No Turning Back

Toma walked briskly through the lobby, heading straight for the elevator. He made his way up to Carter’s room, knocking firmly on the door.

“Come in!” Carter's confident voice could be heard from the other side of the door.

Toma stepped inside to find the inspector lounging stretched out on the sofa. "Inspector, something unexpected just happened to me."

"Relax, Toma! Just tell me what happened to you?"

"So, I met a girl today—"

"Stop, stop, stop!" Carter suddenly held up a hand, smirking.

"Call me Dr. Love. I’m an expert in teenage hearts."

Toma waved his hands furiously, already regretting his choice of words.

"What?! No, no, it’s not like that! The girl was injured by a mugger who stole her bag. I chased him, but he wasn’t just a normal thief. He moved like a pro. I lost him when he disappeared into an alley and left the bag behind. I checked it, but there was nothing suspicious. What do you think, Inspector?"

Carter’s grin faded instantly. His eyes sharpened, and his voice dropped into something much more serious.

"A thief who moves like a professional warrior doesn't steal girls' fashionable bags for fun…"

“If he went out of his way to target her, that cut on her arm wasn't an accident. The thief probably wants something from the girl and will strike again! We have to stop him and get the girl under the warriors' protection as soon as possible, so no one can find her!"

Toma's eyes widened.

"Then Vira’s in danger! We have to go now!"

Carter nodded firmly.

"Agreed. Which way?"

"The Fourth District. Follow me!"

***

A Few Minutes Later

They arrived at Vira’s house. Toma dashed to the door—and froze.

"The door…" he pointed. "It’s broken."

Carter’s voice was low but sharp.

"Toma. What does the girl look like?"

"Tall, slender, long brown hair, brown eyes… a scar on her right arm."

"Got it. We split up. You search the apartment. I’ll sweep the area."

"Understood!"

Toma rushed inside, tearing through the rooms one by one.

"Vira?! Vira, where are you?!"

The apartment was completely hollow and silent—until a rasping voice echoed from the shadowed doorway.

"Hey, hey, kid…"

Toma froze.

Toma spun around at the sound of footfalls behind him. The thief stood near the shattered doorway, dark hair falling over a cold, indifferent face. At his feet lay Vira, unconscious and breathing heavily.

“What did you do to her?” Toma demanded, his hand dropping to his weapon.

“Just completing the process,” the man replied smoothly, stepping back. “Though you arrived a bit earlier than expected.”

Toma clenched his fists.

With a dark smirk, the man snapped his fingers, and Vira’s body immediately violently convulsed on the floor as the dark aura took hold.

Her skin darkened. Her eyes turned blood red. Horns burst from her skull, and a tail lashed out behind her.

Not a monster and not quite human either.

A twisted, corrupted version of herself — her features still recognizable, but warped. Burning with something wrong.

​A sickening, inexplicable joy gleamed in the man’s eyes.

“And in case you’re wondering—there’s no way to turn her back."

In the next moment, the girl attacked Toma savagely.

Vira… I’m sorry.

Toma focused everything into his palm. Blue Nova exploded to life — bright, searing energy.

He drove it straight into her chest.

As the blue energy pierced her chest, the corruption faded from her eyes.

“Thank you...” Vira whispered, her voice barely audible as her body dissolved into light.

Toma clenched his fist tightly, then gave Vira one last smile, as her eyes slowly began to close for the final time.

"No... It is I who should thank you for the ramen. It was truly delicious."

Slow, deliberate applause echoed from the shadows behind him.

"Heh… I didn’t expect that," said the man in black, stepping into view.

"You’re cold, kid. Real cold — you didn’t even hesitate. You really kill your little girlfriends without flinching, huh?"

"I didn’t let Vira suffer as a demon. And I won’t let anyone else suffer either."

The man responded with a half-smile. "Don’t make me laugh." —And in a blur, he lunged.

His glowing hand shot forward — aimed at Toma’s neck. That same cursed touch that marked Vira.

Toma blocked with a surge of Blue Nova — but the man dodged.

He's too fast. I can barely keep up with his movements!

Attack after attack rained down. Toma countered—barely—until a heavy strike shattered his guard, sending a sharp crack through his ribs as he stumbled back, gasping for air.

Shit… he touched me… That’s how it starts. Vira just had a cut and—

His hand flew to his chest.

Pain bloomed.

No weapon. Just his hands…

The man kept pressing forward, pounding him with brutal strikes.

"I can’t let him keep this up. It’s no good… I’m blacking out. I need… a clean hit!"

Toma dug deep.

With a roar, he drove a hard kick straight into the man’s stomach — sending him flying.

Without hesitation, Toma charged again.

Toma parried a high kick, spun around to counter with a low sweep, and pushed back as the man effortlessly reversed the momentum.

But this time, Toma had the edge—faster, sharper, and fully focused as his training kicked in. Surging Blue Nova directly into his left fist, he drove a devastating punch straight into the man’s face with a violent crack that sent him staggering back.

“Hey kid… that really hurt…” the man groaned, staggering.

Then he smiled.

"Why are you such a jerk?"

Suddenly, his fingernails doubled in length — sharpening into black claws.

He slashed at Toma, hissing.

Those claws… that’s how he wounded Vira! Even a scratch could be fatal…

Toma’s hand flew to the katana on his back.

With a shing, he drew it just in time, parrying the claws.

The man sneered.

"So… you figured it out. You won’t even let my claws touch your sword. Smart!"

Toma’s eyes narrowed as he barely parried another lethal swipe. He could feel the raw, corrupted energy radiating from the man’s hands—a manifestation of the very power that had transformed Vira.

There was no time to think, only to react. They traded blow after blow in a breathless sequence of slashes and parries, both pushed to their absolute limits.

