The

Master of the Immortal Realm

before me said nothing.

He simply stared, motionless. There was no sign of him weaving Silveit, nor any indication he was about to attack.

But if what the one-eyed monster had said was true… then this was my first encounter with a

Seventh Rank

being.

“…I’m allowed to exorcise him, right?”

I asked the question aloud, though it was as much for myself as for the monster at my side.

This was my first time facing off against a

Seventh Rank

—the Master of the Immortal Realm, and the very creator of this world.

The weight of it made my chest tighten.

But Aya wasn’t here. Nina wasn’t here either. Saying this felt like I was calling them liabilities, which I hated, but I couldn’t deny it bolstered my resolve.

“I can fight at full power,” I said, more to myself than anyone else.

The one-eyed monster beside me groaned softly, clearly troubled.

“…Run, boy. Run as fast as you can.”

“Run? Not exorcise him?” I asked, not breaking eye contact with the Master.

“The Master is undefeated. Always has been. And now he’s turned into an

Oni Blight

. You’ve got no chance!”

“…But,” I replied, my gaze still locked on the Master of the Immortal Realm.

“If I run, I can’t go back to the real world, right?”

“Well, that’s…”

“Then there’s no choice.”

I resonated my inherited treasure with Silveit, the sharp crack of golden threads filling the air. The threads wove around me, glowing as I strengthened my body with

Physical Enhancement

.

The Master of the Immortal Realm shifted, a subtle but clear reaction.

That could only mean one thing.

He could see my Silveit.

“There’s no way around it,” I said, channeling all my magic. “I have to exorcise him.”

“

Tree Binding

!”

Roots erupted from the ground, countless branches surging toward the Master. They were enchanted with

Wood Attribute

, designed to absorb the opponent’s magic as they grew stronger.

The roots raced toward him—but the Master moved.

His hand gleamed.

Instinctively, I grabbed the one-eyed monster and leapt skyward.

A fraction of a second later, everything at ground level was severed—cleanly, devastatingly.

The roots of

Tree Binding

, the nearby forest of skeletal tree-monsters, even the distant cliffs—all cut in a single stroke, precisely one meter above the ground.

A deafening rumble followed, as enormous fragments crashed back to earth, throwing up clouds of dust and debris.

“Holy—!” The one-eyed monster screeched in terror. “That’s the Master’s magic!”

The spell resembled my

Wind Blade

, but on an incomprehensible scale.

The power, the range—everything about it was leagues beyond me. That single attack had swept across hundreds, maybe even thousands of meters.

Looking around, the lush terrain from before was now replaced by a desolate expanse, choked with swirling dust clouds.

Could I ever achieve this level of power?

As the thought crossed my mind, the Master of the Immortal Realm shrugged casually, as if the destruction was of no concern.

“This space is too cramped,” he said, his voice calm and resonant.

“

Sky Piercer!

” I shouted, unleashing a high-pressure water jet spell, aiming for the opening created by his words.

The Master tilted his head, dodging—but not entirely. The jet grazed his right ear, leaving a small hole.

“Unbelievable!” the monster exclaimed, sounding almost thrilled. “It’s been 200 years since anyone managed to wound the Master!”

“It’s just a hole in his ear,” I replied, my voice tight.

That wasn’t nearly enough to qualify as a real hit. I needed to follow up.

I clapped my hands together sharply, preparing my next move. It was my routine, the one I used whenever I combined Silveit with

Fairy Magic

.

As I invoked my spell, small fairies—

Pixies

—emerged, fluttering around me. The Master’s expression shifted slightly, his lips curling into a faint smile.

“Foreign magic, is it?” he mused.

“Take this!” I commanded the Pixies, sending them hurtling toward him.

But the Master simply exhaled—a soft, almost playful breath. The air around him shimmered with visible magic energy, dense and oppressive.

The Pixies faltered as soon as they entered the magic field. Their graceful movements turned erratic, their paths chaotic. Moments later, they crashed to the ground and dissolved into faint sparks of light.

“Amusing, isn’t it?” the Master said, his tone almost amused. “When exposed to overwhelming power, even fairies lose their way.”

His words stung because they were true. His sheer presence—his raw magical energy—had overwhelmed the Pixies, rendering them useless.

I clenched my teeth and unleashed another spell.

“

Blazing Lance!

