-----Hayato's POV-----

I was born on the island of Osshu. I was the oldest son of a renowned swordsman and a skillful kunoichi. 

My parents decided to create a martial arts dojo and raise their two children under the ways of the "Calm Dragon Sword."

The style of the Calm Dragon Sword is a combination of the techniques my parents inherited from their parents and their ancestors.

The techniques we inherited do not belong to this world. They were brought to our island by an otherworlder a thousand years ago.

Osshu was an unnamed island when that person was visiting. He became lord of the island, named it and then spread the customs of his homeland.

Thanks to his teachings, our ancestors thrived. Prosperity became a part of their daily lives.

The people of Osshu have followed those customs ever since.

The name of that otherworlder was Hayato.

Being named after him is a display of the utmost respect towards our benefactor.

To carry this name means that one will have many responsibilities. The one who carries the name of Hayato must become the embodiment of excellence and strength in order to not bring disgrace to his name.

"Become as tranquil as the heavens and as fierce as the seas. That's what you must aspire to be, Hayato." The voice of my father resounded in my mind.

That is the burden of carrying the name of our benefactor.

I spend most of my life seeking excellence. I gave my all on everything I did, be it playing or studying, I never failed the expectations that came with my name.

By the time I was 24 years old, I was already a swordmaster, I was preparing myself to inherit my parents dojo and I was about to have a child with the woman I loved.

I was happy, my honour was intact and I never disrespected my ancestors or our benefactor.

Until that fateful night…

That night there were four waning moons and two full moons. In Osshu, that is a bad omen of terrible things to come.

I was returning from a trip to the other side of the island after hunting several dangerous monsters.

When I finally reached my home, I saw how it was being consumed by flames.

I immediately ran inside trying to save my loved ones.

I did manage to find them… They had been decapitated...

My mother, my father, my little brother and my wife with our unborn child…

All of them were lying on the tatami floor while the one responsible for the atrocity laughed.

He had killed them with our family's sword.

The man who did it was a person that I trusted… He was someone who I considered a brother…

Such was my rage that I ended up decapitating him on the spot.

I don't really remember what happened after that… It has been ten years since and I was too traumatized and angered by the event… I only remember that I was imprisoned and then exiled. 

I was also stripped from the 'Ha' from my name.

In Osshu, I will be forever known as: "Yato, the Decapitator."

I was told that I brought shame to my ancestors, and our benefactor, that's why I lost the privilege of calling myself 'Hayato'

After I was exiled, I lost myself into a life of crime, alcohol, gambling and prostitutes to fill the void left by losing everything.

I've lost the calmness of the heavens and the fury of the seas… I'm nothing but a hollow shadow of what I used to be.

Yet…

"This will be a long night!" I said with increasing excitement.

"This will be a fun night!" The strange hobgoblin in front of me said with a smile.

By now, his transformation had ended. His hair was completely white and his skin was painted red, as if he had bathed in blood. Two menacing large horns were attached to his forehead. The sparks of lighting were still traveling all around his body while he was smiling. His claws had been painted in a pitch black colour. The only things that didn't change were his blue eyes.

The two of us immediately dashed towards each other. 

As soon as he was within my sword's reach, I drew my sword as fast as I could.

My sword quickly approached the neck of the mutated hobgoblin.

I heard a loud 'clang' after attacking him…

He was holding the remaining sword of the lizardkin from before. He had completely blocked my attack.

"Hmmm… I wonder... When did you grab that sword?" I smiled bitterly.

The mutated goblin only kept smiling in response.

"Haaaaa!" He then screamed as loudly as his lungs would allow him to.

He pushed back my sword with just his raw strength...

"Wha…!?" I looked at him with confusion.

"I'm not done yet!" He said as he took a quick stance.

He then attacked with the sword of the lizardkin, slashing several times at me.

All of his attacks were aimed towards my vitals.

I was barely able to block those attacks… I couldn't fully block them, I could just repel them...

His attacks were heavy and had a lot of power in them… His technique had also improved by leagues and bounds...

There's a massive difference between the him from before and the him from now. It is like heaven and earth…

After his last attack was repelled by his blade, I jumped back to gain some distance.

"Well, colour me surprised… You really are a swordsman." I said while carefully analyzing the strange evolved hobgoblin.

"You have barely seen anything." He said with a confident smile.

His breathing, the way he held a sword, the way he stood, his center of gravity… There were no visible openings for me to exploit.

Even his personality seemed to have changed drastically compared to him before his mutation…

I then changed my posture and went for a Shin no Kamae stance.

"So? What's your name, strange one?" I asked while still keeping him within my sights.

"Ru." He replied with an uninterested expression.

"What a simple name…" I smiled bitterly.

"But I guess since you introduced yourself with your title, 'Yato, the Decapitator', it is only fair that I do the same. I'm Ru, the Hero of the Storm." He grinned from ear to ear.

What? He's a Hero…? 

I see… 

So this means that the Demon King will be revived soon…

"Hehehe… HAHAHAHAHAHA!" I started chuckling, I ended up cackling like a maniac.

He didn't really react to my laughter. He simply turned around and started walking towards the mages from before.

