The Heavenly Knight

Dark clouds covered the entire Tsukigawa Kingdom, and torrential rain flooded the land.

Flashes of lightning, accompanied by the thunderous roar of thunder, seemed to signal something no one could understand.

Deep within a vast forest, people could hear the sounds of a battle amid the heavy downpour.

The heavy rain did not deter the five people fighting—three against one, while another seemed unsure of which side to take.

“Brothers! I beg you, stop this fight—let him go,” pleaded a woman who looked to be in her 40s, though she was actually older than that.

“Imouto! If you don’t want to help us, you’d better keep quiet and never take his side!” said an elderly man in his 90s with only a few strands of white hair left.

“Imouto, just let them attack me! Besides, there’s no other way for us to avoid killing each other,” said a 70-year-old man.

“You’re right! But we’ll let you live as long as you’re willing to hand over the Book of the Demons of Hell to us,” said another man.

“Do you think I’m stupid? If I hand that book over to you, you’ll definitely not just let me go,” he replied.

“Enough talk—let’s finish him!” shouted a knight.

The three of them raised their respective weapons—the first holding a machete, the second a sickle, and the third a sword.

The man they were attacking was also holding a sword, while the woman was unarmed.

The five of them were martial arts brothers known as the Five Demons of Death; they came from the Demon Forest Sect, one of the long-defunct heretical sects.

People nicknamed the first “The Bloodthirsty Demon.”

The second person, “The Death Reaper Demon.”

Third, “The Demon Fang.”

The fourth person, whom they were attacking, “The Demon Mask” because disfigurement marred his face.

And last but not least is a woman nicknamed “The Mad Demon” because she often conducts crazy experiments by concocting many strange potions.

The bloodthirsty demon swung his machete with great agility, aiming for the Demon Mask’s body, but the Demon Mask dodged it.

The name of the Demon Mask, who was being ganged up on, was Shinra Kazan, the son of an alcoholic who had cast him out when he was just 7 years old, considering him a burden.

Shinra Kazan is a knight with considerable martial arts skill; while he isn’t the strongest, his martial arts abilities are nothing to be taken lightly.

The problem that put Shinra Kazan in this situation stemmed from a struggle over a book left behind by his late master—the *Book of the Demon’s Hell*.

The Book of the Demons Hell is a secret text of the Demon Forest Sect; no one has ever seen or studied it.

To master the knowledge within the book, one must be prepared to face extremely grueling trials—training that carries immense risks, as well as the danger of being targeted by the knights.

Before Shinra Kazan’s master passed away, he had warned him about all of this and predicted that the book could turn friends into enemies—and that turned out to be true.

Shinra Kazan learned only three techniques from that tome; had he studied it when he was young, he would surely have become the strongest Knight.

Unfortunately, it was too late—he was already 40 years old when he began studying it.

His four fellow disciples, who were still frantically searching for the book, did not know that Shinra Kazan already possessed it.

It wasn’t until over 30 years had passed that they finally learned the book was in Shinra Kazan’s possession.

Of the four siblings from Shinra Kazan’s school who wanted to kill him and seize the book, only one refused to join them—she was The Mad Demon.

In the past, Shinra Kazan and The Mad Demon were two people with strikingly attractive features; Shinra Kazan possessed the handsomeness of a god.

When Shinra Kazan was 15 years old, he had an accident while training on a fire pit; since then, Shinra Kazan has worn a mask.

The Mad Demon’s real name is actually Yuzuki Aira. She was born without a father because her mother became pregnant as a result of being raped and eventually gave birth to Yuzuki Aira.

When she was young, Yuzuki Aira was the most beautiful girl in the entire Tsukigawa Kingdom. Shinra Kazan was also deeply loved by her;

Yuzuki Aira, undeterred by Shinra Kazan’s rejection of her love, resolves to win him over and creates a cure for his facial condition.

Currently, Shinra Kazan appears to be under pressure as he faces attacks from his three fellow students.

“Die, fourth younger brother!” shouted the Death Reaper Demon as he unleashed a slash from his razor-sharp sickle, infused with Ki energy.

Shinra Kazan blocked the attack with his sword, but the sickle’s strike was so powerful that it snapped Shinra Kazan’s sword in two.

“Soul-Sucking Blood Machete.”

The Bloodthirsty Demon didn’t waste the opportunity; he immediately slashed at Shinra Kazan, who was now unarmed.

Blood immediately spurted from the body struck by the machete, but it wasn’t Shinra Kazan’s blood—it was Yuzuki Aira’s, who had stepped in front of her older brother’s machete to prevent it.

“Aira…!” Shinra Kazan saw the machete strike Yuzuki Aira’s stomach, half of the blade already embedded in her body, and felt shocked.

“Ka… Kazan…!” Yuzuki Aira coughed up blood as The Bloodthirsty Demon pulled the machete out of her stomach.

“You idiot! How could she use herself as a shield just to protect him!” grumbled The Bloodthirsty Demon.

The three of them stood there, watching Yuzuki Aira as she lay in Shinra Kazan’s arms, smiling cynically; they didn’t care whether Yuzuki Aira lived or died—all that mattered was the Book.

“Aira… Hang in there!” said Shinra Kazan. Then he channeled his Ki into Yuzuki Aira’s body to ease her pain.

“N-no, Shinra Kazan! Don’t waste your Ki on me!” Aira said, panting as she struggled to catch her breath.

Aira pulled a small bottle from beneath her cloth and handed it to Shinra Kazan.

“Shinra Kazan! Don’t you dare… die! I-if you can hold on, a-as long as you’re still breathing, drink this liquid!” Aira didn’t finish her sentence because her breathing was growing more labored.

Shinra Kazan clutched Aira’s hand, his face filled with sadness. Aira didn’t explain what the liquid in the bottle was.

Aira reached out and touched Shinra Kazan’s face, where the burn scars were clearly visible.

“I… I w-want to hear you s-say ‘I… love you’ to me!” said Aira, her eyes beginning to half-close.

Shinra Kazan understood what Aira meant when she asked if he loved her one last time.

“Yes… I love you, I just didn’t have the courage to accept your love because of my disfigured face!” Shinra Kazan hadn’t finished his sentence before Aira cut him off.

“Th-thank you! I-I’m so-so h-happy to h-hear.”

Aira’s hand, which had been cupping Shinra Kazan’s face, fell away, and she stopped breathing, her lips curving into a smile as if she had no regrets about her sacrifice.

Shinra Kazan stood silent for a moment, gazing at Aira’s body, which was growing cold. The torrential rain carried Aira’s blood away, washing it down into the Abyss of Darkness.