Ichitsu looks up to the sky.
"Once we meet again, I will be stronger than you.....Akihira" Ichitsu thinks.
Meanwhile, Akihira was randomly wandering on an island Ishihaya left him on.
"Man, what the hell even is this place?! That ishihaya just left me here while I was Injured." Akihira says in annoyance.
Akihira then thinks back.
Ishihaya takes Akihira to an island with a large volcano at the center, when they arrive akihira get's off the boat while holding his backpack's straps with both his hands and starts to look around then looks back at Ishihaya.
"So where are we and what are we doing here exactly?" Akihira asks.
"This is Kemono Island and you'll see why we're here." Ishihaya says.
Akihira drops his head down in disappointment.
"What's with all this suspense all the time?" Akihira asks.
Ishihaya ignores Akihira's question and starts walking inside the island.
"Follow me." Ishihaya says as he walks away.
"Ignores me again." Akihira says.
Ishihaya and Akihira walk deep into the Island, after walking for a while, Ishihaya suddenly stops walking and Akihira bumps into Ishihaya.
"Don't suddenly stop like that, give me a indication or something!" Akihira says in annoyance.
Ishihaya then turns around towards Akihira.
"Alright, this should be far enough." Ishihaya says.
"Far enough? Far enough for what?" Akihira asks.
"You'll see, in exactly 5 seconds." Ishihaya says.
"Wha-"
Akihira stands there in confusion as Ishihaya kept counting down.
"5"
As Ishihaya says that, the ground shook.
"4"
"Why is the ground shaking?" Akihira thinks.
"3"
As Ishihaya was counting down, the tremors grew more violent albeit very little.
"2"
Akihira then realizes
"Wait, are there tremors...CAUSED BY FOOTSTEPS?!"
"1"
As Ishihaya says that, a salamander and two other colossals the size of the Iron Oxbeast came out from the trees.
"WHAT IN THE WORLD?!" Akihira panically says.
"This is going to be the start of your training." Ishihaya says calmly.
"WHAT?!" Akihira asks still panicked.
"As you may have guessed, there are more colossals like these three all around the island. In fact this island is basically inhabited by them, your goal is to beat 4 of these colossals, that will be your training." Ishihaya explains.
"SO YOU EXPECT ME TO BEAT THESE THINGS? WITH WHAT?!" Akihira asks.
"Use your magic. You already have an insane amount of physical strength and stamina, that's already one big advantage you have against Ichitsu. He's still gotta build up his strength and stamina some more." Ishihaya further explains.
"But I barely even know how to control my magic." Akihira says.
"Exactly. That's why we'll start with something fundamental—a basic barrier spell. If nothing else, it'll let you defend yourself." Ishihaya says.
"A barrier? That sounds kinda... underwhelming." Akihira says.
"Simple doesn't mean useless. The strongest mages mastered the basics before shaping legends. And a well-timed shield can save your life more than any flashy spell." Ishihaya says while smirking.
"Alright, so how do I make one?" Akihira asks.
"Focus your magic and project it into a shape—your intent forms the barrier. It's not about copying someone else's version. It's yours." Ishihaya says.
"But how do I know what shape it's supposed to be?" Akihira asks.
"You don't. Not at first. But if you focus—really focus—the shape will come to you. It's instinct. Magic takes form through will." Ishihaya says.
"That's it? Just focus?" Akihira says, being unsure.
"That's it. Trust your magic. Trust you-"
Ishihaya was cut off by a loud roar. Both Akihira and Ishihaya turn around and look behind to see a salamander suddenly fly off straight upwards, leaving a strong gush of wind. Akihira then puts his arms in front of his face to stop the wind from blowing on his face, and he looks up to see the salmander flying around above. The salamander roars again, and the other two colossals walk away in separate directions, then the salamander flies towards the peak of Kanemo Mountain.
"You should probably save that one for last and go for the other ones first." Ishihaya says.
"Why? What do you mean?" Akihira asks.
