Information Dump chapter

The sun was at its peak, and the outskirts of Pata were full of craters, fallen trees, and small fires. Hanz knelt on one knee, using his sword to keep himself from collapsing. He was panting furiously. After catching some of his breath, he looked over at Dracula, who was also breathing heavily. The demon lord had a deep wound across his chest and was missing an arm.

They had been fighting for hours, both drained of stamina.

"Impressive," Dracula muttered from the ground. "I hate to admit it, but you've grown very strong, mortal. Then again, what was I to expect from a hybrid? You were purposely holding back so you wouldn't kill me—and you still had the upper hand. You've earned my respect."

"That means very little coming from you," Hanz replied with a smirk. "I would’ve killed you if it wouldn’t have messed up the timeline more than it already has. Next time you show up, you won’t be so lucky."

Though neither had the strength to continue, Hanz knew Dracula would return stronger—and when that happened, he hoped Shu would be ready.

"Now, this was fun," Hanz muttered as he stood, using his katana as a walking stick. "But it’s time to make sure you won’t cause problems during Shu’s training."

He made his way over to Dracula’s motionless body and squeezed out the last of his kantar to form a small spherical object, pulsing with power. He dropped the orb into Dracula's wound. Instantly, Dracula let out a blood-curdling scream as his veins glowed purple and bulged beneath his pale skin. Then, just as suddenly, the glow faded and the screaming stopped.

"What… what did you do to me?!" Dracula roared, realizing he couldn’t move.

Hanz smirked. "A technique I’ve been working on just for you. That orb was a condensed form of my kantar—and since I’m a hybrid, it’s ripping through your demon kantar. It won’t kill you, but it’ll weaken you. Once it's done, you’ll be about as strong as a second-class demon."

With that, Hanz locked onto Hannah’s kantar signature and teleported.

—

Hannah dropped to her knees the moment Hanz appeared, his body battered and worn. She enveloped him in her kantar, reversing its flow to heal him. After a few minutes, Hanz felt a surge of energy and quickly sprang to his feet. Looking around, he saw they were in a modest wooden room, decorated with a few paintings and even fewer pieces of furniture.

"You healed me using the reversal of your innate kantar technique," Hanz said.

"Yes. I’d ask how you knew that, but I’m sure you’ve seen me use it before," Hannah replied with a knowing smirk. "Anyway, when I peeked into your memories earlier, I saw something about a hybrid. What’s that?"

"I’ll tell you after you brief me on what’s going on here. I know we’re in the right house—but where is everybody?"

"The mage said Shu’s training needed to begin immediately, so he was taken to a nearby forest. Tobi tagged along, hoping to learn something too. Now… back to my question, please."

Hanz chuckled. He knew Hannah could get annoyed when her questions weren’t answered. "Hybrids are basically beings that are half-human, half-something else. Take Shu, for example—thanks to the Enkairadion, he's part celestial now. I’m a hybrid too, though I hate my other half. I’m the son of a demon lord."

Hannah’s eyes widened. "What do you mean? The emperor would never allow that."

"Shu kills the demon emperor in the future. Eventually, the emperor becomes an obstacle to his destiny. After the emperor’s death, three demon lords and some third-class demons snuck into the middle realm disguised as humans. One of those humans was my father.

"The demons knew that hybrids were stronger than purebloods. Human kantar evolves and grows, while dark kantar is stagnant—it stays the same from birth. So they tried to breed hybrids and control us, hoping we’d help overthrow the celestials. It didn’t go as planned. The celestials used the Enkairadion to seal the demons away again.

"When we hybrids were born, our human parents abandoned us because of how we looked—fangs, claws, horns, light purple skin. But the celestials took us in. They used the Enkairadion to help us shift between human and demon forms. Each of us was raised by a female celestial. I was placed under your care. That’s basically it."

Hannah was stunned. But more than that, she was excited—because it meant Shu would succeed in his quest. And that she would become a celestial again. But the thought also hit her hard: if she became immortal once more, she would eventually have to watch Shu die.

She quickly asked Hanz, "What happens to Shu in the future?"

Hanz hesitated. "I’m not supposed to tell you… but since you'll become a celestial again, telling you won’t have any consequences. Shu also becomes a celestial—specifically, the celestial of Hope, Courage, and Power. And because he’s your son, he inherits your title too: the celestial of Destruction. Though, his destructive power isn’t quite at your level."

Hannah smiled with relief. She thanked Hanz, and since they had time to spare, she suggested they train together. She still needed to harness her full power if she wanted to keep up with Shu and Hanz.

Hanz smirked. "Alright, let’s do it."

—

Night fell, and everyone gathered at the old cabin where the mage lived. Shu grinned when he saw Hanz.

"Hey! I heard you fought a demon lord. I wish I could’ve seen that. Was he strong? Was he—"

Hanz laughed. "He was tough, but I beat him. Don’t worry, you’ll get your turn soon enough."

Shu’s eyes sparkled with excitement. Meanwhile, Tobi and Hannah were chatting about the training.

"I managed to pick up a few tricks," Tobi admitted. "But Shu learned way faster than me—not that I’m surprised. I wish I could be more like him. Everything comes naturally to him, and watching him smile like that… it makes me want to work harder. I train so I can protect him when he needs it."

Hannah overheard him and smiled warmly. "Shu… I’m glad you have such good friends."

They all gathered to eat and drink, enjoying a moment of peace.

—

Meanwhile, though brutally injured and drained, Dracula managed to return to Marcel.

"What happened to you?!" Marcel gasped. He was sure Shu wasn’t strong enough to do that kind of damage. Then it hit him: Hanz.

"You bastard…" Marcel muttered. "Fine. You may have won this time, brother. But trust me—I’ll make my comeback. I’ll shoot the ball again, and this time, I’ll make sure to score a goal."

He began treating Dracula’s wounds, instructing him to stay hidden until his powers recovered. Marcel knew Hanz likely used that technique—the one that tore through Dracula’s kantar. And he wasn’t ready to let that be the end.