Fanfic / Soul Hunters

Soul Hunters is a Kyo Kara Maoh! fanfiction, based on the anime adaptation.

Summary: Enemies from a past life catch up with Wolfram.

OR

[Post-Season 3 of the anime series.] New threats are rising in the Demon Kingdom. Contenders to the throne of Dai Shimaron are vying for Yuuri's support, while a supposedly extinct race of dragon riders emerges from the shadows. And yet nothing is more dangerous than the appearance of an enemy who's sworn to take everything Yuuri has.

Wolfram is at the thick of it all, as he slowly regains memories of who he'd been in a previous life. He remembers he'd been murdered - at the hands of a friend, of a lover - and now the killer is back to settle some scores. But there are greater forces at play, leaving Wolfram torn between the past and the present, where he's ultimately left with a harrowing decision to make.

The sequel Soul Breaker has been left dormant since 2016. However, the author returned to Archive of Our Own to finally finished the story as she adamantly explained in the comments and revamped a new version of the story available on said website.

A side-story Look had been posted.

This Fanfic Contains Tropes of:

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• The Ace: Ryuu / Maximillion Schwarz is absolutely amazing at everything he does.
  • Broken Ace: However, his soul is completely corrupted through no fault of his own and he has to survive via killing people. All he wants is to just live peacefully but his existence was never meant to exist. He felt he really have nothing left but to die, choosing to die by his Soul Breaker's hands.
• Adaptation Distillation: The revamped has end notes in each chapter describing which the author decided to edit or expand.
• Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: A light example of Frey and Ryuu’s relationship. In the revamped, they became a couple earlier for at least two days before shit hits the fan with Ryuu murdering the entire Lombard clan. Like the original, the Master of the Mixed Message is the same, beginning with the Lombard clan massacre. In the original, while we do see them falling for each other, they never confessed or consummated until they were both dead.
  • A minor example with Ryuu and Lord Garez, Frey’s dad. In the original, they had a good relationship or commiserate over Frey’s behavior. In the revamped, their relationship is strained and the dad is suspicious about Ryuu. Notably, in the revamped, if Frey wasn’t defending Ryuu against every Ryuzoku clan, he is defending him against his dad.
• Always Second Best: Damien has no issue he’s the Spare and free to pursue what he wants. Yes, he does have problems just how much a The Ace Ryuu is. This came on his love life as Wolfram chose Ryuu over Damien.
• The Atoner: Shinou felt remorseful for basically wrecking the lives of Ryuu, Frey, Wolfram, and Yuuri, by extension Susannah Julia. By the sequel, he’s doing his best to repent.
• Because Destiny Says So: As a Soul Breaker, Wolfram / Frey is destined to kill and destroy Ryuu. While people can kill Ryuu, they won't have much effect on Ryuu since his soul can be reborn in a new body. Only Wolfram / Frey can kill and destroy his soul by absorbing his soul in his body and committing suicide. By the same token that Ryuu and Yuuri's souls are one and the same, Wolfram is just as capable of killing and destroying the pure soul his brother Conrad tried his hardest to protect.
• The Berserker: Ryuu, when overcome with his corruption, become this. Even when he’s not this, his aura commands bloodlust and madness. Those who survive calls him a beast.
• Betty and Veronica: To Wolfram's Archie, Yuuri's the kind yet awkward prone to Open Mouth, Insert Foot Betty and Ryuu is the mysterious excelling Veronica. Wolfram chose them both.
• Big Bad: Ryuu, Weisser, and Tier. They were the main instigators of the upcoming war against Shin Makoku. Turned out to be the Disc-One Final Boss.
• Blood Knight: Tier Souma; Frey Lombard that their companions call them war freak. In the sequel’s flashbacks, Frey expressed astonishment that Ryuu wanted a violence-free life when he’s such a great fighter.
• Body Surf: How Weisser lives.
• Cain and Abel: Damien and Ryuu. Despite Damien's anger issues, he does have reasons to be angry at the murderer of his parents. Ryuu doesn't even want to kill this cycle's parents but his drive to kill is far more overpowering than the love of their parents.
• Co-Dragons: Weisser and Tier to Ryuu.
• The Corrupter: Of the indirect kind from people who don’t like each other. In the original, Ryuu’s actions were enough to make Yuuri consider murder. Even in the sequel, Murata recognized Ryuu’s rage in Yuuri’s rage when he came to confront them about everything.
• Darker and Edgier: The revamped.
• Death Seeker: Ryuu. In this last cycle, he is planning to Wolfram and all but asks him to kill him and himself because really he cannot take this anymore.
