The mask answered.
The street went quiet.
Not silent—
Wrong.
The kind of quiet that didn't belong to the world.
The kind that felt… forced.
The distant screams faded.
Not because they stopped—
But because something was suppressing them.
The whispers behind him stretched thin.
Like threads being pulled too far.
Like reality itself was being strained.
For one brief moment—
It felt like the whole city had taken a step back.
Then—
Something cold touched his face.
From inside the mask.
Two hands.
Pale.
Still.
Not pressing.
Not choking.
Just… holding him.
Claiming him.
A voice slipped into the dark.
Low.
Ancient.
Heavy with something far older than the night itself.
"…Good."
A pause.
Long enough to feel intentional.
"…Then be still, boy."
The red lines across the mask pulsed once.
Slow.
Deep.
Then—
Lie Hunter moved.
He vanished.
Not fast.
Not quick.
Gone.
Otoroshi's eyes widened.
For the first time since the fight began—
It didn't understand what it was seeing.
Too late.
SHRK
A deep line tore across its chest.
Not just flesh—
Something deeper.
The beast stumbled back with a shriek.
Its balance broke.
Its rhythm shattered.
The monk attacked instantly.
No hesitation.
No emotion.
Only execution.
His staff came down with enough force to shatter the road.
BOOM
Stone exploded.
Dust surged upward.
The shockwave rippled through the ruined street.
Lie Hunter stepped through it.
Not avoiding it.
Walking through it.
Like the impact didn't matter.
One turn.
One slash.
The monk blocked.
CLANG
The force rang through the staff.
For the first time—
His arms shifted slightly.
Then—
Lie Hunter disappeared again.
The monk's eyes widened.
Just a fraction.
But it was there.
A second cut tore across his side.
Before he could recover—
A third flashed toward his throat.
SHRK
Blood spilled.
Dark.
Heavy.
The giant body staggered.
Its balance broken.
Its stance… undone.
For a brief second—
The street held its breath.
Then—
It dropped.
Dead.
Silence.
Not fear.
Not shock.
Something deeper.
Otoroshi froze.
For the first time—
Real fear entered its eyes.
Not the playful kind.Not the excited kind.
The kind that comes when something older than you wakes up.
Then—
It ran.
Not jumped.
Not attacked.
Ran.
Claws tearing into the ground.
Body twisting through broken streets.
No dignity.
No pride.
Only survival.
On the rooftop—
Hikari pulled out another bomb.
"…Lie Hunter—!"
Without even turning—
He raised one finger.
"…Stay back."
Her arm froze mid-motion.
Not because she chose to stop.
Because something in his voice… made stopping the only possible action.
Below—
Lie Hunter took a single step.
Then vanished again.
Otoroshi looked back.
That was the mistake.
Lie Hunter was already above it.
Suspended in the air.
Cloak drifting.
Blade held low.
Watching.
Not rushing.
Hunting.
And then—
SHRRK
The head fell.
For a moment—
The body kept moving.
Then it collapsed.
The street went still.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
The survivors stared.
The rooftop stood frozen.
Two yokai.
Gone.
Just like that.
Then—
Lie Hunter slowly turned.
Far across the city—
Another battle still raged.
Frost spreading across shattered ground.
Black hair cutting through the dark.
Flashes of steel colliding in violent bursts.
Even from this distance—
The presence was clear.
Another monster.
His eyes behind the mask began to glow red.
Not bright.
Deep.
Like something looking out from far below the surface.
A cold voice slipped from behind it.
Not fully his.
Not fully something else.
"…This hunt will be fun."
A pause.
The red glow deepened.
"…After centuries."
The wind shifted.
And for a moment—
It didn't feel like Lie Hunter was standing there anymore.
It felt like something wearing him… had returned.
End of Chapter 37