"Didn't I tell you before that you must defeat at least 4 colossals? That one that just flew away is called a "salamander," which seems the strongest creature on this island." Ishihaya says.
"But how do you know that?" Akihira asks.
"I can sense its incredible power, it's higher than most around here, and also, if you'd paid attention, you'd notice the other two colossals walked away just as the salamander roared, probably out of fear if I had to guess," Ishihaya explains.
"Alright, but I didn't even practice the barrier thingy yet." Akihira says.
"Well, you know what they say. Action speaks louder than words, so better use it during fighting, now let's go." Ishihaya says.
Ishihaya then walks with Akihira to find a colossal, and after a while, they find one of them out of pure luck.
"Looks like we found one here." Ishihaya.
"It seems to be covered in some sort of rock." Akihira says.
"That's its exoskeleton." Ishihaya says.
"Exo-what? Whatever, after all this walking, I can finally fight." Akihira says.
"You bet." Ishihaya says as he jumps on one of the nearby trees.
"Wait, why'd you jump up there?" Akihira confusingly asks.
"Well, it is YOUR fight, so I see no reason to stay in your way." Ishihaya says.
"Suit yourself then, I can beat this beast all on my own, and you'll regret missing out. It didn't look that tough when it walked away." Akihira says as he slams his right fist into his left palm.
Akihira then charges towards the colossal with just a punch using no magic power. He punches the colossal, but it has no effect. The colossal then knocks Akihira back into a tree, and Akihira shakes his head as he gets up.
"Alright, I should've expected as much." Akihira says.
"Stay on your guard, don't let up for a second. Colossals are stronger than they look, and remember, you're training doesn't end until you beat the salamander, who's on a whole other level than these guys. Ishihaya says.
The colossal then stomps its foot on the ground, which causes spikes to erupt from the ground and head towards Akihira at high speeds. He manages to dodge the attack by strafing to his right and looks behind him, and gets a little terrified by the scene as he turns pale for a second.
"What the hell?! Just from that one attack." Akihira says.
He looks back and sees the attack destroyed a part of the forest behind him, hundreds of trees completely uprooted by that one attack from the colossal.
It was the first time Akihira had felt fear, and the thought of fleeing was being tossed around his mind like it was the only thing he knew how to do.
But as he steps back a bit, he remembers why he was working this hard and how he got this far, he thinks about his rival Ichitsu, and the sacrifice Kushi made.
Akihira then closes his eyes and turns around, opening his eyes as strings of fire start surrounding his body, and he starts to charge towards the stone colossal.
"Running away? Falling back? No… not this time." Akihira says quietly.
His voice trembles with fire—not from fear, but from the weight of resolve.
After everything... after all this time, I finally have the chance to grow stronger. Fleeing—fearing—those days are over. I will rise. I must rise. I'll defeat the Shadow King, and I'll never cower before any enemy again... no matter what." Akihira says louder.
The Stone Colossal lets out a deafening roar that shakes the air, its cracked body pulsing with a fierce brown aura. Energy surges into its mouth like a vortex, forming a swirling, earthen beam.
Akihira doesn't flinch.
The Flame Strings that spiraled around his body suddenly unraveled—then rushed forward, weaving together like strands of divine fire. They form a glowing barrier, each thread stitching itself into the next with impossible precision, like cloth being sewn mid-air with a celestial needle.
Ishihaya's eyes widened. He stood frozen, breath caught in his throat.
"That technique… so my suspicions were correct. It's not just regular fire. It's something else entirely—like the flame is alive, weaving itself to protect him." Ishihaya thinks.
The beam collides with the barrier.
A deafening impact shakes the valley. The clash of elements creates a pocket of scorching heat so intense, it warped the air and then—erupted in a blinding white explosion. Ishihaya shields his eyes as shockwaves rippled outward, toppling nearby trees and turning stones to dust.
Through the blaze, Akihira soared upward.
His right fist is cloaked in searing crimson flame, and his left hand braces around it—forming a containment field to focus the power, preventing it from dissipating too early.
