The moon shone in the sky and the wind was cold. The forest was silent, too silent. Yami walked through the devastated forest while eating an onigiri.
— From what Yuto said, the monsters deeper inside the portal are stronger… Well, since I still haven't developed my powers, they said I should kill the kyobokags near the portal. The weaker ones.
He gave a slight smile.
— I still wonder what the monsters in there must be like.
Suddenly, a scream echoed among the trees. Crows took flight, beating their wings in sequence. Soon after, the forest returned to silence. Yami became alert as footsteps approached, and a young man emerged from between the trees.
— Selam, birlikte çalışsak olur mu?
Yami raised one of his eyebrows.
— Speak my language.
— Ah, sorry. I thought you were from Turkey too.
— What do you want?
— Can we form an alliance? It seems the kyobokags' level has increased. A duo would be more sensible.
— How many are left? — Yami asked, finishing his onigiri.
— Well… there should be only a few left. And those few… must be the strongest ones.
— Then it's fine. But one thing: when we're done here, I'm going deeper into this forest.
— Understood. Then it's fine.
They began walking, eliminating the kyobokags along the way.
— We're done here. You can go deeper into the forest, just like you said — the young man stated.
Suddenly, Yami felt an intense aura approaching.
— What was that? — the young man asked.
Yami remained silent, trying to identify where that presence was coming from. He turned toward the young man, about to speak.
— Let's ru—
The sentence never finished. Something pierced the young man's abdomen. He tried to speak, but no sound came out. Only blood. His body was lifted into the air as a shadow formed behind him. Yami's eyes widened and the air seemed to grow heavy. He tried to move, but he didn't.
Yami slowly began to see the creature's shape. It was humanoid. Suddenly, the creature devoured the young man's head. Yami began to tremble, despairing in silence.
— Ah, how good human flesh is — the creature said.
It looked at Yami, who stood frozen.
— Why are you standing there? Haven't you run yet?
— What kind of monster are you?
The humanoid creature smiled.
— You don't know? I am the personification of pride. The Kamui of pride.
— Kamui of pride?
— Enough talk. It's time for you to die.
The moon hovered high above the open field, which breathed silence.
Black trees surrounded the devastated clearing as the wind dragged dust and dead leaves across the ground. Yami stood at the center, his body still trembling. In front of him, the Kamui watched, motionless, huge, expressionless.
The pressure in the air was suffocating, as if the sky itself were descending.
Yami clenched his teeth. He couldn't freeze again. His fingers moved and lines began to form, cutting through the air in silence. He took a deep breath and advanced. The lines shot forward first, tearing through space and aiming for the creature's neck, but the Kamui merely tilted its head and the attacks sliced through emptiness. In the blink of an eye, it was gone.
Yami felt the danger too late. An impact sent him flying backward, his body sliding across the dry ground before crashing into a fallen tree.
Pain exploded through his ribs, yet he forced himself to stand. Blood ran from the corner of his mouth, and he smiled anyway.
The lines multiplied — dozens, then hundreds — surrounding the field and weaving a luminous net. Yami raised his hand and pulled. The lines converged, and blades of energy rained down, marking the ground and slicing trees apart. The Kamui advanced without dodging or retreating. The cuts struck its body, sparks of energy exploding on impact, yet it kept walking. Each step sank into the earth, closing the distance.
Yami felt his stomach tighten. It wasn't enough. He moved his fingers again and the lines shifted direction, twisting like serpents to wrap around the creature — but the Kamui vanished and reappeared behind him. A punch tore through the air.
Yami crossed his arms on instinct, but the impact echoed brutally through the forest. His feet left the ground and the world spun as he was thrown away.
He crashed to his knees, struggling to breathe, but the air wouldn't come. The Kamui was already above him. A kick sent him sideways and he rolled, forcing himself to rise again. The lines vibrated around him as he gathered everything into a single point. A massive, deeper cut tore through the ground, splitting trees in the distance before striking the Kamui directly.
Silence followed. Dust rose. Yami panted, his arm trembling as he waited. When the dust settled, a silhouette remained standing — intact. The Kamui tilted its head, as if evaluating him, then smiled and advanced faster than before. Yami tried to retreat, but a hand grabbed his face and lifted him off the ground. His feet kicked the air as he struggled to concentrate, yet the pressure crushed his thoughts. Blow after blow struck his body — abdomen, face, chest — heavy and controlled. His counterattacks barely scratched the creature.
He was thrown far across the clearing, the earth caving beneath him. The moon shone above as he tried to stand, but his legs failed and the lines unraveled around him. The Kamui walked toward him without hurry.
Yami spat blood and laughed weakly. For the first time, he understood. This wasn't a fight he could win.
— You don't have the same scent as humans.
The creature tilted its head, analyzing him.
— Your ego has already gone to your head.
It smiled.
— You're no use to me. But my friends over there… they don't waste anything.
The Kamui snapped its fingers. From the shadows, dozens of kyobokags emerged, eyes glowing, bodies crawling as they encircled Yami. The Kamui walked away, laughing softly.
— Damn it, damn it. I can't get up — Yami muttered, lying on the ground and spitting blood.
He closed his eyes.
— No… I won't. I don't want to die here.
He forced himself to stand and began exterminating the kyobokags. The forest felt smaller now. They formed an irregular circle around him, dull eyes glowing in the darkness, harsh breaths cutting through the silence. Exhaustion made his hands tremble.
One attacked first and Yami cut through its neck. It fell, but the circle held. Another came from the left; his counter wasn't deep enough. The siege tightened. Three attacked together. He dodged by inches, a claw tearing his sleeve, another scratching his back. The lines weren't enough for all of them.
Then he noticed it — a misalignment in their formation. One moved too soon, another half a step behind. Ahead, the open field stretched wide and empty. He slid beneath an incoming strike, dust blinding the nearest creature, breaking the formation further. Then he ran into the open field without looking back.
He ran until he found an old church, isolated in the middle of nowhere. The structure looked abandoned, wood darkened by time, broken windows letting the moonlight flood inside. He entered without thinking. Each step echoed in the silence as the smell of dust and aged wood mixed with the metallic scent of his blood.
He nearly reached the altar when his legs finally gave out. He fell onto his back before it, struggling to breathe as his vision darkened at the edges. On the altar, a silver chalice rested tilted at the edge. It trembled slightly, then fell. The metallic sound echoed through the empty hall as blood spread across the cold marble, flowing slowly… until it reached Yami's face.