A Hero Who Returns But Is Out Of Place

Kaoru gave a thin smile. "You're right," he said in a low, but victorious tone. "Holy power. Something you can't ignore, even as an avatar." The white aura surrounding Kaoru grew stronger, enveloping his sword with a brighter light. "Now, let's see if you can regenerate after this."

Ryuuji gritted his teeth, his eyes wide with fear and disbelief. "NO! Impossible...!" he screamed, trying to stand despite the pain ravaging him. But Kaoru gave him no chance.

With lightning speed, Kaoru launched another attack, his sword slicing through the air with a force that shook the ground. Each slash was followed by a flash of white light, enveloping Ryuuji in an unstoppable storm of holy strikes.

"Did you think I would toy with a demon like you?" Kaoru shouted, his voice echoing amidst the battle. "You're gravely mistaken!"

Ryuuji, once brimming with confidence and eagerness for battle, now felt a fear he had never experienced before. His body, which had seemed invincible moments ago, was now being torn apart by Kaoru's relentless onslaught, while the holy aura surrounding his opponent steadily eroded his regenerative abilities. Every second that passed, the pain overwhelmed him, burning every inch of his body and extinguishing his arrogance.

"How can... a boy like you defeat me...?" Ryuuji groaned in agony, struggling to rise from the impending defeat. He was the Incubus King, a being who had conquered countless souls and destroyed many heroes. Even Shiranui, famed as the strongest Taimanin of the previous generation, had once bowed before him. Yet now, he found himself cornered by a human who should have been no more than an insect beneath his feet.

Kaoru, his holy aura glowing brighter, stepped forward calmly, each step filled with certainty. "King or not, it means nothing. You're just a lowly creature ready to be destroyed." His voice was cold but resolute, like an executioner ready to deliver the final sentence.

However, amidst the growing despair that engulfed Ryuuji, he suddenly smiled. A grin of madness and deceit spread across his face. "You think you can win that easily?" he whispered, and from his nearly broken body, an odd white mist began to emanate. The mist spread rapidly, engulfing Kaoru in the blink of an eye.

Kaoru, who was approaching to deliver the final blow, suddenly halted. The mist carried something strange, a sensation that misled and confused. In an instant, his world became blurred, and he felt as though he was being pulled into a deep dream.

With the last of his strength, Ryuuji had unleashed one of the most deadly abilities of an Incubus King—*Incubus: Dream Magic*. As a being skilled in manipulating desires, Ryuuji could create illusions so real that they blurred the line between fantasy and reality, trapping his victim in a dream they could not distinguish from the real world. Through this white mist, Kaoru was drawn into a realm where the boundaries of fantasy and reality were indistinguishable.

In that dream, Kaoru found himself in a different place, the atmosphere shifting drastically to something darker and deeper. Everything around him was filled with shadows and tempting voices, creating a strange sensation that shook every one of his senses.

"Welcome to your new world," Ryuuji's voice echoed, but this time it was softer, laced with deadly seduction. "I know all your desires and fears... And I will show you pleasures you've never experienced before."

Ryuuji, confident in his *Passion Skill*, delved deep into Kaoru's memories, hoping to unearth hidden desires he could manipulate. However, instead of finding what he expected, he was suddenly confronted with an unexpected scene. This place was not a paradise of passion or pleasure, but a barren wasteland—dark, silent, and draped in the aura of destruction. The air was thick with the scent of blood and iron, while the ground was stained with dark red, like a long-abandoned battlefield.

A strange discomfort welled up inside Ryuuji. "What... is this?" he muttered, confused. This scene was a stark contrast to the memories of people he typically exploited. There were no desires, no passions he could exploit. Only emptiness and the cruelty of a world laid bare before him.

Suddenly, in the midst of the suffocating silence, a heavy, disdainful voice broke through. "Oi... What are you doing here?"

The voice was so deep, so intimidating, that Ryuuji turned around quickly. His eyes were drawn to a large hill made up of piled corpses—corrupt beings, monsters, demons, even humans. All of them stacked high as if meaningless, and at the peak of the pile stood someone who made Ryuuji's blood run cold.

There, seated casually, wearing silver armour stained with blood and dust, was Kaoru. But this was not the Kaoru he knew. This figure was older, more deadly, and more cruel. His crimson eyes radiated hatred and disdain, while his white hair billowed in the wind. Every glance he shot at Ryuuji felt like a dagger stabbing directly into his soul. Without a doubt, Ryuuji knew that the figure before him represented the pinnacle of Kaoru's strength, buried deep within his soul.

A very real fear struck Ryuuji, making his entire body tremble. "W-what is this? Who are you...?" he whispered, as if refusing to accept that the boy he thought was weak could have such a dark side.

The older Kaoru merely gazed at him emotionlessly, like a predator eyeing a small prey. Then, in a low, disdainful voice, he said, "Begone."

That word, though spoken quietly, exploded like thunder in Ryuuji's mind. Before he could react, a massive wave of energy erupted from Kaoru's body, sending Ryuuji hurtling out of the dream he had created. The mental connection was forcefully severed, and he was thrown back into reality violently.

Ryuuji gasped, his breath ragged, his body now trembling before Kaoru, who still stood before him. The boy was still bowing his head, affected by the dream illusion Ryuuji had cast, but even so, the holy aura radiating from his body made Ryuuji feel cornered. Now, it wasn't just Kaoru's power that frightened him, but also the deep calm behind his every movement.

'What is he?!' Ryuuji thought frantically, wiping the cold sweat from his brow. He began dragging his body away, trying to escape the boy who had just shattered one of his strongest spells. Every step felt heavy, as if the gravity of this world had multiplied tenfold.

Kaoru, still standing with his head bowed, slowly rose from the effects of the dream. He groaned softly, clutching his head for a moment, then opened his eyes with a much sharper gaze than before. "Urgh... What did you just do?" His voice was calm, but there was hidden strength behind it.

Ryuuji backed away with genuine fear. His face was pale, his body trembling, and for the first time, the once arrogant Incubus King truly showed his fear. "No... this can't be...!" he whimpered. Meanwhile, deep in hell, the true Incubus King—who had only been controlling Ryuuji's avatar—felt the connection beginning to unravel.

"Cut this connection...! CUT IT NOW!" The Incubus King screamed in his mind, desperately trying to pull his avatar back from destruction.