Chapter 38: Ancient Humans?

Chapter 38: Ancient Humans?

After walking for a while, Huitzi met up with Kokushibo.

"Kokushibo, we need to leave this city," Huitzi said.

"But why, Lord Nosferatu?" Kokushibo didn't understand why Huitzi suddenly made this decision.

"For two reasons. First, I want to test a technique I'm planning to use on the oni that tried to kidnap Soloctis. Second, I want to learn more about the Hunter's Mark and the Transparent World you mentioned in our first meeting," Huitzi explained as he searched for his money pouch. "I'll buy you a straw hat too, so wait here."

Huitzi walked through the market, but suddenly Nobunaga spoke to him.

"Sir, we have a problem. It seems those samurais are looking for you," Nobunaga said urgently.

Sigh "This is going to be complicated," Huitzi muttered as he began hiding from the samurais with Nobunaga's help, trying to avoid their path.

Unfortunately, even with Nobunaga's information, it wasn't enough, as Nobunaga was limited by the quality of the rats under his command. Because of this, one samurai escaped his sight.

"Hey, you there! Stop!" A samurai in gray armor ran towards Huitzi.

"Nobunaga, how's Kokushibo's situation?" Huitzi asked, trying to think of a plan to deal with the samurai.

"Not good, there are samurais surrounding the area. Four of them are part of this encirclement. How should we proceed?" (Author's Note: I swear I'm trying to advance the story quickly, but these events just aren't cooperating. The oni fight was supposed to happen in the last chapter, but at this rate, it'll only occur in the next chapter.)

Huitzi then decided to use a dangerous, untested technique to escape.

He turned against the wind and grotesquely mutated his own arm. His veins turned a lighter color as the arm expanded, looking ready to explode.

Huitzi then tore off his own arm and threw it into the shadow of a shop. Immediately, his arm expanded, releasing a blood mist. But this blood was deadly, filled with glutamate.

Glutamate is a substance present in the brain, essential for its functioning, but in excess—like in this case—it can cause severe neural damage and even cell death.

The blood mist spread quickly. People within it felt itching on their skin, irritation in their eyes and noses. These effects rapidly escalated to breathing difficulties and nausea.

By the time the samurai realized the poison, it was too late. His body had already entered the third stage of poisoning, paralyzing him as he convulsed, experiencing extreme muscle pain.

When the exposure time reached one minute and four seconds, he died from multiple organ failure.

All the surrounding civilians suffered similarly, with some dying from respiratory failure or cardiac arrest.

At the same time, the glutamate and blood dissipated, as they were from a vampire's body, and they burned away in the sunlight, erasing all traces.

Huitzi didn't want the glutamate to affect Soloctis, but fortunately, his running speed allowed both of them to escape the poison. However, Huitzi was left with a severe headache, as some of the glutamate remained in his body. The side effects were unavoidable since glutamate is primarily produced by the brain. A large amount of glutamate must accumulate in the brain before being redirected to another part of the body. But during this short period, the high concentration in the brain still causes damage.

On the way, Huitzi grabbed some thick fabric with his now-regenerated arm.

Huitzi rushed to the tent, trying to be as discreet as possible, and soon reached Kokushibo before the encirclement closed in.

"Kokushibo, cover yourself; we're surrounded," Huitzi shouted as he threw the fabric to Kokushibo.

"Kokushibo, run slowly, at human speed," Huitzi instructed as he ran at a human's maximum speed.

Kokushibo quickly understood the situation but had one question. "But my lord, wouldn't it be better to run at our full speed?"

"We can't attract the attention of the Demon Slayer Corps. Not yet," Huitzi emphasized the last part.

"Yes, my lord," Kokushibo agreed, though he felt a growing sense of inadequacy.

"Nobunaga, which direction has the fewest samurais?" Huitzi asked, planning their escape route.

"Sir, the western path is the clearest for now, but if you're not fast, it'll be blocked too."

"Alright, Kokushibo, we're heading west," Huitzi ordered, and they both headed west.

After running for a while, Nobunaga spoke again.

"Sir, you're surrounded."

"Damn it, how many are there?" Huitzi was getting irritated, partly due to the headache and the entire situation.

"Three more have joined the encirclement, so there are now seven in total," Nobunaga replied.

"Kokushibo, how long would it take you to defeat seven samurais without revealing yourself?"

"In these conditions, it's impossible," Kokushibo admitted, feeling even more inadequate.

"Damn it," Huitzi cursed, understanding that Kokushibo's current state made it impossible.

Huitzi began thinking, but the headache was hindering him.

"Kokushibo, take Soloctis." Kokushibo approached and took Soloctis from Huitzi.

"Kokushibo, I don't know the consequences of using this technique again, but they won't be light, so save me after I use it," Huitzi said, planning to use the blood mist again.

This time, Huitzi grew a lump of flesh on his arm instead of using his own arm. The poisoned lump of flesh was ready, but the venom concentration was much lower to minimize damage to his own body.

Huitzi then tore off the lump of flesh and threw it where most samurais would approach, into the shadow of a house.

After that, Huitzi and Kokushibo ran in the opposite direction of the samurais. Huitzi was in terrible shape—his vision was blurry, his headache worsened, and his motor coordination was awful, as if he might collapse at any moment.

Kokushibo then grabbed Huitzi by the shoulder and ran off.

'Why am I so useless? If it weren't for my lack of strength, lack of technique… Why can't I be like my brother? Damn this unfair world,' Kokushibo thought as he carried Huitzi.

A few seconds later, the lump of flesh exploded. Because the concentration of glutamate was lower, not everyone died, but they were still paralyzed.

During their escape, one samurai appeared but was quickly defeated. The samurai seemed to be a novice, making him easy to handle.

They ran until nightfall, finally stopping in a forest near the beach of a city that served as a commercial hub.

By this time, Huitzi had started to recover.

"Master, are you alright? What technique left you in that state?" Kokushibo felt guilty for not helping.

"A venom technique. Those are the consequences of using such a technique," Huitzi said, sounding like he had just woken up from a hangover.

"Venom? I thought we were immune to that," Kokushibo seemed confused.

"In most cases, yes, but this one is special since it affects the brain. For vampires, unlike onis, our only precious organ is the brain. The rest we can simply regenerate or replace."

"And why is there this difference?"

"That's because onis are like a stronger human race with better regeneration among other things. In other words, they're just superior life forms. But vampires are different; we are beings of superior consciousness."

"I don't understand," Kokushibo said, still confused.

"Let me explain better. Onis are like evolved humans, but still humans—they still need their bodies. Vampires don't. Have you heard the legend that humanity was sealed by God from its true strength because we were too powerful and he feared our strength? Well, vampires are like humans who broke that seal."

"So, humans are capable of doing what we do?"

"No, we're stronger than the humans the gods feared. An example of one of those humans is Yoriichi—a terrifying potential, immense strength, and a brilliant mind," Huitzi explained. Kokushibo shuddered at the thought of a world where all humans were like that monster.

"I see. I would seal humanity too if everyone were like him. But how are vampires stronger than the ancient humans?"

"I can't tell you now; you'll see when I complete my plan," Huitzi said. Kokushibo wasn't satisfied with this answer but accepted it.

Author's Note: In the legend of ancient humans, I will mainly use Sumerian and Greek mythology. I wanted to give an explanation about the power of the Hunter's Mark and the Transparent World, so I drew from mythology.

End of chapter.