He moved.
And the parade broke.
Not slowly.
Not with hesitation.
It shattered.
Lie Hunter stepped forward once—
And the nearest yokai disappeared.
A black blur.
A silver arc.
Then—
It was gone.
No scream.
No struggle.
Just absence.
Then another.
Then another.
The street filled with motion.
They rushed him.
Too many to count.
Claws tearing through the air.
Teeth snapping.
Voices twisting into shrieks and howls.
Fear had already taken them.
Now instinct drove them forward.
Kill him.
Or die.
Lie Hunter didn't stop.
Didn't slow.
Didn't hesitate.
He cut through them.
Each movement clean.
Each strike final.
No wasted motion.
No panic.
No effort.
Only slaughter.
Bodies fell apart mid-charge.
Limbs dropped before the scream reached its peak.
Dark blood painted the broken road in widening arcs.
To the yokai—
It didn't feel like they were attacking him.
It felt like they were running into something that erased them.
The leaders moved.
At the same time.
Yuki-onna's frost burst across the road.
A wave of white surged outward, freezing everything it touched.
Nozuchi lunged low—
Its massive body slicing through the broken street like a living blade.
Futakuchi-onna's hair exploded outward.
Dozens of black strands sharpened into spears—
Piercing.
Hunting.
Lie Hunter did not stop.
He stepped into the frost.
Ice crawled across his boots—
Then cracked.
He cut aside the hair.
Black strands fell in pieces before they could reach him.
He turned over Nozuchi's strike—
And for one impossible moment—
It looked like all three had attacked nothing.
Empty air.
Then—
Blood hit the ground.
Nozuchi shrieked.
A long cut had opened across its side.
Deep.
Clean.
Futakuchi-onna stumbled back.
Half her black hair—
Gone.
Falling uselessly around her shoulders.
Yuki-onna's pale face changed.
Fear.
Real fear.
Not hidden.
Not masked.
Visible.
Lie Hunter walked forward.
The broken bodies around him only made the street quieter.
Each step—
Carried that same pressure.
That same presence.
That same ancient certainty.
Then he spoke.
"…You creatures."
His voice was low.
Flat.
Not loud.
Still—
Every yokai heard it.
"…How dare you crawl out again."
Another step.
The blade in his hand dripped darkly onto the road.
"…After I cast you down."
Yuki-onna's breath shook.
Frost spread uncontrollably around her feet.
Futakuchi-onna snarled—
Even as fear twisted her expression.
"…Shut up!"
Her second mouth tore open beneath her hair.
"…Whatever you are—!"
"…You'll die here!"
Nozuchi hissed from the side.
Its massive body trembling despite its attempt to coil again.
"…We will have revenge—!"
Lie Hunter's head tilted slightly.
Then—
He vanished.
Futakuchi-onna never saw the first cut.
Only the second.
A flash of silver.
A sudden warmth across her body.
Then pain.
Her scream tore through the night.
Blood scattered across the broken road.
She dropped to one knee.
Shaking.
One hand pressed against the wound.
The other braced against the ground.
For the first time—
That mocking, seductive smile—
Gone.
Completely.
"…W-Wait…"
Her voice broke.
She looked up at him.
And the fear on her face—
Was no longer hidden.
Ugly.
Desperate.
"…Mercy…"
Silence.
Lie Hunter stood over her.
White mask.
Red lines.
Eyes glowing faintly behind the dark slits.
No warmth.
No anger.
No hesitation.
Only judgment.
Then—
His blade moved.
A single clean stroke.
And Futakuchi-onna fell still.
The entire street froze.
Yuki-onna could not move.
Nozuchi's body locked in place.
Behind them—
The remaining yokai stopped.
As if something had issued a command deeper than thought.
Do not move.
Blood darkened Lie Hunter's cloak.
His blade hung low at his side.
Then slowly—
Very slowly—
He turned his head.
Toward the others.
Toward Maru.
Daichi.
Kenta.
Tatsuma.
Toward the survivors.
Toward everyone watching.
And in that moment—
The weight of his presence shifted.
Not just toward the yokai.
Toward them too.
Maru's grip tightened.
Daichi didn't breathe.
Tatsuma—
For once—
Had no words.
Even Kenta—
Said nothing.
Because for that one terrible moment—
No one could tell—
Whether they were looking at a savior—
Or the next thing to fear.
End of Chapter 39