The forest trembled.
A battlefield marred by destruction stretched across the trees, the air thick with dust and the sharp scent of blood. Moonlight pierced through broken canopies, illuminating the violent scars carved into nature itself. And amidst this ruined sanctuary stood two figures, locked in a bloody standoff.
One man stood barely upright—his breathing shallow, his stance trembling. His flame-patterned haori was tattered, soaked in blood. His left eye was swollen shut, his ribs shattered, and each breath rattled like a broken wind instrument. Yet in those eyes, even with one blind, a fire still burned. Fierce. Unyielding. Kyojurou Rengoku's spirit refused to die.
His opponent, by contrast, looked almost untouched—at least for a moment. The injuries on his body had already vanished, flesh weaving itself together with supernatural ease. He was tall and muscular, with fair, almost green-tinged white skin marked by blue lines like ancient tattoos. Pink hair crowned his head in jagged tufts, and his glowing, cracked-glass eyes studied the flame Hashira with both frustration and respect.
"Don't die on me, Kyojurou," Akaza said, but his voice was a distant echo to the dying man, whose hearing was fading.
A short distance behind Kyojurou, two boys lay broken. One, with a boar mask askew, knelt with trembling hands. The other, barely conscious with a burn-like birthmark on his forehead. They could only watch—powerless—as the battle unfolded.
Akaza took a step forward, his frustration bleeding into his words. "Even if you fight with the intention to sacrifice your body, it's all pointless."
He swept his hand across his chest, showing unblemished skin.
"The wonderful slashes you landed on me have already healed. But you…"
His voice dropped into cold observation.
"Your eye is gone. Your ribs are crushed. Your organs are bleeding. You can't come back from this. If you were a demon—this would be a scratch."
His eyes flared, intensity replacing reason.
"If you were a demon, you would be invincible! No matter how much you struggle, humans can never beat demons!"
Kyoujurou's answer came not in words, but action. He took a stance, firm and flawless. Despite his broken body, there was no weakness in his posture.
"I will fulfill my duty!" he roared, voice unwavering. "I won't let anyone die here!"
Akaza's eyes widened. "What a wonderful fighting spirit! You really should become a demon, Kyojurou!"
Both warriors moved.
"Destructive Death: Annihilation Style!"
"Flame Breathing, Ninth Form: Purgatory!"
They clashed, flame and force exploding into a deafening crescendo. Trees bowed under the shockwave. The sky above them darkened momentarily, as if the heavens themselves feared the outcome.
Then—
The world split with a boom.
When the dust settled, silence fell.
Something—or someone—stood between the two titans.
Crimson armor gleamed under the fractured moonlight, etched in arcane patterns. Long, flowing crimson hair trailed behind him like a royal banner. His presence bent the air, like gravity itself bowed before him, his ring patterned eyes glinting with an otherworldly hue. In one hand, he held Akaza's fist. In the other, Kyoujurou's katana. Neither moved. Neither could move.
"Who—?" Akaza gasped, instinct screaming danger. He jumped back, distance his only defense.
Kyojurou's body went limp, unconscious, lips barely forming the word: "Run."
The stranger didn't move at first. A single trickle of blood slid down from his nose as his eyes lost their glow.
"I see..." He mumbled to himself.
Then, slowly, he turned his head toward the boys.
"This is your friend, right?"
Without warning, he hurled Kyojurou toward them. He flew through the air like a comet, and the boys caught him just in time.
Now, only two figures stood on the battlefield: the monster, and the demon.
Akaza's heart raced. "What an incredible aura! You're no ordinary human… Who are you?!"
The man stretched his arms to the sides, as if presenting himself to the heavens.
"I am Ares," he declared, "The Scarlet King."
His eyes flashed—crimson rings glowing like eclipsed suns.
"And for you…"
Ares vanished.
Akaza turned instinctively—his needle compass exploding in alarm.
"...your executioner."
BOOM!
A hand, armored and clawed, collided with Akaza's hastily made defence. The sound resembled a thunderclap inside a war drum. Akaza's body flew backward, slamming into a tree that shattered like glass.
He coughed blood, vision spinning. Both arms were gone. His ribs felt like powder. His regeneration kicked in rapidly—painful, desperate, instantly fixing the damage.
Ares stood still, analyzing him like a scholar before an ancient scroll.
"Enhanced senses, super regeneration....fascinating," he murmured.
"You're amazing!" Akaza laughed, blood trailing from his lips. "Truly amazing!"
"Mm," Ares responded with a calm grin.
Then vanished again.
Akaza turned. The ground under his feet glowing with the shape of a snowflake, yet he was too slow.
A punch landed from the left this time, then the right—precision blows meant to test. Again and again, Ares struck, each blow calculated. He wasn't fighting to win. He was studying. Experimenting.
Akaza stumbled back, he was able able barely block every incoming blow, breathing hard despite the healing. Ares appeared once more, standing still, lips curling in thought, crimson eyes studying his prey.
"Killing intent…" he whispered, then vanished again.
The next strike came differently. Not just fast—but invisible. Akaza's needle compass was useless.
CRACK!
Ares's fist shattered bone and sent Akaza flying again, spinning like a broken toy.
"It worked," Ares grinned.
Akaza landed, coughing, eyes wide. His body trembled—not from pain, but fear. True fear.
To him, Ares's presence simply vanished from his radar, as if he lost all intent.
The Scarlet King walked forward, embers licking at his armor, shadows spiraling at his heels. He looked like a war god dressed for judgment.
"Next experiment: the limits of regeneration." He cruelly spoke, a maddening grin adoring his face.
Akaza panicked, the sunrise was close, and he didn't believe he could defeat the monster in time.
He ran. Gathering everything he has into an enormous shockwave, shooting it behind him to gain distance, hurling trees and dirt into the air. Ares raised his arm, blocking the blast with a grunt, and was pushed backward slightly.
The forest trembled from the force.
Akaza didn't look back. He ran like a beast chased by extinction.
"Tch...it was getting fun.." Ares spoke to himself in a gloomy tone.
From the treeline, three figures hidden in the shadows emerged.
"Why did you let him escape?"
Nephis asked in wonder, he could have killed the demon way earlier.
Ares watched the fading figure of Akaza.
"To strike fear," he answered.
His eyes still glowed faintly. His presence remained heavy.
The girl—Cassie—smiled knowingly.
A new monster has entered the fray...
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Ares aura farming 😭
Thoughts? What do u think will happen in this world? How would Chaos or Order interfere?
And what do you think the Hashira and the demons rank would be in ss?
Don't forget to support me with powerstones!!! Xd