Hikari no Ou

Human civilization no longer revolves around fire, but is instead now driven by fear of it. Repeated wars have changed human biology, and people now spontaneously combust when they get close to natural flame. However, a new source of energy prevents society from complete collapse: a stone-shaped material used to produce light and steam lies within the bodies of monsters that infest numerous forests. Those tasked with collecting this precious resource are called fire hunters. Touko, a young village girl, is saved from a forest monster by a fire hunter who perishes during his heroic action. After the hunter's dog, Kanata, heals from his own injury, the girl's family sends her to the capital in order to return Kanata and the hunter's fire sickle to his relatives. Elsewhere, the fire hunter's son, Koushi, and his sister are adopted by a wealthy family. Koushi learns some troubling facts related to the country's ruling royal family. He conducts secret research on a special fire stone found by his late father, kickstarting a race against time between the country's leaders and those trying to save mankind from its ultimate demise. Hikari no Ou takes place in the aftermath of humanitys last war. The world is enveloped with a black forest and people have become infected with a pathogen that causes them to burst into flame in the presence of natural fire. The only safe source of fire can be obtained by hunting black beasts, Flame Spirits, which reside deep in the forest. Among the fire hunters, rumors of The King of Fire Hunters began spreading recently—an individual who would be able to harvest the man-made star, the millennium comet that once wandered the void.