Residing in a small town within the borders of Adonai, a small population of people thrived off of everything that the small region could manage—a decently well maintained pub, street concession stands that served grilled food, and numerous worn-down homes infested with cobwebs and critters.
This town was called Kotai, and despite the mundane and impoverished lifestyle, the townspeople cherished the place as their home. Towns were typically viewed as a location where rogues would hide or rest, while several illegal trades would prosper in secrecy. However, it was not entirely true.
Inside the town's pub, each seat was occupied by the people of Kotai, laughing hysterically while slugging back cold bottles of alcoholic beverages. It was not a fruitful life, but it was their life.
"Have y'all heard about Shanti? Those backstabbers closed us out! I even heard that they're planning on invading both Adonai and Zebulun!" A man, affected by alcohol, spewed, his body swaying mindlessly.
A woman in the pub clicked her tongue and said, "Don't go yappin' about stuff you only heard over the paper! It's already bad enough that this generation is being consumed by all the new technology!"
"Shut your trap, Himari! This is actually happenin'!" The man retorted with a nasty belch, the smell of beer escaping his lips. "Learn about it!"
The woman, Himari, shook her head. "Just keep your mouth shut, ya pig!"
As one conversation ended, a new topic would be plucked from someone's mind and talked about—an endless cycle of human interaction induced by an inebriated mind.
"Oi, fellas, if you want to discuss real news… What about that redhead terrorizing our lands? Or that ole' Furusato Unit? They're actually out killin' people while y'all are fretting over another nation!" The bartender spoke up, wiping a glass mug clean with a rag.
The man stared down the bartender with an arched eyebrow, his mind imbued with confusion. "Hah!? The Crimson Stalker? He doesn't exist, ya dumbass!"
The bartender conjured a solemn expression. "Oh, I don't know about that, sir—rumors say that he's a ghost of the Takuetsu family, back when Adonai was subjugated under the Takuetsu Dynasty."
"Even if he is real, then he can get wiped out like the Takuetsu, too!" The drunkard grinned, chuckling. "Adonai is the strongest nation in the world! We could handle one small-fry!"
Suddenly, the bartender stepped to the side, presenting a piece of paper nailed to the wall behind him. It was a poster with the words "WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE" inscribed on it, and the image portrayed a male with long, red hair and eyes that would give any man a nightmare.
"What a chump! His hair is as long as a woman's!" The drunkard creased, his laughter filling up the pub.
Himari snorted, "At least he still has his hair; you've lost most of yours!"
"Hey!" The man hollered.
Before another argument could ensue, a customer of the pub peered through the front entrance of the building, his eyes widening.
"Fellas… someone's walking over here!"
The drunkard, bartender, and Himari all wore puzzled expressions, wondering as to why a new customer would instill fear into the strange man looking through the front entrance.
The bartender was the first to respond, "Is he wearing any weapons on him, lad?"
"N-no…" The frightful man replied, backing away from the doorway. "But I don't think he needs one!"
A new person had entered the pub unexpectedly, shocking everyone inside. Several people's eyes had widened, and everybody's mouths were agape.
Standing before them was a notorious person: The Crimson Stalker, otherwise known as Yuso.
Yuso's long, red hair swayed in the light breeze, and his Shirugeto eyes, which resembled crimson pentagrams, shone fiercely even in the light of day. His black kimono, which was free of rips and lacerations, solidified who he was to the people around him.
"I-It's him! The Crimson Stalker is here! Everybody evacuate Kotai, now!" The bartender said, jabbing his index finger toward the back entrance of the pub.
Although the bartender practically demanded that everyone leave, not a single customer moved, too scared to flee from their seat. Yuso stood still, his demonic eyes washing over all of the petrified faces. He was not ignorant as to why they were fearing for their lives.
"Hold it right there, ya freak!"
The drunkard from before stood up from his seat, brandishing a pistol from his waist.
The bartender became irate. "You brought a weapon here, you dolt!? It's against the rules!"
"Yeah, but it's goin' to save your sorry asses!" The drunkard asserted, smiling. "Die, filth!"
*BAM!*
The moment that the bullet had exited the small pistol it had and landed between two of Yuso's fingers, where it had been caught with relative ease. The redhead examined the bullet with his index and middle fingers, examining its shape and thickness.
"Was this supposed to injure me?" Yuso asked, craning his head to the side.
The drunkard's eyes widened, his teeth grinding against one another. His body started to shake involuntarily, and his palms became clammy. How was the redhead able to catch his bullet? Only warriors could do that! The drunkard's memory then drifted back to the bartender's words.
"They're actually out killin' people…"
A thought encompassed his withered mind, 'Nobody here is surviving...'
Immediately, the drunkard drove the barrel of his pistol to his chin and—*BAM!*—fired a fresh bullet into his head, blood splattering everywhere, including onto the bartender and Himari.
Everyone's eyes were locked onto the morbid scene before them, but then, surprisingly, a similar thought had struck the clientele of the pub.
"Give me that gun! I refuse to die by his hands!" A customer yelled, jumping for the pistol.