His clothes were shredded. His arms ached. He was barely hanging on.

Damn it… I can’t take much more of this...

Then—

A shout rang out.

"Leave the boy alone, you bastard!!"

Inspector Carter burst through the hallway, flames in his eyes.

Arlen was right behind him.

The man’s expression changed — just for a second. A flicker of panic.

"Hey hey… What are you doing here?! This is bad… very bad!"

He snapped his fingers.

"Come out, demons!"

At his command, shadows twisted throughout the building as monsters burst through the doors and smashed through the windows. Nearly two dozen demons swarmed into the narrow hallway, their glowing red eyes filling the gloom.

Taking advantage of the chaos, the man bolted into the shadows.

And vanished.

“What happened to the girl?” Carter demanded as he stepped over the broken door.

Toma’s voice was heavy.

“She turned into a demon. That… thing on the floor. That was her.”

Carter’s eyes narrowed. But before he could respond—

“The demons are coming!” Arlen shouted.

A chorus of snarls echoed through the building.

“Then of course,” Carter said, cracking his knuckles, “we’ll slaughter them all!”

He turned, grinning.

“Katanas out, boys!”

Toma and Arlen drew their weapons in sync.

But Carter… didn’t.

He rushed into the fray barehanded.

In the middle of a slash, Toma glanced sideways. “Arlen, how did you even get here?”

“I was on patrol nearby,” Arlen shouted back, cutting down a demon. “I ran into Carter. He said he was looking for a girl, so we searched together. When we couldn’t find her, we came here.”

“I see… Damn, they just keep coming!” Toma growled, slicing two demons in one clean motion. “Even if I cut them down two by two, they don’t stop!”

Suddenly, Carter’s smile widened.

“Oh, my goodness. I suppose I have no choice.”

A bright spark erupted around him.

Then—

A blinding blue glare burst through the darkness.

In an instant, two glowing katanas appeared in his hands.

Blades of raw electricity, shaped like lightning itself.

Before the demons could even react, Carter vanished into a streak of raw lightning. He blurred across the room like a ghost, his twin blades carving through every monster in a single, fluid wave of precise and deadly strikes.

Within seconds, the room was still.

Only crackling sparks remained.

Toma stared in shock.

“What the hell was that?!”

“A flash that killed them all instantly!” Arlen gasped.

Carter turned to them with a smirk.

“Come on, boys. You’re slow!”

Toma blinked.

“Wait—Inspector Carter, you have an elemental weapon?!”

“Of course!” Carter said proudly, posing like a showman.

“Was I spectacular enough?”

“Elemental weapons are super rare,” Arlen whispered to Toma. “Only high-ranking warriors can even wield them. That means… he’s at least vice-captain level!”

Toma narrowed his eyes.

“…Who are you, Inspector Carter?”

Carter shrugged, still smiling.

“I’m just an ordinary inspector,” he said, casually spinning his twin blades. “Electricity is my element — I can move at the speed of light.”

Toma stared.

“That’s seriously cool.”

“Yeah. I know!” Carter flashed a thumbs-up.

Arlen sighed under his breath.

“…What an egotist.”

Suddenly, several men in matching yellow uniforms appeared, each bearing a jagged lightning-bolt insignia.

“Thank you. We’ll take it from here,” one of them said.

Inspector Carter nodded.

“The Lightning Division. They’re in charge of this district now,” he explained.

“What are they doing here?” Arlen asked.

“They’re responsible for cleanup. It’s their job to handle the demon corpses.”

Toma stepped forward, his voice low.

“Inspector Carter... Vira is dead. And her corpse is now a demon. Who’s going to inform her family?”

“That’s their responsibility, too,” Carter said quietly. “It’s not our place anymore. But I’ll tell you this... every single demon we fought today used to be human.”

Toma and Arlen froze.

All around them, the hallway and the front courtyard were littered with the dissolving remains of the creatures—around twenty corpses in total, all felled in a matter of seconds.

All of them... had once been people.

***

Later, at the hotel restaurant...

“So this is what being a real warrior feels like…” Arlen muttered, as he sank deep into thought about what had happened.

“It’s exciting… but terrifying too. People’s lives are at stake,” Toma sighed, then looked into Arlen's eyes with deadly seriousness. “Arlen, we have to save as many as we can. We can’t back down.”

“Yeah,” Arlen nodded. “You’re right.”

Just then, Inspector Carter walked in, hands in his pockets.

“Inspector!” Toma stood up. “What did you want to talk about?”

Carter’s expression was serious.

“I’ll get straight to the point.”

He looked them both in the eye.

“Toma, Arlen… you’re relieved of duty. The mission is over.”

“What?” Arlen blurted out, slamming his hands onto the table. “You can't be serious! Why now?”

“This mission is extremely dangerous,” Carter said firmly. “There’s a man out there who can turn humans into demons. That’s never happened before. We don’t know how, or why—but that kind of power? It’s beyond anything students should face. The academy won’t allow it.”

“You can’t just cut us off like this!” Arlen shouted. “This is our mission now! We can’t just walk away while people die!”

“Exactly!” Toma added. “I don’t care about this ‘protect the students’ crap! I’m ready to risk my life if it means protecting others! That’s what it means to be a warrior, isn’t it?! How could I call myself one if I ran away now?!”

He clenched his fists, eyes blazing.

“If I’m too weak… then teach me. Make me stronger!”

Carter was silent for a long moment. Then… he grinned.

“Oh man… You two really aren’t ordinary students.”

He nodded.

“Fine. Training starts tomorrow.”

“YES!!” Toma and Arlen shouted together.

“Thank you, Inspector Carter!”