Kazuki clearly had no intention of answering it. Gripping the axe, he charged at the monster once more.
Seeing that Kazuki was about to bring the axe down on it in the next instant, the monster lost all of its earlier composure. Even its rage vanished, leaving behind only fear.
Kazuki raised the axe with both hands and swung it down. The monster hurriedly twisted its body, trying to dodge the blade—but its movement had already been foreseen. Stepping forward, Kazuki brought the axe down again, and the monster's remaining arm was severed as well.
Having lost both arms, the monster no longer had any desire to fight the boy with the strange mark on his forehead. Taking advantage of the moment just after Kazuki completed his strike, it leapt backward several meters, then immediately turned and fled toward the forest outside the village.
"Monster! That guy is definitely a monster!" the green-skinned demon screamed hysterically as it ran.
The last time it had felt fear like this was when it had first become a demon. The presence of the great being who had turned it into one felt exactly like the aura this boy was giving off now—yet when it first encountered him, it hadn't sensed it at all.
After only a few steps, a tremendous impact struck its back.
An axe pierced straight through its body, the overwhelming force driving it face-first into the ground.
"How could I… let you escape…"
The axe slipped from his hand. Kazuki picked up a firewood-cleaving knife leaning against a nearby house and walked step by step toward the fallen green-skinned demon.
Under the moonlight above, his face was partially shrouded in shadow, yet the red, flame-shaped mark on his forehead remained vividly clear.
"D-Don't… don't come any closer, you monster!" Cold sweat poured down the demon's face as it crawled backward. Its arms had yet to regenerate, and the axe Kazuki had thrown was still embedded in its body.
As Kazuki closed in, an image suddenly flashed through the demon's mind.
Under the moonlight stood a man who looked strikingly similar to the boy before it—bearing the same red flame-shaped mark on his forehead. He held a blazing crimson blade in his hand, standing there like a god.
In that instant, every cell in the demon's body screamed fear at it.
But the image vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
What was that?
A memory… I've never had before…
The fleeting vision left it momentarily stunned. Kazuki, however, was completely unaware of this. Holding the cleaver, he had already reached the demon's side.
A cold flash of steel—two strikes so fast they were barely visible to the naked eye—and the demon's legs were severed as well.
Now all four of its limbs had been cut off, leaving only its head and torso.
"Go to hell."
A voice filled with rage rang out. Kazuki raised the blade and brought it down toward the demon's head. He had no interest in dragging this out any longer—he only wanted it dead.
The blade fell. The demon's head flew up, then crashed to the ground.
Dropping the cleaver, Kazuki turned around in silence and walked back toward the road he had come from.
Tap… tap… tap…
His footsteps echoed through the empty village. He walked slowly—not because of exhaustion, but because he was afraid of seeing those same horrific scenes again.
Memories from the past surfaced one by one. Tears blurred his vision, rolling down his cheeks and dripping onto the ground.
"It's okay. Even if it's just the two of us, I'll raise you properly. Mom will always stay with you."
"Cough… cough…"
"Mother, you don't need to overwork yourself making new clothes for me. This one is still warm enough. You should take better care of your health."
"It's fine. You've worn that outfit for two or three years already—it's time for a new one. Go to sleep first. I'll finish it soon."
"Then I'll go pour you a cup of water."
"It's all my fault… getting sick like this, forcing you to go out and earn money at such a young age… dragging you down for so long… I'd be better off dead…"
"Don't ever say that! Haven't you always taken care of me like this too? And you said you'd always stay with me. From now on, you must never think about killing yourself again."
He had only just convinced his mother to keep living together with him…
Clenching his fists, Kazuki walked forward step by step. His nails dug into his flesh without him feeling a thing. A sharp, stabbing pain kept surging in his heart.
When he reached the spot from before, his knees gave out and he collapsed to the ground with a thud, bowing his head until it pressed against the earth.
"I'm sorry… If only I'd come back sooner… If I hadn't wasted so much time on the way to buy medicine…"
His words came out broken, choked with sobs. He didn't dare raise his head, remaining there on his knees, crying uncontrollably.
At that moment, behind him, the green-skinned demon's severed limbs suddenly moved.
Its legs reattached to its body, then its head reconnected. New arms quickly regenerated as well.
Yet after restoring itself, it didn't seize the chance to attack Kazuki. Instead, it silently turned and fled toward the outskirts of the village. Kazuki was still drowning in grief, completely unaware of what was happening behind him. Having encountered a demon for the first time, he naturally knew nothing of their traits.
"Hahahaha! Lucky for me this guy doesn't know that we demons are immortal. That level of attack can't kill me."
The green-skinned demon laughed wildly as it sprinted at full speed, the joy of narrowly escaping death filling its entire being.
"Once I eat more humans and grow stronger, I'll definitely torture that brat to death and then eat him piece by piece!"
Recalling the humiliation and helplessness it had just suffered, the demon snarled with hatred.
Just then, a figure appeared ahead.
Golden hair with crimson edges. A haori with flame patterns along the hem. At his waist hung a long blade with a flame-shaped tsuba.
"So it's this demon? I hope there haven't been any casualties."
A clear, spirited voice tinged with concern rang out. Upon spotting the demon, Rengoku Kyojuro drew his Nichirin Blade.
"Flame Breathing, First Form—Unknowing Fire!"
Blazing flames erupted, coating the blade and bathing the surroundings in fiery red light.
In the next instant, his body appeared before the green-skinned demon. The Nichirin Blade swept horizontally, the flames following the arc as they sliced cleanly across the demon's neck.
"AAAAAH!!!"
The demon let out a piercing scream before rapidly turning to ash, scattering into nothingness.
Sheathing his sword, Kyojuro noticed that the demon hadn't fled very far, allowing him to clearly see the state of the village ahead.
His expression instantly grew heavy.
Without hesitation, he rushed toward the village, hoping against hope that there might still be survivors within.
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