An Oni writhed on the ground, roaring in agony.
The veins across its body pulsed in shades of purple.
The stains began at its neck, spreading across its entire body like ink spilled over paper.
Usan watched everything standing still, arms crossed and gaze fixed.
"Eight seconds to spread through the entire body…" he murmured, in an analytical tone.
The sound of muscles tearing and flesh bubbling echoed through the air.
Moments later, the Oni began to disintegrate, its body dissolving into ashes.
Usan didn't even blink.
The silence that followed didn't last long.
Three Oni leapt from the shadows, attacking from different directions, confident he was distracted.
The blade left its sheath in an almost imperceptible motion.
"Shadow Breathing: First Form, Kage Giri."
A single spin.
A perfect 360° circular slash.
The heads of the three Oni flew into the air, falling almost simultaneously in silence.
The soft "Tlim-Tlim" sound of the bell tied to Usan's waist echoed through the trees.
He didn't take his eyes off the first Oni, whose body was already reduced to ashes.
"Thirty seconds from contact to complete death of a lower Oni weakened by hunger… Not bad. Let's test the next formula."
The Nichirin katana, borrowed from Shinobu, slid back into its sheath with a firm click.
Usan slowly turned, and a cold, almost macabre smile curved his lips.
Among the trees, dozens of eyes glowed in the dark.
Some Oni trembled, recognizing the predator before them; others, hungry and insane, charged forward without hesitation.
"I've never had so many test subjects…"
The wind blew, and the bell rang again.
"How exciting!"
The massacre began.
With each strike, the blade silenced another enemy, and the metallic melody of the bell marked the rhythm of the carnage.
The Oni who still retained remnants of consciousness fled in desperation, trying to get away from the sound of the bell, and from the man with purple eyes.
─── ◆ ───
Usan's POV
The weight of the Nichirin katana was different.
It wasn't like the common steel I used before, there was something else in that blade.
It was as if it resonated with my own energy, thirsty for Oni blood.
"Yeah…" I murmured, wiping a drop of blood from my cheek.
"It really makes a difference using one of these."
I grabbed a small needle attached to the side of my pouch and dipped it into the violet liquid I had prepared days ago.
The faint glow under the moon made the flask look quite beautiful.
"Formula number two…"
In a quick motion, I threw a poisoned needle straight into the throat of an approaching Oni.
As it cut through the air, two more Oni leapt at me.
I cut them down without hesitation.
"Seven seconds to spread through the entire body…" I counted mentally, observing the result.
The struck Oni writhed, roaring in pain.
Its veins turned black, and its body began to tremble.
"Tsk. Fifty-five seconds and counting without killing a lower, starving Oni…" I sighed, disappointed.
"This one's a failure."
I cut off its head with a swift strike.
But at that moment, something caught my attention.
The cut… had been smoother.
I frowned, rotating the blade in my hands.
One of the Oni tried to attack me from behind, and I decapitated it without even looking, and immediately felt the difference.
I stood still for a few seconds, thinking.
Something didn't make sense.
To test my hypothesis, I knocked another Oni down, pinning it to the ground easily with my knee. I cut off its arms and legs with precise movements.
It roared, but quickly went silent when I drove my fist into its chest, punching a hole where its heart should be.
Then, with a single motion, I cut its neck.
The bell rang, announcing the end.
I watched the body crumble.
"Again…" I murmured, noticing the cut had been lighter.
The hypothesis was correct, pointing me toward something:
Zed's passive.
In that game I once played, that character's finishing blows against low-health enemies dealt extra damage.
And now… it seemed that had been adapted to me.
"So that's it…" I smiled, raising the blade.
"Stronger attacks against weakened enemies, and poisons count to trigger that effect."
The idea excited me.
The poison that once served to give utility to my ranged weapons would now become one of my main tools.
I didn't realize it before because I always waited for the poison to take full effect.
It wasn't often that I had so many samples and so many test subjects to experiment with.
But when I looked around, I realized the field was empty.
Not even the most starving Oni dared to come out of the shadows anymore.
The sound of the bells must have become a warning, an omen of death.
I let out a soft sigh, sheathing the katana.
"Looks like I overdid it a bit."
The forest was silent, except for the distant rustling of leaves.
No movement, no roars.
Just the wind… and the faint sound of the bell hitting my waist.
I closed my eyes and began to expand my Presence.
The world around me faded.
Colors, sound, time, everything disappeared, replaced by a sense of total awareness.
I could feel living things.
The breathing of an insect on a nearby leaf, the distant beating of wings, the pulsing of hearts.
But there was something deeper.
An instinct.
Ever since I started mastering this technique, I noticed something curious: when someone hostile approached me, I didn't need to focus.
The instinct did the work on its own, almost like Spider-Man's spider-sense.
I opened my eyes, a slight smile on my face.
I had found three more test subjects nearby.
"So, let's hunt."
The bells rang once more as I took the first step, and the moon, partially covered by clouds, reflected the purple glow of my eyes.
The night was only just beginning, and there was still much to test.
─── ◆ ───
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