"Strange? Aren't you scared?"
Naruto wore a playful smile, not bothering to explain whether his actions counted as cannibalism.
Mumei didn't answer his question. Instead, she rose lightly, spreading her slender, pale arms like a joyful lark taking flight, and walked a few steps on the sloped roof tiles as if weightless.
She bent down, playfully kicking the head of a Kabane corpse at her feet, her movements as casual as if she were toying with a toy.
"Scared? Why?"
Mumei looked up, giving Naruto an even brighter smile.
The smile looked particularly mischievous in the Gekko.
"To me, whether it's those 'things' down there, or you, there's nothing to be afraid of, because~ I'm really strong!"
She pointed to the Kabane still sporadically emerging from the burning streets below.
Then, Mumei placed one hand on her hip, while with the other, she casually spun her Steam Gun into a beautiful flourish. The muzzle pointed distantly at Naruto, and a competitive gleam suddenly ignited in her amber eyes, her voice filled with an undeniable excitement: "Hey! You weird guy over there, who uses Western magic and 'eats hearts'! Let's have a competition!"
"Huh?" Naruto was taken aback.
Mumei's small chin tilted slightly, her smile full of innocence and battle fervor: "Let's compete—from now until the Boiler Room's main door over there."
She pointed to the silhouette of a large Boiler Room in the distance, still spewing residual steam.
"Let's see who takes down more Kabane!"
"The loser… has to treat the winner to dango!"
"Oh, and only your kills count, no Shadow Clones~"
Before she finished speaking, Mumei didn't wait for Naruto's reply. She pushed off with her feet!
"Crack!"
The tiles beneath her feet shattered!
Mumei's petite figure shot down from the rooftop like an arrow from a bowstring, her small body in a pink kimono cutting a sharp trajectory through the Gekko, firelight, and thick smoke.
Mid-air, she flipped, and simultaneously, her Steam Gun spat out a deadly tongue of flame!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Three crisp gunshots almost blended into one!
Three Kabane, just peeking around a corner in the distance, had their heart cores precisely pierced instantly. Sparks flew, the steel membrane shattered, the crimson glow extinguished, and the Kabane fell to the ground with a thud!
Mumei landed lightly, barely kicking up any dust. She turned back to Naruto, who was still standing, and provocatively raised her Steam Gun, a sly smile on her face: "I'm starting first! Weird guy, don't lose too badly~"
"100 seconds, I'll take these guys down!!"
Watching that petite figure, like a red sprite, charge into the Kabane horde, moving swiftly and precisely, killing with every shot, and the challenge she proposed, Naruto felt a sense of déjà vu, as if he were back in Iron Water Village in the Goblin Slayer World. However, Mumei was smart; she knew to patch things up, knowing not to count Shadow Clone kills.
"Compete to see who kills more Kabane?"
"Heh, young girl, you know nothing about power."
Naruto was in no hurry to act. While maintaining his Sage Cloak, connecting to one Shadow Clone after another with golden Sage Chakra tentacles, absorbing their life force, he followed Mumei, admiring her graceful yet decisive killing posture.
At this moment, Mumei had untied the blue ribbon around her pale, swan-like neck, unleashing her power as a Kabaneri.
Not to mention the Steam Gun held in both hands, even the blades embedded in her wooden clogs became the most terrifying instruments of slaughter.
One kick, and she elegantly severed the head of a Kabaneri.
"100 seconds, killed eighty Kabane. My skills seem to have regressed a bit."
"But winning the competition is definitely not a problem."
Soon, Mumei, nearing the Boiler Room, easily leaped onto a house, a happy curve forming on her lips.
"I wonder how that weird guy is doing."
As she ran across the sloped roof, she spared a glance back at Naruto, only to find him leisurely following behind her, showing no signs of attacking any Kabane.
"Weird guy, why aren't you attacking?"
Mumei asked curiously.
Naruto replied: "Consider me defeated. Hmm—I'll treat the winner to dango, right? When Kotetsu Castle reaches the next station town, I'll treat you."
"Screech!"
Suddenly, Mumei came to an abrupt halt, her wooden clog blades scraping a trail of sparks on the roof tiles.
She snorted, hands on her hips, her cheeks puffed out in anger: "Hey, weird guy! Who are you looking down on?!"
Mumei patted her developing chest, "I don't want you to forfeit! I, Mumei, want to win fair and square, openly and honestly, and—with my strength, I don't need anyone to go easy on me!"
Before she finished speaking.
Mumei actively leaped down from the rooftop, rushing into a burning house to eliminate the few Kabane inside.
Originally, she had only planned to fight with all her might for 100 seconds.
But it was as if Naruto had provoked her, so she fought even more ferociously.
The continuous high-intensity hunting, the rapid firing of the Steam Gun, and the consumption of 'blood' required to maintain her Kabaneri state, finally reached their limit.
When the "last" Kabane turned to ash in front of the rusted iron door of the Boiler Room, the fervent flame in Mumei's eyes was extinguished as if by cold water, leaving only endless exhaustion and emptiness.
"200 seconds, killed one hundred seventy-four Kabane—I—I won—"
Her small body swayed.
Her previously taut, bowstring-like posture relaxed, her steps felt light as if she were walking on cotton, and the Steam Gun in her hand became incredibly heavy, almost slipping from her grasp.
"Hey! Mumei, are you alright?"
Naruto, who was beside her, noticed Mumei's abnormality.
Her previous aura of nimble swiftness, like a red lightning bolt, was completely gone. Now, she resembled a candle about to run out of oil, flickering in the cold night wind, on the verge of extinguishing.
In the Gekko, Mumei's already pale face was now completely bloodless, even her lips had lost their usual playful redness, appearing dry and pale.
Her amber eyes, which always sparkled with competitiveness, were now clouded with a heavy weariness, her eyelids so heavy they almost seemed glued together.
"Ha... ha—..." Mumei gasped with difficulty, each breath short and labored.
She tried to force herself to stay strong, to say, "I'm fine," as she usually would, but before the words left her mouth, her body betrayed her.
A strong wave of dizziness hit her, her vision went black, and her legs could no longer support her weight. She softly collapsed to the side.
"Careful!"
Naruto, quick as a flash, took a step forward, his strong arm steadily catching her falling body.
The feeling in his arms was unusually light, as if she had no weight. Her delicate body was burning hot, yet her forehead was unusually cold, carrying a fragile, porcelain-like sensation.