Our world secretly harbors demons eager to steal souls and possess humans. Brave exorcists battle them using holy artifacts and faith, but the demons often overpower them—like when a group of priests is tragically incinerated by demonic blue flames during a failed ritual.
In the normal world, Rin is a rebellious orphan raised at a monastery by his guardian, Shirou. Constantly getting into street fights, Rin tries to make excuses for his injuries, but he soon gets fired from his delivery job for ditching work. After Rin acts out by burying his face in a girl’s chest, Shirou puts him in a chokehold and warns him that his reckless behavior will leave him with nothing.
Rin‘s twin brother, Yukio, is his exact opposite. Yukio is a model student and athlete preparing to move into a prestigious academy’s dormitory. When bystanders loudly compare the drastically different twins, an enraged Rin yells, causing a nearby device to suddenly burst into strange blue flames. Shirou quickly covers the incident up, claiming the equipment is just old, and tells Yukio to bandage his brother. As Yukio patches him up, he questions his brother’s constant need to fight. Rin, completely unsure of his own volatile nature, simply congratulates his twin on having a much brighter future.
Suddenly, someone hands Rin a job recruitment notice meant specifically for him, along with a suit so he can look sharp for the interview. Rin knows that if he fails to secure a job this time, Shirou might actually kick him out of the monastery.
At the grocery store, the strict manager reviews his middle-school-only resume and orders him to move heavy goods outside. Bystanders assume she is hazing the new guy, but they are amazed when Rin effortlessly lifts the entire massive stack in one go. He finishes before the manager even reaches the door, though he clumsily drops the last box right onto her head. He completes the subsequent tasks decently, but his carelessness causes him to accidentally spray water in her face while fixing a shower head and ram a cart straight into her.
Just as Rin sighs, fully expecting to be fired, an unexpected opportunity arises. The frugal manager had bought a batch of spices she couldn’t sell because her current chef was terrible. On a whim, Rin steps in to show off his cooking skills. The delicious aroma of his noodles quickly spreads, drawing an eager crowd of customers. The manager takes one bite, her eyes widen in amazement, and she immediately hires him. Overjoyed, Rin heads home, where Shirou prepares a massive hot pot to celebrate his eldest son’s new job and his youngest leaving for school.
However, the success is short-lived. During his next shift, Rin spots a little girl—the daughter of a man who recently requested an exorcism—chasing a wind-blown handkerchief. Rin catches it, but notices a strange creature clinging to the fabric. The creature yanks it away and flees into the supermarket, jumping onto a towering pile of goods and causing them to collapse. Seeing the little girl standing directly below the falling boxes, Rin throws himself forward to shield her. While the girl escapes with only a minor scrape, the manager accuses Rin of deliberately destroying the merchandise and fires him on the spot.
That evening, everyone waits a long time for Rin to return home. Eventually, Yukio goes out to look for him and harshly scolds his older brother upon discovering he has already lost his new job. Rin, however, is unable to explain the bizarre events he witnessed at the supermarket, knowing no one would believe him when he barely understands what happened himself.
When the brothers finally arrive at the monastery, they find the father and little girl waiting to express their gratitude to Rin for protecting her. The father dismisses his daughter’s frequent accidents as mere clumsiness, but Rin insists she is being targeted. Assuming it is a school bullying issue, the angry father vows to investigate, but the little girl tugs his hand and clarifies that a spirit—not a human—is to blame. The father nervously brushes this off as an overactive imagination fueled by fairy tales. Before Rin can argue and explain the truth, Shirou interrupts. He hands the girl a small bottle containing a four-leaf clover without any explanation, and then strictly grounds Rin from going outside.
The following morning, Rin wakes up to see strange creatures swarming his surroundings. Disregarding his guardian’s grounding, he goes outside and is confronted by the same wealthy delinquent he had fought previously. Because the arrogant teen is about to enter a prestigious academy, he tries to pay Rin off to settle their past feud quietly and protect his reputation. Rin refuses the bribe and tries to walk away, but the delinquent continues to taunt him, mocking how Yukio will ever be able to afford his tuition on his own. Insulting his younger brother crosses the line, and an enraged Rin immediately punches the guy to the ground.
Screaming in rage, the wealthy teen suddenly undergoes a monstrous transformation. Horns sprout from his head, a tail grows from his back, and his ears become pointed, shedding all traces of his humanity. Bizarrely, his underlings act as if they do not notice the demonic change at all, blindly rushing forward to grab and pin Rin down.
The transformed delinquent pulls out a searing hot iron rod, preparing to press it against Rin. In a moment of sheer desperation, Rin lets out a furious scream, causing brilliant blue flames to suddenly erupt from his body. The attacker’s attitude completely shifts; he respectfully introduces himself as Astaroth, a loyal servant of the demon king Satan, sent here to welcome their prince. Confused, Rin has no idea what the creature is talking about.
Suddenly, Shirou arrives at the scene, loudly chanting a holy prayer calling for divine retribution. Hearing the scripture, Astaroth shifts from calm to deeply uncomfortable, and then to enraged. He lunges forward to attack, but Shirou easily catches his arm, spins him, and slams him to the ground. Pressing two fingers together, he points them directly at the possessed boy and commands the demon to die. A stream of black mist immediately escapes the host’s mouth, leaving the teen completely unconscious.
When Rin demands to know what is going on, Shirou explains that their human world exists parallel to a demon realm called Gehenna. Normally, the two dimensions cannot interact, but after Rin‘s power awakened, that separating barrier vanished. He reveals the shocking truth: Rin is actually the son of Satan. Warning that the fiercest and most dangerous demons will soon come hunting for him, Shirou grabs Rin‘s hand and forces him to flee as the surroundings begin to warp.
Demons continuously pursue them, using dark marks to track their location. Swarms of lesser demons try to impede their escape, but Shirou effortlessly dispels them with a mere wave of his hand, proving he is an incredibly skilled exorcist. When they leap to an adjacent building, their path is blocked by a horde of stray cats and dogs—corpses being controlled by demons. Remaining fearless, Shirou notes that ordinary possessed animals are nothing compared to human-shaped undead. He simply throws a bottle of holy water, instantly melting the entire horde and stripping them of their combat capability.
The father and son successfully retreat to the monastery, where it becomes clear they have prepared for this exact scenario. Three layers of protective barrier seals have already been erected outside, revealing that Shirou is not the only one aware of Rin‘s dark secret. Despite these heavy defenses, Shirou remains deeply uneasy about what is to come.
Shirou assigns everyone to reinforce the barriers so they can hold out until morning. He takes Rin to a secret room the boy never knew existed and retrieves Kurikara, a legendary sword passed down through generations. Since Rin‘s dark power is sealed within this blade and his secret is now exposed, Shirou has no choice but to hand it over. He strictly warns Rin to protect the sword with his life and never draw it; if he does, his demonic power will fully awaken, and he will permanently lose his humanity.
Outside, hordes of demons try to break in, but the barrier shreds their bodies into pools of blood. However, despite being exorcised earlier by Shirou, the demon Astaroth possesses another human host and attacks the monastery. Crashing a car straight into the barrier, Astaroth absorbs the impact, disables the defenses, and charges inside.
Hearing the loud crash, Shirou tells Rin to use this opportunity to escape and live a normal human life where the demons cannot find him. Locking Rin safely inside the room, Shirou emerges to find the monastery swarming with enemies. The other priests fight back fiercely: one uses a carved seal to punch demons with supernatural boxing strength, another uses his blood to summon a fighting creature from a magic circle, and a third breathes massive streams of fire. Their combined efforts manage to keep the chaotic battle under control.
However, everything changes when Astaroth enters the fray. He is so fast and powerful that no attacks can touch him, and no one can defend against his devastating strikes. Even Shirou‘s gunshots completely miss their mark. Letting out a furious scream, Astaroth causes his possessed human body to swell into a grotesquely massive monster, capable of easily tearing anyone in the room apart.
Just as things look entirely bleak, a trident suddenly flies through the air and pins the giant demon to the ground. The attacker is none other than Rin, who broke down the secret room’s door unnoticed. Astaroth is stunned that the very prince he came to welcome is attacking him. While Shirou is briefly surprised, he quickly seizes the opening, using the holy words of God and his fierce faith to successfully exorcise Astaroth.
Although the most dangerous threat is temporarily resolved, everyone in the room is seriously injured. Instead of treating the wounded, Shirou orders the priests to pack up and evacuate Rin immediately. Rin vehemently opposes fleeing and leaving them behind, but Shirou insists that the monastery’s ultimate and most important duty is to protect him.
