Chapter 22: Hunted
The sun had reached its zenith, casting scorching heat down on the village that had just received somber news.
Kazuka was standing with everyone under a tree, its shade covering a large area.
Aiko looked at Kazuka with a worried face, her eyes seemingly unwilling to part with the young friend.
"Remember to come back and visit me whenever you have the chance, Kazuka."
"Yes, I know. I promise I'll come back to visit if I can."
"You promised, okay? You mustn't forget, or I'll be very angry."
"I will definitely come back, you don't need to worry."
Kazuka reached into his clothes and pulled out his whistle, holding it out to Aiko.
"Here, I'm giving this to you."
Aiko was surprised by the gift.
"Huh? Isn't this the whistle your grandfather left for you? Why give it to me?"
Kazuka gave a bright smile.
"It's fine. It's just a whistle. I see it as something normal now. It's just an object, but having you and everyone as friends is definitely better."
Aiko looked at Kazuka with surprise and curiosity in her eyes.
"Since when did you start saying things like that? It seems you've grown up quite a bit, haven't you? Then, I will accept this gift of yours."
"Alright, I've said my piece. If anyone else has advice for the boy, speak up."
Everyone smiled.
"I've already reminded him."
"I've also given my advice to young Kazuka here."
"Huh? Everyone already spoke? So I'm the one delaying his journey?"
Tsuyu stood to the side, but he didn't know what to say, making him feel shy and retreat to the back. Kazuka noticed Tsuyu backing away.
"Hey, Tsuyu? Even though we didn't talk much, take care of everyone while I'm gone."
Tsuyu immediately switched to an arrogant demeanor.
"I know that, you don't need to worry."
Then he smiled.
"Anyway, goodbye. See you again someday."
"Yeah."
Kazuka took three steps forward, turned back to look at everyone, and shouted.
"Goodbye, everyone! I will definitely come back to visit you all!"
"Goodbye..."
On the way, Kazuka thought about Aiko's words: "It seems you've grown up a lot."
— "All last night I lay thinking about what that murderer said before he died. It keeps appearing in my mind, even though I didn't know him before."
— "I feel like my past self was too carefree and didn't think things through."
Kazuka smiled slightly to himself.
"Am I reflecting on myself?"
"Sigh."
"But regardless, to fulfill the dream of having friends and family, I first need the ability to protect them. The only way is to become stronger."
"It seems my grandfather once regretted not becoming strong enough, choosing peace only to lose Grandmother, right?"
"Alright then, straight ahead to Enjaku!"
Scene Change.
A horse carriage was running through the dark night with a single lamp hanging at the front. The silent night made the carriage with its flickering light look like a tiny creature.
Takeshi pulled back the carriage curtain. The old driver saw this and turned around. The flickering light from the single lamp made it hard to see each other's faces clearly despite sitting next to each other.
"Is something wrong, young man?"
Takeshi stepped out and sat next to the old man.
"Is it okay to travel in the dark like this, Sir?"
"Don't worry, this is a flat stretch of road. Letting the horse run like this is fine. Unless something notices us. If the two of you weren't in such a hurry to get home, I would have let the horse rest for the night."
"What do you mean by 'something notices us'?"
"Did you notice the forests on both sides during the day?"
"Yeah, I did. But is there a problem?"
"Don't you know? Usually, forests like these have monsters."
Takeshi was alarmed and looked at the old man.
"What? Then why didn't you say so sooner?"
Takeshi immediately grabbed the lamp hanging at the front and blew it out.
"Stop the carriage now!"
The next morning, the carriage continued its journey. The three were sitting and eating dry rations. Airi had a look of disgust as she looked at the piece of ration in her hand.
"I'm not eating this. Who could eat something this dry?"
Takeshi, his mouth bulging because he had stuffed so much ration inside, looked at Airi.
"What's wrong with it? If it's dry, you can drink water."
Angry with Takeshi, Airi threw the ration away and turned to scold him.
"You eat it then! I can't take it anymore, I'm going to sleep."
Airi lay down to sleep. Takeshi sat there, surprised.
"Huh? The day just started, why are you going back to sleep?"
"None of your business."
Takeshi started choking; he beat his chest repeatedly with his hand, grabbed a water bottle, and gulped it down. Letting out a long burp, he laughed with relief.
"I almost died there."
"By the way, Airi? Can you teach me that sphere move of yours? So I can protect you?"
Airi sat up, her face serious as she looked at Takeshi.
"I don't know how to teach it. And even if I did, you probably wouldn't understand or succeed."
"Eh? Why? Are you being stingy? Just show me!"
"It's not that I don't want to teach you, but there are some issues."
Takeshi sat there smiling.
"It's fine. If it doesn't work, so be it. We still have two days before we arrive anyway."
Faced with Takeshi's carefree face, Airi grumpily accepted.
"Fine. If it doesn't work, it's on you, okay?"
"Yeah, I know."
"Close your eyes."
"Now you must focus on sensing energy."
