One by one, the monsters were being finished off by the newfound Hunters. They battled with unrivaled skill, almost as if the touch of a blade in their hands was something felt before, perhaps in some earlier time. The beastmen perished at the hands of these unmatched warriors, retreat no longer an option as they were cut into bloodied corpses.

The remaining creature that still breathed was the first, the one Akemi had been torching. With half of its right eye gouged out, it lunged in a final attempt to kill the fools before it. Only half of its vision remained and that half would soon be snuffed out completely as a torrent of green gas covered the area. The beastman howled in pain, clawing out blindly as its eyes burned and stung.

Before it could retaliate, something sharp and wicked pierced its black heart through the matted fur, slashing crookedly against its chest. With a final cry, the monster collapsed forward in the middle of the green gas. Something was off however, for the finishing blow came not from one of the Hunters present, but from an external source. Who or what it was couldn’t be said for sure as the presence quickly left as soon as it had appeared.

Only the sharpest of minds not corrupted by their exposure through time here would have been able to note the arrival and departure of this mysterious savior. The battle was over, coming to a fitting close. The stink of corpses already filled the air, only baffled more so by the continued apathy the townsfolk displayed. Their lust for bloodshed satisfied, they carried on with their bleak lives.

The woman from before, who had inadvertently started this whole mess, finally creeped out of her hiding spot. With a neutral expression, she strolled right up to Tatsumi, the one who had initially helped her escape. It was to be assumed that she would thank the young man for his hard work. Thus, it must have come as a deep surprise when the woman brutally slapped Tatsumi.

“Fool,” she hissed with angry tears in her eyes. “You’ve ruined the ritual! Are you mad? H-How could you….why would you interfere!”

The woman’s voice became louder and louder in pitch as she backed away like a panicked animal. Dry sobs heaved her body as she pointed an accusing finger at Tatsumi.

“Heretic! Heretic! I drowned my own daughter, consumed the flesh of my only son, and this is how I am repaid for my sins?”

She was making no sense and was only becoming more paranoid until she finally brushed up against the town well. Turning to look down at the dark hole, she turned to Tatsumi and flashed him a smile of triumph. Hope was not lost yet.

[i][b]“Ut absolutam gratiam tuam,”[/b][/i] she spat to him before jumping over and plummeting to her watery grave. The splash was only countered by the loud crack of bones being split and flesh being splintered.

The woman had killed herself.