The forest trembled as the last remnants of black hellfire burned across the clearing.
Charred leaves drifted slowly through the air like dark snow. The smell of smoke filled the Forest of Azure, and the ground where Ryusei Ryūgū had been struck was now a crater of scorched earth.
The Necromancer stood calmly at the edge of the destruction, brushing a bit of ash from his cloak.
"So disappointing…" he muttered.
"I was told an Elementalist had arrived. I expected someone stronger."
He glanced toward the center of the blast where Ryusei's body lay motionless beneath fading black flames.
"To think someone like this was sent after me…"
He chuckled quietly.
"That was hardly a challenge."
The puppet vines slowly withdrew back into the ground as the twisted plant creature dissolved into dark energy, its purpose fulfilled.
The Necromancer turned, already losing interest.
But then—
Pulse.
A faint glow flickered beneath the dying flames.
The Necromancer stopped.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"...Hm?"
Another pulse.
This time brighter.
The black ring on Ryusei's finger began to glow softly, its surface radiating a mysterious dark light.
The flames surrounding Ryusei trembled.
Then suddenly—
WHOOSH!
The remaining hellfire burst apart as a surge of radiant energy erupted outward.
The Necromancer's cloak whipped violently in the sudden wind.
"Interesting…"
At the center of the clearing, Ryusei slowly pushed himself off the ground.
His breathing was heavy.
His body ached.
Burn marks covered his clothes and skin, and his vision blurred slightly from the pain.
But he was still standing.
The Necromancer tilted his head with mild curiosity.
"You survived?"
Ryusei clenched his fist.
"That attack… it almost killed me."
His body trembled.
His arms felt weak.
Every muscle screamed in pain.
Yet something warm pulsed from the ring on his finger.
A strange energy flowed through him.
For a brief moment—
Images flashed across his mind.
A battlefield from long ago.
A warrior surrounded by starlight.
A blade cutting through darkness.
A voice echoed faintly.
"Stand."
"The battle has only begun."
Ryusei's eyes widened slightly.
"That voice again…"
The Necromancer began slowly walking toward him again.
"So you're not completely useless after all," he said with a faint smirk.
"But you should have stayed down."
Dark energy gathered in his hand once more.
"You're still far too weak."
Ryusei slowly straightened his back.
"I… know that."
His voice was strained, but determined.
"I know I'm weak."
He looked down at the glowing ring.
"But I'm not going to die here."
He raised his hand.
Particles of radiant light began gathering again.
The Necromancer watched with mild amusement.
"You already used that little trick earlier."
"You don't have the energy left."
Ryusei took a deep breath.
Maybe the Necromancer was right.
His strength was nearly gone.
His body was exhausted.
But he remembered what Ryushi Ryūgū had told him.
"This ring will guide you when the time comes."
Ryusei tightened his grip.
"Then guide me…"
The ring pulsed again.
This time brighter.
Light surged through Ryusei's arm.
The air around him began to shimmer as radiant particles gathered rapidly.
The Necromancer's smile faded slightly.
"...What?"
The light formed again in Ryusei's hand.
But this time—
It was different.
The blade that formed was larger.
Brighter.
The radiance flowing from it illuminated the entire clearing.
A sword of pure celestial light.
Ryusei raised the blade slowly.
"Meteor Dragon…"
The energy around the weapon roared like a rising star.
"...Photon Blade!"
The Necromancer stepped back slightly, his eyes narrowing.
"So that ring wasn't just decoration…"
Dark energy exploded around him as he prepared another spell.
But Ryusei had already moved.
He dashed forward across the clearing, faster than before.
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
The Necromancer fired another blast of dark energy.
But Ryusei leapt through the attack, the radiant blade cutting through the shadowy spell.
The two energies collided violently.
Light and darkness exploded across the clearing.
The Necromancer frowned for the first time.
"You're beginning to annoy me."
More dark energy surged around him.
The forest trembled as shadows twisted through the trees.
But Ryusei didn't stop moving.
He gripped the glowing blade tighter.
"I may not understand this power yet…"
"But I'll fight."
"I'll protect the people in this village."
"And I'll stop you."
The ring pulsed again.
The clearing in the Forest of Azure had become a battlefield of shattered trees and scorched earth.
Ash drifted slowly through the air.
