Transmigrated As A Stepdad In A Fantasy Doujin World

Chapter 24: 24. The Mark That Stopped Death

Seraphine moved again with a speed defying physics.

To Kael’s eyes she became a silver-white blur.

One moment she stood a few steps ahead of the group.

The next she was already in front of the red Oni, blood-forged dagger flashing in a clean horizontal arc aimed straight at his throat.

The blade cut empty air.

The Oni simply leaned back half a step. The dagger passed a finger’s width from his neck. Pure black eyes watched her without urgency.

"Nice speed for a D-ranker," he said. "But not enough."

The heavy shackles around his arms uncoiled like living metal.

One chain shot forward and wrapped Seraphine’s wrists and torso in a tight spiral before she could recover her stance.

The metal locked with a sharp metallic click. Red mana flared along the links and held her firmly in place.

At the same time a reinforced mana projectile shaped like a dense green spear flew from Brianna’s staff and aimed straight at the Oni’s chest.

He raised one shackled arm and blocked it.

Clang!

The impact cracked against the metal with a heavy sound and scattered green sparks across the mist.

While the shackle still held Seraphine, Ryn and Dean charged together.

Ryn’s oversized sword glowed with pale mana as he swung for the Oni’s side.

Dean closed the distance like a brawler, fist already cocked for a crushing blow aimed at the demon’s ribs.

From farther back Tina’s bowstring snapped.

Two green-tipped arrows flew in quick succession, aimed at the Oni’s head and the joint of his shoulder.

The natural mana of her dark elf bloodline made the arrowheads glow softly in the cold mist.

The Oni clicked his tongue.

The chain binding Seraphine loosened just enough for him to yank it free and send her tumbling sideways into the cold mist.

He needed both arms now.

One shackle swept up and knocked the first arrow aside with a sharp metallic ring.

The second arrow grazed his red shoulder and left a thin line of dark blood before he twisted out of its full path.

Seraphine hit the stone hard, rolled once, and came up on one knee with the blood-forged dagger still in her grip.

A thin cut marked her cheek where the shackle had scraped her. Crimson eyes burned hotter than before.

Kael kept Eira pressed behind him, short sword raised, heart beating faster than he liked.

’That speed... that strength... this bastard is at least C-rank. Maybe even higher.’

Tina already had another arrow nocked, green tip glowing. Brianna’s staff charged with fresh vines. Ryn and Dean pressed in from both sides while Seraphine rose to her feet again.

Brianna slammed the end of her staff into the stone floor.

Thud!

Thick green vines erupted from the ground in a wide circle and surged toward the Oni, twisting and coiling to bind his legs and arms.

Seraphine dashed in again from the front, blood-forged dagger glowing deep red.

Ryn cut in from the left with his mana-lit sword. Dean charged from the right, fist swinging for the demon’s ribs.

For a moment the Oni was surrounded on all sides.

He spun the heavy shackles like a whirling ball of metal. The chains blurred into a spinning circle that shredded the approaching vines into green scraps.

The rapid motion created a sudden tornado of friction and heavy air that pushed outward with real force. The wind howled through the tunnel and slammed into the team like a physical wall.

Whoooosh!

Ryn was forced to dig his boots into the stone and brace his oversized sword against the ground just to keep from being thrown back.

Dean raised both arms and took the blast of air across his chest, skidding several steps before he could stop.

Seraphine’s next slash was knocked wide as the heavy air hit her shoulder and spun her half around.

Tina had to lower her bow and shield her face from the sudden debris and mist whipped into the air.

Even Brianna’s fresh vines were torn apart before they could fully form.

The spinning shackles kept the pressure high for several long seconds.

The cold mist was whipped into chaotic spirals that reduced visibility and made every step harder.

The team’s coordinated pressure broke under the constant force of the rotating chains and the heavy air they generated.

The red demon’s pure black eyes burned with contempt as the wind howled around him.

"Huh? What a stupid strategy. And you guys want to take the Demon Continent down with your pathetic moves and rank?"

