With two swift swings of his blade, Shinji killed the two Big-Headed Monster Infants, earning another 400 Cursed Soul Points.
"Help... help!"
"I don't want to die! Someone, save..."
"Get the hell out of my way! Don't block me!"
Shinji immediately looked up and saw a group of "refugees" running for their lives.
Behind them was an enormous Blue Monster, over ten meters tall and resembling a dinosaur.
Not only was the Blue Monster massive, but it also had two rows of sharp, sturdy teeth. Bared as they were, they sent chills down anyone who saw them.
Its four limbs were powerfully built. Though each had only three digits, they bore sharp, hooked claws.
Those claws were like blades. With a slight flick, it pierced the chest of an unlucky straggler and lifted him up, then tossed him into its mouth, chewed twice, and swallowed.
Long, silky brown fur covered its entire spine. Who knew if it had been using Rejoice shampoo?
Despite its enormous size, the monster ran remarkably fast and was exceptionally agile.
In just those few moments, it had lowered its head and bitten three or four people to death.
If it hadn't been using this method to stir up their fear and despair, absorbing those intense negative emotions to grow stronger, they probably would have all been dead already.
Toying with them wasn't merely some sick amusement.
It also made the prey delicious and nutritious!
Especially when people turned on one another and schemed against each other just to stay alive-those scenes laid humanity's basest instincts bare.
Holding the Kubikiribōchō, Shinji concealed himself in the shadows.
If he hadn't just used up [Cloak-Breaking Strike], he would have been fully confident he could kill it in one blow.
Now, though, he had to account for the difference in size. He wasn't even as tall as its legs. What was he supposed to do, give it a manicure with the Kubikiribōchō?
"Get lost!"
A man wearing a Kusagakure ninja forehead protector kicked down someone beside him, leaving that person to fall behind and be eaten by the monster.
As a chunin, it wasn't as though he hadn't tried to escape.
But after all his companions died, he lost his nerve.
Every day, he fought others over food. At night, he mingled with the crowd and let the monsters hunt.
The secret to his repeated survival was that he had discovered these monsters weren't simply killing or feeding. They seemed to relish seeing humanity's ugly side.
The greater the despair, the fear, the resentment... the more it pleased the monsters and made their meals enjoyable.
After discovering this, he actively cooperated with the monsters during every "hunt," engineering tragedies.
After all, no one understood better than a fellow human how to stir up the deepest hatred and rage!
He hadn't been sure whether his theory was right. Doing this simply improved his chances of survival, so he kept doing it.
Until last night's hunt, when he finally met his match. Two other chunin targeted him, defeated him together, and threw him in front of a monster.
At the time, he thought he was dead for sure!
But at the last moment, just before he was eaten, a human-sized monster stopped the others. It even let him go and allowed him to return to the crowd.
That was when he knew he hadn't been wrong!
These monsters were intelligent, and they needed him to do this.
As long as he cooperated and created more panic and despair, he would be able to keep living comfortably until everyone else had been eaten.
And the facts proved him right.
Just now, he had even risked staying at the rear, yet the monsters still hadn't chosen him as their first target.
So he immediately stopped hesitating,
and began hiding in the crowd, sabotaging the others however he could. To stay alive.
Yes, exactly. It was all to stay alive!
He had convinced himself with that excuse almost effortlessly.
Suddenly, he noticed someone running at the very front.
That man and another fellow had nearly gotten him eaten by a monster.
Although it had turned out to be a blessing in disguise, he couldn't let that grudge go unanswered!
Without hesitation, he began forming hand seals.
"Fire Release: Fire Snake Technique!"
A fire snake opened its jaws wide and shot forward to bite its target.
Kusagakure was a ninja village skilled at studying and learning other countries' ninjutsu, so its ninja wielded all sorts of techniques.
The heat behind him immediately alerted the long-haired man that he was under attack. Without a second thought, he leaped aside.
The Kusagakure ninja wasn't surprised that his attack missed. He simply closed the distance while continuing to form hand seals.
He didn't need a powerful technique to kill his opponent. He only needed to hold him up and keep him from escaping. Once the monster behind them caught up, it would all be over.
The long-haired man glanced back, startled, then frowned.
"You disgusting bastard! You're still alive?"
"Heh. Today, you're the one who's going to die!" the Kusagakure ninja sneered.
Fire Release: Ghost Lantern!
Countless ghostly flames swiftly attacked the long-haired man from every direction.
The flames weren't particularly powerful, but there were far too many of them. With this delay, the monster behind them had nearly caught up.
The long-haired man's expression changed instantly. As he dodged, he shouted, "That monster is catching up! Stop now, and I'll let this slide!"
The Kusagakure ninja continued sneering without answering. His attacks only grew fiercer.
"Fuck! If you want to die, don't drag me down with you!" The long-haired man was furious, and even more frantic inside.
Seeing the monster drawing closer and closer, he had no choice but to force his way out.
Bang, bang, bang!
Several ghostly flames exploded against the long-haired man in succession, leaving him scorched and soot-covered. But by accepting those injuries, he managed to escape.
The Kusagakure ninja, however, didn't seem willing to let him go.
Water Release: Water Whip!
Focused solely on breaking through the ghostly flames, the long-haired man hadn't watched his footing. By the time he sensed the danger, it was too late.
A water whip wrapped tightly around his right foot!
"Let's see you run now!"
"Have you gone insane? The monster is right behind you! If you don't run now, it'll be too late!"
"I am insane, but I won't die. You're the only one who's going to die!"
He's insane. This bastard really is insane!
The long-haired man bitterly regretted not having eliminated this menace back then. Now he had made a mortal enemy, and that enemy had come for revenge.
"Fine! Let's see if you survive!"
The long-haired man believed he still had a chance. After all, the monster was closer to his opponent. Once that man died, he could still escape.
But what happened next was something he couldn't comprehend at all.
After glancing at the Kusagakure ninja, the monster simply ignored him and charged excitedly toward the long-haired man instead.
"How is that possible?!"
The long-haired man completely lost his composure. He couldn't understand why the monster had ignored the other man and come after him instead.