"Move. Now."
Shinji Akagi grabbed Hidan's collar and yanked him backward, forcing distance between them and the well. The moment they cleared a few steps, Shinji didn't hesitate. Two sharp slaps cracked across Hidan's face.
"Wake up."
Hidan sucked in a breath, eyes snapping back into focus.
Only then did they realize something terrifying.
At some point during that brief lapse, both of them had unconsciously walked several meters closer to the well.
Hidan didn't even have time to curse Shinji for hitting him.
Because the scene in front of them froze his tongue.
That strange, sweet scent drifting from the well had drawn in every animal nearby.
Chickens. Ducks. Pigs. Stray dogs.
They staggered toward the well as if drunk.
Then the black hair surged upward.
Not slowly.
Not hesitantly.
It erupted.
Thick strands shot out of the darkness and wrapped around each animal with horrifying precision. Necks, legs, torsos. Completely bound.
The moment the scent faded, the animals began to thrash and scream.
It didn't matter.
Their struggles weakened within seconds.
Then stopped.
Silence returned.
Several breaths later, the black hair slowly retreated back into the well.
Shinji frowned.
The strands looked… different.
Smoother.
Darker.
Stronger.
On the ground, the livestock were no longer recognizable as living creatures.
Shriveled.
Desiccated.
Like empty skins pulled tight over bone.
Hidan's jaw hung open.
"Jashin-sama… that thing eats?"
Shinji didn't answer.
His gaze remained fixed on the well.
Whatever he had unearthed was not a dormant relic.
It was a predator.
And worse—
"That smell is back," Shinji said quietly.
Hidan sniffed the air, then touched the side of his face where he'd been slapped.
"So that scent is bait? It lures prey?"
His expression darkened.
If Shinji hadn't snapped him out of it…
He didn't want to finish that thought.
Being torn apart was one thing.
Being slowly consumed by whatever lived down there was something else entirely.
"Let's leave," Hidan said. "That thing's stuck in this area. No reason to mess with it."
Shinji understood the logic.
Hidan feared gods and people exactly zero percent.
But this wasn't either.
It was wrong in a way instinct recognized.
Still—
Shadows were forming at the edge of the clearing.
Human silhouettes.
Villagers.
Dozens of them.
Drawn by the same scent.
Eyes unfocused.
Movements sluggish.
If Shinji and Hidan walked away now, no one in this village would survive the night.
Shinji didn't consider himself a good person.
He avoided responsibility whenever possible.
But this mess existed because of him.
Walking away meant accepting that outcome.
He wasn't built for that.
And there was something else.
Annoyance.
Curiosity.
Greed.
If monsters existed, then so did rewards.
Shinji glanced sideways.
"Scared?"
Hidan bristled instantly.
"Who the hell are you calling scared?!"
"Good," Shinji said calmly. "You deal with the thing in the well. I'll handle the villagers."
"The hell I will!"
Shinji looked at him.
Hidan coughed.
"I mean… those villagers can be used as bait. Draw its attention."
Shinji shook his head.
"No. You saw what happened after it fed. It changed."
"If it eats all of them, you really think you'll still be able to kill it?"
Hidan clicked his tongue.
"Tch. Then you go fight it. I'll clear the villagers."
"I can disable everyone here in seconds," Shinji said. "Can you?"
Hidan grinned.
"I can kill them all and offer them to Jashin-sama."
Shinji stared at him like he was defective.
"By the time you finish one by one, we'll both be dead. Admit it. You don't want to go near the well."
"Bullshit!" Hidan roared. "Watch closely! I'll tear that thing apart!"
He stormed toward the well, yanking two kunai from his pouch.
Shinji exhaled.
Idiot.
Shinji turned away and focused on the villagers.
He drew a kunai and sliced his wrist open.
Blood spilled freely.
Instead of falling, it hovered.
Gathering.
Compressing.
A dense crimson sphere formed in front of him.
Shinji raised his hand like a gun.
Pop.
Pop.
Two test shots struck the ground, cracking dirt.
He adjusted the output.
A thin smile appeared.
"Better a mild concussion than getting eaten."
Cursed energy surged.
Compressed droplets fired in rapid succession.
Crimson bullets streaked from the blood sphere.
Not perfect accuracy.
But good enough.
Foreheads.
Temples.
Cheeks.
One after another, villagers collapsed.
Eyes rolling back.
Bodies hitting dirt.
Unconscious.
Not dead.
The scent still hung in the air.
But scent couldn't wake people up.
Within seconds, the clearing was littered with sleeping bodies.
Shinji kept firing until not a single villager remained standing.
Efficient.
Clean.
Meanwhile—
Hidan, who had sworn to destroy the monster, was doing something else entirely.
He dragged a massive boulder over.
Shoved it across the mouth of the well.
It slammed down with a heavy thud.
"There," Hidan said proudly. "Problem solved. Sealed."
Going down there?
Absolutely not.
Why fight it when you could trap it?
He brushed dirt off his hands.
Then frowned.
Why did his foot feel itchy?
He looked down.
A strand of black hair had slipped through a crack beneath the stone.
It had wrapped around his ankle.
Tight.