Chapter 18: The Ghost of Raizen

Kageyami's grin twitched the second Raizen stepped forward.

Yusuke saw it.

The way Kageyami's muscles tensed.
The way his eyes flicked—just for a second—to Raizen's face.

Fear.

Buried deep. But still there.

Raizen smirked, tilting his head.

"What's wrong, Kageyami?" His voice was calm, slow, knowing. "Still remember the last time we met?"

The air crackled.

Yusuke felt it—static in the atmosphere.

Not just energy.

Power. Ancient. Alive.

Kageyami didn't answer.

But his fingers twitched—like a reflex, like an instinct.

He remembered.

Yusuke barked out a laugh. "Damn, I didn't even know you could sweat."

Kageyami's jaw tightened. That pissed him off.

Good.

"You should've stayed dead, Raizen," Kageyami muttered, voice low, tight.

Raizen chuckled. "You should've stayed weak."

And then—

He disappeared.

Kageyami barely had time to react—Raizen was already behind him.

A fist to the gut.

Kageyami choked, staggering.

His eyes widened.

That hit? It felt like a goddamn mountain collapsed on him.

Raizen stepped back, shaking his hand out.

"Damn," he muttered, flexing his fingers. "Even dead, I still hit harder than you."

Yusuke grinned. Oh, this was gonna be fun.

THE MOMENT THE WAR ENDED BEFORE IT EVEN BEGAN

Kageyami stumbled back, wheezing. His body was still reeling from that one hit.

That shouldn't have been possible.

Raizen was dead.

Gone.

His warlord era was long over.

And yet—

Here he was.

Standing in front of him. Breathing. Smirking. Laughing.

Like he never left.

Kageyami's hands clenched into shaking fists.

This wasn't how it was supposed to happen.

Everything had been calculated.

Everything.

He had planned for Yusuke. Had studied his moves, his strategies, his weaknesses.

But Raizen?

Raizen was supposed to be a ghost.

A shadow of the past.

Something dead and buried.

And yet—

Raizen's golden eyes burned through him. Alive. Unshaken.

Like a god standing among insects.

"No. This is impossible."

Raizen rolled his neck, stretching his shoulders like this was nothing but a warm-up.

"Damn. You really thought you won, didn't you?"

His grin widened.

Kageyami took a sharp step back. Instinct. Fear.

But Raizen followed.

No wasted movement. No hesitation.

Every step he took was absolute. Final.

A king reclaiming his throne.

"You made a mistake, Kageyami." Raizen's voice was low, cold.

The ground beneath him cracked.

The air around him split.

"You made a lot of mistakes."

His fingers twitched.

And the sky roared.

Lightning flashed—black and violent.

The clouds twisted, thick with dark energy.

The world itself felt like it was holding its breath.

Kageyami's stomach dropped.

This wasn't a fight.

This was a massacre waiting to happen.

And Raizen?

Raizen was smiling.

Like he was thrilled to be here.

Kageyami swallowed. He had to regain control.

"Don't think for a second that you can just walk back in and reclaim what you lost," he hissed. "Your time is over, Raizen."

Raizen chuckled.

"No, see—that's your problem."

His aura crackled, tearing through the ground beneath them.

"You think I was ever gone."

And then—he moved.

Fast.

Kageyami barely saw it.

One second, Raizen was standing still.

The next—

A knee to the ribs.

Kageyami's vision blacked out for half a second.

His body caved inward, launched backward, crashing through two stone pillars.

He gasped.

Raizen was already in front of him again.

A kick to the spine.

A punch to the face.

Another. Another.

Every hit felt like an earthquake cracking through his bones.

BOOM.

Kageyami collapsed to his knees, coughing blood.

His head spun.

He could barely breathe.

This wasn't a battle.

It was annihilation.

Raizen tilted his head, watching him struggle.

"That all you got?"

Kageyami wheezed.

He wasn't just losing.

He had already lost.

The moment Raizen stepped into this battlefield, it was over.

Raizen rolled his shoulders.

"Well, this is disappointing."

Yusuke cracked his knuckles. "You gonna finish him, or am I?"

Raizen exhaled. "Patience, boy. War should be savored."

And then—

A presence appeared behind them.

Yusuke's breath slowed.

He knew that aura.

It was one he never wanted to feel again.

The second he turned, he knew.

Hokushin.

Face grim. Fists clenched.

Breathless from the news that would change everything.

Yusuke's stomach dropped.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked, turning fully.

Hokushin barely took a breath before speaking.

"He came in fast," Hokushin said, voice grim. "He knew exactly where to look."

Yusuke's breath came hard and slow.

His fists shook.

His body felt too hot. Too wild.

His demon blood surged, pulsing, begging for destruction.

His face darkened.

Keiko.

He thought she was safe.

After everything—*after the torture, after the blood and bruises, after the nightmare—*he had left her in Raizen's stronghold to recover.

He should've known better.

Because now—

She was gone.

"Mikuri has her," Hokushin confirmed. "Again."

The world blurred.

The roar inside Yusuke's head was deafening.

Hokushin wasn't done.

"He said—" his voice faltered.

Yusuke turned slowly.

Hokushin swallowed.

"He said this time, he'll make sure she never leaves."

Yusuke's hands trembled.

He turned to Raizen. His voice was steady. Cold.

"Kill that bastard. Fast."

Raizen grinned.

"As you wish."

And in a flash—

Yusuke was gone.

The war wasn't over yet.

But Mikuri?

Mikuri was already dead.

Keiko's world was spinning.

Her body ached—deep, agonizing pain. Bruises covered her skin. Her wrists were raw against the chains.

She was back.

Back in that hellhole.

Back with him.

Mikuri stood in front of her, arms crossed, eyes filled with amusement.

"You're a real pain in the ass, you know that?" he murmured. "You actually thought you could escape?"

Keiko's breathing was shaky. But she still managed to glare.

Mikuri sighed, stepping closer. His fingers curled under her chin, forcing her to look at him.

"You're weaker than before," he murmured, voice almost... gentle. "I should've broken you when I had the chance." Mikuri stated, amused by the fragile human under him.

"You're so beautiful, Keiko Yukimura. If the circumstances were different, I would actually make you my bride."

Keiko ripped her head away.

Mikuri just chuckled.

"You won't be so feisty soon," he muttered. His hand slid to her throat—tight, threatening.

"You see, we have an unfinished business that must be fulfilled." Mikuri grinned as he scanned every inch of her body and licked his lips as he moved his face to the corner of her neck and took in her scent.

"Do you know what I want to do with you?" He teased as his hand travelled from across her chest, down to her thighs.

Mikuri moaned, sniffing Keiko's hair.

"I have had an unquenchable desire for your taste. And I cannot wait any longer".

Keiko clenched her jaw. She would not cry.

Mikuri's grin widened. "This was the Finale I could not wait for. You're all mine again, sweetheart."

Mikuri pulled the hem of Keiko's dress and ripped the soft cloth apart up to the side of her thigh, as he nailed her flat on the floor, while gripping, choking her throat.

Keiko winced in pain as she fought for air.

"I'm going to make you beg, I'm going to destroy every part of your body and make you plead for your life, if it's the last thing I'll ever do."

Keiko's stomach turned, as tears cascaded from her eyes.

But then—

BOOM.

The doors slammed open.

A demon maid—the only one who had shown her kindness—stood there, breathless, terrified.

"RUN," she whispered. "NOW."

Keiko's heart stopped.

She didn't wait.

She ran.

Mikuri cursed, slamming his fist against the wall. "CATCH HER!"

The chase had begun.

And Keiko's nightmare was far from over.