Hearing this, Rin becomes extremely agitated. Having been viewed with suspicion since childhood and called a demon’s child, the sudden exposure of the truth leaves him overwhelmed and incredibly uncomfortable. Seeing everyone injured breaks his heart and pushes him over the edge. Losing his composure, he screams that no one needs him, accusing Shirou of eventually abandoning him just like everyone else. He declares he no longer needs this fake family and tells Shirou to stop calling himself his father. Unable to stay calm after such hurtful words, Shirou slaps him and orders him to pack his things before dawn.
As Rin turns away, Shirou suddenly collapses. He warns the others to stay back before letting out a savage laugh as blue flames erupt from his entire body. This signifies that the king of the demon world, Satan, has possessed him to take his son back.
When the priests rush forward, Satan sets them ablaze with a mere glance. Because a human body cannot withstand his immense power, Satan quickly uses his claws to cut his own hand, spilling blood to open a portal to the demon world. He grabs Rin and throws him into the gate. Despite his desperate struggles, Rin cannot escape the powerful pull as Satan laughs triumphantly.
Suddenly, Shirou regains control of his consciousness. Unable to defeat Satan but refusing to let him win, Shirou sacrifices himself by grabbing his cross pendant and stabbing it directly into his own chest. However, the gate remains active, continuously pulling Rin inside. Right before being completely swallowed, Rin grabs his sealed sword and draws it. His demonic power is fully unleashed, engulfing both him and the blade in blue flames. With a powerful slash, he destroys the gate in a blinding flash of light.
When the darkness fades, Shirou lies lifeless in the center of the room. Standing over him in a form that is no longer fully human, Rin sheathes his sword and cries helplessly over the loss. Shirou‘s death marks the tragic end of Rin‘s peaceful existence. Looking back longingly at his home filled with warm memories, Rin steps outside. The injured priests do not blame him for the demonic attack; instead, they diligently continue their work and remind him that he is always welcome to return. Before dying, Shirou had given Rin a cell phone containing a single contact number. It belongs to a friend who is prepared to do whatever it takes to help and support Rin on his new path.
Rin made the call and waited eagerly to see who would show up. From a distance, a flashy pink limousine sped toward him, nearly running him over before coming to a halt. A man stepped out of the vehicle, introducing himself as the person Shirou promised would always be there to help. His fashion sense was incredibly trendy, but his shady demeanor made him seem entirely untrustworthy.
While they conversed, Yukio arrived to greet them. It was hard to believe that the utterly clueless older brother had managed to get into True Cross Academy alongside his academically gifted younger sibling. True Cross Academy was no ordinary school; it was a massive, sprawling area that felt like an entire district separated from the rest of the world. Walking through the campus, Rin looked around like a clueless country bumpkin, whereas Yukio remained perfectly calm, ignoring the sights to focus entirely on reading his book.
To Rin‘s absolute shock, Yukio stepped up to the podium as the freshman representative to deliver the welcoming speech. He knew his brother was intelligent, but he hadn’t realized he was at the very top of his class. After the opening ceremony, Yukio was immediately swarmed by admiring girls. Seeing this success reminded Rin of their childhood, back when his shy little brother would secretly hang his written dreams on a tree. When Rin had accidentally discovered them, instead of teasing him, he offered his full encouragement and support. That early backing was likely what gave Yukio the persistence to chase his goals all the way to this prestigious academy.
Afterward, Rin wandered off to explore the campus. Compared to this massive institution, their old monastery felt the size of a toenail; even a single classroom here was larger than their entire former home. His loud amazement attracted awkward stares from everyone around him. While navigating the hallways, Rin spotted a strange dog that walked a few steps and turned back, clearly wanting him to follow. He trailed the animal to a quiet, secluded area, where it suddenly transformed into Mephisto.
As the principal, he explained that he couldn’t just wander the public halls freely. Rin curiously asked if becoming an exorcist meant he could also turn into a dog. Mephisto clarified that ordinary exorcists cannot do such things, but he uniquely can. Tossing Rin a special key, Mephisto led him through a strange, magical door. This secret, vast facility was where the academy officially trained its exorcists. However, unlike the pristine school outside, the classrooms here were noticeably run-down and aged. Inside one of the rooms, a handful of students were already sitting and waiting for their new teacher to arrive.
The students in the classroom were individuals who had suffered spiritual wounds, granting them the ability to see demons. While a rare few were born with this sight, most acquired it after surviving demonic encounters, which is why the academy dedicated a specific class to training them. As the principal finished his explanation, the instructor walked in. To Rin‘s absolute shock, the teacher was none other than Yukio.
While the rest of the class remained unfazed, Rin couldn’t understand why his younger brother, the top freshman, was teaching exorcism instead of attending regular classes. Unable to stay calm, Rin shouted at him, realizing that if his brother was an exorcist, he must have known the dark truth about him all along. Yukio attempted to use his authority as an instructor to calm his brother down, but it was useless, forcing him to dismiss the other students so they could speak privately.
Yukio explained that because he was born physically weak, the demonic power did not pass to him. Instead, Rin had accidentally inflicted a spiritual wound on him when they were babies, granting Yukio the sight and starting him on the exorcist path at age seven. Just two years ago, he had officially graduated to become the youngest exorcist in history. Hearing this only agitated Rin further. Demanding to know how his brother truly saw him, Rin shoved Yukio, accidentally knocking over a vial of summoning blood in the process.
A horde of small demons instantly rushed into the room to attack. Remaining perfectly calm, Yukio drew his gun and flawlessly eliminated every creature that charged at him. Mid-fight, Yukio bluntly confessed that he viewed his demonic older brother as a dangerous threat to humanity that exorcists needed to eliminate. Although he didn’t know the exact details of Shirou‘s death, he knew the old man had successfully resisted Satan‘s possession for a long time. Because Shirou possessed such a powerful spirit, he never would have lost control unless Rin had said something terrible to break his mental state. Ultimately, Rin was Shirou‘s fatal weakness. As soon as the harsh words left his mouth, Yukio turned his weapon and pointed it straight at Rin. Refusing to back down, Rin‘s demonic blue flames began to blaze fiercely in response.
Rin drew his sword and charged straight at Yukio, but rather than attacking his brother, he struck the demon lurking right behind him. Rin acknowledged that Shirou‘s death was his fault, which was exactly why he wanted to become an exorcist—so that no one else would ever have to die protecting him. Hearing this confession, Yukio recalled their childhood. When he was terrified by his ability to see demons, Shirou had asked him if he wanted to become strong enough to protect himself and his older brother. That noble goal was the reason Yukio now stood before him as a teacher. With a mutual understanding established, the class officially began.
After class, Rin went looking for his dorm, only to discover that Yukio was his roommate. Since Rin was the son of the demon king and could potentially go on a rampage at any moment, Yukio had volunteered to share a room to monitor him. Thus, their shared room had essentially become a prison, with Yukio acting as the warden.
The next day, well aware of his older brother’s academic struggles, Yukio handed Rin some study materials on exorcism. However, they were literally children’s books, which deeply annoyed Rin. When he told Yukio to stop looking down on him, Yukio bluntly replied that it was just the truth; if he wanted to be a real exorcist instead of a fraud, he needed to put in the hard work.
Afterward, Yukio prepared to visit the local exorcist supply shop to buy materials and handle a requested exorcism. Eager for action, Rin immediately insisted on tagging along. Initially, Yukio wanted to refuse since an apprentice lacked the official authority to participate in combat. However, considering Rin‘s unique circumstances, he realized that waiting for Rin to formally learn combat might leave him vulnerable to demons first, so he allowed him to join.
The academy was a restricted zone layered with protective spells and hidden traps set by Mephisto to ward off demons. Wandering around without an exorcist key could easily get Rin killed. Upon arriving at the supply shop, Yukio sternly warned his brother not to wander off or touch anything carelessly. Irritated by his younger brother acting like a strict parent, Rin silently cursed him. Naturally, he immediately ignored the warning and wandered away anyway, eventually stumbling upon a beautiful, vibrant garden filled with colorful blooming flowers.
Inside, a girl was diligently planting flowers. As Rin stared at her, he absentmindedly touched the iron gate. The spot flashed with light, and the protective barrier surrounding the fence instantly shattered from his demonic touch, causing the gate to crash down. Realizing he was a demon, the terrified girl screamed and told him to stay away.
