If it weren't for the dripping boning knife in his hand, no one would ever associate him with the words "serial killer."
Ryunosuke Uryu.
The lunatic responsible for the recent string of murders in Fuyuki City, a man who treated killing as an art form.
"Oh my, don't look at me like that. I'll get shy."
Humming an unknown tune, Ryunosuke flicked the beads of blood from his hand, speaking as if chatting with an old friend. "I originally wanted to let you sleep a little longer, but since you're awake, it can't be helped."
He walked over to a table in the center of the room, where a worn, ancient-looking book lay.
He had dug it out of his family's storehouse. It contained methods for summoning demons.
To Ryunosuke, killing had become somewhat boring.
Simple death and the blooming of blood could no longer satisfy his ever-expanding curiosity.
He wanted something more thrilling.
Like... actually summoning a demon just to see it?
"The book says I need fresh sacrifices and a medium to connect to the otherworld..."
Ryunosuke muttered to himself while flipping through the pages. "A medium is too hard to find, but as for sacrifices, they're everywhere as long as you're a little hardworking."
He lifted his head, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the two trembling girls and Sumire Kamado.
That look in his eyes was like someone picking out ingredients for dinner at a wet market.
"That boy from earlier was too fragile. He died after only being drained of half his blood. He couldn't activate this magic circle at all."
Ryunosuke scratched his head in distress. "As expected, do I really have to strike when their fear is at its absolute peak?"
As he spoke, he walked toward the two girls huddled in the corner.
"Mmph!! Mmph mmph!!!"
The two girls let out miserable whimpers, desperately trying to shrink back.
But with the cold wall right behind them, there was nowhere left to retreat.
"Don't be scared, don't be scared. It will be over soon."
Smiling cheerfully, Ryunosuke reached out and grabbed one of the long-haired girls by her hair, dragging her toward the center of the magic circle like a dead dog.
"Stop it!!"
A crisp, furious shout exploded in the dim basement.
Ryunosuke froze for a moment, turning his head in surprise.
The black-haired girl he had assumed to be the quietest and most obedient was now glaring daggers at him.
Sumire Kamado's eyes had become exceptionally bright, that gleam of red resembling burning charcoal in the darkness.
"Let her go! You lunatic!"
"Oh?"
Ryunosuke's interest was piqued.
He let go of the girl, who was crying so hard she was on the verge of passing out, and turned toward Sumire Kamado.
"You're quite energetic, even after being given such a massive dose of drugs."
He leaned in close to Sumire, lightly sliding the cold blade against the girl's tender cheek. "Aren't you afraid of me?"
"I am."
Sumire looked him straight in the eyes. Though her voice trembled slightly, it was exceptionally firm. "But if I don't dare to stop you just because I'm afraid, then I'd be no different from a life-desecrating evil demon like you!"
"Desecrating life? No, no, no, this is art! It's an exploration!"
Ryunosuke burst into exaggerated laughter as if he had just heard a hilarious joke. "You ordinary people just don't get it! Death is the most magnificent moment of life!"
"Just like a firework, going off with a bang! Now that is cool!"
He abruptly straightened up, a fanatical expression appearing on his face.
"Since you're so full of energy, I'll save you for later."
"The best materials should naturally be enjoyed last."
Ryunosuke turned around and grabbed the girl on the floor once more.
This time, he did not hesitate in the slightest.
"Let's see if it works this time!"
"No!!!"
Accompanied by a scream of despair, blood splattered.
Sumire Kamado closed her eyes in agony, biting down hard on her lower lip until she tasted the rust-like flavor of blood.
She did not scream, knowing it would be of no use.
She simply adjusted her breathing with all her might, attempting to break through the shackles of the drugs in her body, trying to break free from her bindings and bring this evil demon to justice!
A thick stench of blood began to permeate the air.
Blood flowed slowly along the grooves in the floor, seeping into that eerie magic circle.
"Come forth! Mr. Demon! Or Lord Satan!"
Standing at the edge of the magic circle, Ryunosuke spread his arms wide, staring at the blood on the ground with a look of anticipation.
"I have offered the sacrifice, so hurry up and come out to play with me!"
However.
A minute passed.
Five minutes passed.
Aside from smelling even more rancid, the magic circle drawn in blood showed no reaction whatsoever.
There was no light, no black smoke, and no monster crawling out from hell.
The basement was dead silent, save for the sobbing of those who were still alive.
"...Huh?"
The smile on Ryunosuke's face froze.
He kicked the corpse on the ground in disappointment, as if kicking a broken toy.
"What the heck, it actually failed."
"The book clearly said to do it like this... Is it not enough blood?"
He paced around the room in frustration, his boning knife scraping against the wall and sending out a shower of sparks.
"Or maybe... simple death is just too monotonous?"
Suddenly, as if struck by a brilliant idea, his eyes lit up.
"That's it! Maybe it lacks a mark!"
"Just like writing an address when sending a letter, shouldn't I carve the summoning incantation onto the sacrifice?"
"Wow! I'm such a genius! This idea is so cool!"
Ryunosuke jumped up in excitement, his gaze turning back to the only two remaining living people—
The short-haired girl, and Sumire Kamado.
The short-haired girl was completely paralyzed with fear, slumped limply on the ground with lifeless eyes, unable to even let out a cry.
"Let's use you as a test subject first."
Humming a song, Ryunosuke dragged the short-haired girl to the center of the magic circle, stacking her on top of the previous corpse.
"It might hurt a little, so bear with it."
The scene that followed was nothing short of a picture scroll of hell.
Sumire Kamado stared fixedly at everything unfolding before her, her fingernails digging deeply into her palms.
Anger.
Extreme anger burned within her chest.
This fury followed her breathing, igniting every dormant cell in her body.
It was the absolute intolerance for evil passed down through generations of the Kamado family.
It was the memory engraved in her bloodline after her great-grandfather, Jiro Kamado, had slain countless evil demons.
"Hoo... haa..."
As her Breathing Style circulated, Sumire felt the strength in her body recovering bit by bit.
Although it was still faint, and although her wrists had been rubbed raw and bloody by the coarse hemp rope, her fingers could now barely move.
But right at that moment, the short-haired girl also stopped struggling.
Ryunosuke had carved her body full of bizarre symbols, and blood had almost completely dyed the magic circle red.
Yet, still, nothing happened.
"It failed again?!"
Ryunosuke threw his knife to the ground in exasperation.
"Why! What exactly is wrong!"
"Are there really no demons in this world? Can the gods truly not hear my call?"
He clutched his head and squatted on the ground, throwing a tantrum like a child who couldn't get any candy.