The street went silent.
Not because the fear was gone.
Because something worse had stepped into it.
Lie Hunter stood between the survivors and the two yokai.
Dark cloak swaying lightly.White mask streaked with red.Blade hanging low at his side.
Still.
Wordless.
Even the air felt heavier around him.
Like something unseen had settled into the space.
Watching. Waiting.
The giant monk looked at him for a long moment.
Then—
"…You interrupted."
His voice rolled through the street like the slow sound of a bell.
Heavy.Calm.Oppressive.
Each word seemed to press against the ground itself.
Dust shifted.
The survivors flinched instinctively.
Above the shattered gate, Otoroshi leaned forward.
Its massive form bent unnaturally, hair spilling downward like a living shadow.
Then it laughed.
A low, filthy sound.
"…And he doesn't even greet us."
A pause.
Its grin widened.
"…How rude."
The survivors behind Lie Hunter trembled.
Some were still on their knees.Some clutched each other.Some couldn't even blink.
Their eyes were locked onto him.
The unknown figure.
The only thing standing between them and death.
They didn't know his name.They didn't know what he was.
But—
The monsters had stopped smiling so easily.
That alone meant something.
Lie Hunter said nothing.
Not a word.Not a sound.
Even his breathing was barely noticeable beneath the mask.
The monk's eyes sharpened slightly.
Otoroshi clicked its tongue.
"…I don't like him."
Then—
It vanished.
Not truly disappearing.
Just moving so fast the world failed to keep up.
The gate behind it cracked from the force as it lunged.
A massive claw tore through the dark—
Lie Hunter moved at the last possible second.
One step.
Half a turn.
The strike missed by inches.
The air where he had stood split apart with a violent hiss.
Then his blade rose.
SHRK
A sharp cut opened across Otoroshi's side.
Not deep—
But clean.
Precise.
The kind of cut that said: I see you.
The beast landed hard, skidding across the ruined road before twisting back with a snarl.
"…Fast."
Its voice carried something new.
Not fear.
But interest.
The monk moved next.
Unlike Otoroshi, there was no burst.No roar.No madness.
He simply lifted the staff—
And brought it down.
BOOM
The road shattered.
Stone split.Dust exploded upward.
The impact carved a crater where Lie Hunter had been standing.
Lie Hunter leaped back just before the strike landed.
Fragments of asphalt grazed his cloak.
One shard tore across his sleeve.
Still—
He didn't stop moving.
Dust rose.
The survivors screamed.
And Otoroshi was already there again.
Hair lashed outward like whips.
Claws followed beneath it.
The monk stepped in from the side.
Staff sweeping low.
Not wild—
Perfect.
Every motion calculated.
Every strike timed to trap.
Lie Hunter blocked one strike.
Twisted past the second.
Bent under the third.
His cloak tore near the shoulder.
The edge of the staff brushed past his ribs.
Too close.
Way too close.
Otoroshi laughed.
"…Look at that."
"…He really is trying."
The monk's voice remained calm.
"…But he is being cornered."
It was true.
Step by step—
They were shrinking his space.
The broken road behind him limited his footing.Collapsed walls boxed him in.The survivors stood too close behind him.
Every retreat became a trap.
Every movement fed into their rhythm.
Otoroshi rushed in again.
Wild.Heavy.
The monk struck at the same moment.
Top and side.
Chaos and control.
Lie Hunter's blade caught Otoroshi's claws—
CLANG
—but the force shoved him sideways.
His boots scraped across broken ground.
Balance—barely held.
The monk's staff came for his head immediately after.
He ducked—
Barely.
The wind pressure alone split stone behind him.
Otoroshi's grin widened.
"…Now this is fun."
Lie Hunter exhaled once through the mask.
A slow breath.
Measured.
Then—
He did the opposite of what they expected.
He stepped forward.
Not back.
Forward.
A slash at Otoroshi's throat.
The beast jerked away instinctively.
At the same time—
Lie Hunter drove his shoulder into the monk's chest.
Not enough to damage him.
But enough—
To break the formation.
For one heartbeat—
The two yokai were separated.
Lie Hunter turned instantly.
His blade flashed toward the monk.
CLANG
The staff blocked it.
The monk's eyes narrowed slightly.
Otoroshi came from behind.
Too fast.
Too close.
Then—
BOOM
Light exploded across the street.
Smoke. Sparks. Fire.
The rhythm shattered.
Otoroshi jumped back with a snarl.
The monk's sleeve shifted slightly in the blast.
Lie Hunter landed and looked up.
On the rooftop—
Hikari stood there.
Glasses reflecting the firelight.
Calm.
Focused.
Beside her—
Akira.Ryo.Aiko.
Akira was already preparing another crude bomb.
Hands moving fast—faster than his fear.
Ryo lit the fuse with shaking fingers.
Aiko looked pale—
But she didn't step back.
Didn't run.
Didn't close her eyes.
Hikari smiled faintly.
"…Don't worry, Lie Hunter."
A pause.
She raised another bomb.
"…We'll help."
Another bomb dropped.
BOOM
Closer this time.
More precise.
Otoroshi snarled and leaped away.
The monk stepped back—
Just half a pace.
But that half-step—
Changed everything.
Lie Hunter saw it instantly.
Of course he did.
That was all he needed.
The survivors stared in disbelief.
The rooftop.The explosions.The children fighting back.
The masked figure—
Still standing.
Still holding the line.
For the first time—
Hope didn't feel like a lie.
Otoroshi looked up at the rooftop with murder in its eyes.
"…Annoying little rats."
The monk's expression remained composed.
But colder now.
"…Children should not interfere."
Hikari adjusted her glasses.
"…Too late."
Akira swallowed and threw again.
Ryo followed.
Aiko handed another—
Hands trembling—
But steady enough.
She didn't look away this time.
Otoroshi crouched low.
Muscles tightening.
"…Then I'll tear them apart first."
It prepared to leap—
Lie Hunter moved.
One step.
And suddenly—
He was there.
Directly in its path.
Blocking.
Claiming the fight again.
Otoroshi clicked its tongue.
The monk went still.
Then—
For the first time—
Lie Hunter raised one hand toward the mask.
The street changed.
Not loudly.
Not violently.
Quietly.
Like something had begun listening.
The red lines across the mask pulsed faintly.
Once.
Then again.
The air grew… aware.
A system screen flickered before his eyes.
[Belief Energy Stored: 100]
Behind him—
A whisper slipped out.
Uncontrolled.
"…He's going to win…"
Another voice—
"…He can beat them…"
Then another.
And another.
The words spread.
Weak.Shaky.
But real.
Each belief—
Like a spark.
The monk's eyes narrowed.
Otoroshi's grin faltered.
Hikari froze.
The rooftop went silent.
Lie Hunter lowered his hand slowly.
The whispers deepened.
Layered.
Echoing.
Not loud—
But undeniable.
And then—
Something answered.
Not from outside.
From the mask.
A presence.
Cold.
Ancient.
Watching through him.
The red lines glowed brighter.
For just a second—
The mask didn't look like an object.
It looked alive.
And the world—
Listened.
End of Chapter 36