Years after Yuuta abandoned his human identity, tales of Shuten-dōji began to circulate, painting a picture of a bloodthirsty Oni king, the harbinger of despair for cities, a relentless terror from the unforgiving Suzuka Mountains. That night, as fog enveloped the air and the moon glimmered a haunting red, one village upstream became the target. It was Aina—the very place where Yuuta once felt love for the world, a haunting reminder of the intertwined emotions of hate and longing.

  Shuten-dōji stepped over the debris, the sounds of panic filling the night around him, as if his every footfall summoned a chilling breeze that heightened the dread. The Oni forces engulfed the village in flames, casting menacing shadows against the walls of homes, mercilessly beheading anyone bold enough to stand against them. The fire devouring the night sky emitted an eerie glow, as if the universe itself had cursed the very existence of that town. “Where are you, Aina?” His deep voice resonated, cutting through the chaotic clamor, responding to the call of a lost soul. But tonight, more than mere conquest, he craved something deeper—someone of great worth.

  In front of the modest wooden house, his gaze locked onto Aina, who stood resolute with her hair neatly tied, yet her face betrayed a flicker of vulnerability. Her eyes reflected a tumult of hatred and fear, as shadowy figures swirled around her, like wisps of smoke, making her appear as the sole beacon of light in an oppressive darkness. Beside her, a blood-soaked man staggered forward—it was her husband—and the terror written across his face hindered his every step. "Aina! Come back to me!" he shouted, his voice almost swallowed by the roar of the raging flames nearby. Clutched in Aina's arms, a small boy cried out in terror, his sobs deepening the sorrow of the darkened night.

  Shuten-dōji halted, his expression a tumultuous blend of emotions—its fire of wrath burned fiercely, deeply etched wounds refused to heal, and an aching longing gnawed at his heart. "Aina…," his voice was low, nearly lost, fragmented by bittersweet memories that now felt like daggers. "I came to bring you home. Did we not once agree by that riverside, as the twilight embraced us, that you would be my wife when I returned?" Within him, he felt the pulse of his dark magic, waves of energy surging as he tried to reach for what little remained of his shattered emotions.

  Aina bit her lip, holding back the tears that threatened to spill over. Her voice was firm, though it quivered slightly, “You… are dead, Yuuta. I buried all those memories. The man you see by my side is the one who stands with me now. Only a monster longing for blood stands before you.” Even as the inner turmoil surged within her, her chin remained lifted, displaying a courage far removed from the pain that gnawed at her soul.

  Shuten-dōji turned, his gaze sharp as he focused on Aina's husband, "Who… are you? Why are you protecting him?" Fury and jealousy coursed through him, causing his heart to race like thunder rolling through a darkened sky. Each heartbeat felt like the assault of a storm waiting to unleash its wrath.

  A dark current flowed around Shuten-dōji, slithering into his very being, awakening the raging power of the Oni within. “You think you can challenge the force I’ve encountered for centuries?” he shouted, his voice resonating, intertwined with the howling wind that roared freely. Each of his steps trembled the earth beneath him, and he felt that power swelling within, an energy storm ready to strike anyone who dared stand in his way, biding its time to unearth the truths hidden deep within his shadows.

  Aina clutched her husband's arm tightly, her body taut as she stood protectively before their child. She fixated on Yuuta, her gaze sharp and filled with resolve, “This is my family. The life you disregarded years ago. I haven’t waited for you, Yuuta. Your absence forced me to learn how to live without you. Please, end this. Don’t disturb us.”

  Shuten-dōji roared, his red eyes blazing with fury, his trembling hands revealing his impatience. "I have returned to fulfill my vow, until my last breath separates us! I will prove who is stronger here!"

  Aina held onto her husband's arm with fierce determination, her blood racing through her veins as she stood at the forefront in front of their child. Her voice quivered, yet it brimmed with conviction,

  “This is my family. You abandoned everything years ago. You should understand, I haven’t waited for you, Yuuta. This loss has taught me how to survive without you. Do not ever disturb us again.”

  Shuten-dōji let out a thunderous roar, his voice resonating like a lightning strike in the pitch-black night, his grip tightening, muscles tensed as though ready to lash out recklessly,

  “I’m back to keep my promise! To battle every darkness that haunts me, to obliterate the world, just to rid you of that fear! You swore you would wait—why have you chosen this weak man?”

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  Aina stared at him with eyes filled with sorrow, tears streaming down her cheeks like fresh morning dew. “You chose to walk away from me. You made yourself a curse, Yuuta. We can never share this world together, and I refuse to let our child grow up in the shadow of the monster you’ve become.”

  Aina's husband stood, his body trembling, as if connected to a deep inner strength. His voice was firm, yet a storm of emotions lurked beneath the surface, “If you crave blood, take it from me. But please, let Aina and our child live.” As he spoke those words, his face revealed determination, though his wet eyes hinted at a profound fear.

