... unstable in that hand. Like trying to channel water through cracked pipes."
'Permanently?'
The word hit me like a physical blow.
"But don't worry!" Mephisto's cheerful tone never wavered. "This is actually quite fortunate!"
"Fortunate?!"
I finally found my voice.
"How the hell is this fortunate?!"
"Because," Mephisto said, leaning on his cane, "you learned an important lesson. Power has a cost. Push too hard, and you'll break. Not just the enemy—yourself."
His purple eyes gleamed.
"Better to learn that here, in a controlled environment, than out in the field where the stakes are real."
Controlled.
Right.
I looked at my hand again.
The cracks had stopped bleeding, but they weren't closing.
They'd turned into permanent scars—thin white lines spider-webbing across my palm and fingers.
And every time I tried to use cursed energy, I could feel it.
The instability.
The leakage.
Like trying to grip water with a broken cup.
'This is going to affect everything.'
My technique. My fighting style. Everything.
Mephisto watched me process this, that smile never leaving his face.
"So."
He straightened up.
"Have you made your decision?"
I looked at him.
Then at my hand.
Then at the pile of ash that used to be a demon.
'I won.'
But I paid for it.
And this was just a test.
A demonstration.
If this was what happened in a controlled fight...
What would happen in a real one?
But that was exactly why I needed training.
Real training.
Not stumbling around in the dark, breaking myself with every fight.
I met Mephisto's eyes.
"I'll accept your contract."
His smile turned predatory.
"Excellent choice."
He snapped his fingers.
SNAP!
The parchment from yesterday appeared in his hand—purple ribbon and all.
Rustle—
He held it out.
"Sign here. With blood, if you don't mind. Contracts of this nature require... proper binding."
Of course they did.
I took the parchment with my uninjured hand.
My right hand—the damaged one—trembled as I pressed my thumb against one of the cracks.
Fresh blood welled up.
Drip...
I pressed it against the contract.
The blood spread across the page, forming letters I couldn't read.
Then it sank into the parchment.
Absorbed.
Gone.
Whoosh—
The contract glowed purple for just a second.
Then returned to normal.
"Wonderful!"
Mephisto plucked it from my hands.
"Welcome aboard, Norikashimo-kun! Your training begins immediately."
He turned to leave, then paused.
"Oh, and one more thing."
He glanced back over his shoulder.
"That hand of yours? Consider it... interest. On the investment I'm making in you."
His smile widened.
"Don't worry. You'll pay back the principal eventually."
Tap.
He walked away, cane clicking rhythmically.
The gate opened.
THUNK.
And I was left alone.
In the arena.
With my ruined hand.
And a contract signed in blood.
I looked down at the scars.
White lightning-shaped fractures across my palm.
Permanent.
A reminder.
That power came with a price.
And I'd just agreed to pay it.
Sighhhh...
I exhaled slowly.
My hand wouldn't stop shaking.
Shake. Shake. Shake.
'What have I done?'
The walk back to the hospital wing was a blur.
My hand throbbed with every step.
Throb.
Not painful, exactly.
Just... present.
A constant reminder.
When I finally reached my room, Shoko was waiting.
She took one look at my hand and sighed.
"Let me see."
I held it out.
She examined the cracks, her expression unreadable behind those glasses.
"Cursed energy overload. You forced too much through an unstable channel."
"Can you fix it?"
Silence.
Then—
"No."
The word was final.
"Reverse Cursed Technique can heal physical damage. But this?" She tapped one of the scars. "This is spiritual damage. The pathways themselves are fractured."
She let go of my hand.
"You'll be able to use cursed energy. But it'll always be unstable in this hand. Like a leaky faucet."
Drip...
"You'll need to compensate. Train your left hand more. Or learn to work around the instability."
She pulled out bandages.
Rustle—
"I can wrap it. Keep it protected while the surface heals. But the scars? Those are permanent."
She started wrapping.
Around and around.
The white bandages covered the lightning-shaped fractures.
But I could still feel them.
Throb.
When she finished, she stepped back.
"Mephisto put you up to this?"
I nodded.
"Figures."
She pushed her glasses up.
"That's his style. Break you down, then offer to build you back up."
She headed for the door.
Stopped.
"For what it's worth... You survived. That counts for something."
Click.
The door closed.
I was alone again.
I sat on the bed, staring at my bandaged hand.
Flexed my fingers.
They moved.
But wrong.
Stiff. Uncoordinated.
Like they didn't quite belong to me anymore.
I tried channeling cursed energy.
Just a trickle.
Hummm—
It came.
But leaked immediately.
Ssszzzt!
Tiny sparks escaped through the bandages.
I cut it off.
This was my new reality.
A permanent handicap.
The price of victory.
Ba-dum. Ba-dum.
I lay back on the bed.
Stared at the ceiling.
White. Sterile. Empty.
'I signed the contract.'
There was no going back now.
I was Mephisto's weapon.
And my hand?
My hand was the interest.
The down payment.
On whatever hell was coming next.
Sighhhh...
Outside, the academy bell rang.
DONG.
Classes resuming.
Normal life continuing.
But for me?
Nothing would be normal again.
I closed my eyes.
Felt the throb in my hand.
Throb.
A permanent scar.
A permanent reminder.
That power always comes with a price.
And I'd just started paying mine.