MTLNOVEL Chapter 3: "A Blade Turned Against Its Own"
The night air was heavy with tension. The three demon slayers stood frozen, their eyes locked onto Ryoshi, who had just raised his blade—not against the demon, but against them.
Hiro's expression twisted in disbelief. "You're protecting a demon?" His voice was sharp with betrayal.
Ryoshi didn't lower his sword. His grip tightened as he stood between Siren Suzuki and his comrades. His heartbeat thundered in his ears, but his resolve didn't waver.
"She's not our enemy," Ryoshi said firmly. "She—"
"She's a demon!" Hiro snapped, taking a step forward. "Have you forgotten what they've done? What they've taken from us?"
Ryoshi hesitated. He remembered the countless villages burned, the cries of the innocent, the blood-soaked battlefields. He had spent his entire life believing that demons were nothing but monsters. And yet…
He stole a glance at Siren, standing silently behind him, her silver eyes filled with an emotion he couldn't quite name. There was no malice in her stance, no bloodlust. Just a quiet, painful understanding.
For the first time, Ryoshi saw not a demon, but a person.
"You don't know everything," Ryoshi said, voice steady. "Not all demons are like the ones we've fought."
Hiro's expression darkened. "And who told you that? Her?" He pointed at Siren with his blade, his voice dripping with venom.
Siren's gaze remained calm, but her fingers twitched slightly—a sign of restraint.
Ryoshi took a deep breath. "I don't expect you to understand, Hiro. Not yet. But I can't let you kill her."
Silence.
Then, Hiro laughed bitterly. "So that's how it is. You're choosing her over your own kind?"
Ryoshi's stomach twisted. This wasn't about sides. It was about truth.
"She doesn't deserve to die," he said simply.
Hiro's gaze turned cold. He didn't hesitate. Steel flashed.
Clang!
Ryoshi barely blocked in time, sparks flying as Hiro's sword clashed against his own. The force of the strike sent vibrations up his arm. Hiro was serious.
"You've lost your way," Hiro growled, pressing forward. "If you stand with demons, then you're no better than them!"
The other slayers hesitated, watching, unsure whether to attack.
Ryoshi's heart pounded. He didn't want to fight them. But Hiro wasn't giving him a choice.
Another strike came—faster this time. Ryoshi barely dodged, twisting his body to deflect the blade instead of counterattacking.
"I don't want to fight you," he said through gritted teeth.
"Then surrender," Hiro spat. "Or die as a traitor."
Ryoshi exhaled sharply. He had trained alongside Hiro for years. He knew Hiro's speed, his patterns. If he wanted to end this quickly without hurting him, he had to make a move now.
A sudden movement from Siren caught his attention. She wasn't running.
Instead, she raised a hand, and a soft silver glow pulsed from her fingertips.
"Enough," she said, her voice barely a whisper—but it carried power.
A wave of energy rippled outward, gentle but firm, forcing distance between the fighters. It wasn't an attack. It was a warning.
Hiro stumbled back, eyes wide. "Magic…?"
Siren met his gaze. "I don't want to hurt you."
Hiro flinched, his grip tightening on his sword. "Monsters don't hesitate to kill."
Ryoshi took a step forward. "Then maybe she's not a monster."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then, one of the slayers behind Hiro—Kenji, younger and less experienced—lowered his sword slightly. "Hiro… what if he's right?"
Hiro's jaw clenched. His knuckles turned white around his hilt. He wasn't convinced. Not yet.
But he didn't attack again.
"This isn't over," Hiro muttered. Then, with a sharp glare at Ryoshi, he turned on his heel. "We're leaving."
The other slayers hesitated before following.
Ryoshi exhaled, feeling the tension drain from his body.
Siren studied him. "You didn't kill them."
"I didn't want to," Ryoshi said.
A small smile ghosted across her lips. "Then maybe there's hope for you after all."
Ryoshi wasn't sure what that meant, but one thing was clear: His choice had changed everything.
And there was no turning back.
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