Kaito raced to the battlefield, his armor gleaming in the moonlight. His sword hung at his waist, bow gripped tightly in his right hand, arrows strapped to his back. As he reached the southern villages, ten royal soldiers were already present. Yet something was wrong—dismay, disgust, and fear plagued their every movement.
The soldiers stood idle, an eerie stillness hanging in the air. As Kaito approached to address his men, he was startled to find the ground beneath him muddied with a thick, dark substance that pooled around his feet. Confusion and dread crept into his mind as he wondered why his soldiers weren't searching for survivors or engaging in counterattacks.
Frustration mounting, Kaito grabbed one of the captains by the shoulder. But as he opened his mouth to speak, horror silenced his voice. His eyes were forced to witness a scene of unimaginable brutality.
The village laid in ruins. Bodies of villagers, grotesquely dismembered, littered the streets. Blood splattered against every home, painting a gruesome picture of the carnage. Livestock lay slaughtered, adding to the overwhelming stench of death.
"Sir..." Haru, Captain of the Chika militia, spoke hesitantly. His voice trembled as he continued, "The initial force of 100 soldiers was split into 10 teams to assist the southern villages. Each had its own appointed captain. We've successfully pushed back the Yazumi in most areas, but..." He paused, swallowing hard. "By the time my team arrived at this particular village, the Yazumi had already left. There... there were no survivors. All of the villagers are dead. Even the children. Those beasts spared no one. Not even the cattle. How should we proceed?"
Kaito stood frozen, the weight of the tragedy settling heavily on his shoulders, knowing the scene before him would haunt him for years to come. But now, he had to be strong. He had to lead.
"Burn the village," Kaito commanded, his voice unnervingly calm. "There's nothing we can do for the dead. Have the remaining men move on to the other villages and destroy those foul Yazumi."
Haru turned to face Kaito, shock evident in his eyes. "But sir, shouldn't we simply bury the villagers and attempt to restore it? It's possible some escaped and plan to return."
Kaito fixed Haru with an icy glare that sent shivers down the captain's spine. "Haru," he said, his voice low and measured, "the events that occurred here tonight will forever change this land. Burying these villagers would do nothing but curse them in the afterlife, their bodies rotting in bloodied graves, withering away to dust. Burn everything and spare them that final insult."
A moment of silence passed before Haru nodded solemnly. "Yes, sir. I understand."
Captain Haru clenched his fist, calling upon his fire element. The air around him began to shimmer with heat. "Alright, men," he called out, his voice carrying a mix of sorrow and determination. "Let's give these people an honorable burial. Burn this place down until there's nothing left. We'll devour those sons of bitches and avenge this village."
"Yes, Captain!" The unified cry of the nine soldiers echoed through the devastated village.
Kaito turned to leave, his face a mask of grim resolve. "Haru, I'm going on ahead. I sense a few Yazumi nearby. I'll head towards them. There's no need to accompany me. This order is more important, so I'll leave it to you. Afterwards, proceed to any village or brigade needing your unit's assistance."
Before Haru could formulate a response, Kaito had already vanished into the night, leaving behind only the crackling of flames as they began to consume the village.
"You'll pay dearly for this act, Yazumi!"
Kaito sped through the forest, his senses razor-sharp as he tracked the approaching the violent creatures. "Hmm, two? No... there are three of them!"
He halted on a tree branch, closing his eyes to focus on the energy and aura of his prey.
"I see. They're weak creatures, hardly worth my presence. However, extracting information from such lowly beasts should prove... simple."
With fluid grace, Kaito pulled out three arrows. His power surged, transforming them into liquid while maintaining its arrow-like form. He released them, and the arrows blasted through the forest, striking the Yazumi simultaneously.
Moments later, Kaito reached his targets. One lay dead, face-down in a pool of its own blood, an arrow piercing its heart. The remaining two barely clinging to life.
Kaito approached the Yazumi lying on its back, an arrow protruding from its throat. As the creature opened its mouth, attempting to speak through the blood, Kaito's face hardened. Without hesitation, he brought his foot down, crushing its skull with a sickening crunch.
"Useless," Kaito muttered, turning to the last Yazumi. It was pinned to a tree, the arrow lodged deep in its stomach. His eyes gleamed with cold fury as he approached the trembling creature.
"Now... Answer my questions, beast. If you dare refuse, I'll slowly tear you apart, limb by limb."
The Yazumi cowered, its body trembling. "What do you want to know?" it asked, voice quavering.
Kaito's eyes narrowed, his voice cold and sharp. "Why did your armies attack the southern villages?"
"We... we were given orders to destroy without reason," the creature stammered.
"By whom?" Kaito pressed, leaning closer.
The Yazumi's eyes darted nervously. "The Dark Lord. He's powerful and rules over the Darkness.
Kaito's mind raced with this new information. Dark Lord?
He opened his mouth to ask another question, but something in the Yazumi's demeanor made him pause.
"Where can I find this Dark Lord?" Kaito demanded, his voice low and dangerous.
The Yazumi's expression shifted, a mix of fear and defiance. "I'll never tell you," it hissed and spits in Kaito's face.
Kaito's anger enflamed , but he held himself in check. There was more at stake here than his personal vengeance. He needed information, and he needed it now.
"Why... you fucking disgusting beast. I'll make you regret that," Kaito flared as he grabbed the Yazumi's left arm, tearing it from its shoulder. He then takes the severed arm and thrashes the Yazumi across the face with it.
"Answer my question!" Kaito yelled as the Yazumi screams out in pain and agony with ever blow to its face.
Unexpectedly, the Yazumi began to laugh, a chilling sound that echoed through the forest.
Has it lost its mind? Possibly from blood loss? Kaito wondered, caught off guard by this strange behavior.
The Yazumi's laughter abruptly ceased, meeting Kaito's eyes with a cold, defiant glare. "There's no point in telling a dead man," it said in eerily calmness.
Kaito's instincts screamed danger. His eyes darted over the Yazumi's stomach. His heart raced as he spotted the implanted bomb.
Shit!
Kaito tried to leap away, but he was too close. The bomb detonated with a deafening roar that shook the earth. The blast caught him full force, hurling him backwards off the cliff edge.
As he plummeted into the abyss below, time seemed to slow. Kaito's last sight was of the Yazumi being obliterated, its final act of defiance complete. The forest above him grew smaller, the wind rushing past his ears.
Darkness engulfed him as he fell, the world fading to black. His thoughts raced:
Airi... Yasushi... I'm sorry...
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