Instead of staying back, Rin approached her. When he noticed she was struggling to back away and couldn’t walk, he immediately offered his help. After explaining his unique situation, she finally calmed down, and they formally introduced themselves. Her name was Shiemi, the daughter of the exorcist supply shop owner. She explained that she loved this garden because it had been her grandmother’s favorite place. Sadly, her grandmother had passed away in an accident just a month prior. Shiemi hoped her grandmother’s soul had reached the Garden of Amahara, a mythical paradise containing every flower in the world.
Just then, Yukio and the shop owner stepped outside. The mother had invited Yukio to examine her daughter’s legs because regular hospital doctors couldn’t diagnose the problem. Examining her abnormally bulging, root-like veins, Yukio quickly determined the ailment was demonic. Rather than a powerful demon possessing her directly, a weaker demon had possessed a flower in the garden. To affect a human, this type of demon needed to converse with its victim and prey on their emotional vulnerabilities. He asked Shiemi if she had spoken to anything unusual recently, but she couldn’t remember.
Horrified by the danger, the mother angrily declared she would destroy the entire garden to save her daughter’s life. Shiemi vehemently protested before suddenly collapsing unconscious, her life force being actively drained by the parasite. The distraught mother confessed her deep guilt; because she was always busy running the shop, she had left her frail daughter in the grandmother’s care, creating a cold distance between them. She feared her recent attempts to finally care for Shiemi were now too late. However, Yukio warned her not to despair, as demons specifically feed on and exploit such negative emotions.
In her unconscious state, Shiemi relived the tragic day her grandmother died. She was supposed to help her grandmother cover the grape trellis to protect it from the cold. Instead, distracted by her dream of finding the Garden of Amahara, she told her grandmother she wanted to leave and search for it. Wanting only her granddaughter’s happiness, the old woman encouraged her to go. When Shiemi finally returned, she tragically found her grandmother lying lifeless beneath the fallen trellis.
Shiemi felt entirely responsible. After her grandmother’s death, the garden’s flowers stopped blooming, leaving her crying helplessly. That was when the demon appeared, promising to help protect her grandmother’s cherished garden and keep it from withering. In exchange, Shiemi‘s legs became strangely weak and paralyzed.
When Shiemi woke up and returned to the garden, Rin approached her to say that her mother was deeply worried. Dismissing him, she insisted her mother only had malicious intentions toward the garden. Infuriated by her stubbornness, Rin began smashing the flower pots. Shiemi panicked and tried to stop him as he demanded to know how long she planned to imprison herself there. He asked if her grandmother would really want her to stay trapped forever. Though she didn’t know the answer, she confessed her overwhelming guilt. Recognizing their shared torment over the deaths of loved ones, Rin told her to stop making her surviving mother sad and asked if she still wanted to find the Garden of Amahara. Deeply moved, Shiemi expressed her desire, but her legs were paralyzed.
Yukio suddenly intervened, revealing that killing the demon would heal her. Furious at the betrayal, the demon’s voice rang out. It transformed Shiemi‘s legs into roots and enveloped her body in a giant flower, using her as a human shield. Knowing the demon’s tactics, Yukio ordered Rin to attack. However, the demon kept maneuvering Shiemi into the line of fire, making Rin afraid to strike. Unwavering, Yukio declared he would kill the demon no matter what. To everyone’s shock, he fired a bullet straight at Shiemi‘s heart.
Terrified of the incoming shot, the demon threw Shiemi aside and attempted to flee. Waiting for exactly that opening, Rin killed it with a single, precise slash. The bullet hadn’t harmed Shiemi at all, and her legs were fully healed. As her mother rushed toward her, Rin tapped Shiemi on the head, urging her to apologize quickly before the opportunity slipped away. Tearfully, the mother and daughter finally embraced in happiness.
The next morning, Rin ignored the instructions and only took half a pill. He sat in class daydreaming about single-handedly defeating an entire demon clan and landing coolly amidst a shower of praise. Luckily, the teacher was kind; otherwise, he would have been kicked out for his constant sleeping. The teacher eventually gave up on waking him, much to the annoyance of the serious students. Inevitably, test day arrived. For someone who slept through every lecture and possessed an intelligence that could generously be called “grandfather-level stupid,” passing required sheer faith. Yet, Rin remained completely confident. Sitting next to him was Shiemi, who was equally confident due to her background working in the family apothecary.
While the theory portion was relatively easy for Shiemi, her test score was surprisingly low because she used her personal names for the medicines instead of the official international terms. Meanwhile, Rin managed an unimpressive two points out of a hundred, placing him second from the bottom. Annoyed by his lazy attitude, Ryuuji remarked that it would be hard to find someone as utterly stupid as him. Rin was about to snap back until he saw that his rival had scored a near-perfect 98. Ryuuji taunted him, claiming he could score higher than Rin even if his brain and rear end were swapped.
Looking at his dyed hair, piercings, and delinquent appearance, Rin couldn’t understand how Ryuuji could be such a good student. Ryuuji retorted that he came to study seriously, unlike someone who sleeps through every class. Confident in his practical combat skills instead, Rin challenged him to a fight on the spot, but their classmates quickly intervened and stopped the brawl. Later, Rin asked Yukio about his new rival. Yukio explained that despite his rough exterior, Ryuuji was highly intelligent, the successor to a famous Kyoto temple, and held high expectations from the teachers. Realizing this, Rin knew he couldn’t beat him in academics.
The tension continued when Ryuuji interrupted Rin and Shiemi‘s conversation, sarcastically mocking them for being lovey-dovey in broad daylight. Rin fired back, insulting Ryuuji for always walking around with his group of guys. Ready to fight again, their classmates watched in surprise, noting that the two boys were unbelievably similar in their rudeness and wondering if they hated each other simply because they were too much alike.
During physical education class, the students faced a giant demon toad. In practical agility, Rin completely dominated, easily taking the lead. Unable to catch up no matter how hard he ran, Ryuuji resorted to playing dirty and leaped up to kick Rin after being called a chicken. However, his reckless attack left him completely blind to the giant toad looming right behind him. Fortunately, the teacher restrained the beast just in time and pulled Ryuuji aside to scold him harshly for his carelessness.
There was a deep reason why Ryuuji was so incredibly hard on himself: he desperately wanted to rebuild his temple and avenge his fallen monks. Sixteen years ago, a horrifying tragedy struck when Satan‘s blue flames inexplicably attacked the temple, massacring numerous monks with only one apprentice surviving to witness the carnage. Misunderstanding the demonic event, outsiders believed the temple was cursed, abandoning the land’s faith and shunning the survivors as cursed individuals.
This tragic past fueled Ryuuji‘s desire to defeat Satan and rebuild his temple. As class continued, the lesson was abruptly cut short. The teacher received a call from his girlfriend, abandoned all sense of professional shame, and ran off at lightning speed, completely ignoring his bewildered students.
Seeing this absurd behavior, Ryuuji sighed, questioning what kind of school allowed improper students and mannerless teachers. Rin knew the comment was directed at him. Since they shared the exact same goal of defeating Satan, Rin couldn’t understand why Ryuuji constantly picked fights with him.
Ryuuji, realizing his friends had told Rin about his past, felt that a slacker like Rin wasn’t worthy of sharing his ambition. He issued a dangerous challenge: they would face the demon toad together. The creature had the ability to gaze into a person’s eyes and perceive their soul; whoever showed weakness first would lose. If Rin won, Ryuuji would finally acknowledge him. Surprisingly, he looked at Rin with expectant eyes rather than his usual fierce competitiveness.
However, Rin refused, deciding it wasn’t worth risking their lives over a petty rivalry. More importantly, he needed to keep his demonic powers an absolute secret. Misunderstanding the refusal, Ryuuji grew angry, assuming Rin was looking down on him.
This triggered Ryuuji‘s painful childhood memories. He remembered accompanying the surviving monks to ask for donations to rebuild, only to be met with hurtful whispers about their “cursed” temple. Bearing the stigma of a cursed child, a young Ryuuji had angrily shouted that it was all Satan‘s fault and swore to become an exorcist to kill the demon king himself. When a monk laughed in genuine joy at his fierce determination, Ryuuji misunderstood the reaction. Unaware of the adults’ instinctive terror of Satan, he assumed the monk was simply mocking his grand dream.
Now, standing before Rin, Ryuuji felt like his goals were being treated as a joke all over again. In that brief moment of emotional instability, the demon toad sensed his weakness and lunged forward to bite him. Acting instantly, Rin leaped down, landing directly in the beast’s jaws. But instead of tearing him apart, the toad sensed Rin‘s terrifying demonic nature, trembled in fear, and released him. Rin furiously cursed at Ryuuji, calling him an idiot and demanding to know if he had a death wish. Although he had technically lost the bet, a stubborn Ryuuji refused to concede. The two hotheads faced off once again, ready to brawl, while their classmates watching from above collectively sighed at the ridiculous display.