That made me stop laughing.

"Oi, where do you think you're going? We are still not done yet..." I said to him with annoyance.

"You were too busy laughing, so I thought that I should take care of something while you were at it. It is only a common courtesy." He replied without stopping.

He looked extremely unconcerned about me.

That annoyed me a lot… This is the first time in my life that I have been ignored during a battle to the death. 

I took a stance again and stopped breathing.

I poured all of my concentration into a single technique.

(Hurricane Slash!) I thought about the name of the technique.

Using mana, my sword is able to create extremely sharp wind blades which are invisible to the naked eye. Only those who have trained their senses can detect them. 

I immediately slashed the empty air in the direction of the Goblin Hero.

A dozen wind blades were shot towards him.

"Heh." He sounded very amused.

In less than a second, the blades were about to turn him into minced meat.

He then turned around at an unbelievable speed, and completely obliterated the wind blades using the sword of the lizardkin.

He stopped the last wind blade with his bare hand and crushed it.

He was completely unharmed after my attack.

"Amusing. To think this miserable amount of mana made me panic before." He replied while looking at his empty hand.

He closed his eyes and combed his hair.

"But since you're in a rush to fight me, I'll take care of that other matter quickly. Don't be impatient." He said before disappearing.

"What…?" As soon as he disappeared, I retook a stance.

 I was on the edge.

He disappeared so suddenly… I was preparing myself for a surprise attack, but…

He appeared next to foxkin, the dark elf and the lizardkin. He started to mutter something to them.

"Oi… How is he so fast…? I wasn't able to see him move… How is this possible? No… It shouldn't be." I muttered to myself.

I then looked at the strange Goblin Hero.

"It was Teleport… There's simply no other explanation." I had reached a conclusion.

The Hero then raised his hand and pointed it towards his fallen companions.

A light green glow was being emitted by the hands of the Hero.

"Huh…?" I could only look at him with confusion.

The wounds that I inflicted on the mages and the lizardkin girl were gone within seconds.

I'm not a healer, but I know what he did is comparable to healing abilities of a saint or an expert in medical magic.

"I'm done. Let's continue." He whispered in my ear.

I immediately jumped away from him as soon as I noticed his presence.

He had teleported behind me.

(That's not good… I cannot stay dumbfounded like that when fighting a person who can freely use teleport…)

He then swung his sword vertically… I immediately used my katana to block.

When the sword of the Hero collided against my own, nothing happened… His sword went through mine as if it didn't exist.

"An illusion…" I muttered analyzing my surroundings.

I started to spread Ki around the area, in order to find my enemy.

Ki is the most versatile and valuable tool for a swordsman or a martial artist. Only a true master is able to use such power.

Ki is an energy that exists within everyone, just like mana, but it isn't as easy to access.

"There you are!" I shouted and turned around to face my opponent.

He was caressing the cheek of the dogkin nun.

"I told you I had a few things to do and to be patient… Jeez… Even though I made an illusion for you to kill time." He sounded a bit annoyed.

"Stop playing games. Let's fight and end this." I took my usual stance once again.

"If you insist. Sorry Runa, I will leave your treatment to Alma. Junko, please give Elise some treatment. One of her ribs is broken." He spoke to the dwarf in armour and the dogkin nun.

He then teleported right in front of me.

His companions seemed too dumbfounded to even talk. They were looking at him with awe.

"I apologize for the wait." He bowed elegantly.

For some reason, I saw a young version of myself within him.

His calm yet fierce expression reminded me of what I had once aspired to be.

"Don't keep an old man waiting. Have some manners." I smirked.

He simply smiled in response before dashing at me.

He swung his sword horizontally.

"There!" I turned around and blocked with both my sheath and my sword.

Our swords collided, creating sparks that scattered around us.

The Goblin Hero had teleported behind me again. The one who dashed at me was an illusion.

"You're pretty good. Ki seems to be working wonders for you. But, we are still just getting started!" He said with excitement.

"We'll see about that, punk!' i replied smugly.

The two of us jumped away from each other. 

I kept my gaze on him. I prevented myself from blinking because I didn't want to miss the moment where he would teleport.

"Let's see how you handle this…" He then closed his eyes.

He started to mutter something at an incredible speed.

I prepared myself for what was to come.

The Goblin Hero raised towards the sky… Dozens of fireballs appeared there.

Such magic in just a few seconds...

"Catch." He said as soon as he opened his eyes. He lowered his arms which made the fireballs fly towards me.

I then stopped breathing and prepared myself to use another technique.

(Hurricane Wall!) I said as I unsheathed my sword.

A combination of Ki and mana created a protective shield of air in front of me.

The fireballs then clashed with the shield of wind in front me. The air immediately started feeding the flames and making them stronger…

"Jeez… It seems I have a victory when it comes to magic. Fighting fire with wind is not a good strategy, you know?" The Goblin Hero spoke from behind me.

Before I was even able to turn around, his sword had been put against my throat.

"Your weakness is that you need to take a breath when you use your sword techniques. It was so obvious, yet so difficult to find out… You're no longer a threat now that I know that." He spoke with arrogance.

