DEMON SUMMONER: DESCENDANT OF THE CELESTIAL SOVEREIGN

Fresh blood seeped through the cracked asphalt of the Gatot Subroto Toll Road. The night air in Jakarta felt incredibly thick. It was tainted with the smell of copper and burnt flesh. Beneath a sky that burned as red as blood, the last remnants of humanity's defense line slowly crumbled.

Eka panted heavily. His lungs burned like they were being pierced by a dozen needles every time he took a breath. As an E-Rank Hunter, his physical body could not yet gather the internal energy known as Qi. He certainly could not manipulate it. He relied purely on the last drops of his drained physical strength. His palms trembled violently as he gripped the hilt of a standard steel sword with a chipped blade.

"Watch the attack from the left." Sopian yelled.

Sopian vaulted over a pile of shattered concrete. The muscles in his arms bulged tight. As a D-Rank Hunter, his physical density was one level above Eka's. He could not control Qi yet, but the swing of his sledgehammer possessed pure destructive power. Sopian smashed the jaw of a stone-skinned demon hound. The sound of a cracking skull echoed loudly. The demon's head snapped to the side, spraying thick black blood that splattered across Eka's cheek.

"Don't zone out, Eka. Focus." Sopian grabbed his best friend's shoulder. He forced him two steps back to dodge a slashing claw from another demon.

Ten meters ahead of them, two middle-aged men fought like living fortresses. Andi, Eka's father, spun his steel spear. A dim white layer of pure Qi coated the spearhead. That was the absolute limit of a C-Rank Hunter. He could not manipulate the elements. He could only condense raw Qi to enhance the destructive power of his weapon. Andi slashed quickly, tearing open the chest of a humanoid demon trying to pounce on him.

Right next to Andi, Wardi swung his massive broadsword. Sopian's father focused his Qi into the muscle tissues of his arms and the blade, blocking the strikes of three demons at once.

But the defense of the two C-Rank Hunters began to waver.

Eka swallowed hard. Cold sweat poured down his temples. Hundreds of C-Rank Demons lined up, covering the entire toll road ahead. Behind those hundreds of C-Rank Demons stood ten B-Rank Demons. Their bodies radiated intense heat that melted the asphalt beneath their feet. And right on top of a pile of ruined TransJakarta buses, two A-Rank Demons watched the battle. They were the commanders of the demon legion attacking Eka and his family. They did not move at all. They just watched the exhausted hunters. The pure Qi pressure from those two A-Rank Demons rippled through the air, making Eka's internal organs feel like they were being crushed.

"Wardi." Andi shouted hoarsely. His breathing was rapid. His combat vest was torn, revealing a deep gash on his chest. "My Qi is at forty percent. We can't hold this demon legion back any longer."

Wardi spat a thick clump of blood onto the asphalt. He stabbed his broadsword into the ground to support his trembling knees.

"The two legion commanders on top of that bus haven't even made a move yet," Wardi replied. His voice was rough and heavy.

Andi glanced back. His eyes locked onto Eka, who stood with shaking knees. He then looked at Sopian, who was gripping his hammer tightly. The look in Andi's eyes changed. It turned hard, cold, and filled with absolute despair.

"We end it here, Wardi." Andi spun his spear. "We become the final wall. Let our boys survive."

Wardi smirked, revealing teeth stained red with blood. He gave a slow nod.

"Sopian." Wardi looked back. His booming voice overpowered the roars of the demons. "Take Eka and his mother away. Do not look back."

Sopian's eyes widened. His jaw instantly clenched. "What are you talking about, Dad? We retreat together."

"That is an order, Sopian." Wardi barked. He forced his last remaining Qi into his arm muscles, preparing to welcome the next wave of demons.

Eka shook his head. Panic gripped his chest. He saw five C-Rank Demons starting to surround his father from a blind spot. The naivety in his head rejected the logic of their power gap. Eka felt he could help. He felt he had to save his father right now.

"I won't run." Eka screamed.

Eka raised his steel sword. He forced his numb legs to sprint forward. He ignored Sopian's hand trying to grab his collar.

"Eka, stop." Sopian yelled.

Eka was already dashing ahead. His eyes locked onto a giant reptilian C-Rank Demon preparing to pounce on his father from the right. Eka leaped. He swung his steel sword with all his might at the demon's neck.

It was a fatal mistake. A foolish miscalculation from an E-Rank Hunter.