Gemini said
Unbeknownst to the students, Yukio was secretly watching from a distance. The entire demon toad incident had actually been orchestrated by Mephisto to test Rin. It was a dangerous gamble, especially since the demon realm was already in a massive uproar over the demon king’s son roaming the human world, making Mephisto‘s job of supervising him incredibly stressful.
The next morning, Rin fell right back into his usual routine of waking up late after Yukio had already finished breakfast. When Rin blamed his brother for not waking him up, Yukio shot back that he had tried three times, but Rin slept like the dead. He sarcastically warned that if verbal calls didn’t work next time, he would just use physical force.
By lunchtime, Rin sprinted frantically to the cafeteria, only to find he was too late. A single bread roll remained, and as he grabbed it, Ryuuji reached for it at the exact same time. Instantly ready to brawl, the two hotheads had to be restrained and cooled down by their friends before a fight broke out right there at the counter.
Meanwhile, Yukio also arrived to find the food sold out, but his status as the top freshman gave him a very different experience. A mob of adoring female students had prepared elaborate, exotic lunches for him, treating him like royalty and aggressively glaring at each other as they vied for his attention. Watching from afar, Rin and the other guys were deeply envious of his popularity. However, Yukio was internally panicking; choosing one girl’s food would undoubtedly spark a jealous war among the rest. Spotting Rin at the counter gave him the perfect excuse to politely decline the food and escape the mob.
While Yukio breathed a sigh of relief, Rin was drooling over the cafeteria’s display case, which was packed with high-end delicacies like lobsters and king crabs. His excitement vanished when he realized the cheapest meal cost nearly 2,000 yen, and he didn’t even have 100 yen to his name. When Rin complained about starving, Yukio bluntly reminded him that True Cross Academy catered exclusively to wealthy kids, meaning poor students just had to tighten their belts to survive.
Frustrated and starving, Rin half-jokingly considered drawing his sword to extort lunch money from the rich students. Yukio quickly stopped him, and the brothers went to complain to Mephisto about the severe lack of affordable food options. Mephisto completely dismissed their concerns, pompously declaring that top-grade, expensive food was absolutely essential for a fulfilling life. Right after delivering this grand speech, he hypocritically started slurping down a cheap cup of instant noodles, leaving the brothers utterly speechless.
As the principal, Mephisto could do whatever he pleased, but Rin argued that he still needed money to survive, as the son of the demon king couldn’t live without eating. In response, Mephisto tossed Rin a 2,000-yen note. However, his brief joy vanished when he was told this tiny amount was his allowance for the entire month.
Realizing polite requests were useless, Rin almost drew his sword before Yukio dragged him away. Unlike his starving brother, Yukio earned a teacher’s salary and didn’t have to worry about cash. He cleverly proposed a solution: he would buy the groceries, and Rin would use his Michelin-level culinary skills to cook their meals at home. This cunning strategy allowed Yukio to avoid expensive lunch dates with admiring girls while teaching his brother the harsh reality of living costs.
To save time in the mornings, Rin prepared their bento boxes the night before and left them in the fridge. However, the very next morning, he furiously kicked Yukio while holding two completely empty lunch boxes, accusing his brother of eating everything. It took Yukio a moment to process the accusation, but he honestly hadn’t touched the food.
The brothers suddenly realized how strange their living situation had been. For the past few days, they hadn’t even discussed chores, yet breakfast was always ready when they woke up, and the dirty dishes mysteriously cleaned themselves by the time they returned home. Hearing cooking noises coming from their kitchen, they nervously investigated and found Mephisto.
Rin initially assumed the principal had been cooking for them, but Mephisto explained that a familiar demon named Ukobach had actually been doing the cooking and cleaning. However, when Rin casually used the kitchen the night before without permission, he deeply offended the culinary demon, causing it to strike in anger. Seeing this as an opportunity, Mephisto decided to show off his own cooking skills instead. He presented them with a bizarre, violently bubbling soup that looked completely inedible.
Taking a massive risk, Rin tasted the dish, only for his eyes to roll back as he hallucinated his non-existent grandmother calling him toward the afterlife. The most terrifying part was Mephisto‘s warning: until Ukobach forgave them, he would continue to be their personal chef. Realizing they had to appease the angry demon to prevent a culinary fate worse than death, they knew they had to act fast.
Rin thoroughly cleaned and neatly organized the kitchen, but Ukobach was still furious and threw a warning fork at him. Rin shouted back, demanding to know what the demon wanted and challenging him to a fight. Accepting the challenge, Ukobach finally revealed himself. Instead of being terrifying, he was actually a small, rather cute demon.
Expecting a dorm-shaking battle, Yukio sensed trouble from afar and raced back home. However, when he burst into the kitchen, he found Rin and the demon sprawled out on the floor and table with massively bloated stomachs. Mephisto, who had been watching from above, witnessed everything. Instead of a physical brawl, Rin and Ukobach had engaged in an intense culinary showdown. After tasting each other’s incredible cooking, they couldn’t stop eating and devoured every single bite until they were completely stuffed. Thanks to this shared passion, Ukobach let go of his anger, and things returned to normal.
The next day, Yukio enjoyed a delicious packed lunch, but the girls still swarmed him. Watching from afar, Rin hoped his amazing food would finally make him popular with the ladies. But when Yukio honestly told the girls that his older brother was the chef, they glanced at a daydreaming, sickly-looking Rin and completely refused to believe it. Overhearing their harsh dismissals, a heartbroken Rin tearfully ate his own lunch alone.
Later that afternoon, Shiemi came over to visit. Three of Yukio‘s jealous fangirls, who had failed to give him their lunches, secretly followed her. Angry and suspicious that Yukio and Shiemi were dating, they waited outside until nightfall to see when she would leave. They had no idea that Yukio had already escorted her home through a magical door using his exorcist key.
Assuming she was still inside, the three girls sneaked into the dorm to investigate. They entered the kitchen and found the beautifully prepared lunch boxes for the next day. Falsely imagining that Shiemi and Yukio had happily cooked the meals together, the girls let their blinding jealousy take over and spitefully threw all the food in the trash.
Suddenly, a terrified scream echoed through the dorm. Startled awake, Rin and Yukio sprinted to the kitchen to find a gigantic, furious Ukobach cooking. Inside his massive pot were the three screaming girls, being actively seasoned with spices. Seeing that the demon had completely lost control, Rin tried to intervene, but Ukobach violently swatted him away. Yukio quickly drew his gun to exorcise the threat, but Rin stopped his brother, realizing the demon wasn’t evil—he had just lost his mind out of sheer culinary outrage over the ruined food.
Rin told the enraged demon that cooking in such a mindless frenzy would ruin the dishes, making it impossible to earn anyone’s praise. This immediately made Ukobach pause. For those who genuinely love to cook, receiving praise is the ultimate joy. While they initially cook just for fun, they eventually want their loved ones to savor their food. Since Rin shared this deep culinary passion, he perfectly understood the demon’s feelings, making it easy to calm Ukobach down. To resolve the conflict caused by his earlier rejection of the girls’ lunches, the seemingly innocent Yukio had to take the blame. He heroically scooped up and ate all three of the ruined bento boxes at once, which left him sick in bed for days, but ensured the three girls were rescued safe and sound.
Meanwhile, Shiemi faced her own social struggles. When her mother eagerly asked if she had made any friends at school, Shiemi answered dismissively. Even though she knew the twin brothers, she wasn’t sure if they counted as true friends and didn’t want to rely on them too much. Hoping to make female friends, she nervously chased after her only two female classmates after school, accidentally tripping and falling in the process. Noriko kindly turned back to check on her, but the girl beside her, Izumo, completely ignored the clumsy display. Undeterred by the coldness, Shiemi remained determined to keep trying.
Soon, the class prepared for a crucial exam that would qualify them to become official exorcist apprentices. Before taking it, the students had to select their intended combat class. Since Rin possessed zero academic knowledge and didn’t understand the terminology, he wandered over to ask Ryuuji‘s group for help. While Ryuuji was visibly annoyed, his two friends kindly answered the questions.
There are generally five combat classes for exorcists: utilizing swords, guns, incantations, summoning techniques, or healing abilities. While normal students select only one main class, highly skilled prodigies like Yukio can master two. After learning about the sword-fighting class, Rin carelessly decided to choose that path on a whim. Following this discussion, the students moved on to their next lesson taught by the summoning instructor.
