Chapter 345: Sano Yuka’s Ability
Sano Yuka.
Among the demons of the current generation, she was considered one of the weakest. On the opposite end stood Souichiro, the one everyone viewed as the strongest.
The reason was simple—her ability was nothing but a trick of the mind.
Physically, she was fragile. Her body was so frail that even for a demon, she seemed unusually delicate, like a porcelain doll that could crack with just one wrong touch. She had no fighting strength, no monstrous stamina, nothing that one would expect from a demon. On the battlefield, she would have been torn apart instantly if not for her one ability.
But even that power came with restrictions. It wasn’t something she could use on just anyone. Her illusions only worked if the target carried some kind of trauma, some hidden fear. If there was none to be found, then her powers were useless—completely ineffective.
That was why so many dismissed her, looked down on her. To them, she was weak, almost laughable compared to the demons who could burn down cities or tear apart mountains with their sheer strength.
But Yuka knew something they didn’t.
Everyone had fears.
Human, demon, angel—it didn’t matter what you were. At the core of every being, there was always something that made them tremble, something that could shatter their will. It might be buried deep, hidden behind arrogance or pride, but it was always there.
And Yuka exploited that truth.
Her illusions could crawl into the cracks of the mind, filling it with visions so vivid that they tore at her target’s sanity. She could twist memories, awaken nightmares, and drown her victims in their own fears until they broke. Even the strongest warrior could crumble if their heart was weak enough.
That was her strength. The ability to destroy without lifting a finger.
But she wasn’t unstoppable.
There were those even she couldn’t touch.
Souichiro. Yuuna. And others like them.
People who carried overwhelming pride. People who stood tall and declared they had nothing to fear, who truly believed in their own strength. Their egos were walls too thick for her illusions to pierce.
Yuuna and Souichiro’s mentality was iron. Their hearts didn’t waver, and their pride made them resistant to the fears she tried to manifest. No matter how many times she attempted it, her illusions shattered against their willpower.
But Kouhei... Kouhei was different.
An ordinary human should have cracks, should have fears. His mind shouldn’t have been able to withstand what she could do. And because of that, she believed she could break him—the Child of Anti-Prophecy.
"Still... I didn’t expect his mental fortitude to be this strong," Yuka murmured to herself. "Even in that state, he can still fight... As I thought, I really can’t underestimate him."
It was becoming clear—he wasn’t the weakling she thought he was. Perhaps she had been blinded by her own belief that Souichiro was untouchable, that no human could possibly defeat him in a faction war. Yet Kouhei had done exactly that.
It was shocking.
He should have collapsed.
His body had been deprived of rest. His mind was plagued by constant illusions, each one forcing him to relive his worst fears. Slowly but surely, his mental state was crumbling, eroded by visions that ate away at his sanity. By all logic, he should’ve broken down, unable to move, let alone fight.
But somehow, he endured.
It made Yuka’s lips curl slightly, a rare trace of curiosity cutting through her usual calm. Just how long could he keep going before his mind finally shattered completely?
***
Meanwhile, on the other side, Kouhei and the others continued their journey back on Earth. Yuzuha sat at the reins, guiding the carriage forward.
But she wasn’t herself.
Her head felt like it was being split open from the inside. Every throb was like a hammer slamming against her skull, again and again, relentless and unforgiving.
Flashes of memories kept striking her vision, fragments of things she desperately wanted to bury. Faces she never wanted to see again, voices she wanted to forget, moments she wanted erased forever. No matter how many times she tried to push them away, they surged back like waves, forcing her to relive them. It was suffocating. There was no escape.
The carriage wheels rumbled over the dirt until they finally reached the portal, the passage that would lead them back into the mortal world.
"Kouhei-kun, let’s go," Yuuna said softly, steadying him as she walked by his side.
Kouhei’s steps were heavy, his body moving sluggishly, as though every ounce of energy had been drained out of him. He looked less like the boy he was and more like a senile old man, hollow and worn out.
Yuuna couldn’t understand it.
Just four days ago, he had been fine.
Now, it was like watching someone wither away before her eyes.
