Ryosuke froze for a moment.
Pottery clay at the scene…
Don't tell me this demon was another obsessive, warped "artist" like that ugly freak Gyokko?
If that was the case, things would get really troublesome.
On top of that, Shota still hadn't recovered from his injuries from the last mission.
This time, it was almost certainly going to be just him and Uzui Tengen.
Tch… this was rough.
Ryosuke was just about to mutter a few cautious words when Uzui Tengen had already finished packing and was ready to depart.
Seeing the unrestrained hunger for battle burning in his eyes, Ryosuke could only sigh.
After bidding farewell to Jigoro and the others, they set off.
Out on assignment, responsibilities came first.
Uzui Tengen restrained himself a little—after all, his silver hair and striking build were far too eye-catching.
Several days later, a village shrouded in gloom and dread appeared before them.
It should have been the hour when fishing boats returned and cooking smoke curled into the sky.
Instead, the entire coastal village was eerily silent.
Doors and windows were shut tight.
Fear hung thick in the air, mixed with the briny stench of the sea and an unsettling scent of kiln smoke.
"Split up. Be careful," Ryosuke said in a low voice.
Uzui Tengen nodded. In a flash of silver, his figure swept toward the western houses.
Ryosuke headed alone toward the seaside at the back of the village—where the stench was strongest.
The hummingbird on his shoulder chirped uneasily.
Rounding a cluster of rocks gnawed smooth by sea wind, Ryosuke's view suddenly opened—
An expanse of cleared sand.
And standing upon it—
Dozens of figures, each as tall as a person.
Ryosuke instinctively tensed, hand tightening on his blade.
But as he drew closer, he realized—
They weren't living beings.
They were clay figures.
Rough pottery had been fired into human shapes—men and women alike—each frozen in a stiff, grotesque pose.
Most bore expressions of sheer terror, bodies twisted mid-struggle.
So lifelike it was as if they had been sealed alive inside raw clay.
The sea wind carried salt and rot as the figures stood crookedly upon the sand, hollow eyes staring toward the village.
A nightmarish tableau—like a painting from the underworld.
And the intense smell of scorched clay, along with malice that seeped straight from the soul—
It all originated here.
Ryosuke stepped in carefully.
Then—
A faint rustling sounded behind him.
Ryosuke spun around.
Nothing.
Only the sea wind howled past.
His brow furrowed, grip tightening.
He hadn't imagined it.
Those clay figures behind him…
They had moved.
At that moment—
A violent explosion thundered in the distance.
Fire shot skyward. The ground trembled.
Uzui Tengen's explosives.
Ryosuke snapped back to his senses—and a figure came charging toward him.
"Ryosuke! Get out of there! Now!"
Uzui Tengen roared.
Ryosuke's pupils shrank.
As he turned—
The clay figures surged to life.
Dozens of them lunged forward all at once!
The instant the howling began, Ryosuke was swallowed by their mass.
Uzui Tengen's face changed drastically as he rushed forward—
Then thunder erupted.
Thunder Breathing — Third Form: Thunder Swarm!
Lightning flooded the area. As the sword force detonated, dozens of clay figures were torn apart, shattered into fragments.
Uzui Tengen arrived in an instant, voice sharp with concern.
"You okay?!"
Before Ryosuke could answer—
A vast black mass appeared in the distance.
Figures twisted and struggling, rushing toward them in waves.
Uzui Tengen tightened his grip on his twin blades, eyes cold.
"I ran into these things in the village too. Creepy as hell."
"Blood Demon Art," Ryosuke said grimly.
"I'm afraid the entire village has already been slaughtered."
He stepped forward, blade in hand.
"Clear the fodder first—and find the main body!"
Uzui Tengen shouted in response and charged alongside him.
Thunder Breathing — First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!
The two plunged into the horde like tigers among sheep.
Sword cries and thunder roared wherever they passed.
Clay figures collapsed one after another, crumbling into dust.
But—
When Ryosuke severed the neck of one clay figure, the numb expression on its face twisted into raw terror.
The severed head fell to the ground, letting out a sobbing whimper.
"Save me… please…"
Ryosuke froze.
Looking again, he saw it clearly—
Most of the clay figures wore expressions of fear, tears streaming down their faces.
Uzui Tengen felt it too, instinctively backing up against Ryosuke.
"T-this isn't right… these things—"
Ryosuke's blood ran cold.
A horrifying realization surfaced.
"These are the villagers."
Uzui Tengen stiffened.
Ryosuke held his blade, killing intent sharpening.
"That demon used a Blood Demon Art to seal them inside clay puppets—controlling them while draining their flesh and blood!"
"That damned monster!"
Uzui Tengen forced several clay figures back.
He couldn't kill them—but leaving them alone wasn't an option either.
"What do we do?!"
"I'll hold them here. You find the main body!"
Ryosuke vaulted forward, deliberately drawing the majority of the figures' attention.
Uzui Tengen's hearing was exceptional—far better suited for locating the demon.
Uzui Tengen didn't argue. He leapt free of the encirclement, scanning the surroundings.
The forest at night was unnaturally quiet.
Only the sea wind stirred the trees.
Behind him, Ryosuke continued to struggle—
A fight where he couldn't kill was the most exhausting kind.
Time was running out.
Uzui Tengen drew a deep breath, Breathing Technique circulating invisibly.
Calm down.
You are the god of flamboyant rites.
He crouched and pressed his ear to the ground.
As his breathing flowed, his already keen hearing sharpened further.
Countless subtle sounds echoed in his mind—
From deep beneath the forest floor.
Along with a repulsive, mocking snicker.
Uzui Tengen's eyes flashed.
Target locked.
In an instant, his body became lightning.
Twin blades crashed down like thunder.
"Come out!"
A deafening blast—
Dust exploded. The ground split.
A short, withered figure burst from below.
The demon's skin was sallow gray-yellow, fingers splayed wide, skull尖 and teeth jagged—hideous beyond measure.
"H-how did you find me?!" Waomenbō shrieked.
Uzui Tengen answered only with steel.
His blades flashed—fast, vicious.
Waomenbō barely retreated in time, still catching a deep slash across his chest as blood sprayed.
Uzui Tengen followed up instantly—kunai pinned the demon's limbs to the ground.
Then came several round objects.
Explosions roared.
Waomenbō staggered back, filthy and disheveled.
Uzui Tengen stood tall, blades lowered, voice ice-cold.
"Your filthy blood stench and that laugh of yours—absolutely revolting."
"Tch! Hearing, huh!"
Waomenbō sneered.
With a flick of his hand, three distant clay figures shattered into dust.
Wisps of blood drifted toward him, sinking into his body.
Before Uzui Tengen's eyes—
Waomenbō's wounds regenerated instantly.
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