"Such arrogance, young one. Do I have to remind you that I was winning before your evolution?" I asked him with a grin.

"Fair enough." He smiled before teleporting away.

The fireballs then suddenly disappeared. It was like they had never existed in the first place.

"Now, let's get serious already. I'm in a serious need for entertainment. Do not disappoint me, Hayato of Osshu." He smiled fiercely.

He was holding his longsword loosely… Perhaps he was serious about not considering me a threat anymore.

"You will pay quite the price for underestimating me, Hero." I said with a blank expression.

I held my sword in front of me and prepared one of my ultimate techniques.

"I lay this sword upon the eye of the storm… Spirit of the Winds, consume my flesh and grant me power. Bring upon me and my enemy violent and destructive winds…-"

Black clouds started taking over the sky.

"Mighty thunder, make my enemy quiver in fear… Together, thunder and wind, form the all powerful draconic storm!" I shouted with all my might.

Lighting then struck down me and my sword. 

It started raining immediately after I was hit by lightning.

I was feeling better than ever. The Spirit of the Wind had heard my call and decided to help me.

My sword was covered in electricity and surrounded by wind. It didn't affect me, but it would bring destruction upon my enemy.

"A storm huh… Well, if you want to end things right now, then I don't mind." He spoke as if he didn't really care.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I serve the Goddess of Thunderclouds, Lady Electra. My Lady, grant this believer of yours, your power. Cover this body with your holy symbol and make my weapon the vessel of your beliefs." He prayed to an unknown deity.

Contrary to what had happened to my sword, his sword simply started emitting a pale blue glow.

"I'm ready. After you." He bowed politely.

"If you insist." I smiled at him.

I took a deep breath and poured all of my concentration in the next attack. I was going to give my all.

When I was done preparing myself, I ran towards my enemy. My sword, which was coated with the power of the Wind Spirit, was still covered in electricity and gales of wind.

The Goblin Hero did not move. He stood there waiting for me to get closer.

Unfortunately for him, I had the range advantage.

"Die!" I shouted as I swung my sword horizontally. I was aiming at his head.

The Goblin Hero simply grinned from ear to ear.

Time suddenly slowed down for me…

I could see how my sword was slowly approaching his neck. My attack was certainly going to connect.

The Goblin Hero was about to die by my hand.

But for some reason uneasiness took over my heart and my mind. A bad feeling was taking over me.

"A nice attack. If it was the me from before, it would have been overkill. Unfortunately for you, I'm not the same goblin from before." He spoke quickly, even though time had slowed down.

A certain memory crossed my mind… It was about my mother and father telling my younger brother and I stories and legends from the land of our benefactor.

There are some of those legends, people talk about tall humanoid creatures with horns and red skin…

And that's when I realized…

The Goblin Hero is actually an Oni…

"Oni? You got it all wrong. I'm a Kijin." He said with a gentle smile.

He was also capable of reading my mind...

He raised his sword which was still releasing a pale blue glow.

My sense of danger was telling me that if I got hit by that, I would certainly die…

Even though my attack was yet to connect and he was about to make his move, in my mind, the result was already clear.

I was going to die tonight as a stepping stone to feed his legend…

But…

"This is the end!" He swung his sword vertically.

It wouldn't take long before his sword cut me in half, thanks to the obnoxious power of his attack.

Ten years ago, I would have accepted my death… But… I cannot die here…

I… I want to recover what I once had. My family will not return, but I want to recover my honour and be as tranquil as the heavens and fierce as the seas once again.

The person in front of me seems to have all of what I yearn…

Maybe if I fight him again with better conditions, I might be able to recover what I have lost.

I averted my gaze from his blade and looked at a very particular ring that I was wearing on my pinky.

A ring of random Teleportation… I was given this by the big boss in case things went dire.

To think that he would be right in the end…

This ring will teleport me anywhere in this world. I can only hope it is not in the middle of the sea or on top of a volcano.

(Sorry, but we'll have to leave this as a draw, young one! Until we meet again!) I smiled at the Goblin Hero.

Before his sword managed to give me death, I was able to safely escape to a random location.

-----Elise's POV-----

Ru was standing in the middle of the street. The strange man that almost killed us had just disappeared.

Normki's sword which Ru had used was stuck on the ground.

"..." Ru was looking at the sky in silence.

The rain was giving him a mysterious aura…

It was a bit too much for me to look at his new appearance… He had become even more handsome than before…

"I hope you find the peace your heart yearns for, Hayato." Ru spoke with sadness.

I could only look at him with confusion… Why is he worrying about the guy that almost killed us?

Before I was even able to utter a word, a strange explosion of smoke happened around Ru.

The smoke cleared up after a few seconds, revealing an unconscious Ru in his usual appearance.

"Ru!' I immediately ran towards my loved one.

GodlyKamui

Heya! New Chapter! Suprise! You thought it was an Oni, but in reality it was a Kijin all along! *Insert evil laugh here* At first, I was going to have Hayato die like a common thug, but I decided that he would serve a better role as Ru's rival. I wonder where this rivalry will take them. Will Hayato be able to get his honour back? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Join the discord!  https://discord.gg/uH6APbzrFR