No one knew about the conversation between Fang Li and Mumei.
After that, Fang Li bade Mumei farewell, went to the Iron Fortress, and entered the last carriage directly.
"Ha... ha..."
The moment he entered the carriage, Fang Li heard heavy panting.
The panting was filled with pain and discomfort.
Yet Fang Li was not surprised in the slightest and simply walked into the carriage.
There was no firelight in the carriage, only seemingly bottomless darkness.
In the darkness, in a corner, a heart was glowing. Yet like a light bulb about to burn out, it flickered between bright and dim, looking extremely unstable.
As for the heart's owner, he was curled up there, panting without pause.
Seeing this, Fang Li sighed and spoke softly.
"You've reached your limit, Ikoma."
Fang Li's words made Ikoma, who was huddled in the corner, shudder all over before slowly raising his head.
What appeared on Ikoma's face was a ferocious, deathly gray expression.
He looked just like a Kabane.
"You became a Kabaneri yesterday, yet you haven't had a single drop of blood today. You must be suffering badly right now, huh?"
As though he did not care about Ikoma's changes at all, Fang Li remained as casual as ever.
"I really don't know what you're insisting on. If you need blood, drink blood. It's not like drinking it will turn you into a monster, though you can't exactly be considered human either."
Under Fang Li's seemingly sarcastic remarks, Ikoma swayed to his feet like a corpse.
His panting grew heavier and heavier.
His gaze became increasingly ferocious.
Ikoma began walking toward Fang Li, and no matter how one looked at it, he did not seem to be approaching for a friendly chat.
Surely, anyone would be afraid upon seeing someone whose physical traits resembled a Kabane so closely approaching them, right?
However, Fang Li suddenly began talking to himself.
"I'm leaving soon."
Fang Li had already completed all of his missions in this world.
The only reason he had remained was to repay Mumei and Ikoma for what they had done, ensuring that the two of them would be safe.
Now, although the people aboard the Iron Fortress had yet to accept the two Kabaneri, they had at least gotten through the most tense period.
Moreover, Mumei had already awakened. Even if the people on the Iron Fortress wanted to cause trouble, they would only bring disaster upon themselves. There was no longer any need for Fang Li to stay.
"Though I've repaid that debt, you did save my life."
Fang Li raised his head and looked at Ikoma.
"So I'll give you a little after-sales service."
As soon as he finished speaking, Fang Li flicked his hand, and a dagger glinting with cold light immediately fell into it.
"Aaaahhhhh—!"
At the same time, Ikoma let out a roar nearly indistinguishable from that of a Kabane and lunged fiercely toward Fang Li.
In response, Fang Li merely watched quietly.
Only when Ikoma pounced before him did Fang Li speak.
"Your movements are too big, idiot."
The next second, Ikoma naturally missed.
Having flashed to Ikoma's side, Fang Li slightly closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, the Ice-Blue Demon Eyes had appeared.
"Sshk—!"
With icy cold light, the sharp dagger stabbed toward Ikoma's glowing heart.
About ten minutes later, Fang Li entered the forest once more.
This time, he went in completely, pressing deeper and deeper as though he would never turn back.
"Ah..."
"Ugh..."
Before long, faint sounds like wails and screams drifted into Fang Li's ears.
Hearing those sounds, Fang Li slowed his steps and began to Lurk through the grass, looking ahead.
There, figures with glowing hearts staggered about.
They were naturally Kabane.
"These monsters really are everywhere..."
Though he said that, Fang Li's expression was clearly one of great delight.
"If they keep moving forward, it's only a matter of time before they discover the people at the Iron Fortress, right?"
The sharp dagger once again appeared in Fang Li's hand.
The Ice-Blue Demon Eyes began to emerge as well.
"Though there are quite a few of them, the terrain here favors me. Let me be an Assassin one more time."
Thus, Fang Li began to Lurk.
"Come, let's kill each other..."
When Fang Li left the Iron Fortress and went deep into the forest, Mumei emerged from the forest.
At that moment, Mumei was walking toward the Iron Fortress while muttering continuously.
"This is so strange. There really isn't any trace of Kabane left..."
Afterward, Mumei personally went to check on the pregnant woman. She observed her for quite some time before finally confirming that the woman would not turn into a Kabane again.
"She was clearly bitten. How did he do it?"
Carrying this question that she could not figure out no matter how hard she thought, Mumei returned to the Iron Fortress.
However, before reaching the Iron Fortress, Mumei saw an extremely astonishing sight.
"Look! Look!"
Amid the crowd, Ikoma stood bare-chested, shouting excitedly at the people around him as though he had been reborn.
"I'm not a Kabaneri anymore! I've turned back into a human!"
Looking closer, Ikoma's body had completely changed.
His skin was no longer the heartbreaking deathly gray it had been before.
The vein-like patterns on his body had vanished without a trace, leaving him looking full of life.
Most importantly, Ikoma's chest had returned to normal as well. The glowing heart like that of a Kabane could no longer be seen.
"I've turned back into a human! Back into a human!"
Ikoma's voice rang through the air above the entire clearing.
Around him, the warriors and civilians from Aragane Station all wore stunned expressions. Even Yomogawa Ayame, Kurusu Kunoichi, and Kibito Aragane looked utterly incredulous.
"Th-this... how did he suddenly become normal again?"
"From a Kabaneri back into a human?"
"You're lying! How could something like that be possible?!"
"If people could turn back into humans so easily, the Kabane would have ceased to exist long ago!"
The surrounding warriors and civilians clearly did not believe Ikoma at all.
Only Mumei stared blankly at the scene. After a while, she suddenly rushed in front of Ikoma.
Ikoma could not help but jump in fright.
But by then, Mumei had already grabbed his neck and stared at him intently.
Then, disregarding everyone's reactions, Mumei asked,
"Was it that guy's doing?"
"That guy?" Ikoma froze.
Yet Mumei did not need Ikoma's answer. She had already confirmed it.
At once, Mumei's expression became complicated.