Oink

DING

There was a flash of light before two figures appeared in an empty room. One of them was incredibly fat, with heaps of dead skin falling off the bone. Shu tossed the man onto the ground.

"Ooof!" He grunted.

His body jiggled from the quick movement. The young samurai pulled a chair into the middle of the room. He then gestured for the man to sit. Gibril understood and crawled onto the chair. Getting up normally was too difficult.

"Is that better? Just relax." Shu spoke calmly.

"Who are you?! What do you want?!" He yelled.

"I have questions for you…"

"Go to hell! I'm not telling you anything!"

"...Gibril, there are only two ways this can go. You either die quickly, or slowly. Choose now." The swordsman declared. It was as if he said a normal thing.

"W-what? W-wait! Don't be like that-"

Shu's hand barely reached for the hilt of his katana. Instantly, the chair was diced into pieces. As the fatty fell to the ground, shards of the material cut into his skin. The sudden change in circumstances left him in shock. Gibril hadn't even seen the samurai pull out his blade!

"You have a lot of slaves. How did you get them? Better yet, how are you the slum lord with such meager strength?"

"I can't tell you that…please!" He pleaded.

Shu finally unsheathed his katana. He lowered the blade and it slowly pierced the man's leg. The swordsman didn't have to use any strength. His weapon was extremely sharp. If he wanted to, he'd be able to slash through his opponent's weapons.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!!" Gibril screamed in pain.

"I'm going to skin you alive, Gibril. The longer you take, the more it will hurt."

"They put me in this position! Stop!"

"Who is they? The Althana?"

"........"

After hearing his words, the man turned silent. Shu clicked his tongue. Silence wasn't the answer he was looking for. The blade continued to move. Blood seeped onto the dirty floor.

"Ahhhhh!!!! It was them, YES!" He screamed.

"I see. Why?"

"To report on the happenings of Vludon. I'm just a spy!"

"Do you know about their recent operations?"

"No, they don't tell me-"

"Have you heard about the destruction of a certain village? It was a beautiful one. One surrounded by trees of different colors. A shrine existed at the top of the hill behind the place."

Gibril's eyes widened for a second. He looked at Shu with suspicion. For the first time, he truly focused on the samurai's features. An intense bloodlust was radiating from him. The white glow on the tip of his horns brought a slight bit of realization.

"You…"

"It was so beautiful. So peaceful. We didn't bother anyone. We kept to ourselves…but they still targeted us. Do you know the name of this village?"

"......"

The iridescent ring appeared in Shu's eyes. It glowed with a beautiful radiance. Gibril's sweat turned cold upon seeing those eyes. He immediately recognized them.

"Hi-Hik-"

"Its name was Astra. Such a beautiful name…Did you know? Astra is actually the true name of this world. Our village was beloved by the god of peace and tranquility. Ixas. A gentle god. But he also knew when to inflict harm. Now I will do the same."

"Hikarimono! Y-You are a light demon! Heathen! A devil shouldn't be able to harness the holy element!" The fat man exclaimed.

Hikarimono. That was the name of Shu's race. It meant 'light demon.' The hikarimono were a race of demons that resembled the oni. The tips of their horns glowed with different colors. An iridescent ring would always be present in their eyes.

Such a race was extremely unique. Ixas, the god of peace and tranquility, had given them the ability to feed on light. Such a thing was extremely off-putting to the rest of the world. Nobody knew about the hikarimono until the first Starfall. When civilization was on the brink of extinction, they made their presence known.

The hikarimono joined forces with every race in order to defeat the mutated Legendary beasts. This was ancient history, and was known to all that grew up with an education. Once the crisis was averted, they disappeared from the public eye.

It was impossible to find them again. Nothing was ever done to the hikarimono, but distrust and hatred was boiling over. A demon shouldn't be allowed to wield the light.

Back to the present. The mysterious organization known as the Althana…They were the ones to destroy the peaceful village. It was unknown who was behind it, but there was one thing that was absolute. Humans were involved. But it wasn't only them.

"Who was behind the operation? Who participated in its destruction?" Shu asked.

"I-I can't tell you that…I don't know! Foul creature! Accursed demon!" Gibril screamed.

The young samurai smiled eerily. He would take his time with this coward. Once he drained this man of all his intel, and only then, would he allow the man to die. It was time to skin this bastard. Like a pig.

"...I've asked you my questions. Now it's time for you to feel pain. Oink for me." He mocked. It began.

"AAAHHHHH!" Gibril sobbed violently.

…

…

…

Hours went by as the torture reached its critical point. Multiple Gold and Silver fighters scoured Croydon, searching for the Slum Lord. Ragna had found a nice abandoned bunker toward the edge of the city for Shu. The entrance was hidden in the ground by shrubbery, and went straight downwards like a basement. It would be too late by the time they discovered this place.

Shu lazily opened the exit door. The moonlight revealed his figure, showing a plethora of blood. There were splatters all over his body. He couldn't help but yawn as he slowly walked back toward the Lyon Clan's family manor.

Looking inside the bunker, one could find blood painting the walls. There was a massive pile of flesh lying all over the floor. The limbs of the corpse were severed. Its nails had been pulled out, and bones were twisted. Two eyeballs could be seen in the corner of the room while the lower half of a jaw was placed over it. A body could no longer be found. Just flesh, blood, and intestines.

When Shu reached the manor, Tess sensed him while sitting on the balcony outside her room. She had immediately noticed him since he appeared nearby. The lioness got up from her chair and ran over to him. She grabbed his hand.

"Shu where were you? Why-"

Her words were cut short when he turned to look at her. The stench of death covered his body. Tessvulin's eyes widened upon seeing the blood covering his figure. The young samurai's face was emotionless as he looked at her…or through her? It didn't seem as if he was truly present. Shu was staring into the void.

Fear began to take over her senses. What was wrong with him? Why was he looking like that? Where was he earlier and what was he doing? Her fight or flight instincts were screaming to flee.

Before the fierce woman could say anything, the clarity returned to his eyes. He then focused on her. A tired smile graced his bloody face.

"Oh…Tess. I didn't see you there." He spoke. The exhaustion was evident in his voice.

"You missed dinner. Wash up then come eat with me." She said.

Tessvulin didn't end up asking where he was. Shu's previous expression had been ingrained in her mind. The lioness had decided to bide her time. She knew that he would be doing other things, which was the whole reason he even came to the capital.

"...Very well." He nodded before heading to his room.