"I won't fall here! I'm going to beat the Shadow King and I'll protect everything dear to me, so they don't suffer!" Akihira says.
The Stone Colossal stumbles back, temporarily blinded. But then, sensing the danger, it braces itself—layer after layer of stone armor encasing its core.
"No! Akihira, stop! Its defenses are too strong now! That punch won't break through!" Ishihaya says
But Akihira doesn't stop. His flame changes.
The crimson heat on his fist intensified—turning white.
"No way… he's compressing elemental energy beyond thermal boundaries... That's not just fire anymore—" Ishihaya thinks.
Akihira's voice rings out like a battle cry echoing through the sky:
"BLAZING NOVA—"
He twists mid-air, flipping forward with all his momentum.
"—DRIVE!!!"
His fist slams into the Colossal's forehead—right at the core of its reinforced plating. A cataclysmic blast of white-hot energy erupts in all directions. A focused beam of light shoots out behind Akihira like a comet's tail, carving a scar through the earth behind him.
"HAAAAA!!!" Akihira shouts.
The world flashes pure white. The sound—indescribable. A moment of silence follows. Then—BOOOOOOM!
The Colossal screams as its defense shatters. Chunks of molten stone explode outward in every direction as the beast is engulfed in the white inferno. Ishihaya is thrown back, arms shielding his face from the roaring winds and searing light.
And then... silence.
As the smoke begins to clear, Ishihaya stumbles forward, heart pounding.
"The Colossal… it's down. Burns across its entire body. Its aura's gone." Ishihaya says.
Then—he sees Akihira.
Standing. Chest heaving. Covered in ash.
But his right arm—blood poured from it, the flesh scorched, tendons barely holding.
"Akihira!" Ishihaya says as he runs to him.
Akihira turns slightly toward him—then collapses to his knees.
His eyes flicker for just a moment... and then he falls forward, unconscious.
After countless hours pass, the wind gently brushes through the leaves outside the small camp. Akihira stirs. His eyes fluttering open.
"Ugh... damn. It's already night...? Did I pass out?" Akihira says.
He groans and sits up slowly, clutching his right arm, now wrapped tightly in bandages.
"I remember forming that dense flame fist... then everything went white." Akihira says.
And then it hit him.
"Wait—what about the Colossal?! Ishihaya! Did I... did I actually beat it?" Akihira asks.
Ishihaya looks up from the campfire nearby, the soft glow casting long shadows across his face. He nods.
"You didn't just beat it—you created a barrier of your own, invented a new move in the heat of battle, and brought down a creature of legend." Ishihaya says.
He smiles.
"You did good, Akihira. Damn good." Ishihaya says.
Akihira's eyes light up. A grin spreads across his face, and he leaps up, throwing his left hand into the air.
"Yes! I actually did it!" Akihira says.
But Ishihaya's smile fades, his tone growing serious.
"But..." Ishihaya says.
Akihira froze.
"You nearly destroyed your arm in the process. That last move—while powerful—was reckless. You ignored my warning. That kind of carelessness could've cost you your life. It's okay to push past your limits, but since you've just begun, you do not take unnecessary risks." Ishihaya says.
Akihira falls silent, guilt washes over his celebration.
"I'm sorry... In that moment, all I could think about was winning. I don't know—it was like I was... blinded by it. I know that probably doesn't make sense." Akihira says.
Ishihaya sighs and walks over, but before he can say anything.
Akihira lowers his gaze, his voice drops into a hushed, almost reverent tone—like he's remembering something forbidden.
"But... it felt so good." Akihira says.
There is a flicker in his eyes—part wonder, part unease—as if the thrill of that power still lingers in his veins.
"The heat, the force... I've never felt anything like it. It was like I finally had control. Like I could do anything." Akihira says.
He pauses, then quickly looks away.
"I know it's wrong. But for a moment... I didn't care." Akihira says.
Ishihaya places a firm, steady hand on Akihira's head.