• Didn't See That Coming: Nobody expected to see the return of Ryuu / Maximilian Schwarz IV’s return as a contender for the throne. Though at least they got warning due to sightings, nobody expected him to be Wolfram’s latest suitor and better yet he became so much a front-lead contender for his heart that it shocked Yuuri and Damien.
• Dragon Rider: The Ryuzoku, the Dragon Group/Tribe/Race. In the revamped version, it was expanded that the rider and dragon have a bond. This was later showcased by Wolfram and Drache; although Wolfram is a full-blooded Demon, his past-life as a Ryuzoku allowed and re-established connection with his past-life incarnation's dragon.
• Due to the Dead: To prevent desecration and to give him a proper funeral, Wolfram burned Ryuu’s body that nothing is left. By that point, Wolfram already absorbed the soul into his own body.
• Foil:
  • Ryuu and Yuuri. Yuuri has black hair and eyes while Ryuu has white hair and eyes. While Ryuu is assertive, incredible at everything he does, and evil, Yuuri is cautious, average, and almost disgustingly good. Their pursuit of Wolfram / Frey can be seen like this; Yuuri is a Master of the Mixed Message while Ryuu directly pursued Wolfram, ironically after Ryuu killed Frey's family, he became a Master of the Mixed Message himself. Ryuu wants a violence-free life with his love by his side while Yuuri wants adventure despite his pacifist way. As it turned out, they are one and the same, used to be Gavriel's complete soul, the founder of the Ryuzoku.
• Foreshadowing: In the original and revamped versions, there are hints that Yuuri and Ryuu are one and the same.
• Greater-Scope Villain: The Crypt of Souls and their leader, Gottfried.
• Green-Eyed Epiphany: How Yuuri realized his feelings for Wolfram. Wolfram's closeness to Damien was a final straw. In the revamped version, coupled with Wolfram's newfound desire to move away from Yuuri, it became a ticking clock for Yuuri to confess to Wolfram.
  • Ironically, even though there was a small mental joke about Lord Brat being jealous about Ryuu's so-called promise to Yuuri, the problem turned out to be much more complicated and the same Lord Brat to never express any jealousy at all but instead fall for the same guy who made the promise to Yuuri.
• Heroic Self-Deprecation: Wolfram has major insecurities. When Gwendal expects him to be the soldier and cannot be the king’s fiancé at the same time, he felt he’s replaceable when he sees his brothers guarding Yuuri better than he will and can. However, even his own brothers thought he would still be Yuuri’s guard. Already, he feels he’s ignored by Yuuri who clearly isn’t interested in him and he knows deep down Yuuri would not be as affectionate as he hoped or even as loving as the Ryuu he sees in his memories. This is despite people loving his takedown of the dragon and Yuuri seeing him as a trusted knight even if he doesn’t reciprocate romantically.
• Hive Mind: In a fashion, the Ryuzoku are organized via pact by their Master. Ryuzoku aren’t related but if chose to make that pact, then they must obey. They can take their own initiative as seen in the flashbacks and the rogue Ryuzoku.
• Humble Goal: Ryuu wishes nothing more than to live peacefully with no violence ever, whilst falling for Frey, wanted him in that life. Given what he is, Ryuu resigned in his penultimate cycle before being a complete berserker with no thoughts or mind to call his own that he will never achieve it and instead embrace Then Let Me Be Evil.
• Innocently Insensitive: Yuuri. His lack of royal etiquette made decisions like keeping a friend in his shared bedroom with Wolfram drove up rumors. Wolfram was hurt but not surprised when earlier he wasn’t allowed into the bedroom by Yuuri’s words no less. If anything, had Wolfram followed those orders, it’s very likely to everyone else that Wolfram is no longer pursuing Yuuri or even the engagement is called off. At least when Wolfram interacts with Damien and rumors drove up, he knew what was going to happen and it doesn’t help Yuuri’s behavior to him just want him to lean on a potential friend.
• I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: A variant in the revamped. Wolfram reached a breaking point where holding a conversation with Yuuri only exacerbate his insecurities and just bring him exhaustion. He was the one who broke off the engagement because the engagement was a farce anyway when Yuuri clearly doesn’t want him. After he broke it off, he felt mixed emotions but he wanted to be there for Yuuri as a friend and soldier, keep telling himself that time and a change of scenery would do him good. To everyone’s surprise, he didn’t react in any form of jealousy when when Weisser-disguised-as-Saiga was close to Yuuri. He made it clear he always has a place in his heart for Yuuri.
• Klingon Promotion: The Ryuzoku have a Master, the one who reigns and controls all dragons and their riders/tamers. Ryuu is the current leader but was soon succeeded by Wolfram. Turned out in the sequel, there’s another way to transfer leadership as hinted in the revamped.
