Name: Hatsuki Jūryō
Status: [Normal]
Mode: [Peace Mode]
Toggles: [Sanction] [Blood Sacrifice] [Time-Space Ability] [Execution Management] [Sage’s Protection] [Hundred Herbs Divine Farmer]
Inherent Attributes: [Spiritual Lock-On] [Stamina Lock] [Time Chaos] [KRYY · Healing Blood] [Cold Resistance lv.max] [Heat Resistance lv.5]
Notes:
[Time-Space Ability] — Note: This toggle only changes with mode —: Can cancel action recovery frames to chain follow-up attacks; reduces hit-stun
[Execution Level: 0] — Note: This toggle only changes with mode —: If receiving lethal damage without being aware of it, treat it as minimum guaranteed damage; cannot be indirectly affected by anything related to “Rewrite”
[Forbidden Jade] — Note: This item continuously consumes spiritual energy —: Holding the Forbidden Jade allows activation of the [Mana Fear] skill
[Mana Fear] — [Forbidden Jade] exclusive skill —: “Silences” all individuals within range except the user; interferes with and destroys existing magic and skill effects within range; repels all mana and atmospheric mana within range
[Injury Escape] — On —: Chance to escape when receiving significant wounds; the more dangerous the situation, the higher the trigger chance
…
I lowered my eyelids and watched that mermaid coldly, my hands already prepared for another round of battle.
Just moments ago, I’d sparred with her a little. If Fux the Fox Shrine Maiden hadn’t stopped me, the outcome would’ve already been decided… Actually, I hadn’t intended to take her life anyway. I just wanted her to thoroughly understand that I’m a freak.
A freak who can’t take even the slightest provocation.
The mermaid was gasping for breath now—she’d clearly used up a lot in that fight, and it seemed she wasn’t actually good at combat.
But I didn’t care. If someone provokes me, I pay them back eye for an eye. That’s my rule.
“Jūryō, don’t…”
“Miss Iris, the hostility you just showed was aimed squarely at me, and this mermaid lady was clearly siding with you.” She’d interfered without even letting me explain a single word—what was I supposed to do? Keep letting myself be captured, or fight back?
Nowhere welcomed me. Nothing had changed. In everyone’s eyes, no matter what, I’d always be a freak.
I should have realized this long ago—and headed straight for my goal because of it.
“Sorry for startling you all.”
Seeing Fux still standing between me and the mermaid, I smiled faintly and turned to check behind me. Good—there was a path leading deep into the forest. Even without a guide, I should be able to find those ruins with enough time.
So I slowly shifted my legs—and since they hadn’t noticed me yet—!
I suddenly felt a wrapping sensation around my feet. Looking down, I saw several thick vines bursting from the ground. Then I noticed a water ball flying straight at my face.
—Splash! I quickly shook my head to clear my vision.
I struggled, trying to snap the vines around my feet, but as the old saying goes: softness overcomes hardness. Right now, I was being restrained by softness.
“Whoa—!” Something struck my waist and abdomen while I wasn’t paying attention, knocking me to the ground. More wrapping sensations surged toward my head.
In moments, I was completely subdued…
By the way, these vines—they’re a turtle-shell bind? Did they really have to be so professional about it?
“Great teamwork.” I wanted to applaud, but my hands were trapped and couldn’t move.
Sigh. If only… No, there shouldn’t be anything.
“Child, though I don’t agree with Suiye’s methods, she’s right. Please calm down first.” The Tree Flower Demon said this with an apologetic look, stepping back to let Iris through.
“Miss Jūryō… I’m sorry. I actually showed hostility toward you just now. It seems what you said at noon wasn’t a lie.”
Honestly, I couldn’t take in anything right now. I just wanted to leave quickly—that’s all.
“Yes, meow. Iris only wants what’s best for Jūryō, meow.”
So the racial wars from centuries ago must be connected to this place. It made sense they’d feel hostility toward “me”—toward people from “over there.” But then again, thinking about it carefully, this didn’t actually conflict with my desire to leave…
I didn’t want to listen anymore. I casually said, “I’m leaving.” Then I snapped my fingers with a free finger and teleported to the side.
“From now on, I won’t come back here to trouble you. You can rest easy.”
At the same moment, Kalimel ran—practically hopping—over and grabbed my hand.
“Big sister, you’re leaving?”
I nodded, my right hand stroking his little head, my face showing not a trace of kindness.
“I won’t be coming back, because your big sister is wary of people from ‘over there.'”
Just as I let go of Kalimel and turned to leave, I sidestepped past a bright yellow figure in a flash, then kept walking.
“Child! It’s dangerous at night!”
“So please, stop following me. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee your safety.”
Even though I’d thrown out that warning, they still followed behind me. It all felt so familiar, yet I couldn’t fully recall it… I walked into the forest—they followed. I crossed the stream—they followed. I entered a cave—they still followed.
