The Village Disciples

Flaring his Aura Sense, Yuso strode through the Takuetsu building with conviction. Lord Shuji was bound to be nearby, and Yuso would kill the patriarch without hesitation as soon as he was located. It is imperative that he fulfill his master's order. Every candle the redhead ambled past flickered, its flames nearly extinguishing from the overwhelming pressure of Yuso's presence. 

The hallways were long, but Yuso refused to dash through them. He had to remain cautious; calculative and observant. Lord Shuji was a patriarch for a reason. Although Yuso had forgotten about his father, the status that Lord Shuji harbored was apparent even in his moniker. 

Currently, Lord Shuji remained undetected, concealing his presence expertly. Despite this, Yuso had a faint idea as to where the patriarch resided. Out of all the rooms within the Takuetsu edifice, there was one that was immensely important to Lord Shuji—the very room that Yuso's grandfather had declared war against the gods. 

The room had two doors at its entrance, but Yuso no longer felt the need to open them the traditional way—*BOOM!*—but instead blast the doors down with a small beam of light that he expelled from his right hand. 

Stepping on the debris of the fractured doors, Yuso entered the room wordlessly, his Shirugeto eyes scanning the area. Within the half a second that the redhead forced his way into the room, he had spotted the man he was searching for: Lord Shuji. 

"Do you also cower in the face of death?" Yuso queried, narrowing his demonic eyes. 

Lord Shuji was standing tall, his back facing Yuso. His armor was golden and silver, encasing his entire body below his neck. His head was tilted upward, gazing at a painting of his late father—the original Takuetsu patriarch and ruler of the land. 

The older redhead inhaled as he said, "He would be terribly disappointed."

The room had an oppressive aura. Less than twenty feet separate two of the last Takuetsu that are still alive. There was no longer any familiarity. Shuji and Yuso's one and only bond was broken. There was no longer a family.

"Your offspring have been killed. You are next." Yuso spoke frankly, his eyes whirling in a clockwise motion. 

Shuji shifted his entire body to look at Yuso, who was once his youngest son. There was no depression that plagued the patriarch's visage—only ire and disappointment. His golden shoulderplates glinted in the dim light of the nearby candles, his silver-armored chest heaving as he glowered at Yuso. 

"Do not believe that Katashi and Hina were stronger than me simply because they are younger. They refused to even match a quarter of who I am." Shuji spoke coldly, his Aura Sense finally spilling out.

Every muscle in Yuso's body instinctively tightened as he felt Shuji's Aura Sense, his Shirugeto spinning at a faster rate. 

*SHRRMM!*

As soon as Yuso could conjure a plethora of small pentagrams that immediately surrounded Shuji, the patriarch vanished from where he stood, abruptly reappearing inches before the younger redhead and ramming his right fist into Yuso's face.

*CRACK!*

Yuso crashed through the entire Takuetsu edifice, his body landing outside on the stone of the Takuetsu compound. The younger redhead regained his equilibrium and clenched his teeth, glaring at the building before him. 

*BOOM!*

In retaliation, Yuso discharged a red beam of light that razed the Takuetsu edifice, turning its walls to ash in a matter of seconds. The beam had also utterly ravaged everything beyond the edifice, leaving a massive rut in the ground throughout half of the Takuetsu compound. 

"That was your response? Pathetic." 

Yuso's heart rate spiked as he heard Shuji's voice behind him, only to then feel a Genso-Kyu being pressed into his back—*KABOOM!*—leading to an explosion that consumed all of the Takuetsu compound. The light of the explosion was visible to all of those in Adonai.

Once the smoke and floating debris started to settle, Yuso stumbled to his feet, his ears ringing painfully. His black kimono was fully erased; not a single piece of fabric rested on his upper body. His skin was singed and tinted red all over. Yuso took a moment to heal, focusing on the magic rushing through his body. 

Everything was destroyed. Even the dirt was thoroughly obliterated. Yuso, however, remained stoic. 

"Your blood carries you." The voice of Lord Shuji could be heard as he walked through the damaged land. 