"I know how that feels." Ishihaya says.
Akihira looks up at Ishihaya, and he looks him in the eyes.
"But hear me, Akihira: victory means nothing if it comes at the cost of others—or yourself. If you ever risk innocent lives, or worse, sacrifice someone for the sake of 'winning,' then it's no victory at all. There's no honor in it. No glory. No respect."
He pauses, then smiles faintly.
"If there's one thing I've learned as a knight of this kingdom, and a traveler who's walked more battlefields than I can count—it's this: strength means nothing without purpose. And purpose means nothing without restraint. Trust me, I've learned it the hard way."
Those words pierce through Akihira more deeply than any blade. He sits quietly for a moment, then nods solemnly.
"You're right... I understand now. I won't chase strength blindly again, and I'm gonna use my strength for good." Akihira says firmly while bringing up his left hand and clenching it into a fist.
Ishihaya ruffles his hair with a small grin.
"Good." Ishihaya says.
He turns and slings his cloak over his shoulder.
"Now then, rest. That arm won't heal overnight." Ishihaya says.
He pauses, glancing toward the towering shadow of Mt. Kanemo in the distance.
"Bring down the Salamander. And show me you've learned to control that fire of yours." Ishihaya says.
[Three Months Later]
The days pass with a grueling rhythm. Akihira trains relentlessly beneath the eyes of Ishihaya. Every day, he pushes his limits—and every night, he studies his magic, refining his control, learning balance and precision.
His arm healed slowly but surely. The pain never left, but he endured it.
He isn't chasing power now. He's earning it.
[The Salamander's Trial]
The wind howls as Akihira stands at the base of Mt. Kanemo, his cloak snapping behind him. Just as he places his hand on the rock to begin his climb—
"You're ready." Ishihaya says.
Akihira turns to see Ishihaya standing at the foot of the mountain, a calm smile on his face.
"I hope so. Time to prove it." Akihira says.
With renewed strength and clarity, Akihira scales the mountain—and when he reaches the summit, he faces the Salamander, a fire beast whose flames scorched the sky.
Mt. Kanemo's summit churned with heat.
Molten rivers split the stone like glowing veins, and ashes dance across the sky, shrouding the peak in a flickering haze. The wind roars, blowing embers into the air as Akihira steps forward. His boots crunch against blackened stone, his cloak whipping behind him. He stands tall—but inside, his heart pounds.
From the center of a burning crater, the Salamander emerges, a beast of living fire. Its molten body shimmers with golden flame, lava dripping from its jaws, eyes glowing like twin suns.
The mountain shakes as it lets out a roar that cracks the skies—an eruption behind it sends a fountain of lava into the sky.
Akihira doesn't flinch.
"Last time, I let power control me. This time... I control it." Akihira says.
The Salamander surges forward—a blur of fire. Akihira dashes aside, the heat grazing his side. Flames explode behind him as the beast collides with a stone pillar. Without pausing, Akihira raises his hand, and fire sparks to life at his fingertips. The flames curl and twist, taking shape in midair. With a smooth motion, he extends one hand forward and pulls back with the other—forming a curved bow of flame, the string glowing like a thread of molten light.
A fiery arrow materialized between his fingers. He drew it back, the bow humming with heat, and aimed with sharp focus before letting it fly.
"Palefire Arrow!"Akihira shouts.
The white-hot fire arrow shot from his bow at fast speed, aimed at the Salamander's eye. However, the beast quickly put its tail in the way. The arrow pierced into its tail, or so Akihira thought. Akihira's arrow is instead melted by the flames of the Salamander. It then slams its tail onto Akihira but Akihira jumps away effortlessly.
"Melting fire? Now that's some next-level heat." Akihira thinks as sweat runs down his face.
The Salamander then slams its legs around, shaking the ground violently and cracking it, causing Akihira to momentarily lose his footing. As Akihira is focused on keeping himself upright, the Salamander opens its mouth and shoots a beam of highly concentrated fire, and since it's so condensed the lethality of the beam is much higher. The beam heads toward Akihira and Akihira looks at it at the last second as the beam engulfs him completely. The salamander turns around, thinking it has killed its prey.