Gemini said
The summoning class was highly specialized, requiring not just magic circles and incantations, but genuine innate talent. Exorcists in this revered discipline could summon spirits, demons, and even gods for battle. However, it was incredibly dangerous; familiars only form contracts with those they respect as stronger, and if a summoner’s will ever wavers, their own creature might turn around and kill them.
In the entire class, only two students possessed this rare ability: Izumo, who could summon two fox spirits, and Shiemi, who summoned a small plant spirit. Seeing this shared talent as a perfect icebreaker, Shiemi tried to strike up a conversation. Instead of being friendly, Izumo mockingly called her familiar a cute, tiny bean. Being hopelessly naive, Shiemi completely missed the insult and happily accepted it as a genuine compliment.
After class, Shiemi desperately chased after her to ask for friendship, a sincere effort that deeply moved Noriko watching nearby. Annoyed by the persistence, Izumo finally stopped and agreed to be friends—but immediately handed over her heavy bag, claiming she was too weak to carry it and that “friends help each other.” Thus, rather than making a true friend, Shiemi unknowingly became a servant. Izumo forced her to do all her chores, from handing out test papers to fetching food and lugging her personal belongings.
Watching Shiemi constantly get taken advantage of made Rin extremely uncomfortable, but he held his tongue, unsure of what to say. A few days later, the exorcist class held a training camp right at the brothers’ deserted dorm, meaning any loud commotions wouldn’t be an issue.
After the day’s exams, Izumo headed to the baths. Thrilled at the prospect of finally bathing with a friend, Shiemi eagerly followed. However, Izumo coldly dismissed her at the door, claiming she wasn’t comfortable being seen naked. To ensure Shiemi wasn’t just standing around, she ordered her to go buy fruit milk instead. Though she finally felt a pang of discomfort at the poor treatment, Shiemi obediently turned to leave. Just then, Rin walked by and tried to intervene, urging her to stop letting herself be used like a doormat.
Rin argued that treating someone like a servant was blatant exploitation, not true friendship. Meanwhile, inside the bathhouse, Noriko also felt her friend’s behavior was unacceptable. While others used to avoid Izumo because she could see demons, Noriko had faithfully stayed by her side. However, she admitted she was finding it increasingly hard to continue their friendship and planned to drop out of the exorcist class.
As a confused Izumo looked at her only friend, drops of blood suddenly fell from the ceiling. Looking up, they spotted a terrifying two-headed demon that immediately lunged down and attacked Noriko. Izumo quickly summoned her fox spirits to fight back, but Noriko‘s earlier words caused her confidence to waver. Because of this psychological hesitation, the spirit beasts rebelled and turned to attack their own master.
Fortunately, Rin heard the commotion and rushed in, knocking the rebellious foxes back and reminding Izumo to tear up her summoning paper to dispel them. However, Rin was unsure of his next move. Normally, he could defeat the monster with a single sword strike, but exposing his demonic power and true identity in front of everyone was far too risky.
When Shiemi arrived and saw the injured Noriko, she bravely ran forward to administer first aid. To protect them, Rin charged at the two-headed demon. The beast recognized him as the son of Satan, but apologizing that it was under strict orders, it threw Rin aside and began to tightly choke him. Thankfully, Yukio arrived just in time, firing his gun to scare the monster away.
Thanks to Shiemi‘s quick healing, Noriko‘s wounds were stabilized, and she would recover soon. Overwhelmed by her inability to protect her only friend, Izumo hid in a corner and cried, feeling completely useless. Ignoring her self-pity, Rin threw his jacket over her and told her to step outside and deal with the aftermath.
That night, the traumatizing event haunted Izumo‘s dreams, replaying her best friend’s rejection, her rebellious spirits, and the terrifying demon attack. She woke up at the scariest part and went to the sinks to wash her face, bumping into Rin. She returned his jacket, now washed clean, and sincerely thanked him for saving them.
Rin casually focused on his freshly washed clothes, remarking that she was actually a good person and that he might have misjudged her. Flustered by the unexpected praise, a shy Izumo immediately denied it, making up an excuse that she only washed the jacket because he was too dirty to stand. The two then went to visit Noriko, where Yukio administered an injection and assured them her fever would break in a few days with no lasting effects.
Once Rin and Yukio stepped out, Noriko confirmed to Izumo that she was indeed dropping out of the exorcist class. Izumo assumed her harsh behavior had driven her away, but Noriko gently explained that she simply wasn’t suited for the perilous profession. Regardless of her choice, they promised to remain close friends.
Distracted by these emotional events, the normally highly intelligent Izumo struggled to memorize the required exorcism scriptures in class. Seizing the opportunity to show off, Ryuuji stood up and flawlessly recited them from start to finish, surprising everyone with his undeniable talent despite his delinquent appearance. Since Ryuuji wasn’t the humble type, his friend tried to play it down, claiming he just had an unusually good memory. Annoyed by his lack of modesty, Izumo sarcastically criticized him for acting so arrogant over a mere four verses. Ryuuji fired back that she was the one who couldn’t even memorize them, prompting her to defensively claim she just hadn’t bothered to try.
Their bickering quickly escalated until his lifelong dream of defeating Satan was brought up. Losing his temper, Ryuuji grabbed her collar, and Izumo immediately swung her hand to slap him. Rin coincidentally stood up right at that exact moment and caught the full, painful force of the blow. Furious at being caught in their crossfire, Rin was about to punch them both when Yukio arrived, ordering everyone to calm down.
To teach them a harsh lesson about teamwork, Yukio punished the entire class by placing demon stones in their laps. These magical stones grew heavier the longer they were held, leaving everyone’s faces twisted in exhaustion. Unsympathetic, Yukio ordered them to endure the punishment together for three more hours while he went out to perform an exorcism. He lectured them that exorcists must work in teams; if they bickered like this during actual combat, they might as well buy their own coffins.
Hearing this, the students silently cursed their young but incredibly cruel teacher, wondering how he and Rin could possibly be brothers. Shortly after Yukio left, the room was plunged into total darkness. Initially assuming this was just another layer of their teacher’s twisted punishment, they cursed him further until they noticed through the windows that only their specific building had lost power. Wondering if the school forgot to pay the electricity bill, Renzou stood up and opened the classroom door to investigate the situation.
Opening the door, Renzou came face-to-face with the demon. He almost dismissed it as an illusion before it brutally punched him, nearly knocking him out cold. Rin immediately recognized it as the same high-level corpse demon from the previous day. Advancing on the students, the monster suddenly unleashed a bomb of toxic gas.
Panic set in as no one knew how to react. Desperate to protect everyone, Shiemi pleaded with her plant familiar, which summoned a massive, sharp root that impaled the undead creature against the wall. Believing the threat was neutralized, the class was horrified when the demon suddenly split its body in two. The creature rapidly healed its wound and easily shattered the blocking roots with a single swing of its arm. Simultaneously, the poisonous gas began to take effect, leaving the students in physical agony. Weaker individuals like Shiemi quickly slipped into a hazy consciousness, losing all their strength and becoming completely paralyzed.
Realizing the dire situation, Rin knew his only option was to act as bait, especially since he knew the creature was specifically targeting him anyway. Squeezing through the broken roots, he taunted the monster to catch him and sprinted down the hall. The demon eagerly took the bait, relentlessly pursuing Rin until he was completely exhausted. Eventually, Rin reached the building’s electrical panel, confirming someone had intentionally cut the breaker. Just as he reached to flip the switch, the demon finally caught up to him.
The monster wrapped its long, grotesque tongue around his body and violently slammed him against the surroundings over and over. Unable to endure the brutal beating any longer, Rin ignited his blue flames to force the creature back. At that exact moment, a mysterious figure emerged from the shadows, remarking on the unmistakable power of Satan. Rin realized this person was the mastermind who had deliberately separated him from his classmates just to watch him slaughter the summoned demon.
Giving the watcher exactly what they wanted, Rin drew his sword and drove it straight into the undead monster’s head. The blue flames instantly enveloped and incinerated the creature. However, when Rin looked back, the mysterious figure had vanished without a trace. Meanwhile, the rest of the students were still in grave danger. Because the demon had split itself earlier, its second half was still trapped in the classroom with Ryuuji and the others.
Lacking Rin‘s overwhelming combat power, the rest of the group realized their only option was to use an exorcism chant, which required reciting the specific counter-curse for that exact demon. As those who knew the chant sat down to begin, Shiemi‘s protective tree roots neared their breaking point. Renzou—who was studying chants but hadn’t actually memorized any—stepped up to the front line to buy them time. Unsure of what else to do, Izumo ran over to check on the weakened Shiemi.
