Shoyo: “So you are the one who unleashed the orcs upon those villagers”

From her smell, he was certain that she was the culprit.

Musician: “….”

Shoyo: “Just one question. Why?”

Musician: “….”

Shoyo: “Do you have no free will or are you just a mindless tool for demons to use?”

Musician: “Quiet”

She pulled one of the strings of the pipa, unleashing a wave of sound.

As the sound wave traveled in Shoyo’s direction, Shoyo managed to dodge just in time before they could slice him into pieces.

The trees that the sound ended up hitting looked like they were slashed by a storm of swords.

Getting hit by one of those attacks could mean certain death. But that only applied to humans, not monsters.

Shoyo: “I see. You use your chi as a blade that can be launched like a projectile. By combining chi and a musical instrument, you have created a rather unorthodox, yet deadly fighting style. Very clever”

Musician: “You talk too much”

She launched yet another razor wave in Shoyo’s direction. This time it was going horizontally. Shoyo simply ducked in order to let the wave avoid him.

Shoyo: “Maybe. I have been alone for so long that I might have started to miss having some company…even if that someone is trying to kill me”

Musician: “Do you ever shut up!?”

The more chi waves she unleashed, the more their surrounding were sliced apart. But much to her ire, Shoyo remained unharmed.

Musician: ‘He is not using his eyes, yet he keeps avoiding my attacks…What is going on?’

Shoyo: “Afraid not, darling”

Musician: ‘If only I can land one clean hit’

Shoyo was practically dancing circles around her, spinning, dodging, and flipping over every razor wave she sent his way.

This was not good.

Chi was essentially one’s life force; overusage of it could be fatal.

Shoyo: “You know, demons must really be desperate, having a girl like you help them gather their snacks”

Then, he rolled towards her before standing up.

Shoyo: “Or perhaps you were hoping to become one by gaining their favor?”

Musician: ‘NOW!’

He was too close to dodge.

With a single flick of the strings, she finally landed a hit upon him.

The impact was the same as if he was cleaved by a great sword.

Not wasting her opportunity, she shot an arrow right through Shoyo’s skull.

Her pipa had the capacity to shoot a concealed arrow, though only one, so she had to wait for a chance opening to land it.

His body limply fell on the ground.

Assured of her victory, Musician moved towards Shoyo’s body, smirking at her opponent’s defeat.

Musician: “You should have ran when you had the chance”

Shoyo: “Same goes for you”

Then, she saw Shoyo open his eyes. Each one was as black as a night, with not even a shade of whiteness.

Musician: “What?!”

It happened in an instant.

What she saw was nothing more than a flick of a wrist.

The next moment, she felt a burning sensation travelling down her right arm.

Then she looked down, and lo and behold, her severed right arm was on the ground.

Musician: “AAAAAH!”

It was a shriek filled with pain and horror.

She immediately jumped away from Shoyo.

Her arm was cut off right below the elbow.

She desperately tried to stop the bleeding by using her scarf as a make shift tourniquet.

As for her opponent, he simply stood up with the arrow still embedded in his head.

Opening only one eye, he winked at her.

Shoyo: “Should we continue? You still have three more limbs left”

For the first time, Musician’s eyes were filled with pure horror.

Shoyo’s left hand did not have a sword, or even a dagger. The tool he used to cut off her hand was nothing more than a stick he just picked off the ground.

Musician: ‘He should be dead. How is he not dead?’

Then, she saw it.

Shoyo proceeded to remove the arrow from his skull.

The wound that should have killed him ended up healing within seconds.

Instantaneous regeneration.

It was clear that he was not a human.

Musician: ‘A monster?’

That was the only plausible explanation. A human being could not survive an injury of that magnitude.

Musician: ‘I have underestimated him. I would never have guessed he was a monster. I must retreat’

Before Shoyo could catch up to her, she threw an enchanted smoke bomb on the ground. Rather than conceal her exit, it also allowed her to retreat to a marked location, essentially a teleportation spell.

Green smoke filled the area, making it impossible to see anything.

By the time smoke cleared away, she was gone.

Shoyo: “Well, that was interesting”

Shoyo scratched his head.

He proceeded to pick up the severed hand.

Shoyo: “I guess there is nothing wrong if it’s someone that tried to kill me”

Opening his mouth, filled with knife like teeth, Shoyo made a quick work of the severed hand, eating it up completely (bones and all).

Shoyo: “Thank you for the meal”