Boom—
A drum sounded.
The entire room tilted ninety degrees in an instant.
Aoyama's blade trajectory shifted mid-swing, and only the very tip managed to leave a shallow cut across Kyogai's arm.
He flipped smoothly in midair and landed steadily on his feet.
The sudden shift sent Shoji tumbling from beside the tatami mats. She curled up, arms wrapped around her head, trembling violently but not daring to scream.
This entire mansion was under Kyogai's control.
Every drum embedded in his body responded to his strikes—rotating, shifting, twisting the rooms at his will.
Aoyama's lips curved upward.
Interesting.
Suddenly—
Another scent of blood entered his nose.
Different.
Fresh.
The door of a neighboring room burst open with a crash.
A black shadow shot out—
Aoyama narrowed his eyes.
It was the wild boar-masked man.
Inosuke Hashibira.
"Annoying insects, making noise in my house!"
The drums sounded again.
The room rolled violently.
"Ah—!"
Shoji was flung toward the center of the room, face-down on the floor.
Inosuke landed right beside her—
And stepped squarely on her back.
Completely unaware he'd done anything wrong, he burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! The room's spinning around! This is fun! Really fun!"
Before he could finish—
A kick smashed straight into his face.
He flew backward and crashed into the wall.
Aoyama crouched to help Shoji up, his eyes sliding toward Inosuke.
"Hey. Is a little girl something you use as a footrest?"
His voice was cold.
Inosuke, who had grown up wrestling wild beasts, had never suffered like this before.
At least—not at the hands of a human.
He crossed his twin blades and shifted his focus away from the demon.
Now he wanted to settle the score with Aoyama.
Aoyama felt a headache coming on.
One wild boar who didn't think.
One Drum Demon.
And a frightened child in his arms.
Fantastic.
Inosuke charged again, blades raised high.
Aoyama had no choice but to leap aside while holding Shoji.
If not for her, he would've flattened this pig-headed man first before tearing the drums off Kyogai.
"Don't dodge! My blades hurt, you know! They're not toys for little brats!"
"They can slice through anything! That's what makes them amazing!"
Little brat?
Aoyama exhaled slowly.
Yes.
Very punchable.
This time, he didn't dodge.
He inhaled deeply.
His right heel lifted slightly off the ground.
His gaze locked onto Inosuke.
The moment both blades descended—
Aoyama's leg struck first.
A precise kick to the head.
Inosuke was launched sideways.
Kyogai's face twisted in fury.
They were fighting each other and ignoring him.
"Die, insects! Disappear!"
He struck the drum on his abdomen.
Boom—
Three beast-like claw marks tore through the center of the room.
The speed matched the drumbeat perfectly.
Strike the belly drum—claw attacks.
Strike the left shoulder drum—rotate left.
Strike the right shoulder drum—rotate right.
The beats grew frantic.
Inosuke crashed down again, limbs splayed.
Meanwhile, Aoyama moved smoothly, carrying Shoji through every shift without stumbling.
Then—
Two drumbeats echoed from elsewhere.
Not from Kyogai.
The room changed again.
And Kyogai vanished from the doorway.
Aoyama's eyes sharpened.
He had been watching Kyogai's hands carefully, timing his movements to dodge the drum strikes.
Those last two beats—
Were not his.
"Big brother… where are we? Where's the monster?" Shoji whispered.
"It's fine. I'll send him a farewell song in a moment."
Aoyama scanned the area and opened a nearby door.
Inside lay another corpse.
He took Shoji's hand and continued down the corridor.
Amid the demon scent and the heavy smell of blood—
There was another scent.
Unique.
Unfamiliar.
He stopped at another room and slid the door open.
Behind it—
A wounded boy in yellow clothes.
Shoji's brother?
The boy, startled, raised his hand—
Holding a drum.
Meanwhile—
"Haah… haah… haah…"
Zenitsu dragged the boy along, gasping with every step. His calves trembled violently.
"S-Sorry, Mr. Zenitsu."
"AHHHH!!!"
Zenitsu spun and collapsed to his knees.
"Warning! Give me a warning before you talk! My heart's going to jump out of my mouth!"
His teeth chattered uncontrollably.
Tears and snot streamed down his face.
"It's terrifying! When you speak suddenly like that, I feel like I'm about to die!"
"…Sorry."
The boy stared blankly.
What karma had led him to be stuck with this person?
Zenitsu sobbed loudly.
"If that really happened, you'd be a murderer! Do you understand?!"
"I just saw you sweating and shaking badly, so I…"
The boy stopped himself.
There was no point.
Mr. Zenitsu was always on the verge of death anyway.
Somewhere in the ever-shifting mansion—
The drums continued to echo.
To Read advanced Chapters, head over to P@treon
patreon.com/DarkVerse146