Senju Kyogawa followed the scent to a room with its door slightly ajar. He stopped at the boundary between sunlight and shadow in front of it.
Senju Kyogawa lifted his head and noticed, to his surprise, that the eaves over this room were wider than those over the others. They resembled a bird's long, outstretched wings, and on closer inspection, one section jutted out. As a result, the shadow cast on the ground was larger than the other shadows in the courtyard.
"Jingchuan, is there something wrong with this room?" Senju Chenghe asked when he saw Jingchuan suddenly stop at its entrance.
Unlike Senju Kyogawa, Senju Chenghe couldn't smell the strange fragrance, so he had no idea why Jingchuan had suddenly stopped there.
"Brother Chenghe, look. The eaves over this room are strange, and its design is different from the other rooms," Senju Kyogawa explained, turning to him.
Senju Chenghe was a sensory-type ninja, after all, and had a keen eye for detail. He hadn't thought much of it at first, but after Senju Kyogawa pointed it out, he too noticed that something about the room was unusual.
In fact, aside from the unusual eaves, the room's structure was also quite different from the others.
Despite its distinctive eaves, the room itself looked so unassuming. It was as though the eaves were merely decorative, making people think they were an unusual design and overlook how peculiar the room itself was.
How strange.
Very strange.
Senju Chenghe's sound instincts as a ninja immediately told him this was no simple matter.
They had just speculated that the "monsters" that had inexplicably appeared might be connected to this family. Now, even the slightest disturbance put them on high alert.
Perhaps if they figured out what was going on, they could find a way to deal with the monsters.
Once he understood this, Senju Chenghe walked up to the room and stood beside Senju Kyogawa.
"So, shall we go exploring, Jingchuan?" Senju Chenghe took out the candle he carried with him and lit it.
"Of course. I want to see what secrets this little town is hiding." Senju Kyogawa agreed without hesitation, pulled off the glove on his right hand, and stepped into the shadows first.
Quiet. Too quiet.
Something was wrong.
Senju Chenghe used the candle's weak flame to light the way, but saw no monsters ahead and heard not so much as a sound that might have come from one.
This unnatural silence was the biggest warning sign of all!
As for Senju Kyogawa, ever since he'd entered the room, the strange fragrance had grown stronger and stronger.
It grew more intense, forcing its way into Senju Kyogawa's nostrils like a cold winter wind, then burrowing into his organs and every limb.
The moment he smelled it, Senju Kyogawa felt dizzy. And the fragrance was only getting stronger.
Senju Kyogawa felt as if the stench had seeped into every inch of him, leaving him reeking of it from head to toe.
He was now absolutely certain that this room concealed a huge secret.
The room wasn't large—in fact, it was quite small. There were only a few tables and some decorative ornaments. It looked like an ordinary little room.
Senju Chenghe couldn't smell the fragrance, but he had a strong feeling that something was very wrong with the room.
But...
There was nothing unusual to be seen.
Could there be a hidden room? Senju Chenghe wondered. First, he inspected the ornaments, putting on gloves to examine them carefully. Then he went to the walls and searched inch by inch for anything out of place.
Senju Kyogawa tested the air repeatedly and finally determined which direction the fragrance was strongest in.
He channeled his fire ability and immediately felt a surge of heat flow from his lungs to the palm of his right hand.
Whoosh! Bright flames spread over Senju Kyogawa's right hand, suddenly lighting up most of the room.
The flames were clearly different from the tiny ones he'd produced before.
It seems the Breathing Technique has also improved my fire ability. Senju Kyogawa considered the matter. After all, when he used Total Concentration Constant Breathing, he could feel energy in the air he breathed in. It made sense that this energy could enhance his "fire" ability.
But he had no time to dwell on it now. The most urgent thing was to find the source of the anomaly.
Senju Kyogawa brought the flame close to that section of wall. It was spotless, as though there were nothing there.
He quietly slipped the glove from his left hand into the system space, then felt along the wall.
Suddenly, the wall caved inward, forming the shape of a child's palm. It fit Senju Kyogawa's hand almost perfectly!
What?!
What was going on?!
There was no time to think. The next second, a deafening roar rang out.
At the same time, the clear sky outside suddenly turned dark with thick clouds.
The world plunged into darkness.
A thick, purplish-red bolt of lightning crashed down again!
BOOM!
With the thunderous crash, the quiet little town suddenly erupted into chaos. The monsters began roaring again, their voices brimming with the exhilaration of having regained their freedom.
Senju Kyogawa felt the wall, which had been hard just moments before, turn soft. Then an enormous force began pulling at him.
Panicking, Senju Kyogawa tried to pull out his left hand, but the suction only grew stronger.
He slammed his flame-covered right palm against the wall.
The wall let out a shriek. The part touched by the flames began to rot, then turned black and charred.
Before Senju Kyogawa could feel relieved, the pull on his left hand suddenly intensified.
And then...
Without warning, the flames on Senju Kyogawa's right hand went out!
The wall suddenly split open around his left hand, revealing a huge maw. It was no longer white but a vivid red.
Veins covered the opening, like the mouth of some unknown creature.
It opened in an instant. Senju Chenghe realized what was happening and rushed to grab Jingchuan, but only managed to catch the hem of his clothes.
Senju Kyogawa was swallowed by that "gaping maw"!
Senju Chenghe could only stumble helplessly and lunge toward the wall. It had returned to normal, leaving behind only a charred mark. He stood there, at a loss.
But Senju Chenghe couldn't stay helpless for long.
A far more dire situation now awaited him.
The hungry monsters—and the ravenously hungry Senju Chenghe.
Purplish-red lightning streaked across the pitch-black sky again, striking a monster in the face.
It illuminated the courtyard, packed with grinning monsters...
And Senju Chenghe, alone and helpless inside the house.
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