Pure, overwhelming power swept through the room. No Shiki could stand against it, and none could hope to flee.
Their speed, which they prided themselves on when hunting ordinary humans, was as pathetic as a newborn's struggle compared to Kawashima Toya.
With every strike, another Shiki detonated. In less than ten seconds, the only one left standing in the bar was Sawagoe Tomaru.
The surviving humans stared at Toya in terror, trembling as they prayed his gaze wouldn't settle on them next.
"Please, everyone, continue your party," Toya said, his voice flat and calm.
"I'll be taking my leave now."
In the next moment, he seized Sawagoe by the collar and lunged toward the exit.
The very door he had personally locked was pulverized by a single kick.
Once Toya had vanished into the night, the survivors finally scrambled for their phones to call the police.
.....
Secluded Park
Ten minutes later, in a desolate corner of a park where no one would disturb them, Toya threw the broken form of Sawagoe Tomaru onto the grass. His eyes remained cold and indifferent.
"Speak. Who is the source of the Shiki?"
Toya was in a rare state of momentum. He intended to seize this chance to uproot the entire nest and eliminate the entity responsible for creating these monsters once and for all.
Under normal circumstances, Sawagoe frequented deserted parks for his own depraved reasons, but now, he felt nothing but primal fear.
"I... I don't know..."
"Uncooperative, I see."
Without a word, Toya raised the Soaring Spear of Piercing Death and brought it down hard across Sawagoe's legs.
The impact shattered the man's bones instantly. Agony surged into his brain, and Sawagoe shrieked in a voice that barely sounded human.
"I'll talk! I'll tell you who's spreading it! He's an old monster... he's been alive for God knows how long. Right now, he's staying at the cemetery in the back mountain of Sakano Academy!"
"Please... I told you everything. Don't kill me!"
"You've lived quite long enough," Toya said tonelessly. "It's time for you to depart."
He swung the vermilion spear in a wide, horizontal arc. The terrifying force pulverized Sawagoe into nothingness.
With such a massive output of power, no amount of Shiki regeneration could possibly bring him back.
Next stop, the back mountain.
Toya looked toward the school, his expression tightening.
What kind of entity would choose to manufacture Shiki in this era, while the very foundation of the world is decaying?
The existence of Shiki defied the current laws of the world; as long as they had blood, they could persist indefinitely.
A thousand years ago, such an existence might have been common. But now? Aside from himself, it was almost impossible for a human to achieve such a state.
.....
Sakano Academy
Half an hour later, Toya arrived at the school grounds. As he stepped onto the campus, he felt a strange sensation—as if his very soul were exhaling in relief.
His brow furrowed.
This feeling... is that magical energy?
Stepping into Sakano Academy felt like entering an entirely different dimension.
The atmosphere was thick with a faint, ethereal mana. While the concentration was incredibly low, it was something that simply should not exist in the modern era.
Mana shouldn't appear in an age where mystery has withered. It must be artificial, Toya analyzed grimly.
Perhaps it's coming from that "old monster" Sawagoe mentioned.
As the Savior of this era, he knew better than anyone that the world's foundations had crumbled. True mystery could almost never manifest in a human being anymore.
The only lingering "mysteries" were members of other races—the angel Gabriel, the demon Jashin-chan, or the dragon Tohru. Even a priestess like Hanazono Yurine was a vanishingly rare anomaly.
Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.
Toya activated his power. In a situation like this, he couldn't afford to be careless. Whatever was generating mana in this era had to be taken seriously.
What in the world is that?
His eyes widened as he looked up at the "true" Sakano Academy visible through his mystic sight.
The sky was a heavy, suffocating grey. Beneath the pitch-black shroud of night, a bizarre, sneering black sun was rising.
Eyeballs that seemed to radiate a mocking laughter swirled around the dark orb, as if ridiculing the pathetic mortals below who were about to meet their end.
The terrifying, sinister aura felt like stepping into a literal hell for vengeful spirits.
What is holding it up? A ghost? A god?
Beneath that cold, black sun stood a figure that appeared small in the distance but radiated a presence vast enough to hold up the heavens.
I can't just call this an "old monster" anymore. Can something like this truly manifest in this age?
Toya's expression was grimmer than it had ever been. He began to suspect that the entity Sawagoe had described possessed a level of power comparable to a Heroic Spirit.
I have to see what kind of monstrosity is behind this.
He began the climb toward the back mountain. As the Savior, he could not retreat. He was fulfilling his duty to the world, just as the world's protected him.
.....
Back Mountain Cemetery
Ten minutes later, Toya reached the mountain peak, an area where development had been halted for unknown reasons.
At the summit, a handsome young man with striking black-and-white hair, dressed in bizarre, ritualistic robes, slowly opened his eyes.
Toya stared at the mysterious figure and spoke firmly. "Identify yourself."
"If it is a request from a Savior, this one shall naturally comply."
The man with the split-colored hair offered a smile so cruel it reached the level of perfection. He radiated a dangerous elegance.
"This one has two names. From the Heian period... Douman. Or perhaps, Ashiya Douman."
[EntityIdentified: Ashiya Douman (Descending)]
[Level: Master]
[Description: The final witness of the Heian era. During the time when the world's msytery still flourished, he traveled through a distant foreign country and accidentally obtained secret arts. Using these forbidden techniques, he manufactured Shiki a thousand years later to complete a Grand Curse, using it as a catalyst to summon the "Ashiya Douman" of a parallel world into this reality.]
The Ashiya Douman of that world... Toya's heart sank.
That universe was a chaotic mess of power—Heroic Spirits, Gods, Beasts, and executors of the Planet's Will. Any one of them was a world-class threat.
Even the weakest could level a city. The stronger entities could erase human civilization with a single blow. And now, an Ashiya Douman from that reality was manifesting here.
"What is your Class?" Toya asked. Despite the danger, his voice remained steady.
If he could determine the Class, he could formulate a counter-strategy. If it were one of the standard seven, he might stand a chance in a direct fight.
Douman smiled elegantly, but the expression held no warmth; it was as biting as a winter gale.
"In that reality, I once devoured the divine essences of goddesses, attempting to ascend to the rank of 'Beast'."
"Alas, destiny was fickle. I failed by a mere half-step."
Failed? Which means he's essentially a Beast in all but name.
Toya felt a headache coming on. In that universe, a "Beast" was a physical manifestation of the Evils of Humanity.
They grew by feeding on the collective negative emotions of the human race. Once fully matured, they became calamities capable of threatening the very history of mankind.
A single matured Beast possessed enough power to annihilate the entire timeline.