It wasn’t until I stepped onto a great plain—at the far end of which stood an almost-abandoned structure built into a shell-shaped mountain—that they finally stopped. But they still lingered at the forest’s edge, watching me.
The endless grassland rose and fell under the gentle breeze like a tide, but the wind that had passed would never return.
I sighed at myself and couldn’t help but smile self-deprecatingly.
“Time never comes back. Cherish the present while you can… I’m hardly qualified to say that.”
That’s just how the world is. There’s always something you find unfair, always situations where you’re misunderstood, always things that confuse you… Was the world I faced bugged? Why was everything I saw ugly?
Was it me who needed to change, or was it my surroundings—
“What’s happening?” The ground trembled in a familiar way, as if something was about to happen…
I activated [Soul Grasp] and looked down, and couldn’t help but gasp. Beneath the ground, densely packed were the faint glows of souls. Looking closer, there were even some with multiple souls in one body.
Well, well—I’d run into the undead!
“Child! Tonight is a blood moon! Run!”
Blood moon? Just hearing it told me it was nothing good. But I’d come this far—if I couldn’t persevere, what was I even worth?
Frowning, I charged in like a madman. At the time, I wasn’t even sure what I was doing—as if I desperately needed to prove myself—
Then the undead crawled out from the ground. Some were masses of flesh, some were bare skeletons, and some wore standard military armor…
Later I learned that this grassland had once been an anchor point of war. Many people were buried there.
But that wasn’t enough to stop me. I kept pushing deeper.
Every skeleton that rose, I shattered. Even against sudden blades and flying arrows, I stubbornly stood unafraid.
“Child! Don’t go any further! We’ll discuss a plan tomorrow!”
I understood full well that the blood moon could dramatically enhance monsters’ stats—but having come this far, I wanted to know how long I could last beneath the surface of [Peace].
I used [Patience] to conjure a katana, gripped it in my hand, and supplemented it with [Honesty] and [Mercy] enchantments.
[Patience] can mimic the appearance and properties of any blade-type weapon. I don’t know the principle and don’t want to dig into it—after all, I, who came to this absurd world, am absurd to begin with.
Night had fully fallen. The crimson crescent moon hung in the sky, shining with a sinful light.
One after another, the glowing wandering souls were cut down by my blade, and the so-called undead returned to being mere corpses.
Looking at the scar-covered katana, I still craved more—
“…I think I can keep going.”
“This is dangerous, child. We apologize to you on behalf of Iris and Suiye. Please come back with us for now.”
“Being with you will only bring you more danger and sorrow.”
After kicking apart a skeleton that tried to ambush me, Fux was about to continue—but suddenly whipped her head around to look.
“Oh no, Kalimel is in danger!” My pupils contracted and I ran like a madman, legs pumping.
Anyone else, but not Kalimel—the one who shares my origin! He still has a future, a promising road ahead. He can’t be lost in a place like this!
“Child! What are you doing!”
I didn’t answer. I swept my eyes like radar to the limit of my vision. [Soul Grasp] combined with my eyesight would definitely find him.
Left! Right! Into the forest! Across the grass! No—there’s the smell of water!
Finally, following the traces and the soul threads I stopped beside a murky swamp. Marsh gas kept rising from the bog, so there was a constant “blub-blub” sound.
“So you’re the one who took Kalimel?!”
I shouted angrily at the culprit standing among the vines in the swamp.
I couldn’t tell what species it was—maybe a monster, maybe a monster girl. Whether it was good or bad was uncertain; I didn’t know its habits at all.
I pointed my katana at the unknown creature, grinding my teeth and channeling strength… Maybe my expression had turned ugly, maybe I looked furious, but I didn’t care.
—This was for Kalimel, and for myself.
Even now, I can’t understand why I’ve been through so much. I blamed it all on this world and my curious nature—but now it seemed the mastermind was only me. This world hadn’t done anything wrong.
On the contrary, it had done a lot for me.
—It made concessions for me. It helped me find answers. It showed me the ugliness of human nature. It showed me the hope of companions. It even gave me the power to destroy everything I see with a snap of my fingers…
And I, instead of being grateful, had hated it and resented it!
“What am I even thinking!”
I hurled the katana and followed right after. After the blade pierced the creature, I added a straight punch, then executed a familiar set of throws: left hand gripping the back of its neck, right fist smashing down hard.
A snap of my fingers, and I carried Kalimel away from the swamp.
Seeing no sign of him waking—just unconscious—I finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“…”
I turned and looked at the dark shadow.
The katana in my hand stirred restlessly.
I watched it slowly crawl out of the swamp—which saved me the trouble of finding it.
I launched myself forward with a kick, grabbed it mid-charge and moved with it, then kicked off again into the air.
I wasn’t confident in my swordsmanship. I just had fast reflexes.
I swung it upward hard, eyes locked on it, and swung the katana.
One slash, two slashes, three slashes—I don’t even know how many times I cut or how many times I was hit. When I came to, I was already on the ground, and Kalimel was calling out to me…
What on earth happened to me?