Night fell. The carriage was parked next to a forest. Airi was surprised by what she saw before her. It was Takeshi, rubbing and blowing on his hand because of the pain.
"Did you punch that, Takeshi?"
"Yeah, I did."
Next to where Takeshi was standing, a large tree had been knocked down.
"I didn't expect that learning to use energy could make me this strong."
"Is that true, Takeshi?"
"Huh? Why ask me that?"
Airi regained her composure and cleared her throat.
"I just didn't expect your energy reinforcement ability to be this good. To knock down a tree just after learning it this morning is very strong."
Takeshi's nose metaphorically grew long; he put his hands on his hips, looked up at the sky, and laughed loudly.
"How's that? I have talent too. Just you wait, Kazuka, I'll defeat you next time we meet."
The old driver was sitting next to a pot placed over a hole radiating a hot fire.
"Ah, youth."
"Alright, you two, come and eat while it's hot."
While eating, Airi suddenly sensed something. She shivered and turned her head toward the forest behind her.
An extremely evil energy source was approaching. She gritted her teeth and thought.
— "What on earth is that? This energy source feels so familiar."
— "Is it coming toward me? But how does it know my location?"
— "It's so close. Could it be a Gravulorn? Damn it, of all things, why that?"
Airi looked in panic at Takeshi and the old man who were eating.
"You two! Get away from the forest, quickly!"
Having said that, Airi immediately ran in the opposite direction of the forest. The two eaters looked at her in surprise.
"Hey, where are you going, Airi?"
"There's no time! Follow me!"
The old man stood up first and ran, turning back to call Takeshi.
"Run, young man!"
Takeshi ran right behind, catching up to the old man.
"What's going on, Sir?"
"I don't know, but if that girl is that panicked, something is definitely happening."
"Something happening? Could it be a monster like you said?"
"Very likely. That girl knows how to use energy, so she probably sensed it."
Airi ran ahead, not far from Takeshi and the old man. She turned back, her voice urgent.
"Hurry up, everyone!"
Airi's eyes looked toward the forest behind her, clear worry evident.
— "It's about to catch up. Facing it now is certain death. Damn it, with only two parts of my energy left, how can I face it?"
Inside the forest, a dark figure was darting through. It leapt out of the woods and landed exactly where Takeshi's group had been sitting.
Seeing Airi looking back toward the forest, the two running behind also turned. All three shared the same expression: surprise and fear took hold of them.
— "It's too fast. How can we run away like this?"
"Faster! Or we'll die!"
The light from the campfire illuminated the monster's form.
It let out a loud roar, the sound echoing through the dark night. When it roared, its mouth opened extremely wide, revealing long, sharp teeth like a shark's. Its eyes were only a deep, bottomless black.
It lunged at a very high speed, heading straight for the group. Everyone looked back, but it was no longer at the campfire.
Suddenly, a breath was felt right next to the carriage driver. Takeshi was also running beside him; both instinctively turned their heads. Its black eyes stared at them. Terror enveloped everyone.
Airi, still running, looked back once more. She bit her lip until it bled and turned around.
Holding her right hand out in front of her, an attack carrying red energy like a tornado launched straight at the monster.
"Crimson Lightning Storm Shadow!!!!!"
The monster was hit and vanished into the dark night. Takeshi and the old man collapsed to the ground, panting. Airi turned back with a frustrated expression.
"There's no time! Keep running!"
Takeshi and the old man sat on the ground, looking behind Airi with looks of horror. Takeshi stammered, unable to form words.
"Ai... Airi... Be... Behind you!"
Airi sensed it too, but she didn't turn her head. The monster's body was bleeding from her previous attack.
— "Damn it, is it playing around? The moment I turn back, it'll strike. This Gravulorn loves attacking from behind. It's too hard to counter at that speed."
Airi gritted her teeth, red energy surrounding her entire body. Seeing this, the monster raised a hand with its long claws.
"You monster, I'm not afraid of you. I just prefer not to fight."
"Abyss of Blood!"
Within a 5-tharn radius around Airi, an area of red appeared, looking like a swamp.
The monster was about to attack when it realized it was sinking. It thrashed in panic, but the more it struggled, the deeper it was pulled down.
It opened its mouth and roared, making everyone cover their ears in discomfort.
Airi also realized something was wrong with this cry. The sound was completely different from when it first leapt out of the forest.
"This is bad! Stand up and run! It's calling its pack!"
Takeshi and the old man stood up and continued running. Takeshi concentrated energy into his hand, leapt over the monster that was being swallowed by Airi's attack, delivered a punch to its head, and jumped to the other side of the hole Airi had created.
"You dare scare me, you stinking monster?"
"Hurry up! There's no time!"
Airi gritted her teeth, her eyes scanning the silent night.
— "This is a vast open field, there's nowhere to hide! What should I do?"
The three were running in the dark when a large rock appeared ahead. It looked like a fragile leaf in the vastness. All three ran to the rock and hid behind it. The sound of heavy panting drowned out the gentle wind.