“

This wasn’t the time for

Oboro Moon

. If he could see my Silveit, he wouldn’t give me the time to cast such a preparation-heavy spell.

For now, I needed to rely on straightforward attacks to create an opening.

The Master, however, raised his hand and spun it in a circular motion, manipulating the surrounding magic and drawing the latent energy of the Immortal Realm into his command.

It was the same technique my father and I had practiced—manipulating external magic flows—but on a scale I couldn’t even fathom.

The spiraling magic diverted the trajectory of my

Blazing Lance

, sending it veering off course. It detonated harmlessly in the distance, the explosion lighting up the sky as the Master cocked his head, curious.

“You don’t know how to use

Rotation Magic

?” he asked.

I fell silent.

I knew what

Rotation Magic

was—an advanced technique for circulating magic within the body to maintain balance and efficiency.

But I had never imagined it could be used like this.

The Master’s display filled me with equal parts terror and fascination.

“Boy!” the monster beside me shouted. “Stop this! We have to run! We can’t win!”

“No.”

I rejected his plea firmly.

If the Master was a

Seventh Rank

like me, he wouldn’t let me escape. Just as I wouldn’t let him. Running wasn’t an option.

And besides…

“I already told you—I’m going to exorcise him.”

I reached for one of the treasures hanging around my neck, winding Silveit around it as I invoked its power.

“—Come forth,

Thunder Child

!”

Lightning roared to life behind me as my summoned spirit emerged. The Master of the Immortal Realm smiled.

“What a fascinating toy you’ve brought, my lord!” Thunder Child bellowed.

“Ah,” the Master said, almost wistfully. “It seems the art of demon-slaying persists, no matter the era.”

Their words hung in the air as the two faced each other, both grinning.

But I wasn’t done.

I grabbed another treasure, channeling its energy as I activated its power.

“Rise,

Harunaga of the Silent Fields

!”

If I didn’t strike first, I’d be finished. To survive, I had to use every weapon in my arsenal.

After Itsuki descended into the abandoned well, Soichiro carried the unconscious blacksmith to a small bed inside the cabin. He laid the man down carefully and stepped outside.

“…I hope they’re all right,” he muttered to himself.

Seated on a chopping block left by the cabin’s entrance, Soichiro stared intently at the well.

He didn’t truly understand what kind of place this “Immortal Realm” was. But one thing he knew for certain: his son, Itsuki, was a genius. Brilliant, capable, strong—and endearingly cute. He also knew that if Itsuki was around, it was far safer than being in the company of most exorcists.

Even so, a father couldn’t help but worry.

“…Still,” he sighed, his thoughts drifting.

The blade he’d brought with him lay at his left side as he waited. Leaves rustled in the wind, and the sun began its slow descent, casting the forest in golden hues. An unseasonal scent of peaches drifted through the air, tickling his senses.

“Oi, Soichiro,” a raspy voice called from behind.

“Awake already, Sensei?” Soichiro turned to see the old blacksmith leaning heavily against the window frame of the cabin. His face was pale and etched with pain, each labored breath making his chest heave.

The sight struck Soichiro deeply. Compared to the man in his prime, this blacksmith now seemed shrunken, frail—a shadow of his former self.

“The messenger… has come?” the blacksmith asked between shallow breaths.

“The one-eyed one?” Soichiro replied.

The blacksmith nodded weakly, his expression contorting further as if swallowing some great pain.

“What did it… tell you?” the blacksmith croaked.

“About the Immortal Realm and its cycles of expansion and contraction.”

“…I see. If it explained that much, the ‘sealing protocol’ should hold.”

The blacksmith’s voice sounded as if every word drained away years of his life. His tone wasn’t so much directed at Soichiro as it was an attempt to reassure himself.

“Soichiro,” he rasped, his voice tinged with urgency. “Listen carefully. Take the kids and… leave this mountain.”

“That’s not possible, Sensei. Itsuki has entered the Immortal Realm.”

“What…?”

“To exorcise an Oni Blight.”

“That’s… absurd!” The blacksmith’s eyes widened in shock.

His gaze shifted past Soichiro, fixing on something behind him. Soichiro followed the man’s line of sight and turned around. There, near an unseasonal peach tree, was a circular portal—a gateway to another world.

Emerging from the portal were two children: Aya and Nina.

Neither showed any signs of injury; they looked exactly as they had before entering.

“…It’s over?” Soichiro asked.

