"Wonderful. This speed, this strength-they've already far surpassed the limits of the human body. As you are now, you should just barely qualify as a Superhuman."
Higuchi Orochi's upper body lay on the ground. Scrabbling at the floor with both hands, he crawled out of the side hall, leaving a long trail of blood.
It was a scene straight out of a horror movie, something that would only appear in nightmares.
A dense mass of white snakes suddenly surged out of Higuchi Orochi's lower body, connecting it to his upper half and piecing the two severed parts back together.
"Yamanashi, revenge tasted pretty good, didn't it? Even if it only lasted a fleeting instant."
Higuchi Orochi twisted, his body turning as though it had no bones.
"Facing your father's killer again after so long, don't you have anything you want to talk about?" The white scales on Higuchi Orochi's body rubbed together as he writhed, making a rustling sound.
"Yamanashi, I still have so many questions for you. For instance, how did you master the power of the curse without being devoured by it?"
"I have nothing to say to you."
Killing intent lay bare on Yamanashi Inaba's cool little face as she spoke icily.
"With Buddha as my witness, before my parents' gravestones, I will kill you with my own hands!"
"So your parents are buried in Gokokuji Cemetery. What a perfect stage for revenge. It's truly touching. Unfortunately, Yamanashi, you can't do it." Higuchi Orochi extended his crimson tongue, licked his palm, then made a grabbing motion toward Yamanashi Inaba.
A gray python as thick as a bucket emerged from his sleeve, poised to coil around Yamanashi Inaba from above and engulf her.
Yamanashi Inaba gripped her nodachi in both hands, its blade shimmering with a soft blue-green