“You have sworn loyalty to Ren Tengu? Have you lost your mind?” Karli screamed at the top of her lungs to her older brother. As he was now, he looked like a ghost of his former self, a shadow of once mighty Frost Wolf demon that toured above many others. Granted, he was still taller than her by at least two inches, but his emaciated body was a clear sign that he was malnourished and in extremely weakened state. He was a bronze ranked demon, only step below the demon lords who were generally at Silver ranked or above, but judging from his current state, his aura was more like Iron Ranked demon instead. His power had waned considerably, causing him to rank down.

Demons use ranks to measure their power while humans used levels. The ranks went from lowest to highest, Earth rank, Stone rank, Brass rank, Copper rank, Iron rank, and Bronze rank. The higher ranks of Silver and Gold were reserved for the Demon Lords.

To think that his power waned this much, why wasn’t he angry? Why isn’t his rage overwhelming the surroundings with its sheer power, why does he seem so broken?

“I have. And his name is Ren Karatengu. I owe him a debt of my freedom and my life. Had it not been for him, I would still be in chains inside that dungeon.”

“Damn it! To think Nar Kas had you all this time. He lied to me; he told me you were dead, executed by the previous demon king before the demon king had died. He…he used me, in order to…kill Ren Karatengu…” Her expression betrayed her horror. She was manipulated by that Saber tooth demon, she was just a pawn in his hands, and she only realized now how naïve she was to believe his words. She should have killed him when she had the chance!

“Did you say the Demon King is dead? What do you mean?”

“Oh, you probably haven’t heard, Akil Ras, the 56th demon king, along with his entire clan was wiped out, by humans I believe.”

Korkau’s shocked expression followed by a noise of him gulping was prominent.

“I see, no wonder the Kas clan ended up taking me from the prison of Demon King and threw me into their dungeon. I was wondering why the demon king would allow such a thing to happen, as far as I knew the Demon king and Kas clan are not allies. So that’s why.”

“I am sorry for not being there for you, I didn’t know…” Karli began.

“Didn’t know that I was alive? I am not really shocked, considering the only family I have did not come to save me in no matter how much I prayed, while the enemy I cursed every single day of my captivity just shows up and offers my freedom. With the way the things are going now I wouldn’t be surprised if the three suns in the sky would come crashing down upon us and none would even get scratched!” He said something absurd and he knew it, but that was the only way he could describe how he was feeling.

Karli’s face looked rather guilty with shame, her canine ears drooping, and her tail down. She knew her older brother was disappointed in her and she would understand if her were to strike her in anger, but instead he just sighed.

“I should follow the Master now.” He muttered.

“Master? Master? You are calling him master?! What is wrong with you? This is not the proud and mighty Korkau Jou, my elder brother I knew!” Karli was shocked how he now behaved like a subordinate instead of a leader.

“He is now my master, I swore to serve him, in order to repay my debt.” He said it in serious tone. He wasn’t joking.

“What about you beliefs, goals, and ambitions? Strong must lead the weak. Didn’t you tell me you would rule the Kalkan kingdom because you are the strongest?”

“Karli, have you ever fought Ren Karatengu?”

“I have.”

“And how did it end?”

“It was my complete defeat. He turned my own magic against me. But if I have another chance I am sure I can beat…”

“Enough of this! There are no other chances! The only reason you are alive right now is because he was merciful, you might have seen a mere fraction of his power but I have seen what he truly is capable of. Strong leading the weak? Well, he is the strongest demon I have ever encountered. I can’t even sense his presence; do you know what that means?”

Karli shook her head.

“An ant cannot comprehend the power of a giant. A weaker demon cannot sense the power of a demon many levels above him. You fought him yourself so you ought to know.”

“You don’t mean he is…”

“Exactly. Other than the two demon lords that I saw in his clan, he himself must be at their level. That must be the case. By looking at them I can tell the one armed one and red dragon demon are powerful but I cannot sense their power, nay, I cannot sense it at all. They are at Demon lord level, and with the Ren Karatengu I have the same sensation. He is a demon lord level demon.”

“Even if that is the case, we can just get stronger, we can rebuild our clan, our forces, and we can still win!” Karli exclaimed.

“It is too late for that, the Selection already started, our Jou clan is destroyed, only with two of us left, and all other members fled, I presume.” Korkau sadly remarked. “My ambitions are gone. There is nothing left now but to die. But I must keep my word before doing so.”

“Brother! How can you say that?! Even if he is that strong, together we can…”

“Don’t be foolish. Even with our strength combined I can tell, we are no match for him. We cannot beat him. I already swore my loyalty to him and I am not a demon who breaks his word. In order for us to survive, our only option is to join him.”

“Us? What do you mean us?” Karli was confused for a second.

“Exactly how it sounds. I wish for you and I to join the Tengu clan.”

“WHAAAAT?!!!” Karli screamed out. What the heck is going on, her brother just proposed something absurd.

“Karli, please calm down. As much as I would rather not, it is our only option, if we want to survive. Without our forces, territory and resources, we are just two demons. We are easy for other demon clans to kill. Furthermore, I am currently weakened, I cannot protect you.”

“I don’t need you to protect me; I am strong enough as it is.” Karli tersely replied.

“If the stronger clans like phoenix demons of Altyn clan come for us, we are finished. I don’t wish to lose my only family I have left, but I cannot protect you. The recent events have only served to show me how outmatched I am against high ranked demons, and there are so many of them…By joining the Tengu clan, you will be protected, that is all I wish for. The Tengu clan is strong, I am sure they can offer strong protection to those who join them. They can kill me if they want to, but I wish for you to live.”

“Big brother, I…” Karli grasped her brother by the collars of his ragged clothing, but instead of roughing him up, she gave him a hug. A strong embrace that made Korkau’s bones creak somewhat from pressure. “If it means you will be safe there, I…I will join…his clan.” She said the last part with tension.

Ren Karatengu…he was her enemy from the start, but now she has to beg for his charity…What in the world is going to happen to them now?