When it was Cyan's turn to keep watch during the latter half of the night, she added a few logs to the fire and glanced at Nishi, who was rubbing her eyes.
"You... sleep... I... watch..."
"We agreed to keep watch together, how could I let Master stay awake alone~!" Nishi sat down beside Cyan with a grin, looking carefree as she rested her chin on her hands, watching the dancing flames.
"Don't... want... revenge?"
Cyan leaned against a tree trunk, hugging the demonic blade. She closed her eyes, focusing her perception on every movement in the surroundings.
"Revenge? Those in the bandit business will die sooner or later. Besides, we were the ones who attacked you first... what right do I have to complain about being killed? In this chaotic era, just staying alive is hard enough, and eating one's fill is a luxury."
"Because... of... Tokugawa... Shogunate?"
"Who knows. But I think any ruler who can't let the people eat their fill is useless. That's just my talk, though; in front of the high-and-mighty Shogun, I'm just a small character he wouldn't even glance at."
Nishi shook her head, hugging her legs and resting her chin on her knees.
"I hope Lord Gaoh of Hinowa can change all this..."
Nishi looked up at the brilliant night sky. She wondered if her family had become stars up there, watching her follow Sankuro and commit so many unforgivable acts.
"Speaking of which, Master, your way of speaking is so strange!" Nishi thought of Cyan's word-by-word speech, which sounded like someone who had only recently learned to talk.
"Not... used... to it..."
"Eh? Not used to it? You mean not used to talking?"
Nishi stared at Cyan with wide, chestnut eyes. As she looked closer, she realized that her master was truly beautiful—not the beauty of a girl, but that of a very handsome boy.
"Master, was your hair always this color naturally?" Nishi shifted her gaze to Cyan's hair; it was the first time she had seen such a rich variety of colors.
"Mm..."
Cyan nodded.
"Master, let's chat more! Maybe if you talk more, you'll be able to speak fluently!" Nishi suggested.
"Okay..."
Cyan went silent for a moment before agreeing to Nishi's suggestion.
Nishi was like a chirping little lark with endless things to say. Cyan listened in silence, occasionally offering a word or two in response.
---
Two days later, while passing through a village, Cyan sensed an unusual presence. It felt as if a gaze filled with greed and hunger was watching them.
Erni, Ai Asama, and Chen Xiaoxue went into the houses to see if there were any survivors left in the village.
Cyan stood her ground, warily scanning the surroundings with her hand on the demonic blade.
"Cyan, what's wrong?"
Kagaribi noticed Cyan's abnormality.
"Danger... is watching us."
After two days of practice, Cyan's speech had become more coherent, no longer as labored as the word-by-word struggle at the beginning.
"Master, this village is a bit strange."
Not far away, Nishi saw marks on the ground where hands had desperately clawed at the earth, likely left when someone was forcefully dragged away. She dug with her short blade and unearthed a fingernail.
"This was left behind during a struggle..."
Kagaribi walked to Nishi's side and saw that the flesh on the fingernail had already dried and hardened.
"The footprints over there..."
Cyan spotted a massive footprint on a patch of damp earth. As she approached, she smelled a thick scent of blood; the soil here had been soaked in it.
"Given the weather and the dampness of the ground, it's likely a large amount of blood was spilled here this morning..." Nishi walked to Cyan's side, squatting to touch the blood-soaked mud and inspecting the footprint.
"Not long ago, I heard from a drunken ronin that a man-eating monster has been crazily eating the people of entire villages... could this footprint be..."
Before Nishi could finish, she was interrupted by a scream.
"Aaaah! Bo... bones!"
Ai Asama let out a shriek. Inside a house, she had seen a human skull with gnaw marks on it. Judging by the sharp tooth prints, they were definitely not human.
Erni and Chen Xiaoxue ran over upon hearing the scream and saw the skull on the floor.
"Driven by hunger, have they turned to cannibalism?" Erni frowned.
"No, these are clearly not human tooth marks."
Over the past few days, Chen Xiaoxue had frequently seen skin and bones or even rotting corpses in the wild. Seeing skeletal remains was no longer shocking to her; she had gone from trembling in fear to a state of numbness.
Not long ago, they had been attacked by ronin. When the chance arose, Chen Xiaoxue had killed one with her bow. Unfortunately, besides a pittance of money only enough for a bun and a worn-out katana, she hadn't obtained any desired cards.
After these experiences, her mental fortitude had risen sharply. If mental endurance had levels, she had jumped from LV1 to LV3.
Sizzle!
Liquid dropped from the roof onto Erni's clothes, emitting a pungent smell. A hole was eaten through the fabric as if by sulfuric acid.
Erni stepped back and looked up through the corroded hole in the ceiling. A red-skinned monster was peeking through.
The monster's eyes were filled with greed and hunger as it stared at her, corrosive saliva dripping from its mouth.
"Meat! Meat! Delicious human meat!"
"Aaaah! A monster!!!"
The three women screamed and ran out of the house.
"Delicious meat! Don't run!"
The monster, Kusaregedo, let out a flood of saliva and leapt from the roof to chase them. Its massive belly looked cumbersome, but it was surprisingly fast. Its right hand, which ended in sharp, exposed bone split like a crab claw, snapped toward the slowest one, Ai Asama.
Bang!
Erni pulled out her flintlock and fired at Kusaregedo's right hand, forcing it to pause. She was immensely grateful that she had practiced shooting before; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to handle this flintlock at all.
Hearing the screams, Cyan ran toward them and saw Kusaregedo chasing the three women.
Cyan crouched, gripping the blade with her right hand, and charged at Kusaregedo.
A flash of steel followed, and a massive wound appeared on Kusaregedo's body. Foul-smelling blood gushed out, but the wound began to heal at a visible speed.
[Mugen-ryu: Tenhou-zan!]
Cyan gripped the blade with both hands, slammed her elbow into Kusaregedo's side, and followed with an upward slash. Originally, she had intended to strike Kusaregedo's back, but seeing the seemingly indestructible bones there, she realized she would be the one to suffer from the impact.
Blood sprayed out, but Kusaregedo seemed to feel no pain, swinging a massive hand back in retaliation.
[Mugen-ryu: Fudo!]
Cyan parried the attack and slashed the monster's belly. Undigested flesh and hair spilled from its stomach, corroding the ground.
Swish!
An arrow struck Kusaregedo, causing its health bar to drop slightly.
"We will assist Cyan from here with bows!"
Kagaribi spoke as she drew her hunting bow again, firing two arrows in rapid succession. She had thought about using *Sinner-Slayer* to help Cyan, but she wasn't proficient with it yet. Using it now would only cause trouble; it was better to assist with the bow she excelled at.
Hearing Kagaribi, the other three held their bows but couldn't shoot as decisively. They were worried their arrows might hit their teammate. After only a few days of practice, they weren't like Kagaribi, who could hit whatever she pointed at.
Erni simply gave up on the bow and began reloading the flintlock with powder and ball. While Cyan attacked Kusaregedo's body, she aimed for its head.
That is... Boss... Sankuro's Western gun...
Nishi remembered clearly that she had almost been assaulted by a Westerner while trying to steal that flintlock. Fortunately, she was more skilled and had kicked him in his weak spot—the universal weakness of all men. His "eggs" were completely smashed. From that day on, that man not only became a man without weaknesses but also gained various buffs: work efficiency +20%, worries -30%, and money consumption -50%! His lifespan was also significantly extended!
He truly became too strong!!!
The wounds on Kusaregedo's body healed quickly, and its health regeneration was not slow either.
Seeing how fast the monster was recovering, Cyan swung the demonic blade rapidly, launching a continuous barrage. Using skills constantly would drain her mental energy too quickly.
I just need to deal damage faster than it heals!
With this thought, Cyan increased her attack speed. For a moment, cold flashes of the blade enveloped Kusaregedo, whittling down its health at a startling pace.
Clang!
Cyan raised the blade to block a thrust from Kusaregedo's sharp bone claw, stepping onto its right arm with both feet. Just then, she sensed Nishi suddenly approaching.
"Master! let me help you!"
Nishi used a slide kick, striking Kusaregedo's lower leg. A tooth-gritting sound of bone snapping echoed. The bones that even the demonic blade had trouble cutting were actually snapped by Nishi's slide kick!
Nishi stood up, her hands glowing with white light. She swiped at Kusaregedo's body, grabbed its right arm bone, and retreated rapidly, shouting: "Master, I leave the rest to you!"