"Do I stink?"
The demon's voice trembled as she asked.
"Is there a foul smell on me?"
"Ah, ahahaha... truly, what foolish people. Shinmen Musashi, Sakumura Anno—you are both incomparably foolish."
Tap—
"What meaning was there in your protection...?"
"But, but still. Thank you very much."
"At the very least, you reminded me of something. The next time I go out to meet others, I'll burn incense beforehand to cover up my scent."
Whoosh—
Rustle—
At last, the demon stepped into the moonlight and revealed her appearance. With a savage grin, she said—
"—Especially when I'm about to create another massacre."
She was an extraordinarily beautiful woman—or rather, an extraordinarily beautiful female demon.
Pale white hair, a pair of distinctive oni horns that only demons possessed, armor worn only by military commanders, a burning naginata, and—a massive bow.
Beyond that, her most striking feature was naturally the same as that of the defeated Lancer Purgatorio: ugly eyes gleaming with red light.
"My, what a beautiful woman. What a pity that face had to grow on a demon like you."
Musashi chuckled, resting Myojin-giri Muramasa on her shoulder. Sakumura Anno said nothing, merely staring grimly at the female demon.
"—My forbidden name is Archer Inferno."
"You took care of me well when we last met. How have you been since then? On this visit, I shall—"
"ANNIHILATE YOU ALL!!!"
With that, she drew her bow.
Although Limbo's order, delivered through Katō Danzō, had been for her to assassinate Fujimaru Ritsuka alone, Archer Inferno clearly had some ideas of her own.
"Wait—"
Fujimaru Ritsuka suddenly shouted, and Archer Inferno instinctively halted.
"What do you wish to say?"
She appeared dignified and beautiful, yet the stench of blood and sulfur clung to her, impossible to dispel. She looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka in confusion,