An unsettling feeling passed through the air. The nearby trees shook gently and birds of various kinds flew into the sky, as if they knew that evil was approaching. A young boy with long red hair stood over a cliff, his wide blue eyes scanning the city below.

He wore a long, black leather outfit with giant spiked shoulder pads and a long black cape. He had a strange-looking golden band clasped around his neck. He also wore gloves and big black boots held together by several pairs of well-tied laces.

“Where is it? Where is it?” the boy muttered quietly to himself as a bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face. A small crow flew down from the sky and landed on his shoulder with a squawk. The boy gently rubbed the crow’s head and asked, “So…did you find it, Yazu?”

The crow opened its beak again, but instead of letting out another squawk, it spoke. “Yes, it is heading towards Reigo City, just as you predicted, master. It will be here in 40 minutes if I calculated its running speed correctly. So…shall we go after it?”

The boy nodded and turned around to make his way down the mountain. This boy’s name is Kaou, and he is a powerful demon slayer, or ‘Yoma Kaku’. Yazu, Kaou’s personal guardian spirit, flew off into the sky and called, “I will inform you when it is near, master!”

Kaou gave his crow friend a quick thumbs-up before he became engulfed in the nearby forest. Slowly, Kaou reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small green crystal and examined it closely. His face fell as he remembered the reason he even had this crystal in the first place. He pressed it gently to his lips and whispered quietly, “I love you, Jiku…” before placing it back in his pocket.

Suddenly, Yazu’s voice shouted, “Master Kaou! It is nearing your direction!” Kaou gritted his teeth and clenched his fists when a nearby bush began to shake violently. Slowly and menacingly, the vile creature revealed itself.

Tall and ferocious, this was no demon seen in fairy tales and the like. It had a small head with bulging cat-like yellow eyes. Its mouth was open slightly, revealing rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth. It had a bulky, muscular body and large clawed hands and feet. It licked its lips hungrily at the site of new living flesh.

Kaou looked the beast over a few times and said, “You’re a big one, aren’t you? Must have eaten a few campers or something on the way here, huh?” The demon just licked its lips again and its eyes began pulsating with anticipation. Kaou let out a sigh and closed his eyes. “If only you had met up with someone other than me…” he muttered.

Seeing this as its chance to attack, the demon dived at him, its mouth widening large enough to swallow Kaou whole. Kaou just shook his head and snapped his fingers. Suddenly, a small red pistol formed in Kaou’s open hand. Kaou snapped his eyes open and shouted, “BACK TO WHENCE YOU CAME, FOUL DEMON!”

As soon as Kaou pulled the trigger, a burst of living flames shot out of the gun, wrapping around the Yoma and tearing it to shreds. Blood splattered from the demon’s shattered body as it let out a screech of pain. As the dismembered body parts fell and sank into the earth, a small grin formed on Kaou’s lips.

Slowly, the flames on his arm diminished. Kaou wiped some stray blood off his face and exclaimed, “Heh! Once again, the human population has been saved!” Yazu, who had actually been looking for food the entire time, landed on a nearby branch and said, “Don’t get cocky, master Kaou! You barely saved anyone by killing that weak rank-1 demon!”

“Well, what do you expect? I’m not even a Class-E slayer yet!” Kaou snapped back as he gave his feathered friend a glare. Yazu ignored him and flew down to pick up a small ring that the demon left in its wake. He handed it over to Kaou while saying, “Here’s the demon’s ring. Make sure you don’t lose it like last time!”

Kaou rolled his eyes. “I’m not gonna lose it! Now let’s go home already!” he exclaimed. As Kaou began to walk further into the forest, he headed towards an old run-down laboratory in the middle of the eastern mountains.

That was the secret hideout of the most powerful demon-slaying organization in the world, LILAC. That is Kaou’s first and only home he’s ever had. It was the home of earth’s only hope.