After a few minutes of gunshot sounds bouncing off the walls of the pub, illuminating the building with flashing lights, every customer was lifeless on the ground, except for Himari and the bartender, their muscles locked and refusing to move. Their clothes and faces were stained with the blood of a dozen people, but they could not react properly; they were shell shocked.
Yuso, on the other hand, appeared bored. He remained silent as he watched bodies fall to the ground, none of which were the result of his actions. Slowly, his eyes drifted toward the bartender.
"I require a drink; fetch me one." Yuso declared tonelessly, his Shirugeto eyes meeting the bartender's.
Hesitantly, the bartender grabbed the nearest bottle of alcohol and poured the liquid into the glass mug he had just previously washed, filling it to the brim. Shakily, spilling a bit of the mug's contents, the bartender slid the drink across the counter and relinquished his grasp on it; not a sound came from him.
The redhead ambled over to pick up the alcohol-filled mug, promptly digesting it in seconds.
"Please spare me, Crimson Stalker!" Himari abruptly shouted, pleading with her hands clasped together and her upper body bent forward, bowing.
Yuso's Shirugeto eyes glanced at Himari, not a hint of emotion visible. "I have no interest in needless killing at the moment."
Himari's eyes widened in hope.
"Come out with your hands up!" A voice from outside the pub exclaimed, reaching Yuso's ears.
The redhead appeared unmoved, still holding the mug in his hands. Yuso then placed the glass back down into the countertop. "More."
The mug was instantly refilled by the bartender.
"I won't say it again! Come out with your hands up! We heard gunfire!" The unfamiliar but authoritative voice rang.
Yuso did not comply.
Seconds later, the voice returned. "We will use excessive force if you do not follow our orders!"
Just as Yuso's eyes glinted in interest, Himari launched herself off the pub's floor and dashed toward the front entrance, her eyes full of fear.
"Please, save me! It's the Crimson Stalk—!"
Right as Himari made it to the front entrance, a pentagram was tossed through her waist, slicing off the top half of her body. Her torso was flung outside, landing on the dirt in front of the pub. A group of men and women dressed in leather gear and wielding spears stood a few feet away.
"She's dead!" One of the women shrieked, clutching her spear tightly.
Inside the pub, Yuso stretched his neck and shifted his body to face the front entrance with a small smirk on his face—the sight of any mirth on the redhead's face was appalling.
"This could be fun…"
When the townspeople discovered Himari's lifeless torso lying flat across the ground, they were filled with rage and fear; they were concerned about who was inside the pub and what kind of weapons they possessed. But, even though certain death was possible for them, the fury that consumed them when imagining the monster murdering helpless civilians was all that they needed to keep advancing.
A man took a single step forward, holding his sharpened spear close to himself. "We're going to give you five seconds to exit the premises, or you're going to be up in flames!"
Stationed behind the man, three or four men and women fished out matches from their leather satchels, instantly sparking flames from them. Lighting the pub on fire would be quite damaging to the town of Kotai, but if it could prevent anyone else from dying, then so be it.
"Five!" The man proceeded with the countdown.
"Four!"
Not a single sound could be heard from inside the pub, signifying that the murderous individual still refused to comply.
"Three!"
All of the leather-wearing townspeople slid the heels of their feet on the ground back and forth, preparing for the worst.
"Two!"
Even with two seconds left to spare, not a single soul exited the pub, angering the spear-wielding people.
"One!"
The exact moment that the man spouted the last word from his lips, the three or four townspeople holding the matches reared their throwing arms back, launching the burning objects toward the building.
*SWOOSH!*
As the matches flew through the air, directed at the pub—*BRRRM*—red and circular pentagrams materialized and swallowed them whole, making each of the matches gone forever.
Everyone was bewildered, scrutinizing the red pentagrams floating in the air. What were they? Who created them? When will they disappear?
The front door of the tavern was forced open, displaying a male figure leaving the bloody structure as the townspeople's consternation grew. Yuso, who was free of any bloodstains, looked at the people in leather attire who stood in front of him. The bartender's head was in the redhead's left hand, with a terrified visage plastered to the severed head.
"I-It's The Demon of Adonai!"
"The Red-Eyed Ghost!"
"He's going to kill us all!"
The sheer amount of immense fear emanating from the townspeople could be felt by Yuso, who simply bore his Shirugeto eyes into them with an unknown emotion—however, it was not as desolate as before. Currently, the redhead felt something, and it was an oddity. As of late, more emotions would emerge from within Yuso, and he struggled to control them.
In this moment, the foreign sensation that the red-haired rogue felt was strangely enjoyable; he felt powerful, knowing that not a single person in the vicinity could control him. It was refreshing. In this small town, Kotai, he was not pressured by his master and not tasked with any laborious mission that left Yuso bereft of any benefits.
Yuso inhaled softly. "Who shall die first?"
XXX
Heyo! It's been some time since I posted a chapter; nearly 2 weeks, I believe! However, I've had some stuff goin on, but I also have more time to write now! Hopefully I'll capitalize on that extra time and not be lazy, like I have been before! What will happen next? Will Yuso completely decimate the crowd of townspeople? Most likely, but stay tuned for more to see what will occur!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_