She frowned, frustration flickering in her chest. She couldn’t connect the pieces. If she had known the secrets of the Sano family, she would have realized the truth instantly—that Yuka had unleashed her ability on him. But the family’s powers were carefully hidden and was kept secret from the world.
So Yuuna could only cling to one hope—that once they returned to the Saionji Mansion, Kouhei would somehow recover.
"This is where I stop, Yuuna-sama," Yuzuha’s voice cut in, calm as she brought the carriage to a halt.
Yuuna turned to her, studying her quietly.
She remembered earlier, before Yuzuha had broken free from her own illusion. She had screamed, her voice filled with raw terror—
"I’m very sorry! I’m very sorry! I’m very sorry! I’m very sorry! I’m very sorry! I’m very sorry! I’m very sorry! I’m very sorry! I’m very sorry! I’m very sorry! I’m very sorry!"
Over and over, the same words, repeated like a mantra of guilt and desperation.
Yuuna hadn’t understood why.
In fact, she was shocked that Yuzuha even had the capacity to apologize at all. For someone who had caused Nagisa so much pain, to hear her breaking down like that—it was unsettling, even disturbing.
But there was something Yuuna noticed.
Whatever illusion had forced Yuzuha into that state... it might be the same thing tormenting Kouhei now.
"Yuzuha, can I ask you something?" Yuuna said, her tone sharpening.
"What is it, Yuuna-sama?" Yuzuha asked back, her voice smooth.
"What did you see?"
"...What are you implying?"
"I’m asking what you saw. What made you lose control like that? Why were you apologizing as if your life depended on it?"
Yuzuha only smiled faintly, her expression calm, almost mocking. "I have no idea what you’re talking about."
Yuuna narrowed her eyes, trying to pierce through the mask, but all she saw was that same smile. It irritated her to no end.
"Kouhei-kun did something similar," Yuuna pressed, her voice growing colder. "That means whatever affected him is the same thing that happened to you. Which is why I need answers. Or... do you want me to kill you right here and now?"
A sphere of crimson energy crackled to life in her palm, its light glowing so intensely it warped the air around it. The sound of vibrating air filled the space, threatening to explode at any moment.
But Yuzuha didn’t flinch. She didn’t even blink. Instead, she smiled wider.
"If that’ll make you feel better, then do it. Go ahead and kill me. Just tell Nagisa I died by your hands. Maybe then, she can finally rest from her vengeance against me. Vengeance isn’t exactly healthy, you know?"
Even with death practically pressed against her throat, she showed no fear. Whether she was hiding something she refused to reveal, or she truly had no memory of it—it didn’t matter.
Yuuna realized she wouldn’t get any more out of her.
She slowly closed her hand, and the crimson sphere dissolved into nothing.
Without a word, Yuuna guided Kouhei toward the portal, disappearing inside with him.
Yuzuha turned the horses around silently, her expression unreadable, and began the lonely ride back to the Sarushima mansion.
***
Back at the Saionji Mansion.
Kouhei and Yuuna had finally returned.
It was Hina who spotted them first.
"K-Kouhei!" she called out, rushing toward him before jumping into his arms with a tight hug.
She really had missed him.
It had been four days since the last time they saw each other.
Naturally, Hina was craving that usual Kouhei treatment right now.
But almost instantly, she noticed something was wrong.
When she hugged him, Kouhei didn’t wrap his arms around her, nor did he rub her head with his hand like he always did.
That was something he never failed to do whenever she hugged him—yet this time, he didn’t.
"Kouhei?"
"Hina-san..." Kouhei’s voice came out faint and weakened.
And then—
He collapsed, losing consciousness.
"Kouhei!"
***
Kouhei found himself waking up again, but this time inside that same dream of his.
The one where Yuuna and the others were dead.
And Kozue was there, blaming him for everyone’s deaths.
Kouhei had no idea what was going on.
Was this just a nightmare? Or something more... like a premonition of the future?
He couldn’t tell.
The dream felt so real—so real that it was like being in reality itself, yet at the same time, it still had that unreal, dreamlike haze.
He wanted to run from it, to escape... but he couldn’t.
And then, he woke up.
Unlike those other times when he would bolt upright instantly, drenched in sweat, this time was different.