Seraphine wiped the thin trail of blood from her cheek with the back of her hand. Her thoughts stayed cold and clear.

’It is not possible to take him down without our full power combined. But there is also my pathetic stepdad and sister around.’

The Crimson Path members exchanged quick glances while still recovering from the force of the spinning shackles.

Tina’s fingers tightened on her bowstring.

Brianna’s staff shifted position.

Dean and Ryn adjusted their footing. They were clearly planning the next coordinated move once the air settled.

Kael held Eira tightly against his side. The helplessness of standing this close to a real demon fight burned under his skin.

’If I survive today I have to grow stronger. This is not enough. Not even close.’

Eira’s small body trembled against him.

Her crimson-tinted black eyes stayed fixed on the red Oni while a desperate chant repeated over and over in her mind.

’I should also help them but my feet is not moving. What should I do? I’m not strong enough to help them. Why am I so worthless.’

Seraphine and the Crimson Path team tensed for another combined assault the moment the tornado of air began to fade.

The red Oni’s pure black eyes suddenly shifted past them and locked onto Kael and Eira.

An interested gleam crossed his face. He licked his lips and smirked.

Then he moved.

The Oni lunged straight through the mist toward Kael and Eira at a speed that left almost no time to react.

The heavy shackles spun tightly around his body like a defensive shield, deflecting the green-tipped arrow Tina managed to release.

Seraphine’s eyes widened in shock.

The rest of the team was still recovering from the earlier tornado of air and could not close the distance in time.

In an instant the red demon was already in front of Kael.

The shackle swung in a brutal arc aimed straight at Kael’s head, heavy enough to split skull and spine in one blow.

Kael saw certain death coming. Cold sweat broke across his forehead and ran down the side of his face.

For the first time since arriving in this world the fear of actual death hit him fully.

His arms felt heavy. His breath locked in his chest.

He still raised the plain short sword with both hands and braced for an impact he knew he could not stop.

Light reflected off the mark on his left wrist.

The moment the Oni’s pure black eyes caught the intricate design of five dragon heads, his entire body locked.

The swinging shackle stopped a hair’s breadth from Kael’s forehead.

The demon’s red face turned white with raw fear. He staggered backward as if burned, pure black eyes fixed on the mark in pure dread.

Seraphine reached them a second later and placed herself directly in front of Kael and Eira, dagger raised.

Relief flashed across her face when she saw they were still alive. Confusion followed immediately after.

She stared at the Oni who had just refused a clean kill on her weak stepfather.

’Why did he stop? He had the perfect chance. That swing would have ended him. What did he see that made a C-rank Oni back off like that?’

The cold mist drifted between them while the red demon continued to back away, gaze never leaving the mark on Kael’s wrist.

His earlier arrogance had vanished. Only open fear remained on his red face.

Tina lowered her bow slightly, eyes narrowed.

Brianna’s vines hung ready but unmoving. Dean and Ryn stayed in low stances, waiting for the next move that never came.

Kael’s arms still shook from the near-death swing.

Sweat continued to slide down his temples. He kept Eira shielded behind him and forced his breathing back under control one slow inhale at a time.

Then he looked down at his own left wrist.

The intricate mark of five dragon heads sat quietly on his skin, the same design that had given by the Ascension Devil.

The metal of the Oni’s shackle had stopped only when those dragon heads reflected the cold crystal light.

Kael stared at the mark that had just saved his life.

The red Oni took another step backward into the thicker mist.

The red Oni stared at the mark on Kael’s wrist, pure black eyes wide with disbelief and raw fear.

"How... how does a low-rank human carry that mark?" His voice cracked for the first time. "That should not exist on someone like you..."

He took another step back into the thickening mist, shackles trembling slightly around his arms, as if the very sight of the five dragon heads had burned something deep inside him.

The cold fog closed around the red demon, leaving only the unanswered question hanging in the air.

Whatever the mark meant, it had just kept all of them alive.

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