Chapter 49 Kill Them

The harsh, rustling sound of something cutting rapidly through the trees exploded in the darkness. A recently fed Japanese black bear was cleaning the blood from its muzzle by the edge of a small stream.

Just as it lowered its head to drink and quench its thirst, a commotion suddenly erupted on the opposite bank.

The black bear cautiously eyed the direction of the disturbance across the water. Standing at the apex of the Japanese ecosystem, it had no fear of any creature posing a threat to it, save for members of its own kind.

As it debated whether to hunt for a midnight snack, the creature in the darkness on the opposite side finally stepped out.

Staring at the three ape-like figures that had suddenly appeared across the river, the bear instinctively stood on its hind legs and let out a roar.

The three strange, sudden monkeys put the black bear on high alert because they carried the same aura as the female monkey by the pool.

Although they didn't make it turn tail and run away in absolute terror like that female monkey did, the three figures still made it feel deeply uneasy.

"A black bear? Aotail, I'll leave it to you."

"Tch... why is it always me?"

"Who else could it be? The exorcists are tailing us so closely right now. If Bailong and I make a move, do you want to be chased all the way to Matsue?"

"Fine, fine, fine, I get it..."

With that, under the gaze of the towering, upright bear, a muscular man in a camouflage jacket pulled a dagger from his lower back and strolled toward the beast.

"Roar!!"

"Don't be scared, it'll soon be... good!"

Abruptly, Aotail accelerated, splashing through the stream and closing the distance in just a few strides amidst the bear's intimidating roars.

The bear instinctively lashed out with a paw, but Aotail dodged it with agile grace.

"Too slow..."

As Aotail murmured, the dagger flashed with a cold light and struck precisely into the bear's eye.

"Roar!!"

Overwhelmed by blinding pain, the black bear turned and fled in terror into the distance. Aotail followed unhurriedly behind, in such high spirits that he even began humming a folk ballad.

"A fifteen-year-old maiden~ married far away, bidding farewell to her hometown, unable to return for so long—"

Unable to endure its wounds, and leaving a trail of blood in its wake, the black bear finally let out a dying roar and collapsed onto the ground.

Bailong and Yabu soon arrived at the scene, finding Aotail cutting raw flesh from the black bear to eat in the dark.

"Stop wasting time. If we don't move quickly, it'll be troublesome once they catch up to us."

Hearing this, Aotail could only stand up with a look of deep regret.

"Black bear sashimi is such a rarity. Though it smells rather fishy, it has a unique flavor of its own..."

Meanwhile, by the pool's edge, the bear's agonizing cries jolted Uto Kayaha awake, and Fuku-e sleepily stirred alongside him.

"What's wrong?"

"I think... I heard a bear roaring."

"A bear?"

Hearing the word bear instantly cleared Fuku-e's mind, a look of disgust washing over her face.

"A disgusting creature..."

"What?"

Faced with Uto Kayaha's inquiry, Fuku-e offered no explanation.

After all, having once been eaten alive by such a mindless creature was hardly a glorious or pleasant thing to share with others.

"Kayako, Kayako..."

"Hmm? Kayaha-kun... what's going on?"

Rubbing her eyes, Kayako emerged from the tent, looking somewhat bewildered as she stared at Uto Kayaha by the entrance.

"Stop sleeping. We heard a bear just now. Hang in there a bit longer, it'll be dawn soon, and we'll head back as soon as the sun comes up."

"O-okay!"

The mention of a bear startled Kayako thoroughly, especially since she had heard rumors that black bears liked to eat humans alive.

What if... what if she accidentally got caught by a bear...

Shuddering, Kayako hurriedly went to help Uto Kayaha add firewood to the flame.

Both awakened women wore expressions of heavy exhaustion. After a moment of thought, Uto Kayaha went to the side, used his dagger to cut a wooden branch, and bound it tightly to the blade to use as a makeshift spear.

Seeing this, Fuku-e spoke up to comfort them reassuringly.

"Don't worry, black bears aren't very bold. Unless they see you're already injured, they wouldn't dare approach."

Uto Kayaha looked at her in confusion.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because—"

"Because black bears are weak, what else could it be?"

The sudden male voice startled everyone. Uto Kayaha sprang to his feet, glaring warily at the three figures slowly emerging from the dark.

"Don't come any closer!"

Yabu looked at Uto Kayaha, who was clutching his wooden stick and dagger, and then his gaze shifted to Kayako and Fuku-e, his eyes suddenly lighting up.

"Yo, hello there, travelers. We came here to camp too, but we got spooked by a bear and only came over when we saw your campfire."

As he spoke, Yabu and the others advanced toward the trio.

"Stop right there, don't move another step!"

Uto Kayaha wasn't about to buy such nonsense. That camouflage-wearing man holding a dagger didn't look like anyone good.

In the glow of the campfire, he could even spot bloodstains on the man's clothes.

Observing Uto Kayaha's guarded stance, Yabu let out a helpless sigh.

"Being too smart isn't a good thing, you know. I'll take that big-chested one; we can take turns with her later. We're short on time—one hour, clean things up after an hour."

Receiving the order, Aotail and Bailong grinned maliciously.

"Since we're pressed for time, is it alright to use some tricks?"

Yabu hesitated for a moment, but looking at Kayako's panicked and timid expression, desire ultimately triumphed over reason.

"Go ahead, but keep the noise down as much as possible."

"Got it~!"

With that, Aotail bolted toward the three of them first. Meanwhile, with an evil chuckle, Bailong unclasped the bone talisman from around his neck.

"Go on, Red Boy, and make sure you don't kill them."

Wearing a triumphant smile, Bailong began looking at Fuku-e, debating whether to start with her mouth or her legs.

However, the infant-like Red Boy had barely emerged from the bone talisman before it let out a shrill shriek and fled in panic into the surrounding darkness.

Before Bailong could even figure out what had happened, the abrupt severing of his contract with the Red Boy caused him to spit out a massive mouthful of blood.

"Bailong?!"

Yabu stared in shock and confusion toward the direction the Red Boy had fled. On Uto Kayaha's side, Fuku-e fixed a terrifying expression on Aotail.

"Kill them."

"Huh?"

Yabu turned his head at the sound, but before he could figure out whose orders Fuku-e was giving, Aotail rushed at them with bloodshot eyes and a ferocious expression.

"Aotail, you damn—"

Barely managing to evade Aotail's assault, Bailong wasn't nearly as lucky. Before the backlash-weakened psychic could recover, a dagger plunged deep into his throat.

Realizing the problem lay with that impossibly gorgeous girl, Yabu abandoned all attempts to conceal his aura. Sensing the presence of a spiritualist, he violently tore off his short-sleeved shirt, revealing a creepy, crimson tattoo underneath.

"Centipede, come out and kill—!"

Before he could finish, a searing pain shot through Yabu's throat as a pale arm burst outward, tearing his windpipe to shreds from the inside.

Following that, Aotail, having just finished off Bailong, lunged toward him with a savage grin, repeatedly driving his dagger into Yabu's chest and yanking it out to spray gushes of blood.