Yuso narrowed his eyes, flexing his hands. "Your bravado is revolting."

*SHRRM!*

With a single flicker, Yuso darted toward Shuji and launched a solid kick. Horrifically, Shuji caught the younger redhead's leg, crushing the limb in his left hand and slamming Yuso's body into the earth. Shuji's durability and reflexes were second to none. He was an unstoppable force of his time. 

Keyword: 'was'.

Yuso's Shirugeto spun as crimson-red chains quickly escaped from his palms, encircling around Shuji and restraining him entirely. 

"I know what happened to you," Shuji stated, grunting. "The Shirugeto is quite famous. Even Reiwa held it in high regard."

The younger redhead clenched his jaw, materializing multiple pentagrams that hovered around the patriarch. 

"Then you should know to submit." Yuso declared, his eyes glowing brilliantly. 

Yuso's eyes were not the only pair that could radiate magic. 

"No." Shuji retorted, his eyes shifting to a red hue. 

*BOOM!*

Shuji's eyes shot forth two intense beams of red light that brutally seared Yuso's body. The red beams were unrelenting as Yuso was driven through the earth, the crimson-red chains and pentagrams fading in the breeze as Yuso underwent extreme stress. 

Eventually, Shuji halted his assault by removing the magic pouring out of his eyes and dispelling the red beams of light. 

"You could have surpassed me in a few years if you remained under my tutelage—but we both know where you'll now inevitably end up. Tell Hina and Katashi I'm disappointed in them."

Shuji stretched his right hand outward, his fingertips aimed at Yuso, who was huddled on the ground. Just as the patriarch proceeded to pour magic into his right hand, he sensed something coming up behind him. 

*CLINK!*

The patriarch reflexively swatted it away, only to then watch it fall to the ashy ground. It was a small marble. Shuji recognized the small marble. He also knew that the marble was going to cause an immense amount of pain within the next second. 

*WRRMMMMM!*

The magic within Lord Shuji started to flow toward the marble, depleting the patriarch of his Aura Sense with every passing second. It was agonizing, and Shuji could feel himself grow weaker. 

"Ryouiki!" Shuji hollered, putting his arms up to fruitlessly shield himself from the marble. 

A few feet away, Ryouiki's body transitioned from being transparent to becoming visible, a hateful glare in his eyes. 

"Surely you remember the Inochi no Utsuwa, don't you?" Ryouiki said venomously, watching the marble drain Shuji of his Aura Sense. 

Shuji gritted his teeth together, stepping toward the marble. "This won't kill me, Ryouiki!"

Ryouiki hummed before saying, "I know. I already tasked someone with that job." 

*CHANK!*

Crimson-red chains suddenly wrapped around Shuji's armored body, holding the patriarch still. Looking behind him, Shuji could see as Yuso stood tall once again, his Shirugeto eyes spinning ominously. 

"...Submit."

*SHRRMM!*

Several pentagrams appeared around Shuji, his eyes flitting between every single one of them. Subtly, Yuso's Shirugeto eyes began to whirl counterclockwise, prompting the floating pentagrams to start inhaling everything before them.

Shuji slowly felt as his Aura Sense was drained and as his body was being tugged on from every angle. He was going to be ripped apart by Yuso's pentagrams—and it was going to be very gruesome. 

"Yuso! Don't you dare!" Shuji called out to his last living relative. 

After a few moments, it finally happened. Shuji was torn apart, piece by piece. Yuso eventually dropped the chains and pentagrams, his Shirugeto halting. The patriarch was gone—Lord Shuji was dead. The Takuetsu were purged from Adonai. 

"Good job, Yuso. You did it." Ryouiki said, walking toward the redhead. "They're all gone."

Yuso nodded, looking down at his ruined clothing. 

"Don't fret; I'll get you another kimono. However, before we do that, let's fix up this land. I quite liked the forest that surrounded the compound." Ryouiki muttered, looking around at the scorched earth.

That was only the start of Yuso's new life as a rogue, serving his master for many years later. Bloodshed had become the most common factor in Yuso's life, along with his new desire to become the successor of Lucifer. 