"And just where do you think you're going?" Akihira says.
Akihira emerges from the flames, completely unharmed but parts of his cloak have burned away as strings of fire slowly dissipate from in front of him. Just before the beam had hit, Akihira made a barrier from the strings as he had done before.
"I guess, it's time to get serious." Akihira says.
He walks forward as strings of white flame emanate from various places on his body, including his fists which he immediately ignites and dashes toward the Salamander. The Salamander brings its front leg up to crush Akihira but Akihira swiftly dodges and runs up onto the Salamander's leg and jumps up appearing in front of the Salamander's face.
"Let's see you come out unscathed from this." Akihira says.
Akihira swings his arms, creating a series of flame-like whips that he can grab with his hands. They can be used defensively or offensively.
The Salamander then opens its mouth and breathes fire. Akihira then twirls mid-air, swinging the whips at high speed to not let the fire reach him. He then brings both of his arms close in front of his face and dissipates the flame by swiftly moving away his arms in the opposite direction.
"Take this! Dominion Whip!" Akihira shouts.
He then unleashes a barrage of whip attacks with the final attack creating a point-blank explosion on the Salamander's face. Akihira then backflips and lands effortlessly as the Salamander falls on its side.
"Phew, honestly ,I kinda expected more. But I guess I've just gotten that much stronger!" Akihira says as he swipes his finger below his nose.
Akihira turns around to leave but then feels a powerful pressure behind him, he immediately turns around and sees that the Salamander lept at him, jaws wide about to swallow him whole. Akihira caught off guard, quickly forms a barrier as the Salamander closes its jaws tight, the barrier shatters saving Akihira but blowing him away from the force. He lands roughly on the ground.
"I let power get to my head again, I got cocky." Akihira says as he punches the ground.
The Salamander roars once again, as it charges toward Akihira and Akihira charges back.
Night falls, Akihira has been fighting the Salamander for the entire day. Starting to grow tired, and the Salamander only now showing signs of being injured.
"Man, what in the world? This thing just refuses to fall." Akihira says as he draws heavy breaths.
He watches the Salamander from afar.
"But I did manage to injure it, so it's not invincible. I can beat it." Akihira smiles with confidence.
The Salamander once again dashes toward Akihira.
"Come on, that trick is getting old. Smolderstep!" Akihira shouts.
Akihira uses his flames to momentarily dash in a burst of flames and cover distances extremely quickly. He then jumps off the Salamander's head.
"Alright, Salamander, now you've asked for it." Akihira says.
Akihira spins mid-air, channeling his white flames into a spiraling lance of fire that bursts forward in any direction like a drill. It's a piercing attack meant for breaking through tough defenses with both elegance and raw force.
"Inferno Spiral!" Akihira shouts.
Akihira bursts his fire on the Salamander, as the attack approaches the Salamander. It roars once again, this time louder, and releases a lot of magic power surrounding itself in flames.
"No way...is it getting stronger?" Akihira thinks, shocked.
The Salamander roars louder as Akihira's attack connects with the Salamander's flame and begins to start pushing it back.
"Is it really over? Can I not even beat a Salamander? No...I will NOT lose...I will NOT be outdone! HAAA!" Akihira shouts.
As Akihira screams, he pours even more magic power into his attack making the flaming drill even larger and potent. Between Akihira's screams and the roar of the Salamander, the two colliding attacks explode as both Akihira and the Salamander get caught up in the blast.
Meanwhile, Ishihaya at the base of the mountain feels the heat and looks up and sees the massive explosion.
"No, Akihira!" Ishihaya says.
He quickly starts scaling the mountain, using his light magic to scale it with relative ease.
"Was he not strong enough? Did I send him to his death?" Ishihays thinks as he climbs.
After a few minutes, Ishihaya scales the mountain only to find the summit halfway flattened with a lot of dust flying around making it difficult to see.