Despite her hazy, poisoned state, Shiemi expressed gentle concern for Izumo, asking if she was okay because she seemed off today. Deeply moved that her friend would worry about her while in such grave danger, Izumo fearlessly summoned her fox spirits. When they tried to rebel again, she fiercely yelled right in their faces, forcing them into submission and proving that even spirit foxes must fear a lioness. The foxes unleashed powerful attacks, but they could only stall the demon. Shattering their defenses, the creature lunged forward and grabbed Ryuuji by the head. Enduring the agonizing pain, he stubbornly continued his recitation.
Just as things looked entirely hopeless, the building’s lights suddenly flickered back on. The bright light wounded and disoriented the undead monster, giving Ryuuji the crucial seconds he needed to finish the fatal counter-curse. The demon’s body instantly disintegrated into nothingness.
Rin finally returned to the group, only to receive a swift kick to the face from an angry Ryuuji, who furiously scolded him for recklessly playing the solo hero and acting like a show-off with a death wish. Soon after, Yukio arrived, trailed by the mysterious one-eyed man who had lured Rin away earlier.
Before Rin could warn his brother about the supposed enemy, he was violently kicked in the face from behind, sending him crashing into a door. The attacker was Mephisto. The principal proudly revealed that an intermediate-level demon couldn’t just casually breach the academy’s defenses; the entire deadly encounter had actually been a secretly orchestrated qualification exam disguised as their training camp. As he spoke, the academy teachers began emerging from absurd hiding spots all around the room—from closets to beneath the floorboards. After all, safely training students whose recklessness vastly outweighed their common sense was no easy task.
The teachers explained that their constant surveillance was necessary; they couldn’t let these “young buds” perish before they had a chance to bloom. Hearing this, Rin briefly considered challenging the faculty to a martial arts sparring session but reconsidered after remembering how painful it was to get kicked in the face.
The students’ anxiety soon shifted toward their results. Overall, the performances were impressive. Ryuuji had shown incredible poise by completing his chant while literally being held by the head. Izumo was equally praised; despite the risk of her spirits rebelling, she successfully forced them into submission and bought the team vital time. Renzou proved his bravery by putting his life on the line to protect his teammates. As for Shiemi, her contribution was undeniable—without her plant spirit, the group likely would have been headed for a funeral service.
On the other end of the spectrum were two “idiots” who seemed to do nothing but stand around to fill the numbers. One was currently distracted by League of Legends, claiming he would dethrone Faker, while the other just played around. When Ryuuji called him out, a fight nearly broke out to “heat things up.” However, the most shocking performance came from Rin. No one could believe that a slacker like him possessed the raw strength to solo an intermediate-level demon with a single sword strike.
While the students celebrated, Yukio confronted the one-eyed teacher, Igor. He argued that while it was a test, Igor had crossed the line by separating Rin from the group to force him to use his flames. Igor countered, explaining that if Yukio was the brake preventing Rin from losing control, then he was the accelerator forcing him to grow. He revealed that Mephisto himself ordered this to determine if Rin should become a weapon for the Knights of the True Cross or be eliminated. Fortunately, Rin’s power and spirit had remained stable, showing no signs of him becoming a mindless monster.
A few days later, while Shiemi was tending to her mother’s shop, Yukio stopped by. He informed her that her chances of passing were very high, so she needed to officially choose her main combat class soon. Looking at her, Yukio noted her clear progress and found himself reminiscing about the day they first met—the day he had just graduated to become an official exorcist.
Shirou had first brought him to the exorcist shop years ago. While her mother tried to facilitate an introduction, Shiemi was so overwhelmed by shyness that she hid behind the door. It was only as the father and son were leaving that she found the courage to step out and gift Yukio a four-leaf clover for luck. She deeply admired him; even at 14, he was already a professional exorcist. Yukio, however, never let the praise go to his head. He remembered that as a child, he was even more of a “crybaby” than Shiemi, and it was only because he had an older brother like Rin that he found his strength.
Mid-conversation, Yukio suddenly remembered his unsettling talk with the one-eyed teacher, Igor Neuhaus. Sensing immediate danger, he abandoned the shop and raced back to the dormitory.
Inside the dorm, Igor stood over Rin’s bed, drawing a weapon and stabbing downward with lethal intent. However, the blade met no resistance—he pulled back the blanket to find nothing but a decoy dummy. The sharp click of a gun being cocked echoed through the room. Yukio stood behind him, having already moved a soundly sleeping Rin to a secure location.
A series of gunshots eventually woke Rin, alerting him that a battle was raging. On the stairs leading to the rooftop, Igor used his own blood to summon a swarm of demons. Yukio moved with lightning speed, his dual pistols barking as he shot down every summoned creature mid-air.
The confrontation reached the rooftop, where the intensity spiked. Igor shed more of his own blood to enhance his summoning power, calling forth a massive, truck-sized demon. Despite Yukio‘s rapid fire, the monster was deceptively fast; it swatted Yukio aside before he could reposition, sending him crashing backward. Yukio‘s bullets pierced the beast’s hide, but they were useless—new demonic arms sprouted from the bullet wounds, lunging at him.
Just as the monster closed in, a blade plunged into its back, and the creature was instantly engulfed in brilliant blue flames. Rin had arrived. Seeing the teacher responsible for the chaos, Rin tried to charge him, but Igor was prepared, splashing holy water to force the half-demon to retreat. The monster seized the opening, grabbing Rin and clamping a massive hand onto his head, preparing to crush it. Fortunately, Yukio managed to destroy the summoning circle, severing the demon’s link to the world.
With the summoning circle destroyed, Igor Neuhaus was left physically drained, unable to call forth another demon without risking his own life. Yukio demanded to know why he was so obsessed with targeting Rin. The teacher revealed a dark past: he was a survivor of the Blue Night disaster 16 years ago. On that horrific night, Satan had possessed his body and ravaged his physical form, leaving him with a life-long scar and a burning hatred for anything related to the demon king.
In a final act of spite, Igor summoned a sharp shard and lunged at Rin. To everyone’s surprise, Rin didn’t dodge; he took the hit head-on. He told the teacher that while he would accept any battle directed at him, Igor should never involve innocent people in his vendetta. While Igor was momentarily stunned by Rin‘s resolve, he warned that his crusade wouldn’t end—many more people with similar grudges would eventually come for the son of Satan.
The next morning, the official results were posted: everyone had passed the exam! To celebrate, Mephisto invited the class to eat cake. Rin couldn’t help but notice the irony—the principal of a prestigious, wealthy academy was so stingy that he wouldn’t even spring for a proper celebratory meal.
As summer set in, the dormitory became a sweltering furnace. Despite the school’s “upper class” reputation, the brothers’ dorm lacked air conditioning. A sluggish Rin dragged himself out to buy ice cream to cope with the heat. He polished off several bars on the walk back but remained unsatisfied, planning to eat even more at home. In his typical careless fashion, he completely forgot to buy the water Yukio had requested, proving once again his status as an irresponsible older brother.
The heat wasn’t the only annoyance; despite his new status as an apprentice exorcist, Rin still had to deal with piles of homework. Looking over the official exorcist ranks, he saw he was at the very bottom, just above the absolute beginner level. He noted that Yukio had reached Middle First Class, and despite being a lower rank himself, Rin laughed and called his brother a “noob.” He conveniently ignored the fact that Yukio had reached that rank in just two years.
Yukio reminded him that the title of Paladin—the highest rank—is only bestowed upon one person in the entire world. He questioned how Rin, who couldn’t even handle simple chores and relied purely on brute demonic force, could ever hope to achieve such a thing.
“Don’t lecture your older brother like an old man!” Rin snapped.
Yukio sighed, telling him he simply needed to act more maturely, especially since Rin’s first instinct in combat was always to draw his sword and expose his flames the moment there was an opening.
Yukio‘s warning was stern: if Rin continued to rely solely on brute force without mastering true exorcist abilities, the blue flames would eventually consume him. Frustrated and unable to find a witty comeback, Rin reached out and flicked Yukio‘s glasses with such force they flew to the ceiling, shattered, and rained down on Yukio‘s head. Before Yukio could erupt in anger, his phone rang with an urgent mission. Despite being told to stay home, Rin did what he does best—he followed his brother anyway, eager to prove himself on an official mission.
