Year 1722

A man was walking through a desolate forest wearing a brown cape and holding a sword in his back.

It did'nt matter where he'd go. He wandered aimlessly

After walking a few kilometers. He suddenly stopped. There was a vague smell of blood and rotting corpse. Following the smell there was a small trail of blood leading to a little town. It looked like a ghost town.

He wandered through the little town without any emotions of fear nor anxiety.

Then he heard a rustling sound in one of the houses. Out of curiousness he went inside to inspect. It was a small house like a cottage. He inspected every part of the house. After going through all of the trouble of inspecting the house he found nothing but there was still one door left yet to opened.

He went near the door little by little.

“BOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. The door was suddenly broken and coming out of it was a “DEMON”.

The demon suddenly kicks the man in the temple. He was knocked back out the window.

The man stands as if he was'nt fazed by the demon. He just smirks and says

“Found you”

The demon comes out of the house. His face was ugly and his body was huge. There was blood and organs sinking into his teeth it looks like he just finished eating.

Suddenly more demons appears . A dozen of them appear from the houses it looks like they were startled with the noise that they heard. They surrounded the man.

“He looks tasty”saying this while his tongue was sticking out

“ I got dibs on his head” said by a small demon

The demons jumped at him all at one but the he was just standing there doing nothing.

Without any hesistation he draws his sword. Demons were closing up on him

“ RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH” The demon shouted

A gust of wind passes through the demon.

“Eh?” The demon passes through the man not knowing what happened. His upper body falls to the ground. But his lower body was still standing. He cuts him in half

As other devils look to him. They say a sword that was incredibly long and it has a crimson red color. T

They were slightly intimidated but that does'nt stop them in attacking him. But everyone stops on their feet

One by one they fall until one was left standing. He purposely not attack him because he was the first demon he saw in the town.

This was the first time the demon felt fear. He walks slowly to the demon inch by inch.

The demon can't even breath his throat was dry. No words can escape the demons mouth

Then the man speaks

“ Tell me does demon feel fear?” with cold blooded eyes he stared into the devil.

Then he struck the demons heart falling onto the ground. The man wasn'nt satisfied he impales the head of each demon assuring that they are really dead.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

In order to prevent them from cause any more harm to people. He gathered all the dead people from the little town and he dug graves for each of them. This was the only thing he can do for them

“Rest in peace may your soul be at rest” the man bowed to the graves and he picks up the beside the tree.

He decided to stay at the town to rest because it was already dawn. It's hard to travel in the night.

He sets up a camp in the middle of the city.

Night aproaches the town. One fire is lit at the middle of the town. He is eating a boar that he hunted. “

“Yawn” He lets out a big yawn. His eyes were drowsy and he proceeded to sleep.

He thens open his eyes he was standing in a village on fire. Many demons roam around the village. One by on he saw his friend being eaten and then his eyes suddenly widen and someone spoke to him

“Help us. Why did'nt you help us” They grab his legs as if they were pleading to him then they dissapeared. Voices bombarded him

“ You can't protect anything”

“You're weak” as if the voices were scorning him

“Shut up” He covered his ears to block out all coming sound but it does'nt stop

“SHHHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTTTTTTT UP!!!!!!!” He screamed

He then wakes up and look at his sword

“Nightmares huh?” He looks up to the sky thinking back to the memories that haunt him. But it does'nt bother him anymore.

After talking a short rest. He picks up his belongings and sword and begins to wander again.

On the other side of the forest.

There was a carriage passing through the forest which just came from another kingdom for an important meeting. Sounds of horses running. There was a man driving the carriage and there 2 guards accompanying it.

It holds a girl with a beautiful face and long hair wearing a long dress heels it was the princess of the Kingdom of Borania in the country of Alkenia.

“HIYAAAA” As the man prompts the horses to go faster but then he suddenlt stops midway

The guards confused with what's happening they go out of the carriage to survey the situation.

“HEY what's happening” The two guards shouted loudly

The man driving the carriage pointed out something in front of them. Their eyes could'nt believe what they saw it was a human corpse

“Find another route” The two guards where startled with what they saw and they sense the impending danger upon them

“Hehe” someone grins hiding in a branch of tree holding a arrow

suddenly he pulls the string of the bow with an arrow in hand

She was anxious with what was happening her anxiety got the best of here so she decided to look outside.

“SWISHHHH” The sound of the arrow being released from an arrow.

It hits the head of the driver of the carriage. The two guards panicked and they ran to go to the side of the princess but two men blocked their path.

They were holding a dagger and a sword.

The two shouted “ RUN AWAY PRINCESS” They were both stabbed in the heart. Their lifeless body was toss aside

“Now for the main mission” They closed in to the carriage upon opening the door there was no one

“Tch” One clicked his tongue

They were mercenaries. Their objectives were to capture the princess blaming themselves for fooling around. One smells the ground the points his finger to the west

“She went there. She may have gone too far” They began to pursue her

Two were pursuing on ground and one was hopping tree to tree

She ran as fast as she can. She managed to sneak pass from the three while they were busy with killing rhe guards. She felt regret for leaving them but she knows that she can't do anything. So instead she ran

They were furiously chasing after her.

Her chest heaved rapidly with heavy panting. She was at her wits end she can't run anymore but they were almost close she falls onto the ground it was like all her strenght were fading away.

Then loud footsteps were heard. She looks up thinking that this is the end but as she was looking up to see the face of the killer.

It was a man with a brown cape covering his whole body. The three mercenaries suddenly shows up and they say saw the man standing in front of the princess

“Hey that is our prey go get your own” They sent out an intimidating aura to intimidate the man. He did'nt flinched an inch. Grinning at the sight of the stand off.

He pulls the string on the bow and releases the arrow.

Without a second thought he releases his sword to deflect the arrow and it reflects back to the bowman and it hit his head.

The mercernaries attacks the man. One gets on his back and holds him in a headlock then the other one prepares to stab him at the heart but then bloods drip from where he stabbed

'

but it was'nt the man was stabbed but his fellow mercenaries.

“What the?”. His eyes widdened. The body of his comrade fell after removing his sword from the heart.

“Where are you. Show yourself” He shouted in forest demanding the man to show himself.

He panics not knowing where the man is. He then hears a voice behind him

“You are humans but you are demons on the inside”

The mercenary attempts to attack him but it was already too late. There was a sword already impaling his chest. He pulls his sword and the mercenary falls onto the ground.

The man swings his crimson sword to remove the blood. His eyes then wanders to girl hiding behind the tree but he did'nt bother then a strong wind blows on him his cape was remove.

She saw his face it was face of a man that has saw many bloodsheds in his life. But she was'nt scared to approach him because he has saved her life.

“Um....” She was nervous talking to the man

“Thank you”

The man just looks at him and puts his hood back on. As he was about to leave she asked

“What's your name?”

He did'nt pay heed to the question. She was dissapointed then she heard a voice

“Shiragaki..................................Shiragaki Natsuo. Natsuo vanishes from her sight.