Cyan watched the surrounding wolf pack and was the first to strike. Stooping low, she gripped her blade and charged at the alpha; she could tell the pack followed the commands of this wolf, which was significantly stronger than the others.
The alpha wolf watched the human charging toward it. Feeling challenged, it let out a furious howl and lunged.
A flash of cold light erupted. Cyan used the most fundamental technique of swordsmanship: the drawing strike, also known as Iai. It was a move renowned for its speed and was naturally included in the Mugenryu style by Minazuki Zankuro, though he rarely used such refined drawing techniques himself.
The alpha wolf hit the ground. By the time Cyan had already charged toward the next target, its head slid off its neck, and a fountain of blood surged forth.
Cyan was like a cold, emotionless executioner. With rhythmic precision, she hacked down the wolves that had fallen into chaos following the death of their leader.
The remaining four wolves were terrified by the killing machine before them. Tucking their tails between their legs, they fled toward the outskirts of the village. Cyan watched them go with an expressionless face, making no move to pursue.
Red Steel Grudge-Alms didn't even deign to absorb the blood of the wolves; they were far too weak. The demonic blade, unsatisfied by the meager slaughter, began to pulse with a low murmur of complaint.
A faint red glow flickered in Cyan's silver-white eyes. A surge of frantic bloodlust rose in her heart, and a malevolent voice seemed to whisper in her ear, urging her to slaughter every living thing in sight.
Cyan looked down at the demonic blade in her hand. Unswayed by the impulse to kill, she threw the sword onto the ground and struck the flat of the blade with a heavy fist.
"Don't... try... to... influence... me..."
Cyan stared at the demonic blade, speaking each word with deliberate force. After she finished, she picked it up again. Sensing that the bloodlust had subsided, she sheathed the blade with satisfaction and patted the hilt as if she were stroking a puppy.
Kagaribi and Erni were startled by Cyan's actions, realizing that the sword previously used by Minazuki Zankuro was likely affecting her mind.
*Is she going to become a second murderous samurai?*
Erni watched Cyan with a mixture of worry and fear. However, in this world, she still couldn't survive without Cyan's protection.
"Cyan, maybe you should throw that sword away... it's too dangerous," Kagaribi whispered, walking to Cyan's side and biting her lip.
"I... need... it..."
Cyan met Kagaribi's beautiful, slightly reddened eyes.
"If you need a weapon, you can use this—the one Basara left for me."
Kagaribi didn't know how to use Sinners-Slayer, but she believed that with Cyan's talent, learning the ghost's swordsmanship and mastering the chain-blade was only a matter of time.
"No... it... suits... me..." Cyan refused the Sinners-Slayer Kagaribi offered.
"I see. I understand."
A trace of disappointment flashed in Kagaribi's eyes. She turned away and continued gathering the remains of the villagers that had been gnawed by the wolves.
"Hey, pretty boy, this is for you."
Erni handed a Black Iron Card she had scavenged from a wolf corpse to Cyan. She had thought about keeping it for herself, but she simply didn't dare!
If she angered Cyan over something like this, it would be a disaster. Her life depended on Cyan's protection.
"Keep... it..."
Cyan glanced at the Black Iron Card and went to help Kagaribi carry the bodies of the Cloud Hunt Village residents.
"Using Black Iron Card. Obtained 100 Survival Points, Wolf Tooth Necklace."
[Wolf Tooth Necklace]
[Type: Accessory]
[Attribute: Strength +1, Agility +1]
[Requirement: None]
[Note: Wearing a wolf's tooth... be careful not to get attacked by wolves!]
"Survivor No. 12010 detected. First time obtaining an item through an enemy drop card. Survival Brand function activated. Inventory function opened."
"So the old katana that disappeared earlier was put into an inventory by Cyan..."
Through the information from the Survival Brand, Erni—who had played many online and single-player games—naturally understood the use of an inventory. She touched the pure white, crescent-shaped necklace around her neck, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
While clearing the bodies, Cyan heard a sound coming from beneath a cellar in one of the houses. She tried to open the cellar door but found it locked.
Cyan gave it a couple of experimental tugs, then drew her blade and shattered the cellar cover. She stepped inside to find Ai Asama, trembling as she held a harvest sickle with a look of pure terror, and Chen Xiaoxue hiding behind her.