When they arrived at the scene, Rin heard a telepathic scream filled with rage, calling everyone “liars.” Inside the construction zone stood Kuro, a massive Cat Sídhe. Kuro hadn’t always been a demon; he was once a guardian deity for silk farmers, protecting their precious cocoons from rats. In exchange, the villagers had built him a grand shrine and provided endless offerings of fresh fish. But as the silk trade died out, the people moved away and the shrine fell into ruin. When developers brought in a crane to demolish the last of his home, Kuro’s grief turned to demonic fury.
The academy’s attempt to subdue him was failing miserably. Tranquilizers barely slowed him down, holy water was useless, and no one knew a counter-chant for a spirit of his caliber. Amidst the chaos, only Rin could hear Kuro’s heartbreak—the cat simply refused to believe that Shirou was dead, convinced the humans were lying to him.
Yukio stepped forward with a mysterious container Shirou had left behind. The old man’s instructions were clear: if Kuro ever went berserk, this was to be used. Yukio grimly speculated that the container held a potent poison, believing that a spirit as powerful as Kuro couldn’t be reasoned with once he had lost control.
When they arrived at the coast, the shop owner informed them that a giant sea demon had been attacking the area. Legend had it that the sea god would bring a bountiful harvest, but in exchange, it demanded a sacrifice every few years. This was the “Kraken” they were sent to deal with. While Renzou was busy trying to hit on girls at the beach—only to be rejected repeatedly—Rin and Izumo focused on the task at hand.
Suddenly, the water began to churn, and a massive, multi-tentacled demon rose from the depths. It wasn’t the sea god the legends spoke of, but a creature that had been feeding on the local’s fear. Izumo immediately summoned her fox spirits, but the sand made it difficult for them to maintain their footing. Renzou finally stopped his flirting and realized the danger, attempting to recite a protective chant, though his eyes were still wandering toward the girls in bikinis.
The demon lunged, dragging a small fishing boat toward the abyss. Rin knew he couldn’t use his flames in front of the civilians on the beach, so he dove into the water to try and cut the tentacles manually. The struggle was intense, as the salt water stung his eyes and the demon’s skin was incredibly slippery. Just as he was being pulled under, a familiar blue glow began to emanate from beneath the waves.
Luckily, a thick mist rolled in, obscuring the vision of the tourists. Seizing the opportunity, Rin drew his sword just enough to unleash a burst of heat, causing the demon to release its grip and flee back into the deep ocean. By the time the mist cleared, Rin was climbing back onto the pier, soaked and exhausted. Renzou ran over, not to check on his friend, but to complain that the monster had scared away all the “fresh girls” he was just about to charm. Izumo simply rolled her eyes, noting that Mephisto would likely use the “successful” mission as an excuse to keep their pay for himself.
Rin spent the morning grilling squid and hawking goods, wondering if True Cross Academy was pivoting into the street food industry. Despite their efforts, they hadn’t seen a single customer. Renzou suggested that they needed “pretty girls in sexy outfits” to drum up business, but Izumo had zero interest in teamwork if it involved sacrificing her dignity.
After helping with the prep work, a frustrated Izumo headed to the shore to relax. However, while drifting in the water, her leg suddenly cramped. A young boy nearby spotted her struggling and swam over with the speed of an athlete to save her. In the chaos of the rescue, the boy’s hand accidentally landed on her chest. Ignoring the fact that she was drowning, Izumo fought him off until the boy delivered a forceful “iron headbutt” to her forehead to knock her out and bring her to safety.
When Izumo regained consciousness, she found the boy leaning in for what looked like a kiss. She immediately retaliated with a headbutt to his chin. The boy, Yohei, explained he was just trying to perform CPR, though Izumo was more focused on the fact that he had knocked her out. Rin and Renzou arrived shortly after, relieved to see her safe.
As they walked through the village, Renzou noticed the local fishermen were in a state of high anxiety. A large patch of the sea had turned an ominous, ink-black color. An elder explained that this was the sign of the legendary Sea Demon—a creature as massive as a mountain that, according to ancient lore, brings total destruction whenever the waters darken.
The group visited a local monastery to investigate the legend further. On the wall was a terrifying painting of the demon: a colossal squid. They learned that the village’s fear was rooted in recent tragedy; six months ago, a brave fisherman had sailed out to hunt the demon and never returned. On their way back to the shop, Rin ran into Yohei again, realizing the boy might have a deeper connection to the legend than they first thought.
Yohei certainly had a unique way of saving face. He refused to admit he was lost, instead quoting his father’s philosophy: “A man walks one straight path.” Unfortunately, walking in a straight line had led him miles off course, forcing him to ask three “outsiders” for directions to the supermarket. Rin, Izumo, and Renzou decided to escort the boy home, baffled by how he had survived this long. Yohei remained undeterred, proudly claiming his father was even more clueless—right up until the day he sailed out to face the demon six months ago. The group went silent, realizing this eccentric kid was carrying the same heavy burden of loss they all knew too well.
That evening, the teacher served a table exclusively covered in squid dishes. They finally learned why their sales had flopped: due to the demon’s influence, the local fishermen could catch absolutely nothing else. After dinner, the teacher once again abandoned his duties for a call from his girlfriend, leaving Rin‘s group with two tasks: stop selling squid and, more importantly, keep a close watch on Yohei to ensure he didn’t go on a suicide mission.
Later that night, Yohei managed to find Izumo’s room to give her a box of ointment for her head. Knowing the boy was essentially “directionally blind,” Izumo realized he must have put in an incredible amount of effort just to find her. Touched by his sincerity, she told Rin and Renzou she would handle the watch duty alone.
The next morning, the sea remained an ominous black. Yohei sat by the shore with his rice balls, refusing to move even as the sun began to set. Izumo eventually walked out to confront him, bluntly telling him to stop fantasizing about strength and to learn his limits, warning that blind determination was just another way to die. Yohei countered, arguing that negative people simply lack belief in themselves. He insisted that his father believed a man with enough determination could accomplish anything.
As if summoned by his resolve, a colossal figure emerged from the black waves—the legendary giant squid. Yohei immediately sprinted toward the danger, with Izumo in hot pursuit. Rin and Renzou watched the mountain-sized demon approach the island, unsure how to stop something so massive. Suddenly, Kuro saved the day by transforming into his giant form. The massive cat rammed into the squid with enough force to push it back. Rin felt a surge of hope watching Kuro‘s power, but Renzou remained speechless as he watched the “guardian deity” do what cats do best: he lunged in and tried to take a giant bite out of the calamari.
It turns out Kuro hadn’t considered the biological consequences of his snack; cats eating raw squid can suffer from indigestion or even paralysis, and the poor “guardian deity” promptly got high and passed out, leaving the team without their primary muscle.
Just as the squid prepared to crush the group, an arrow whistled through the air and pierced deep into its flesh. Yohei had somehow commandeered a boat and sailed into the heart of the danger. Like a man who couldn’t hear the roar of a cannon, the kid charged forward without a hint of fear. When Rin tried to pull him back, Yohei dove into the water to get a closer shot. He loosed another arrow, but it only annoyed the beast, which promptly knocked him unconscious.
Rin dove in to fish the kid out, drawing his sword with his free hand and preparing to ignite his flames for a fight to the death. Suddenly, a voice called out from a nearby raft. Yohei woke up and looked over to see a man standing there—it was his father! The two had a joyful reunion and headed back to shore, where the elder fisherman dropped a bombshell: he hadn’t been fighting the squid for six months. He had accidentally befriended it.
He explained that he had spent the last few months helping the sea monster change its temperament so it would no longer terrorize the village. While the group found the story hard to believe, the teacher confirmed the lesson: a true exorcist must distinguish between good and bad demons rather than attacking on sight. That, he claimed, was what a real man with guts looked like.
A few days after returning to the academy, the group was assigned to a new mission at a temporarily closed amusement park. They were bored and about to start a brawl just to kill time when Shiemi and Izumo appeared in the distance. To everyone’s absolute shock, Shiemi had traded her baggy, traditional kimono for a fitted school uniform. The new look highlighted her figure so effectively that the entire “hot-blooded” group of boys froze in their tracks, completely stunned. Though Shiemi was initially shy about the change, her friends’ enthusiastic compliments quickly helped her feel more at ease.
Rin felt that Shiemi‘s skirt was a bit too short and intended to mention it to Yukio, but since Rin had been staring a little too intently at her chest, he got a well-deserved smack in the face.