That C-Rank Demon possessed combat reflexes far beyond a normal human. The creature sensed Eka's presence before the blade even came down. The reptilian demon twisted its body with blinding speed. It parried Eka's sword with just a backhand sweep of its thick, scale-covered arm.

Steel clashed against demon scales. A sharp snapping sound rang out. Eka's steel sword snapped in half. The shockwave of the impact instantly tore the skin on Eka's palm. Agonizing pain shot up to his shoulder, making his arm bone feel like it had fractured. Eka was thrown back violently, rolling across the hot asphalt.

The reptilian demon showed no mercy. The creature opened its jaw, revealing long fangs. It leaped to tear out the throat of the helpless Eka.

Eka's vision blurred. He had no Qi to form a shield. He could only stare at the death descending upon him.

"EKA."

A silhouette dashed in at high speed, placing itself right in front of Eka. Andi lunged forward, abandoning his position. He threw his spear away, using his own body as a meat shield between the demon's jaw and his son.

The sound of flesh being torn was sickeningly loud. Hot blood sprayed instantly, drenching Eka's face and chest.

Eka's breath caught in his throat. His eyes widened in absolute horror.

The reptilian demon's jaws clamped down right on Andi's right arm. The creature's long fangs shredded the muscles, crushed the bones, and severed the father's tendons. With one violent jerk, the demon pulled its head back.

Andi's right arm was ripped clean off from the shoulder socket.

Chunks of flesh and a rain of blood fell onto Eka's face. The metallic stench of his own father's blood shattered Eka's sanity. The naivety in his head was completely destroyed. The brutal reality of the apocalypse forced him to see that good intentions without raw power only brought disaster to loved ones.

Andi did not scream. The veins on his temples and neck bulged hard as he endured the excruciating pain. In his remaining consciousness, Andi focused all of his final raw Qi into his left fist. He punched the reptilian demon's lower jaw with all his might.

The pure Qi-coated punch shattered the demon's lower skull. The sound of breaking bones was nauseating. The demon died instantly. Its body crashed onto the asphalt with a completely ruined jaw.

Andi fell to his knees. Blood poured heavily from the remains of his right shoulder.

"Dad." Eka's voice trembled softly. His tears flowed, mixing with the blood on his cheeks. His shaking left hand reached for his father's torn shirt.

Wardi charged forward. He swung his broadsword brutally, taking off the heads of two C-Rank Demons trying to approach Andi and Eka.

Andi looked down. He reached into his pants pocket with his blood-soaked left hand. He pulled out two faded paper scrolls and slapped them onto the asphalt.

"Come out. Hold them off," Andi whispered hoarsely.

Two glowing red magic circles appeared on the asphalt. Two demons resembling steel-scaled apes emerged from the circles. They were Andi's contracted demons bound by blood. Both roared loudly, blocking the enemy lines. But Andi knew his two C-Rank demons would only last a few minutes before being crushed by the enemy wave.

Andi turned to look at Eka. His father's face was extremely pale, cold as ice from blood loss. Andi grabbed Eka's collar with his left hand, forcing the young man to stand up.

Eka's body trembled violently. His chest felt impossibly tight. He wanted to scream out an apology, but his voice was stuck in his throat.

Andi pulled Eka closer, hugging his son tightly with his one remaining arm. He pressed his face against Eka's head, kissing his son's hair amidst the chaotic roar of demons slaughtering each other.

"Listen to me, son. You are my last hope to protect your mother. Become a strong hunter, one who can make the world bow when they see you." Andi spoke softly but firmly. Thick red liquid began to seep out of his mouth.

Andi let go of his embrace. His eyes looked directly into Eka's eyes. There was no anger there. There was only the absolute hope of a father.

"Go to the refugee camp in Bogor and make sure your mother survives. I will see you again in Valhalla."

After saying those words, Andi pushed Eka's chest hard. Eka stumbled backward, right into Sopian who had run up to catch him.

Sopian caught Eka's body. Sopian's eyes were also red, holding back tears as he saw his father, Wardi, now surrounded from all directions.

Andi did not look back. The one-armed man picked up his spear with his left hand. He let out a long battle cry. He charged forward to join Wardi and his two demons. Those two fathers became the final shield against a sea of death.

Eka was dragged away by force by Sopian. Eka's steps dragged roughly. He wiped the tears and blood covering his eyes. Eka's breathing was sharp. Guilt, despair, and an incredibly thick hatred began to boil in his veins.

Eka clenched his fists so hard his nails pierced his palms. He forced himself to turn around, running away from his father who was now swallowed by the rampage of hundreds of demons on the frontline.