At the center of it all stood Ryusei Ryūgū, his glowing blade illuminating the mist around him. The Meteor Dragon: Photon Blade hummed in his hand, its radiant light pushing back the lingering darkness left behind by the Necromancer's magic.
Across from him, the Necromancer watched carefully now.
The amused smile he once wore had disappeared.
"You've become… troublesome," he muttered.
Dark energy began swirling around his fingers again.
But this time, his expression was more cautious.
"You're still just a novice Elementalist. Let's see how you handle this."
He slammed his staff into the ground.
Dark symbols spread across the forest floor like ink spilling across paper.
"Demon Art: Shadow Bind!"
Black chains of energy erupted from the ground, shooting toward Ryusei like serpents.
They wrapped around his arms.
His legs.
His torso.
The chains tightened instantly, glowing with cursed runes meant to suppress elemental power.
The Necromancer smirked.
"These chains bind both body and spirit. Even seasoned Elementalists struggle to break free."
Ryusei looked down at the restraints.
They should have stopped him.
They should have drained his energy.
But something strange happened.
The chains trembled.
The runes flickered.
Then slowly…
They began to crack.
The Necromancer's smirk faded.
"...What?"
Ryusei tightened his grip on the Photon Blade.
Light flowed through his arm and into the blade.
With a single movement—
SLASH.
The chains shattered like glass.
Fragments of dark energy scattered into the air and vanished.
The Necromancer's eyes widened.
"Impossible."
He raised his hand again, this time far more aggressively.
"Fine. Let's see you escape this!"
More symbols erupted across the ground.
"Demon Art: Abyssal Prison!"
A massive sphere of shadow formed around Ryusei, thick walls of cursed energy closing in from every direction.
The air inside the prison twisted violently.
But Ryusei remained calm.
The black ring on his finger pulsed faintly.
He lifted his glowing sword.
"Meteor Dragon…"
The light intensified.
"...Photon Blade."
He swung once.
The radiant blade sliced through the shadow sphere like sunlight breaking through clouds.
The entire prison collapsed instantly.
The Necromancer stumbled back a step.
"...No…"
For the first time since the battle began, genuine shock appeared on his face.
"This… shouldn't be possible."
His eyes narrowed.
Then rage replaced his confusion.
"Enough of this!"
Dark fire gathered violently in his palm.
A familiar spell began forming again.
"Demon Art: Hellfire Blast!"
A massive sphere of black flames roared toward Ryusei like a meteor.
The forest trembled as the destructive energy tore through the air.
But this time—
Ryusei didn't move.
He simply raised his blade.
The glowing weapon hummed louder than before.
Then—
SWOOSH.
Ryusei swung the sword downward.
The Photon Blade cut clean through the incoming attack.
The Hellfire Blast split in half.
Two waves of black flames flew past Ryusei on either side, crashing into the forest behind him and exploding into massive firestorms.
For a moment—
The world fell silent.
The Necromancer stared in disbelief.
His pupils trembled.
Then suddenly—
A memory surfaced in his mind.
A battlefield from a thousand years ago.
Flames.
Lightning.
Entire mountains collapsing.
And in the center of that battlefield—
A single Elementalist stood against him.
His blade shone like a falling star.
The Necromancer fired the same attack back then.
"Demon Art: Hellfire Blast"
And just like now—
The Elementalist had raised his sword.
And cut the spell in half.
The same light.
The same power.
The same overwhelming presence.
The Necromancer's breathing became uneven.
Cold sweat rolled down his face.
He took a step back.
"No…"
His voice trembled.
"It can't be…"
He stared at Ryusei as if looking at a ghost.
The glowing blade.
The black ring.
The aura surrounding him.
Memories of that ancient battle flooded back violently.
The Necromancer whispered in horror.
"Why now…?"
"Akashino"
"After all these years…"
His voice dropped to a terrified whisper.
"The Grand Elementalist…"
His eyes widened in disbelief.
"No…"
"It can't be."
The wind began swirling violently around the clearing.
Ryusei stood silently, his radiant blade still glowing in his hand.
The ring pulsed again.
And somewhere far away—
Something ancient stirred in the darkness.
The Fallen God had felt it.
The return of the one power he feared most.
The return of the Grand Elementalist.