  The dark aura enveloped Shuten-dōji, his eyes gleamed with sharp red light, each glare a reminder of the suppressed anguish and pent-up rage within him. Every fiber of his being vibrated, merging with the encroaching darkness, presenting a terrifying and powerful figure. Sweat trickled down his temple, casting shadows on the image of one who seemed invincible; yet, beneath that strength lay uncertainty and loss—regret gnawing at his soul.

  Aina's words nearly caught in her throat, ensnared by the thunderous power engulfing the fight. She felt the gravity of every passing second; her breath was laced with a watchful tension. This wasn't just about her; it was about the safety of their innocent child. The atmosphere grew more charged— the sky seemed hollow, as if swallowing sounds whole, preparing to unleash an inevitable explosion.

  Shuten-dōji, trapped in a raging fury, struck with his massive hands, slamming into the man's body with force that sent him crashing into the wall. Everything around them appeared to fracture, as if the very energy of the past was shattering the present; the man fell, shock etched across his face. In the corner of his vision, Shuten-dōji glimpsed Aina’s trembling figure, her dark memories surfacing, "This is all your fault! Why did you let this monster take over our lives?"

  Aina screamed, clutching her child in terror, "Enough! Stay away from us! I curse you, Yuuta. You will never find peace, never know what it means to be full. Until this world crumbles, you’ll walk alone, gnawing on your own hatred! In this dark shadow, I will prove that all your love was nothing but an illusion!"

  Shuten-dōji stood shocked, momentarily speechless, tears of blood streaming from his fiery red eyes, "Aina... all I want is for you to come back to me. Why do you choose death over being with me?" His inner voice trembled, challenging the oppressive darkness around him, tempting him toward even more destructive actions.

  Breathless, Aina glared at him with fiery rage, "I choose to be human, not a monster. You are the one who destroyed everything—even the love I once gave." In that oppressive darkness, her voice echoed, stirring memories of lost love, transforming into a weight that was unbearable.

  Shuten-dōji, ensnared in hatred and pain, lifted his mace high, his gaze filled with resolve, "If I can’t have her… then no one has the right to hold you!" In an instant, a surge of supernatural energy erupted around him, warping the atmosphere into something toxic. The roaring from his beleaguered soul reverberated, creating a terrifying instability.

  With one powerful swing, Shuten-dōji drove his club into the ground. The air trembled as if the earth itself shuddered in fear of the destructive force he unleashed. Aina and her child's bodies were crushed to nothing—blood, bones, even memories were swallowed up by the darkness of that nightmarish swamp. The wind's mournful howl seemed to join in mourning, echoing through the silence, narrating a sorrow that words could never capture.

  As silence enveloped the scene, only the weighty voice of Shuten-dōji remained, his tormented form resembling a creature born from the abyss. "Aina… look at me," he said, his voice deep yet laced with longing, his fiery gaze reflecting the dark path he had traversed. "I am a king, a monster, a curse—but I am driven by an insatiable hunger. Now, no one can call me Yuuta anymore… All light seems to have faded, leaving darkness to shroud my soul.” In that shroud of darkness, he felt loneliness tear at his heart, giving rise to a roar that would never find its voice.

  With heavy steps, he walked away from the ruins, turning his back on the corpses and the suffocating cries, as well as the shadows of the family he had once loved dearly. “I will swallow this world whole,” he declared, his gaze fierce, filled with a blend of determination and hatred, “until there is no love left, no humans, no names—only emptiness amidst the blood-soaked feast I've tainted.”

  “Every finger that grips this sword,” Shuten-dōji's voice resonated with a dark timbre, as he turned his face toward the looming shadows, “is a tremor of a soul severed from hope. I am a monster, forged from suffering. And this world—will bear the weight of the hatred I've amassed within this wounded spirit.”

  In the heart of darkness, the moonlight gently cascaded over him, reflecting a crimson aura crackling around him. The power of the Oni transformed his physical form; his muscles swelled as if filled with smoldering rage. However, what stood out most were his eyes—a pair of fiery red orbs, voracious, exuding an insatiable hunger for blood and revenge. His voice, though soft, quivered with a magical force that stirred the souls of anyone who heard it.

  “Do you want to know why I keep moving forward?” he asked, straightening his posture, his grip on the sword tightening as beads of sweat trickled down the creases of his weathered face. The expression etched on his features spoke of a resolve forged through a long, painful journey. “Because I am the sum of everything you overlooked and forgave. Even this sorrow is a part of my strength.”

  That night, caught between spirits and mortality, Aina's curse clung to Shuten-dōji like a second skin: never to be satiated, never to return home, and never to be remembered as a human, save by the world he had wrought chaos upon.