Chapter 3 - Himawari Village - 3

"Gii-Gii! Gil-Gil! "

The Tsurube Otoshi uttered a series of excruciating cries. There was an amused smile on its face, which also made up its whole body. His eyes were instead slightly half-closed. He seemed happy to have so many yokai hunters in front of it.

"Gil-Gil!"

After another cry, the Tsurube Otoshi jumped high. It was surprising how a giant head like that could jump without the aid of limbs like legs. Yet it did it. It rose about three meters high and then violently fell to the ground towards a group of hunters.

Boom!

The ground broke, leaving a deep hole. Dirt and pebbles were thrown into the air by the impact of the yokai. Just from this, it could be understood how dangerous it was to be crushed by such a creature. It was no exaggeration to say that you could instantly die instantly.

The group of hunters who stood at that point a few moments ago managed to escape, except for one person. One hunter had had a slower reaction than the others and was unable to avoid the yokai in time. Only a shapeless mash, hidden by the big head, and a pool of blood remained of him—instant death.

"Shit! What the heck of yokai is that? "

"It's a Tsurube Otoshi!"

"It's a fourth stage wanderer! Are you kidding?! How are we supposed to bring it down?"

The hunters gathered there were disoriented. They had gone to Himawari Village intending to make a good profit with the jikininki. The other yokai were simple gaki and bekatarō, therefore nothing to fear for them. They weren't worried at all, and they thought everything would go according to their plans.

However, the arrival of the Tsurube Otoshi turned everything upside down. A fourth stage wandering yokai. It was a too strong entity for them. Thus, despair and fear began to take hold on the battlefield. But not everyone was determined to give up and give up their booty.

"It's a single yokai. Together we can do it!" one of the hunters screamed as he charged against the Tsurube Otoshi. His sword was covered with his spirit power to increase the cutting power.

Stab!

The hunter's sword stuck into the thick cheeks of the Tsurube Otoshi. The yokai opened its mouth in pain, revealing the tip of the blade inside the mouth. Its amused expression turned into one of anger. The yokai then turned toward the hunter who had pierced him.

Crunch!

The teeth of the Tsurube Otoshi sank onto the hunter's body. A single bite was enough, and the hunter's head and legs were severed, falling to the ground. The rest of the body instead ended up inside the mouth of the yokai that began to chew the hunter's body violently. Liters of blood dripped from its mouth, reddening its teeth and chin.

Gulp!

At that sight, the hunters couldn't help swallowing. Seeing the pierced yokai had awakened a glimmer of hope in them. However, it only took a moment for this glimmer to die out, being replaced by terror.

"I ... I'm out of here. I have already collected some cores. They are more than enough. I don't want to die."

"Wait! I come too!"

"Cowards! If we attack together, we can still do it! "

"I'm just a second stage apprentice hunter. What do you think I can do against such a thing?"

The hunters began to argue among themselves. Fifteen people arrived at Himawari Village, including Souma and Tetsuo. Now, however, two were already dead. Considering that this was a mission of danger F, two deaths were already an impressive number.

The Tsurube Otoshi noticed the intention of the hunters who wanted to escape. Its angry expression became amused again. With a blood-red smile, it rose into the air and swooped down against the hunters. None of them would come out of there alive.

While the Tsurube Otoshi was unleashing its might, two hunters were continuing to fight against the other yokai. It was Souma and Tetsuo. Instead of being piled up like the others, they moved away from the Tsurube Otoshi to finish the small fries.

"Are you sure it's not better to help them? If we keep the Tsurube Otoshi busy, they can kill the other yokai. Then we can attack altogether and finish the Tsurube Otoshi without problems." Souma asked as he cut the belly of a gaki in half, spreading the guts on the blade.

"You are a talented kid, but you still lack life experience. If we did as you proposed, who can assure you that they won't run with their tails between their legs? Or worse, they could use us as baits to exhaust the Tsurube Otoshi and then take the swag, leaving us to die here. Every hunter thinks for themselves, remember that. They have chosen this path; there is no need to risk our skin for them."

"So, according to your words, I shouldn't even trust you. Right, old man?"

When Souma replied that way, Tetsuo smiled and proceeded to split the head of a Bekatarō with his hands. He didn't answer the question, but his message was clear.

Meanwhile, the Tsurube Otoshi had killed five other hunters. On its body, there were remains of blades stuck in the flesh. However, it didn't seem to care much about it. The remaining hunters had now fled, leaving Souma and Tetsuo alone. The good thing about this was that the Tsurube Otoshi was also left alone.

The head-shaped yokai looked around in surprise. It didn't expect to find itself alone without its subordinates, but it didn't care much. Instead, it emitted an even more stupid smile because the preys in front of it contained more spirit power than the humans it had eaten earlier.

"Boy, let's attack together. Follow my rhythm. Okay?"

"I should be the one to say it. Don't slow me down, old man! "

Souma and Tetsuo charged together against the Tsurube Otoshi. The first had a sword covered with flames while the second had a sword covered with sparks—Magic of Fire and Magic of Lightning, two elements that focused on attack power.

Boom!

Tsurube Otoshi jumped high and crashed where Souma and Tetsuo were. The two hunters dodged to the side just before the yokai hit the ground. Immediately afterward, with a synchronized sprinting, the two aimed their swords at the yokai.

Slash!

