A hoarse, sticky voice rasped above Asuka's head, accompanied by a wave of danger that made his hair stand on end.
Almost purely on instinct, he threw himself forward in a clumsy roll, snow and slush coating his body as he desperately put distance between himself and the voice overhead.
When he nervously looked up, his entire body froze in place.
Hanging upside down from a thick tree branch above him was something with a vaguely humanoid outline.
It was only called humanoid because its limbs were grotesquely long, like bamboo poles crudely stitched together. At the ends, its fingers and toes had warped into sharp, black claws that were deeply embedded in the tree bark, still stained with traces of dark red.
The face could no longer be called human. Its features were twisted and displaced, exposing two rows of ghastly white fangs as it grinned savagely at Asuka.
"Today's my lucky day. Two meals in one go?"
A Hollow? No, that's not it!
In Asuka's hazy memories, he recalled adults in Rukongai talking about terrifying monsters that devoured humans and wandering souls, creatures called Hollows. But they were nothing like this!
Run! I have to run!
The instinct to survive pounded violently in the heart of the street orphan, screaming at him to flee from this place.
Just like running from the guards' batons, like escaping the territories claimed by thugs. When you meet an enemy you can't handle, you run. Wasn't that only natural?
I want to live! No matter what, even if I have to live like a dog, I'll survive at any cost!
Go back. Take revenge on that strange man with the glasses!
Yet for some reason, another, far hotter emotion seized him and refused to let go.
Asuka trembled violently, clutching his tattered cotton coat, and spat out a few cold words:
"Was it you… who killed the old man?"
"Hm?"
The monster hanging from the tree turned its blood-red vertical pupils in confusion, clearly not expecting this scrawny little brat to question it instead.
It licked the drool at the corner of its mouth and mocked cheerfully, "Scared out of your mind? How about I turn you into—"
"I'm asking you. Did you kill the old man?"
Asuka's gaze locked onto those blood-red pupils, flames of pure anger churning within his eyes.
Repaying kindness? Maybe that wasn't quite it.
But for Asuka, who had grown used to the drifting misery and deceit of Rukongai, used to the cold plunder and fists of another world, the concern shown by that stern-faced old man when he handed him a bowl of rice porridge was something he had never known before. It was the most precious thing in his heart.
The fury of having that treasure torn away, mixed with overwhelming grief and a trace of guilt, crushed his instinct to flee.
"Heeheehee…"
With a burst of grotesque laughter, the monster suddenly flipped down from the tree, kicking up a cloud of snow.
"So what if I did? That old thing's flesh was bland as hell… nothing compared to a fresh little snack like you!"
"..."
Asuka fell silent. Even the trembling of his body stopped.
He untied the straps across his chest, yanked the battered long blade from his back to the front, and raised it high, gripping the hilt with all his strength as his thin arms pulled the scabbard free sideways.
Clang!
A radiance not belonging to this world burst from the blade, instantly illuminating the dark, snowy forest.
"What the hell…"
Confusion flickered across the monster's twisted face. It didn't understand what had happened, only that the aura of the little brat before it had changed.
As the light faded, the scabbard in Asuka's hands vanished, leaving only a rust-covered long blade clenched tightly in his grip.
Seeing this, the monster burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha! I thought it was something special. Turns out it's just some broken blade you picked up somewhere!"
"Brat, playing with grown-ups' toys will get you hurt!"
With that, it kicked off the ground violently and charged straight at Asuka with a ferocious grin.
Asuka forced himself to stand his ground, gripping the Broken Blade that had come with him into this world, staring unflinchingly at the charging monster.
"Die, kid! Remember to steal a better sword in your next life!"
Shriek!
Razor-sharp claws tore through the thin cotton coat on Asuka's chest. The dried straw stuffing inside exploded into the freezing wind, scattering through the air together with flying snow.
Immediately after came a burning pain as his skin was sliced open.
"…!" Asuka let out a muffled groan. Thanks to reflexes honed through years of beatings, he barely avoided the full force of the strike, but the massive impact still sent him stumbling, nearly falling over.
At the same time, he didn't miss this chance.
Slash!
Using the monster's own momentum, Asuka grit his teeth and swung back, hacking viciously into its body with the Broken Blade!
"Urgh!"
Though it looked like junk, the blade was terrifyingly sharp. In a single exchange, it ripped open a massive, bloody gash across the monster's abdomen.
Filthy blood poured out in torrents as searing pain spread through the creature's entire body.
"It hurts so much!!!"
It was a demon, a man-eating demon. It had fought hunters and mountain folk before, had been wounded by axes and short bows, but never had it felt pain like this.
Screaming, it lashed out again in rage. Asuka rolled with the force of his swing, tumbling awkwardly into a thick snowdrift ahead.
Planting the long blade into the ground, Asuka trembled as he forced himself upright, enduring the stabbing pain in his chest where blood and snow mingled, and looked toward the monster whose waist he had split open.
The creature was clutching its wound with twisted claws, glaring at him with a feral expression.
"Brat! I'll tear you to pieces and chew you up bit by bit!"
As it roared, a horrifying scene unfolded before Asuka's eyes.
The massive wound began to writhe unnaturally. The flesh at its edges squirmed like a nest of maggots, desperately drawing together, contracting.
In just a few breaths, right before Asuka's shocked gaze, the wound closed.
Seeing the terror in Asuka's eyes, the demon bared its fangs and hissed smugly.
"Heeheehee… well? You think that scrap of metal can kill me? Don't dream!"
Grinning savagely, it charged again.
This time, knowing the blade's sharpness, it no longer intended to toy with its prey. Taking advantage of Asuka's shock, it meant to rip him apart outright.
Asuka was shaken by the sight, despair of being unable to win creeping into his heart. But he refused to give up. Face darkened, he dragged the Broken Blade forward to meet the oncoming enemy.
"Fool!"
The demon spread its bamboo-thin arms wide, swinging them like two enormous sickles, slashing toward Asuka from both sides.
Asuka lowered his body, trying to slip past with his smaller frame, but he underestimated just how distorted the creature's limbs were and exposed an opening.
Shriek! Shriek!
The arms twisted impossibly as they came crashing down. Two tearing sounds rang out, pain drilling straight into Asuka's bones. Even though he avoided the first sweep, the claws still carved two deep, bone-revealing wounds across his back.
Agony surged through his body. Two fountains of blood sprayed upward, splattering across the monster's tongue as it licked its lips.
"Damn it!" Asuka's vision went black, and he nearly lost consciousness.
Clenching his teeth, he used the momentum of his forward fall to swing the long blade down viciously at the monster's left leg.
Thud!
The blade cleaved through flesh once more, even severing the leg bone this time, sending the evil ghost staggering and crashing to the ground.
"Howl!! You damn brat!!"
Asuka didn't dare pause for breath after hitting the ground. Scrambling up in a panic, he fled forward with everything he had.
He glanced back, his face twisting in despair.
In his sight, the Demon's leg, the one he had just cut off, was already writhing and healing once again…
'I was reckless... Can I actually defeat this thing?!'