The girl who had once dared to leap from a building was now nearly broken and driven mad by the bloody scenes of the previous night. She shook violently like a leaf, hiding behind the girl who was slightly smaller than her.
"It's... it's you?!"
Ai Asama recognized the "youth" with the fiery red, multi-toned hair as the one who had sent the large Western man flying. Seeing the bloodstains on Cyan's clothes, she could only imagine what she had been through.
"You... are... still... alive..."
Seeing that the ones hiding in the cellar were Ai Asama and Chen Xiaoxue, Cyan turned and walked out. She had no time to waste on these two.
"Wait!"
Ai Asama gripped her sickle tightly and chased after her, dragging Chen Xiaoxue by the arm. She had finally found a companion. If Cyan was here, it meant the village was safe for now. Moreover, she had recently received a notification from her Survival Brand that Survival Mission 1 was complete.
"Are they... survivors too?"
Kagaribi, her face drenched in sweat, was handling the only surviving horse in Cloud Hunt Village. She was preparing to take a wagon full of bodies to the cemetery on the back mountain when she saw the two following Cyan.
Her gaze lingered on them for a moment before she drove the wagon toward the mountain.
By evening, many fresh mounds had appeared in the clearing behind the village, marking where the villagers were laid to rest.
Kagaribi dug the final grave herself. She had refused any help, stubbornly insisting on cleaning and burying the villagers alone. This last grave was for the remains of Kubikiri Basara.
Her hands trembled as she gripped the shovel. The blisters on her palms had burst and were bleeding. Once the grave was ready, she placed Basara's bones into the pit, her shaking hands scattering soil over them.
"Farewell... my love..."
Kagaribi picked up the shovel and filled the pit, one scoop at a time.
Cyan sat on the grass, watching Kagaribi in silence.
"Don't you think she's being a bit foolish? Insisting on doing it all alone. If we had helped, we would have finished by noon," Erni said, standing beside Cyan. Looking at the mounds of earth, she thought of her own death, and her heart felt uneasy.
"No..."
Cyan glanced at Erni and gave a one-word reply.
"Ms. Kagaribi is the only survivor of this village..." Ai Asama watched Kagaribi's grieving silhouette, her own eyes reddening with empathy.
Nightfall, inside Kagaribi's home.
"Cyan, do you need help cleaning up?"
Kagaribi asked, looking at Cyan's tattered kimono.
"No..."
Cyan shook her head slightly.
"If you bathe now, will your wounds reopen?" Kagaribi asked with concern.
"Wounds... are... already... healed..."
Cyan peeled away a scab that hadn't yet fallen off her closed skin.
The raptorial limbs of a peacock mantis shrimp are replaced periodically through molting; heavily worn limbs grow back new.
However, after molting and before the shell hardens is the period of greatest weakness. Having taken a human form, she naturally couldn't molt, and regrowing a lost limb was no longer possible. Yet, her rate of wound healing far exceeded that of a normal human.
Coupled with the fact that survivors themselves heal faster than ordinary people, Cyan's recovery speed was even swifter than that of her peers.
Of course, this excluded those "meat shield" survivors with exceptionally high Constitution attributes.
"Then, I'll leave these clothes here for you."
Kagaribi placed a set of clothes to the side and walked out.
Once Kagaribi left, Cyan tore away her ruined clothes with somewhat blunt movements, revealing the two slight swells on her chest, which resembled small poached eggs. She had been severely injured, but after healing, no scars remained on her body.
Cyan walked to the bath tub. Looking at the hot water inside, she touched it with her hand and frowned slightly. After a moment's hesitation, she pressed her hands against the edge of the tub and soaked her body.
"Get... out..."
The sound of the door opening was followed by light footsteps. Cyan's brow furrowed. She didn't need to turn around to know who it was.
"Hey, pretty boy, how did you know it was me?"
Erni looked at Cyan's misty silhouette in surprise. It was hard to imagine that such a slender and thin person could explode with such powerful force.
"Get... out..."
Cyan repeated, her voice carrying a trace of ice. The sound of a blade leaving its scabbard rang out as she drew the demonic blade slightly.
"Alright, alright, I'm going. Damn, you really are impotent!"
Hearing the sound of the blade, Erni knew she might be attacked if she didn't leave. Her voice carried a hint of annoyance as she scurried out of the room.
Cyan lowered the demonic blade, contemplating Erni's parting words. A large question mark slowly formed in her mind.
Impotent? What does that mean?