Rebirth of the Ruined Noble



"...Run Away...."

I tried to scream, my voice caught in my throat as two young men approached me, completely oblivious to my warning.

In the dimly lit ruins of the room, adorned with ancient tapestries and crumbling statues, I struggled to find my voice. But the curse that had befallen me held me captive, rendering me powerless.

'Don't come here.'

I tried to scream but my voice wouldn't come out.

This damn curse!

As my body rose against my will from the imposing throne, a surge of resistance coursed through me. I fought desperately to regain control, to resist the foreign power that commanded my every move.

But my pleas for escape fell on deaf ears, trapped within the confines of my own despair. This situation was all too familiar, yet it remained a torment I could never grow accustomed to.

'No, not these kids...run away!'

I tried to scream once again but as usual no voice came out pushing me to the ends of despair.

This was not new for me but I couldn't get used to it no matter what!

I, Shuten Doji, the once mighty king of all Oni, was reduced to this pitiful state. The magnitude of my downfall weighed heavily on my heart, fueling my anguish.

'When did this even start?'

In the realm of darkness, where suffering and fury intertwined, a god reigned over demons and death. He was an omnipotent, all-powerful father figure who presided over the demise of mortals.

I served such a god. My allegiance unwavering, my strength unmatched. Those were the days of contentment, when the demonic realm thrived under his rule, and death itself obeyed his command.

But fate, in its cruel irony, and my life took a treacherous turn.

My god disappeared.

His presence evaporating into nothingness, I could no longer sense him.

I don't know what happened, but my belief in my god was not so weak to forget him just because he was absent from hell.

So I waited, endlessly, for my master's return.

I witnessed the transformation of the demonic realm into a chaotic inferno. The seven princes unleashed their wrath, and impostor rulers rose to power, usurping the order my god had strived to maintain.

Chaos descended.

Still, my god did not reappear.

I as a King, refused to watch this chaos and took it upon myself to withhold the order of demonic realm till my god would return.

Determined to uphold the order of the demonic realm in his absence, I condemned the rampaging demons and asserted their rightful place.

Silence befell the princes, or so I believed.

Little did I know that a sinister alliance had been formed, trapping me in their nefarious scheme.

I screamed for my gods help, but he didn't appear.

My desperate screams for my god's aid fell on deaf ears, leaving me abandoned, a faithful servant betrayed by his own master.

Abandoned by my master and ambushed by my former comrades, I found myself cast out of Hell.

Stripped of my power and condemned to an eternity of suffering, I was cursed with the power of 'those' annoying beings.

My wrath knew no bounds. My men, my loyal comrades, were also given the same treatment, but they weren't as sane as me.

They transformed into mindless beasts, their former selves lost in an eternal nightmare.

The pain and rage within me burned relentlessly, consuming my very essence. Each passing day, the curse deepened, eroding my very existence.

For centuries, I existed in a desolate realm, yearning for release from the torment that clung to me like a relentless shadow.

I was locked on this desolate land with my former comrades who had turned to mindless beasts.

I was tired of seeing their sufferings.

Death's embrace seemed like the only salvation, so I fought off my consciousness and for the next few centuries, I roamed around this desolate realm giving salvation to my former comrades who had became mindless beasts.

But somewhere along the passage of time, without my knowledge, I too had turned into a mindless beast.

However, maybe due to the flickering belief in my god, a part of my consciousness held on hoping for his appearance, to release me from this eternal suffering.

And then, as my dormant body lay in slumber, two seemingly insignificant young men emerged before me, their gazes unwavering and determined.

Although I did not wish for it, my body to move of its own accord, driven by an instinctual urge to attack and unleash my wrath upon them.

'Run away...'

I trued to scream, looking at the young kids, urging them to flee. They will be killed if they face this body.

Even if my powers are regressed in the passage of time, two young kids were no match for my body.

But to my surprise, these two mere kids prevailed against this body's attack. Their strength, their courage, and their unyielding spirit surpassed my expectations. They fought with a synergy and desperately held on against me.

Their skills were honed, their movements precise, and their determination unbreakable.

As blows were exchanged and steel clashed against steel, a strange sensation washed over me. It was a fleeting moment of clarity, a respite from the perpetual storm that engulfed my existence.

"....Run Away....", I tried to warn them taking the chance, but they weren't heeding to my words. 

Despite the fear in their eyes, they refused to give up.

But alas, the harsh reality remained. No matter their talent or desperation, they were no match for the absolute power that my body commanded. They collapsed to the ground, their bodies battered and broken.

'Run away...'

Once again, I tried to scream, to warn them, to save them. But their resilience persisted. 

Even when they were collapsed on the ground, they refused to give up.

One among the kid got up, his sword covering with a flickering aura, he seemed have surpassed his own self in the movements of desperation.

Yet, it was not enough to pose a true threat. My body remained unaffected, unfazed by the feeble attempt to defy me. However, my anticipation of his failure was shattered in an instant.

My eyes widened as it happened.

A pitch black energy shrouded his sword and his eyes turned deep, haunting red.

A chill ran through my consciousness, not because it reminded me of my own impending doom, but because I recognized that energy all too well.

"....My God...."

The words escaped my lips, laden with a mixture of awe and desperation. It was the power of my long-lost god, the very essence I had longed to embrace. 

The power of true death! 

I wanted to embrace that power, embrace my god, embrace the death.

But before I could revel in this fleeting hope, the child wielding that power collapsed in front of me, plunging me deeper into the abyss of despair.

'Nooooo!'

Once again, darkness enveloped me, leaving me to grapple with my cursed existence.

***

"I told you not to get into any trouble in the academy, you brat."

An old man descended from the dimensional crack. He had long white hair with a ragged sword hanging on his waist.

Zephyr's face contorted with a mixture of relief and guilt as he nodded in acknowledgment seeing the old man walking leisurely through the ruins in desolate land. 

As the old man walked leisurely through the ruins, his eyes scanned the battlefield, eventually settling on the demon. It was as if he could see through the veil of chaos, his presence alone demanding respect. It was clear that he possessed knowledge and abilities that far surpassed those of ordinary mortals.

Without hesitation, the old man stepped forward, his presence commanding the attention of the demon. A surge of mana crackled around him, revealing the depths of his power.

The old man unsheathed his sword, his gaze shifting between my collapsed body and the Oni demon.

-Flash

In an instant, he disappeared from his place and appeared a meter away from the demon.

The King of Oni's, Shuten Doji, once formidable and seemingly invincible enemy, that we fought with all our effort collapsed with his head cleanly separated from his body.

'What....?'

It took a movement for me to realize what really happened.

A wave of disbelief washed over me, my eyes wide with shock.

Black blood dripped down from the ragged sword of old man who had just appeared, he swung his sword once again to get rid of the disgusting blood and sheathed his sword.

'Who the hell is he?'

---***----