The objective for the day was to capture a ghost haunting the amusement park. Rumors claimed the spirit was moving objects and—much to the delight of some local boys—flipping up girls’ skirts. To prevent the situation from escalating, the academy ordered its capture. The group split into pairs, and Rin‘s eyes lit up when he was teamed with Shiemi. He saw this as a golden opportunity to enjoy the view of her “plump legs” and figure.
Halfway through their patrol, Shiemi couldn’t contain her excitement; she had always dreamed of visiting an amusement park but had avoided them due to her fear of crowds. Seeing her so happy, Rin decided to treat the mission like a date, encouraging her to play. He suggested a gentle ride on the merry-go-round, but as they approached, they heard a child crying miserably on a wooden horse.
Shiemi, moved by the boy’s tears, gently asked what was wrong. The child continued to wail, which quickly wore out Rin‘s patience. Channeling his inner strict parent, he threatened to “smack him in the face with a slipper” if he didn’t stop. Terrified, the boy lunged into Shiemi’s chest, crying harder as he told a tragic story about passing away from an illness before his family could fulfill their promise to bring him here.
Just as Shiemi‘s heart began to melt, the “pitiful” ghost suddenly flipped up her top. He mocked them both for being gullible fools and challenged them to a game of tag. Enraged, Rin and Shiemi vowed to hunt him down. Because the ghost was incredibly fast, they had to split up to corner him. Shiemi followed him into a hall of mirrors, where the boy’s reflection appeared in every direction, leaving her completely disoriented and unable to tell which version was the real spirit.
The ghostly child tricked Shiemi into a spinning teacup ride, activating it and leaving her dizzy while he made his escape. As she regained her balance, Shiemi began to suspect that the boy’s story wasn’t entirely a lie; he really did just want someone to play with him. Rather than hunting him like a monster, she decided to treat him with kindness and played along with his games.
Meanwhile, Rin was about to call for backup when a figure suddenly snatched his sword from above. The intruder introduced himself as the Earth King Amaimon. Rin didn’t care about the demon’s titles and demanded his weapon back, but Amaimon ignored his pleas. He began drawing the blade, causing Rin’s blue flames to surge violently, then sheathing it to make them vanish. Amaimon treated Rin’s internal struggle like a toy, amusing himself by repeatedly triggering the power.
Losing his patience, Rin lunged at him, but his kick missed and accidentally decapitated a nearby statue of Mephisto. Amaimon snapped his fingers, restoring power to the park and jumping onto a moving roller coaster. He taunted Rin, forcing him to chase him onto the tracks. Rin narrowly dodged a speeding car, only for Amaimon to flick him back down with effortless strength. The demon then began a brutal assault, punching Rin repeatedly while questioning why their “older brother” and father took such an interest in him.
Driven to a breaking point, Rin lost all control. He hurled iron bars at the demon and, while Amaimon was distracted, lunged forward to grab his throat, channeling a massive burst of blue flames. Realizing that Rin’s fire could actually kill him, Amaimon kicked him away to save himself.
Just as Rin prepared to charge again, the structural damage from their clash caused the park’s heavy steel beams to collapse. The wreckage fell directly toward the area where Shiemi was still playing with the ghost. Refusing to abandon the boy even as the shadows of the falling steel loomed over her, Shiemi stood her ground, trapped and unable to escape in time.
Just as the structure began to collapse, Rin realized he was too far away to reach Shiemi. Acting on pure instinct, he unleashed a massive wave of blue flames that pushed the falling debris aside, saving her life. The effort completely drained him, and he collapsed, leaving him vulnerable as Amaimon walked over and mockingly stomped on him.
Suddenly, a student who had seemed like a background character, Shura (disguised as Yamada), stepped in. She pulled a legendary sword from a tattoo on her chest and slashed at Amaimon. Recognizing her strength, the Earth King stopped his “game,” returned Rin‘s sword, and retreated. Rin was left overwhelmed by frustration; he had been utterly powerless against Amaimon, and in his agitated state, he nearly snapped at Shiemi before catching himself.
Shura Kirigakure finally revealed her true form: she wasn’t a student, but a Senior First Class Exorcist and an inspector from the Vatican. Her mission was to investigate Mephisto’s secrets and eliminate any “dangerous elements”—specifically Rin. She clamped Rin’s head under her arm and dragged him away, leaving the other boys in the class paralyzed with envy at the sight of her “mountainous peaks.”
Using a magic key, they entered the Vatican’s Japanese branch—a hidden, palace-like facility beneath the park. Mephisto was already there, waiting for them. Shura demanded to know why he was hiding the son of Satan. Mephisto argued that for 2,000 years, humans had only played defense against demons. He claimed his goal was to train Rin into the ultimate weapon, as even the strongest exorcists had died helplessly against Satan‘s past avatars.
Realizing she wouldn’t get a straight answer from the principal, Shura took Rin to a private area to interrogate him personally. It was there that Rin learned about her connection to Shirou: she had been his student. In many ways, she and Rin were alike—both “problem children” raised by the same legendary man.
Shura’s past was a cold, brutal existence where neither love nor reason existed—until Shirou appeared like a ray of light, slaughtered the monsters surrounding her, and took her under his wing. He trained her into the elite exorcist she is today, and to her, he was the only true Paladin the world ever needed.
She vividly remembered the last time they spoke. Shirou had revealed his plan to raise Rin and give him the Koumakou (the demon-slaying sword). He made a final, heavy request: since Shura understood demon blades better than anyone, if he were to die before Rin came of age, she must be the one to teach him. Those words shattered Shura‘s faith. She didn’t believe in God; she believed in Shirou. Infuriated that he would gamble his life on a demon’s son, she had walked away.
Now, she had returned with the Vatican’s authority to “execute first and report later.” The Vatican suspected that Mephisto and Shirou had hidden a dark secret linked to the Blue Night massacre 16 years ago. To Shura, Rin was the evidence of that betrayal.
To test him, Shura seized his weapon and unleashed devastating wind-blade strikes. The attacks carved massive gouges into the walls; had Rin been a second slower, he would have been sliced in half. Just as with Amaimon, the gap in skill was humongous. Shura toyed with him, pinning him down and beating him effortlessly. She wanted to know if this boy was truly worth Shirou‘s sacrifice.
Seeing his clumsy, untrained movements, she felt Shirou had made a grave mistake. She summoned illusory snakes to distract him, and as Rin faltered, she lunged forward, driving her blade deep into his shoulder.
“Perhaps what he told me about you was wrong,” she spat. “He was completely mistaken.”
But Rin didn’t collapse. Despite the fatal nature of the wound, he looked at Shura with a terrifying, focused rage. He gripped the sharp blade with his bare hand, blood spilling over the steel, and declared his vow. He didn’t care about being a demon; he had sworn at Shirou’s grave that he would become an exorcist strong enough to beat Satan to a pulp. He would become the next Paladin to avenge the only father he ever knew.
Shura laughed loudly at the irony: the son of Satan vowed to beat Satan. In that moment, Shirou’s voice echoed in her mind, calling Rin an “interesting kid.” She realized his current weakness wasn’t due to poor teaching, but simply because Shirou had been busy raising a child, not a soldier. Honoring her mentor’s final wish, Shura decided to stay and train him.
That night, unable to sleep, Rin sat on the roof and drifted back to a childhood memory. He had once beaten his classmates so brutally they were hospitalized. While others labeled him a “demon” and stayed away, Shirou was the only one who approached him. Instead of a lecture, he offered a hug. A young, rage-filled Rin had punched Shirou in the stomach repeatedly until his glasses fell to the floor. Only then did he stop.
Shirou had whispered a simple wish into his ear: he wanted Rin to be a person with many friends and a guy girls would fall for, rather than a monster everyone feared. He urged Rin to use his strength for good. At that point, the “Paladin” had finally collapsed; Rin’s punches had actually broken his ribs. Ever the eccentric, Shirou tried to play it off, joking that he let it happen so he could go to the hospital and flirt with the “well-endowed” nurses—though his brave facade crumbled into screams of pain the moment the paramedics lifted his stretcher.
Returning to the present, Shura officially joined the academy as a teacher to facilitate Rin‘s training. When the students asked about the previous instructor, she nonchalantly claimed he had “gone to give birth,” a bizarre lie that perfectly illustrated her irreverent personality.
Rin arrived late to class, having accidentally fallen asleep on the roof while playing with Kuro. He was stunned to see Shura at the podium, but his surprise was quickly overshadowed by his new, burning resolve. He was no longer just a student idling away the days; he was a man on a mission to become a Paladin. He would prove to the world, and to Shura, that Shirou’s decision to bet his life on him was the greatest choice he ever made.