"Incredible, to think he'd match the Salamander's firepower to this degree." Ishihaya thinks.
Ishihaya then immediately starts looking around for Akihira.
"Akihira! Can you hear me?!" Ishihaya shouts for him.
"L-loud and clear." Akihira says.
The dust clears as Ishihaya turns around to see Akihira standing, with injuries across his body as he holds his injured right arm with his left hand.
"Hah! You really did it! You beat the Salamander!" Ishihaya says as he rocks Akihira back and forth.
"I..I wouldn't be so sure of that." Akihira says struggling to speak.
Ishihaya turns around to see the Salamander still standing, with the same fire surrounding it.
"That shouldn't be possible, salamanders aren't supposed to be this powerful. Something's up." Ishihaya says.
"What do you mean?" Akihira asks.
"Stand back, let me take care of it." Ishihaya says.
Ishihaya starts to glow in a white aura with a layer of gold surrounding the edges. He then vanishes and appears floating in front of the salamander, or that's what it seems like because he is moving that fast.
"Judgment Anvil." Ishihaya says.
A giant hammer made of light appears. Ishihaya then brings up his index and middle fingers together while the other three fingers are folded. He then points his index and middle fingers downwards striking the Salamander directly, causing the ground around to shatter and dust to fly around. Ishihaya quickly clears the dust, and Akihira sees the Salamander down.
"Amazing...with one attack. I can't even come close..." Akihira says.
"Honestly, I'm surprised too." Ishihaya says.
Akihira lowers his head, thinking Ishihaya is being humble.
"I'm surprised by you." Ishihaya continues.
Akihira's eyes light up.
"The only reason I beat it with one attack was because you actually greatly weakened it, so I'm proud of you." Ishihaya says.
Akihira lifts his head with a smile.
"Now then." Ishihaya tone gets serious.
As the flames of the defeated Salamander slowly fade, its body twitches with lingering malice. Ishihaya approaches, eyes narrowed, feeling an unnatural pressure still lingering in the air. He kneels beside the charred, twitching beast—his hand glowing faintly with light magic as he brushes aside the ash covering its scales.
And then he sees it.
Etched deep into the Salamander's flesh, just above the heart, is a twisted mark, pulsing faintly with a crimson and obsidian glow. The shape is a circular sigil formed from jagged, thorn-like runes, spiraling inward like a vortex of suffering. At the center, a single inverted fang pierces through a burning eye, its gaze following Ishihaya no matter where he moves.
The mark exudes a corrosive energy—foul, cursed, yet eerily controlled. Not wild. Intentional.
"This…this is a Thornbrand…" Ishihaya says.
He clenches his jaw.
"Only they leave something like this behind." Ishihaya says.
He rises, glaring at the horizon as the wind picks up, blowing ash and cinders around him. His eyes glow softly with a righteous fury.
"So… you're the one pulling the strings behind this monstrosity."
"Solmuth the Severed... Third Thorn of Hell."
"The Dread Binder."
Ishihaya says as he breathes slowly, trying to calm the surge of anger rising inside him.
"They say Solmuth once bound a celestial dragon to his will using nothing but one cursed nail. Every mark he carves is a leash… and every creature he corrupts becomes an extension of his twisted will." Ishihaya says.
He looks back at the Salamander's corpse.
"You're not the threat. You're just another beast used and discarded by a monster who thinks power means control." Ishihaya says.
After a few moments of silence.
"Let's go Akihira, and oh congratulations on completing your training." Ishihaya says.
"Thanks! Let's go, I'm starving." Akihira says.
[Three Months Remain]
With the Salamander defeated, Akihira descended the mountain, now stronger, more focused, and more determined than ever. At the same time, Ichitsu's own training was progressing rapidly under Rikiyuki's tutelage.
The two warriors stood at the edge of destiny—three months from the final battle against the Shadow King.
And neither of them would face that fate unprepared.
END OF CHAPTER 9