• Living Emotional Crutch: Wolfram became Ryuu’s sole strand to sanity as only he can pull him out of his berserker mode. Morality Pet Weisser and Tier aren’t this as expanded in the revamped that even they could barely get through to him in that state.
• Love Dodecahedron: Damien, Yuuri, and Ryuu are attracted to Wolfram. Sara was sort of attracted to Yuuri but was ultimately became attracted to Damien. Despite Yuuri thinking Wolfram chose him, Wolfram in actuality chose both Yuuri and Ryuu.
• Master of the Mixed Message: Yuuri to Wolfram. After three years of constant ignoring in favor of someone else, disinterest, and refusal of listening to his opinions, Wolfram just broke the engagement off due to exhaustion. It really doesn’t help that in an effort to win him back, Yuuri would up exhausting Wolfram all the more because all he sees is just a continuation of the usual behavior of ignoring him.
  • Ryuu was this to Frey after the former massacred his entire clan. Ryuu seemed like he wanted Frey to kill him yet he was crying when he killed him. This was after a relationship in the revamped while in the original they didn’t have a relationship until they reconciled in the afterlife.
• Morality Pet: Weisser, Tier, and Wolfram / Frey are this to Ryuu.
• Murder-Suicide: What a Soul Breaker have to do to wipe a soul from existence as their bodies are capable of holding two souls.
  • This was the case for Frey and Ryuu. Ryuu killed Frey to save him. After he buried Frey, he committed suicide.
• Myopic Conqueror: Ryuu. He planned to take the kingdom away from Yuuri as well as uniting Shimaron but his ultimate plan has always been death by his Soul Breaker’s hands.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: If you aren’t going to have your soul taken and eaten by Ryuu leaving behind an empty husk, his animalistic urge to kill will annihilate you completely.
• Past-Life Memories: Wolfram became tormented by memories of his past life as Frey Lombard through hallucinations and nightmares, following the Ryuzoku attack.
• Only Sane Man: Murata kept his head on straight, keeping Shori from doing anything rash, and gave Yuuri stern warnings to give Damien a chance. While he didn’t want to be involved in Yuuri’s love life, only he can tell Wolfram is reaching a breaking point and that Yuuri could really lose Wolfram if he’s not careful.
• Professional Killer: The Lombards are a family of assassins.
• Reincarnation Romance: Ryuu and Wolfram / Frey. The latter soon fell for Ryuu himself even though Yuuri insisted that Wolfram himself isn't in love with Ryuu but he's Wolfram, not Frey. After he learned the truth, Yuuri reluctantly admitted that Wolfram was not just his but also Ryuu’s too.
• Resurrective Immortality: Ryuu’s soul will always be reborn unless the Soul Breaker commits Murder-Suicide to wipe his soul from existence. In the revamped version, there was four Maximilian Schwarz that are obviously Ryuu that everyone else thinks it’s a Reincarnation-Identifying Trait of the first Max but failing to realize it’s still the same guy, not reincarnation and being a different person, like literally the same person.
• Romantic False Lead: Damien for Wolfram. While Wolfram had considered Damien as he began to move away from Yuuri, Damien ended up becoming this when Ryuu enter the picture.
• Ruling Family Massacre: Downplayed. It was revealed Lord Garez Lombard was the original holder of controlling dragons until Ryuu killed him. Even then, despite the Lombards having great respect among the Ryuzoku, it doesn’t mean other Ryuzoku clans aren’t suspicious towards them like the Souma and Schwarz clans,
• Secret-Keeper: Few knew Wolfram is a Soul Breaker and Ryuu is an aberrant soul never meant to exist, even fewer are aware of Ryuu’s true relationship to Yuuri.
• Serial Killer: Due to Ryuu’s Soul Eating that he needs to do to survive, he would up as this. Back on Earth, he usually targets Earth Demons while he kills almost indiscriminately back home.
• Soul Eating: What Ryuu needs to do to survive. It has the unfortunate side effect that the soul would never be reborn anew.
• Spared by the Adaptation: In the revamped version, Bob lives while he died in the original version.
• Star-Crossed Lovers: Ryuu and Frey Lombard. Ryuu was a soul that was never meant to exist. Frey was the very soul created to destroy Ryuu.
• Stringing the Hopeless Suitor Along: Unintentionally but not malicious on Yuuri’s part in the revamped. He wanted to win Wolfram back but his actions only come across as ignoring Wolfram at worst or when he did try to initiate something like handholding or even use a jealousy ploy, it was insulting or hurtful to Wolfram who at this point just see it as a continuation of his usual behavior.
• Tomato in the Mirror: Yuuri has this reaction when he learned the truth about Ryuu and himself. He began to understand why Ryuu was just so hateful towards him.
• What Does She See in Him?: This is Damien and Yuuri’s reaction to Wolfram’s attraction towards Ryuu. To them, Ryuu is a bloodthirsty cruel monster who kills indiscriminately with no mercy.