XXX

[THE PRESENT]

Tanjo was stunned, to say the least. He gazed at the restrained Yuso hovering before him, removing his hand from the redhead's forehead. The jet-black-haired boy's eyes wavered, his white wings no longer flapping with the same strength as before. For several moments, both Tanjo and Yuso hovered in space, residing inside the bubble created by the Disruption of Reality to create a functional vacuum for sound and oxygen. 

Yuso opened his eyes slowly, his shoulders sagging weakly. 

"...I'm sorry that you were used so cruelly." Tanjo's voice radiated behind his mask, his blue eyes shimmering with sorrow. 

The teenager removed the rifts that restrained Yuso, letting the last remaining Takuetsu relax. The last remaining Takuetsu. Neither Tanjo nor Yuso had ever come to such a conclusion. The crimson-red hair was apparent, but vibrant hair colors have become increasingly common ever since the Aura Sense was introduced. 

Another shocking revelation was Yuso's age: he was fifty-two. He looked no older than twenty. Four years older than Old Man Nozomu. 

"You don't have to continue doing this, Yuso." Tanjo spoke, resting his right hand on the redhead's shoulder. 

Yuso's black, feathery wings slowly folded, his head tilted downward. 

"My life… is a fallacy." Yuso forced the words out of his mouth, looking at his palms. More specifically, the pentagrams embedded in his palms. 

"No, it's not." Tanjo suddenly spoke, garnering the Takuetsu's attention. "That is not your life. It was Ryouiki's. Your life is what you choose to do now."

Yuso slowly ran his fingers through his hair, feeling the length of every strand. He realized that it was longer than ever before. His older sister would have absolutely adored it. He also had wings. Big, feathery, soft wings. They looked like they belonged to a demon. More specifically, the Demon of Adonai. That, along with his many nicknames—Ghost of Adonai, Successor of Lucifer, and the Crimson Stalker. All of those names now haunt Yuso. 

"There is no way for me to rectify everything I've done. I've slaughtered too many." Yuso revealed, clenching his fists. 

Tanjo inhaled, realizing Yuso would be too overwhelmed with guilt. 

"Then what do you propose you do?" Tanjo queried, gazing at the redhead curiously. 

Yuso took a moment to think, closing his eyes pensively. "The mere sight of me instills panic and fear into everyone on Earth. They know what I've done. I know what I've done. There's no place for me in this reality… not anymore."

"And you think removing yourself from it would do any good?" Tanjo asked, his voice becoming stern behind his mask. 

The redhead glanced up at the teenager with a perplexed expression. 

"Why forego redemption? Do you see how powerful you are? Acknowledge where you fell short and fix it. The world may literally be against you, but the only way to help anything is to fix your own problems." Tanjo explained, raising his hand up to his mask. 

The teenager slowly removed the mask from his face, holding it in his right hand.

"Removing yourself from life does not change what you did or who you are. It's selfish. Reality is not cruel, not tortuous—not a villain. It's indifferent. Your life, however, can be filled with purpose. Don't have a purpose? Make one. I made my own. You can do it, too." Tanjo spoke lucidly, placing the mask inside his gray cloak. 

Yuso inhaled, followed by a deep exhale. "It's not that simple… I won't discredit you with your young age… you've seen more than enough, which could also be thanks to me."

"Then make it simple. Do better. I'm after someone who has caused so much pain. Probably more than you. You can start off by helping me." Tanjo stated, stretching his right hand out, waiting for the redhead to take it. 

The last Takuetsu raised his head, his Shirugeto eyes meeting Tanjo's. 

"Who?" Yuso asked, unfurling his wings slightly. 

"Regashi Ketsueki." 

XXX

There you go! Yuso's backstory! Yes, Yuso is fifty-two! He does, however, look like he's twenty. His genes and impressive Aura Sense has slowed down his physical aging quite impressively, keeping him in his peak physical state. What will happen next? Stay tuned for more!

Have a Great Day!

Peace - Cr1ticalz_