Both blades cut deep into the skin of the Tsurube Otoshi, creating two horizontal gashes on the mouth's sides. The yokai rolled on the ground as it shouted in anger. It wasn't just the pain from the cut flesh. Both blades contained elemental magic, giving the swords additional power. The part cut by Souma was on fire, with severe burn wounds. The part cut by Tetsuo was instead paralyzed, reducing the sensitivity of the body to the Tsurube Otoshi.

The yokai finally stopped rolling and returned to its upright position. Souma and Tetsuo had not attacked during this fraction because the yokai was moving with too much ferocity. They had seen the power of its jaws, and a single snap could decree their end. It was, therefore, better to proceed calmly but with caution.

"Boy, another round. Got it?"

"I'm ready. Let's do it."

"Gil-Gil!"

The Tsurube Otoshi jumped again and then crashed where the two hunters were. Souma and Tetsuo dodged once more and approached to strike with their weapons. However, the Tsurube Otoshi wasn't a yokai without intellect. It wouldn't have used the same move just to fall into the same trap again.

When the Souma and Tetsuo swords were only a few centimeters from the flesh of the Tsurube Otoshi, the yokai began to glow. Red tongues of fire exploded from the holes previously created by the blades of the two hunters.

Souma and Tetsuo were invested by the tongues of fire; their bodies were swallowed entirely. Fortunately, however, their spirit power also served as a protective barrier. The two were able to reduce the damage a little. But even so, their bodies had significant burn wounds.

"Shit," Souma said he could feel the leather of his leather armor clinging to his skin. Without wasting time, he rolled to the ground to put out the flames on his clothes. His cloak was now in tatters.

Tetsuo was worse off. As a user of lightning magic, his resistance to fire was less than Souma's. However, he was still able to fight. Thanks to the information he had on the Tsurube Otoshi, he had foreseen a similar eventuality. But despite this, it wasn't easy to understand when a yokai would use a particular tactic or not.

"Arrow of Lightning!" Tetsuo shouted. An arrow made entirely of electricity was formed in his right hand and was hurled immediately afterward against the yokai.

Stab!

The arrow stuck in the eye of the yokai, who had no way of avoiding it. After all, the speed of that arrow was high. The Tsurube Otoshi was deprived of its sight from one side, leaving it in an agony of pain. A reddish fluid began to descend from the closed eyelid of the yokai.

'Now!' Souma said to himself before starting to run. Ignoring the pain and discomfort caused by the burning wounds, Souma leaped upward. The Tsurube Otoshi, using the other eye it had left, tried to eat Souma as it did with the other hunters. But when it opened its mouth, another lightning arrow came up and cut its tongue. The yokai lost momentum and couldn't close its jaw in time to devour Souma.

"Flame Branch!" Souma shouted as soon as the blade of his sword stuck into the forehead of the Tsurube Otoshi.

The flames on Souma's sword began to condense, forming spiked branches of fire. These branches stretched in six different directions, burning everything they found until they came out of the yokai's flesh. The brain of the Tsurube Otoshi was charred while the remaining eye became jelly. The yokai then died in that brutal way and fell to the ground with a thunderous thud.

Thud!

Souma fell with the yokai. His sword was still stuck in the yokai's forehead and showed no sign of wanting to detach. Tetsuo came at that moment, remaining standing with difficulty.

"Nice job, boy. I got it right in choosing you. Now we just have to collect the loot. Come on. I'll give you a hand." Tetsuo then offered his free hand to Souma to help him get up.

Souma looked at him for a moment, and then he also extended his free hand to squeeze Tetsuo's. But just before the two shook hands, Souma let go of the sword and made a strange gesture with his left hand.

Snap!

One of the flame branches of Souma's sword reached out from the hilt of the sword and stuck into Tetsuo's throat. The man widened his eyes in disbelief as he placed a hand on the wound to block the blood spill.

"Mudra? How...?" Tetsuo managed to mutter.

Souma smiled and replied, "You think I haven't noticed your true conditions. You used the lightning of your sword to disperse the flames. Besides, your spirit power was still active while you tried to give me your hand. If you want to screw someone, try to do it right."

Tetsuo understood what had happened and smiled, "Not bad." These were his last words before he lost consciousness forever.

Souma waved his hand again, and the branch of fire withdrew from Tetsuo's throat to return to the sword. Mudra, special gestures, typically created with the hands, could influence aspects of elemental magic such as direction, speed, and trajectory. They were an advanced magic control technique that hunters didn't normally know. After all, it was one of the techniques taught only to empire-affiliated onmyoji.

"Thanks, mom, for teaching me the Mudra. Otherwise, I don't think I would have been able to survive." Souma said to himself. The hunt had finally come to an end, and he was the only hunter left.

Normally, when a mission was completed, the person who made the request would deliver a confirmation letter to the hunters who had completed it. These hunters would then bring the letter to the cities with Exchange Centers, particular buildings where yokai cores could be exchanged, mission rewards obtained, and new missions received.

"It looks like I'm going to get all the reward. While I am there, I will have the village chief write a letter stating the presence of the Tsurube Otoshi, so as to change the difficulty from F to E and obtain a greater reward. But first, we need to clean up the battlefield."

At that point, Souma, ignoring the fatigue and injuries on his body, began to cut every single yokai he found to recover their core. He also rummaged through the bags of the fallen hunters. He even went to extract the remains of those hunters eaten by the Tsurube Otoshi. After all, the yokai cores were contained inside the bodies of the yokai. What would change if they were in the stomach of a yokai together with other stuff?