Sitting behind the rock, Airi bit her lip in frustration. Glancing once more into the dark, she turned to Takeshi.
"Takeshi, protect my body."
"Huh? Protect?"
Airi pointed five fingers at her own stomach. Energy from her fingertips shot straight into her abdomen. Her pupils contracted from the pain. Her agonized expression made Takeshi panic; he grabbed Airi's shoulders as she slumped down.
"What are you doing, Airi? Are you crazy?"
Red blood was flowing incessantly; her clothes were now stained entirely red. Blood dripped onto the ground, forming puddles.
The old driver sitting beside them also looked at Airi in horror. He couldn't say a word.
Takeshi looked at the old man and urged him.
"Quick, come here and help me!"
He glanced back at Airi with worry. Seeing that the old man hadn't moved, Takeshi gritted his teeth, raised his head, and looked back at him.
Takeshi's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would explode in his chest. His throat felt choked, making him unable to speak. Sweat poured from his body.
His mouth stammered as if trying to say something.
"Sir... Sir..."
The old man who had been sitting behind them was no longer whole. Only a part of his body remained there, blood flowing continuously.
The old man's head was gone.
Airi was thrusting her hand into her own stomach, as if searching for something. Her hand explored every corner of her abdomen, causing her immense pain. Tears fell from Airi's eyes without stopping. Her face was close to the ground, so Takeshi didn't see it. He remained frozen, staring behind them.
Before the shock could pass, a shiver ran down his spine.
The monster had appeared right behind him. Its set of teeth was the brightest part of its body. Behind him were many sets of teeth, from small to large. Before he could turn around, those sets of teeth were also appearing in front of him.
Like a rat cornered, Takeshi wrapped orange energy around his whole body. He desperately wanted to stand up, but his legs wouldn't allow it.
Suddenly, Airi swung her hand out, throwing a red, double-pointed stone. Energy enveloped her entire body, becoming extremely dense. Her wound was also healing.
"No need, Takeshi. Just stay there."
Airi stood up with a determination hidden by the darkness.
"Abyss of Blood!!!!"
This time, Airi unleashed it on an enormous scale. A massive hole appeared in the night.
The cries of the Gravulorns echoed through the dark. They seemed trapped in a swamp with no escape, thrashing in chaos.
However, some were not yet trapped in Airi's "Abyss of Blood." They leapt up from all directions, heading toward one point with fierce faces, hands raised high to attack.
Airi immediately summoned chains to surround her body, her hand gripping one end. The chains were red with a reddish-pink glow. She swung them in a circle, the chains flying out and knocking away the entire horde.
"Blood Chains!!!!!"
Airi's "Abyss of Blood" swallowed many monsters and then turned back into normal ground.
The monsters she struck fell to the earth. Some died instantly, while others thrashed in pain before expiring.
That chain swing was as sharp as a knife, leaving slashes on the monsters' bodies; they burst into pink flames.
Takeshi remained on the ground, witnessing Airi's performance in speechless awe.
But Airi could still sense more of them approaching from afar at high speed. Suddenly, the energy sources of the Gravulorns began to disappear one by one.
"What on earth? Why am I losing the sense of some that were within my range?"
From deep within the forest, many large dark figures were darting past the trees, several parts of Gravulorns still in their mouths.
They were heading straight for Takeshi and Airi.
Airi suddenly stood frozen, her eyes wide with shock as if she couldn't believe what she was sensing. A dark, evil surge of energy was launching from afar—cold and full of killing intent, making the surrounding air seem to stagnate.
Her heart raced, her breath came in gasps, and her body trembled in waves as if an invisible current were piercing through her. In that moment, everything became so gloomy and heavy that she almost couldn't move; a feeling of absolute terror rose, suffocating her reason and mind. Her eyes flashed with ultimate horror, trying to find a way to escape the impending shadow, but it was futile—that evil thing was already near, unavoidable.
— "Could it be black panthers? Did they sense me because I used too much energy?"
In a flash, the massive black panthers were already circling Airi and Takeshi. They walked around as if playing with a toy nature had just gifted them. Standing before their immense size felt like watching the last grains of sand in an hourglass.
Takeshi stood frozen, looking around, his body shaking violently.
"What... what is this? Black panthers? But why are they so huge?"
With nine Drekh surrounding them, neither Airi nor Takeshi dared to move. It felt as if even raising a hand would cause them to lunge and tear them apart instantly.
"They are Drekh... Drekh black panthers..."
"Drekh?"
"They are looking for me. You should sit down on the ground slowly."
Takeshi, with confusion and fear mixed in his mind, looked at Airi in panic.
"What? Why sit down?"
"Listen to me. Just slowly, carefully sit down."
Takeshi did as Airi said, but the confusion remained. Takeshi sat down slowly, his eyes darting around with high alert at the low growls of the Drekh pack.
Their gazes were focused on the center. Specifically on Airi. It seemed their target was not Takeshi, but Airi.