“Yes! Itsuki-kun did it in no time!” Aya answered enthusiastically, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

Nina, however, didn’t share Aya’s excitement. She immediately turned back toward the portal, staring into the void as if waiting for someone.

Soichiro noticed the discrepancy right away. Something wasn’t right.

“And Itsuki?” he asked.

“He said he’d come last,” Aya replied, her earlier excitement dimmed by concern.

It wasn’t just Soichiro who found the situation unsettling. Aya’s expression grew worried, mirroring his own.

The blacksmith, too, seemed perturbed, his face pale as he opened his mouth to speak.

“That… that portal shouldn’t stay open! Call the boy back now!”

A sudden gust of wind swept through the clearing, carrying with it a faint, otherworldly aroma. The sweet and ephemeral scent of the Immortal Realm tickled Soichiro’s senses, leaving a strange buzz in his head.

“Didn’t the messenger tell you to suppress your magic!?” the blacksmith shouted at the children, his voice hoarse with panic. “Magic attracts… them! And you’ve come back soaked in it!”

The scent wasn’t just from the portal—it was emanating from the children.

“What were you thinking!? This place is a target now!” the blacksmith bellowed.

And then, it happened.

A fierce wind surged through the area.

“Ugh…!” Soichiro shielded his eyes, squinting against the violent gale.

The wind was so strong it felt as if the children might be swept away. Without hesitation, Soichiro extended

Silveit

, his enchanted threads coiling around them to pull them closer.

It was the right move.

A roaring cacophony followed—a tempest so powerful it threatened to rip the mountainside into the sky. The cabin shattered into fragments, trees were uprooted, and debris was drawn into the air, forming a massive, swirling sphere above.

Despite the chaos, Soichiro held his ground, his feet firmly planted as he reeled the children in. He glanced upward.

Floating high above was a figure.

It was a woman, dressed in a frilly pink blouse and a billowing black skirt. Her thick-soled boots glinted ominously in the fading sunlight.

In her hand, she held a black umbrella. Though no rain fell, she tilted it slightly, revealing a forehead adorned with two prominent, curling horns.

An Oni.

“—Found you.”

The words echoed, cold and deliberate.

It was immediately clear. This wasn’t an ordinary demon. The magical pressure radiating from her rivaled Soichiro’s own.

But why?

Soichiro’s mind raced. This location was not densely populated, nor was it a place an Oni of such power would typically target. On top of that, the area was warded by barriers.

Why here?

“…No,” he muttered to himself. “That’s not it.”

The realization dawned on him.

This place had been a target from the beginning.

The existence of the Immortal Realm was no secret to those who had lived long enough—or to demons old enough to have learned of it through whispers and rumors.

And then there was the matter of magical concealment. Four years ago, during Itsuki’s

Shichi-Go-San

ceremony, Akane had explained:

“Most barriers can conceal up to a Sixth Rank’s magic, but a Seventh Rank’s power… is impossible to hide.”

The threads came together in his mind.

The Immortal Realm… was created by a

Seventh Rank

.

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden shift in the air. The swirling mass of debris in the sky began to descend—fast.

“Damn it!”

Soichiro grabbed the children, extended

Silveit

to pull the blacksmith toward him, and used

Material Shift

to create a shallow pit just large enough for them all. He dove into it.

A heartbeat later, the storm hit.

Debris and fragments of wood, along with shattered remnants of the cabin, rained down, reducing the landscape to rubble. The ground was scoured clean, leaving only a barren wasteland in its wake.

“How… how is there a demon here!?” Aya’s panicked voice cut through the chaos.

Soichiro didn’t answer. Instead, he gently pushed the children further into the shelter and stood up.

“Stay here,” he ordered.

The storm’s fury abated just enough for him to leap out of the pit.

Standing amidst the devastation was the Oni.

She stood still, gazing longingly at the closing portal before finally turning her attention to Soichiro.

“Well, well,” she said with a smile. “Such a skilled little hider.”

“…You’re named, aren’t you?” Soichiro asked, his tone sharp and accusatory.

It wasn’t a question; it was a certainty.

The Oni’s smile widened, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

“Oh my, oh my! It’s been ages since anyone appreciated my charms,” she purred. “It would be rude not to introduce myself.” Your next journey awaits at empire

With a graceful tilt of her umbrella, she declared her name.

“I am

Arame Koushi, the Lady of Tempests.

“

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep