The alley was already collapsing.
Dust filled the air.
Chunks of concrete fell from cracked walls.
The ground itself had begun to split apart from repeated impacts.
"MOVE!"
A boy swung his metal pipe forward with everything he had—
CLANG
The sound echoed sharply.
But—
It didn't matter.
The next second—
He was thrown backward.
"…Ghh—!"
His body slammed against the wall, the air knocked out of his lungs.
At the center of the destruction—
It stood.
A red-skinned oni.
Massive.
Unmoving.
Unshaken.
Its presence alone felt overwhelming.
Its grip tightened slowly around a massive iron hammer.
Heavy.
Brutal.
Built for destruction.
It lifted the weapon—
Then swung.
BOOM
The ground shattered instantly.
Cracks spread across the alley like fractures in glass.
Debris flew everywhere.
"We can't win this!" a girl shouted, her voice breaking.
"I told you!" the boy with glasses panicked.
"We should've run!"
But it was too late.
The oni stepped forward.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Certain.
Each step echoed like a countdown.
The hammer rose again.
Higher.
Heavier.
No one moved.
No one could.
Their bodies refused.
"…We're dead…"
The words barely escaped.
Then—
"…Move."
A calm voice cut through the chaos.
Not loud.
Not forced.
But absolute.
The oni paused.
Its movement stopped mid-step.
A figure stood between them.
Hands in his pockets.
Looking up.
Rishiro.
"…Who…?"
No answer.
He didn't even glance back.
His eyes shifted slightly.
Scanning.
A weapon lay nearby.
A katana.
Abandoned.
He walked toward it casually.
Picked it up.
Tested the grip.
The weight.
The balance.
"…Not bad."
The oni roared.
Loud.
Violent.
Charging forward.
Hammer raised high.
Ready to crush everything in its path.
Rishiro stepped forward.
The hammer came down.
Fast.
Heavy.
Enough to crush bone and concrete alike—
But—
Rishiro didn't step back.
He moved forward.
Into it.
The strike missed.
Barely.
The hammer slammed into the ground behind him—
BOOM
The alley shook again.
Before the dust could settle—
The blade flashed.
A single clean cut.
The oni roared in pain.
Its body twisted.
It swung again.
Faster.
Angrier.
More force.
Rishiro tilted slightly.
The attack passed him by.
Too wide.
Too slow.
He stepped in.
Cut.
Turn.
Strike.
Every movement flowed into the next.
No hesitation.
No wasted motion.
No effort visible.
Just—
Precision.
"…Too slow."
The oni roared again.
This time—
It charged fully.
No restraint.
No defense.
Just raw power.
Rishiro didn't move.
Not yet.
He waited.
Watched.
Measured.
Then—
At the last possible second—
He moved.
Inside the attack.
Too close.
Too fast.
Too precise.
The hammer couldn't reach him.
The distance—
Gone.
The katana moved once.
Clean.
Silent.
Perfect.
The oni froze.
Its body locked.
Time seemed to pause.
Then—
It collapsed.
Silence.
The dust settled slowly.
The alley stopped shaking.
The students stared.
Frozen.
Unable to process what they had just seen.
"…He… killed it…"
Their voices were quiet.
Uncertain.
Like they didn't believe it themselves.
Rishiro exhaled softly.
"…That's it?"
Disappointment.
Almost.
He walked over to the fallen oni.
Picked up the massive hammer.
Tested its weight.
Adjusted his grip slightly.
"…Heavy."
A faint grin appeared.
"…I'll take this."
He turned.
Still holding the katana.
"…And this."
Without another word—
He started walking.
Past them.
Through the broken alley.
Like none of it mattered.
Like it had been nothing.
Just another moment.
"…Run faster next time."
No advice.
No comfort.
Just—
A statement.
The group stood there.
Still frozen.
Watching him disappear into the street.
One of them whispered.
Barely audible.
"…That's him…"
A pause.
Then—
"…the liar…"
The word lingered.
But this time—
It didn't sound like doubt.
It sounded like something else.
Something closer to—
Fear.
Far ahead—
Rishiro walked.
Now carrying two weapons.
Chainsaw.
Hammer.
Katana.
His steps steady.
Unchanged.
"…Oni, huh…"
A faint smile formed.
Interested.
"…Guess things are getting better."
The wind passed through the ruined city.
And somewhere deeper within it—
Stronger things waited.
Watching.
Waiting.
For him.
And once again—
He walked forward.
Alone.
End of Chapter 24