Chapter 6 – Ruins of Shuten-dōji (I)
The air turned colder as they moved deeper into the ruins.
Lucian narrowed his eyes. The shifting darkness ahead seemed... heavier. Not just physically. Emotionally. Like the past was thick in the atmosphere, refusing to die quietly.
Kaiser slowed to a stop beside a worn-down slab of stone. His expression, usually painted with amusement or that goddamn laidback smirk, was oddly neutral.
"This is it," he said, voice low.
Lucian glanced around. "The stronghold?"
Kaiser shook his head, eyes on the cracked floor beneath them. "No. This is where he died."
Lucian's brows furrowed. "He?"
A long pause. The moonlight seeped through a broken skylight above, illuminating faded etchings on the stone: an ancient scene carved in brutal lines—dragons, fire, and a towering figure with horns and claws.
"…Shuten-dōji," Kaiser finally said.
The name hit Lucian like a hammer.
"…What did you just say?" he asked quietly.
Kaiser looked at him. "You know the name?"
Lucian's throat tightened. "There were myths in my world. Japan, specifically. Shuten-dōji was a demon. A monstrous one. Supposedly the son of Yamato no Orochi, the dragon god. He tried to conquer the islands. Was only brought down by trickery and the combined efforts of ancient heroes."
Kaiser blinked. "Didn't expect a reaction like that."
Lucian took a breath. "My dad was Japanese. My mom's Belgian. I heard the stories growing up—tales of oni, curses, divine dragons. But Shuten… he was always described as more than just a monster. There were whispers that he was something else. Something not from that world."
Kaiser crouched down by the stone. "Well, the records here are vague as hell. All anyone knows is that he appeared out of nowhere, with powers no one understood. Wielded a blade no blacksmith could replicate. Raised armies in weeks. Demanded nothing less than the world on its knees."
"And he almost got it, didn't he?" Lucian murmured.
"Yeah. Took ten of the strongest people of that era—plus a bunch of legendary heroes—to finally bring the bastard down. Even then, they barely won. The world back then was... different. Mana was raw. Wild. The average person was stronger than most adventurers today."
Lucian glanced around the shattered ruins. "So this is where he died."
Kaiser stood again, brushing off his hands. "Supposedly. They buried what was left of him here. Locked it beneath layers of runes, enchantments, and divine seals. But over time, all that magic fades."
Lucian's eyes sharpened. "Why are we here, Kaiser?"
A pause.
Then Kaiser tilted his head. "You, Lucian. Not we. I can't enter what's below."
"…What?"
Kaiser tapped the air with one finger. A shimmering pulse spread out briefly, like ripples on water—then vanished.
"There's a barrier," he said. "Old as hell. Smart, too. Only lets through someone like him."
Lucian frowned. "You mean…"
"Someone not born in this world," Kaiser said. "Someone who came from another."
Lucian's pulse spiked. "How the fuck do you know that?"
Kaiser gave him a look. "I knew what you were from the moment we met, remember? You're a little too well-put-together for someone born in this mess of a world. No aura, no mana signature when I found you. But you were alive. Breathing. Solid. I've never met another like you… but I've read the signs."
Lucian took a shaky breath.
"So what's down there?" he asked. "His remains? His power?"
Kaiser shrugged. "If the stories are true… it's his inheritance. His legacy. Whatever the hell that means."
"And only a transmigrator can claim it," Lucian muttered.
"Exactly."
Lucian stared at the floor for a moment. "…I'm not sure I want it."
Kaiser smirked. "Doesn't matter if you want it or not. That door's opening only for someone like you. Either you go down there and claim it, or someone else like you stumbles in someday and does it first."
Lucian clicked his tongue. "You make it sound so damn simple."
"Nothing about this is simple," Kaiser said. "But you're here. Now. Whatever's down there, it's calling you."
For a while, Lucian stood in silence.
"…Do you trust me?" he asked, surprising even himself.
Kaiser paused. Then offered a rare, serious nod. "You're not weak, Lucian. Not just in power. But in will."
Lucian stared at the faded carvings again. At the image of the horned figure standing tall among fire and corpses.
The son of Yamato no Orochi…
The most feared being of his age…
And he wasn't even from this world.
Lucian clenched his fists.
"Alright," he said, stepping forward. "Let's see what's waiting for me down there."
The ground rumbled. Symbols on the floor lit up in eerie crimson light, circling outward like veins awakening from slumber.
Kaiser took a slow step back, a rare look of uncertainty in his eyes.
Lucian didn't look back.
He walked forward, toward the stone dais—toward the center of the ancient seal.
The air shimmered, warped… and then he was gone.
Swallowed by the ruins of a monster who wasn't born of this world.
To be continued...