Sunset…
The sky was painted a deep, bloody red.The forest was unusually silent, as if aware that something was approaching.
Kashikari walked toward the cabin.
His steps were calm, measured.But inside… his mind was anything but calm.
Jinwi was there.
Silent.Alert.Watching.
Suddenly—
"Hey."
Kashikari froze.
He slowly turned around.
Three figures stood there.
Black armor.Strange symbols etched across their bodies.Faceless masks hiding their expressions.
This time, though…
Their aura was different.
Heavier.Oppressive.Even the air seemed to tighten around them.
"You should have run," said one, voice sharp.
Kashikari narrowed his eyes.
"We observed last time," said the second."This time… we will take you."
Kashikari drew a slow breath.
He didn't move back.
"Try," he said.
A brief silence fell.
Then—
BAM!
The air tore apart.
All three attacked at once.
Their speed… was inhuman.
Kashikari's eyes widened for a moment.
But—
Jinwi reacted.
Bodyguard Aura.
An invisible shield flared to life.
The attacks struck—
BOOM!
The aura cracked.A fine, high-pitched sound, like glass about to shatter.
Kashikari's eyes widened again.
A blade had grazed his shoulder.Blood spattered.
He was thrown back.His knees scraped the ground.Breath left him.
For the first time…
Pain.Real pain.
The attackers pressed on.Relentless.
Kashikari gritted his teeth.
"This…"
Jinwi pulsed.Stronger.Faster.Like a heartbeat.
Kashikari rose.His eyes cCold.
One step.
The ground cracked.
He grabbed the nearest man by the collar.
The man didn't even react—
BAM!
He hit the ground.The soil split beneath him.
The others hesitated.
"This child…" said one."…he's not human."
Kashikari straightened.Blood ran down his shoulder.Yet his expression remained blank.He didn't flinch.
"I'm… learning," he said softly.
In an instant, he lunged at the second attacker.Too late for defense.
A strike to the neck.
CRACK.
Silence.The body collapsed.
The last man stepped back, genuinely terrified.
"This… can't be…" he stammered.
Kashikari advanced slowly, unstoppable.
"Who sent you?" he demanded.
The man trembled.Tried to flee.
But one step.Kashikari was in front of him.
Their eyes locked.
"Who?"
The man's voice shook:
"…Ninhim…"
A moment.Silence.
Then—
Jinwi flared suddenly.The aura rippled.The air grew heavy.
Kashikari's eyes widened.
The man's body tensed.His eyes went blank.
And then… he fell.
Dead.
Kashikari stepped back, breathing unevenly.
"What… was that?"
Jinwi whispered:
"Pawns."
The silence that followed was different this time.Deeper.Darker.
Kashikari clenched his fists.
"So…""…this is something much bigger."
The wind howled.The trees rustled violently.
And in that instant—Kashikari understood:
This was no longer survival.
This… was the beginning of a war.