"Oh, I could explain," Uta said, a faint smile on his lips. "But I don't feel like it."
The wound on his chest was gone, the blood had vanished, and even his torn blazer looked pristine.
"An 'Unemployed' shouldn't be able to heal like this!" the soldier screamed, raising his sword again. "What the hell are you?!"
"Unemployed," Uta replied casually. "I mean, I'm a student with no part-time job, so the label fits, right?"
"Shut up!" the soldier roared, charging forward with his blade raised high.
Before the blade could descend, Uta gently placed a hand on the soldier's chest.
"You talk too much," he said softly. "For a dead man."
The soldier's body crumbled to ash. Flesh, bone, blood—all reduced to fine dust in an instant. His armor clattered to the ground, now empty.
"What the… what just happened?!" another soldier gasped, stepping back in terror.
"Oh, don't worry," Uta said, turning his attention to the remaining soldiers. "You'll join him soon."
In the blink of an eye, Uta appeared behind another soldier, tapping him lightly on the shoulder. The man barely had time to register the touch before he too disintegrated, scattering into ash.
"Impossible…!" one soldier screamed, his eyes wide with panic. "He didn't even do anything! What kind of monster are you?!"
"I'm just me," Uta replied with a shrug. "And you? You're running out of friends."
Desperation set in. Two soldiers charged him simultaneously, swords swinging in coordinated arcs. They were well-trained, but it didn't matter.
"Scary," Uta said, his tone almost playful. He vanished before their blades could connect, reappearing behind one of them. His hand brushed the man's back, and yet another soldier turned to ash.
The final soldier, red-faced with fury and grief, screamed, "That was my friend, you bastard!"
"I know," Uta said calmly. "And now you'll join him."
A soft touch. Another pile of ash.
Only one soldier remained. He dropped his sword, his face pale and soaked with sweat.
"Please… don't kill me," the man begged, collapsing to his knees. "I didn't want to do this… I was forced… I have a family! A wife! A newborn child! Please, spare me!"
"Hmm," Uta said, tilting his head. "You know, if you're lying, that would make me look like a fool. But if you're telling the truth…"
The soldier's eyes lit with hope, though tears continued to stream down his face. "I swear! It's the truth! I didn't want to kill you!"
Uta sighed, scratching his head. "Man, what would Ryuya do here? I really miss having someone else make these decisions…"
As Uta pondered, the soldier saw an opening. His trembling hand closed around the hilt of his discarded sword.
With a desperate cry, he lunged forward, plunging the blade into Uta's chest. Blood gushed from the wound, spilling onto the ground.
"I'll live… I'll live for my family!" the soldier screamed.
"Ah, good," Uta said softly, gripping the soldier's shoulder. "That wasn't a lie after all. I'd hate to have been duped."
"What…?" the soldier whispered, his voice breaking.
With a serene smile, Uta whispered, "Goodbye."
The soldier dissolved into ash, his sword clattering to the ground.
Uta pulled the blade from his chest, the wound vanishing as though it had never existed. He stood alone on the bloodless battlefield, surrounded only by the remains of those who had tried to kill him.
"Well," he said, brushing his hands together, "time to get back to work."
With a snap of his fingers, Uta vanished, leaving no trace of his presence behind.