Hayato wandered the streets aimlessly, taking the time to punish two groups taking advantage of the chaos to rob people of money and women. He spread his five fingers, and a cloud of black mist hovered in his palm.
This black mist was the power Hayato had absorbed from the Primordial Demon.
Since he had nothing better to do, he pondered the laws contained within the black mist as he walked. Suddenly, he sensed a spatial fluctuation ahead.
A spark-filled portal opened before him.
Hayato strolled into it.
The other end of the portal opened on a seaside cliff.
New York was still in the dead of night, but dawn was breaking here. The sun peeked over the horizon, its golden rays spreading a gradient halo of yellow across the sea.
Ancient One stood with her hands behind her back, facing the shimmering ocean.
Ancient One suddenly said, "Beautiful, isn't it?"
Hayato nodded. "Very."
Ancient One said, "That is probably one of the reasons I have protected Earth for centuries."
Hayato laughed. "Heh, then you should wipe out humanity. The things those bastards do to Earth are beyond the pale—polluting the environment, driving animals extinct..."
Even Ancient One, with all her composure, choked for a moment.
"Who taught you to ruin the mood like that?"
Hayato laughed. "Self-taught, I suppose. These days, they call people like me straight men. I'm probably at the level of an iron straight man, or terminal straight-man syndrome. I've also got another trait: I love arguing. The kind that blooms through confrontation. Better watch out."
Ancient One was amused by that.
"Haha, it seems I worried for nothing."
"Worried about what?"
"That you would be corrupted by demonic power."
Hayato fell silent for a moment before saying, "You do not know what I once gave