A little after midnight.
I stepped onto the street accompanied by Xiao Hu and the Goblin. Both wore tense expressions as they followed behind.
The Goblin kept glancing around, while Xiao Hu just kept her head down silently.
The sight of hanging lanterns illuminating the street instead of magical lamps under the cool moonlight was quite impressive.
If this had been an ordinary trip, I would have probably stayed here for a few more days to enjoy the local cuisine and culture.
I can always postpone that for later.
Yes, there was no need to rush.
To be precise, Luaneth’s plan to annihilate the souls was sothing that was supposed to occur in three years.
However, we had already resolved the event that would take place when Aria entered fifth grade, so there was no imdiate urgency.
As I strolled leisurely while appreciating the street, although it took a bit longer, we eventually reached the alley where the incident had occurred.
Bang.
Crack.
Bang.
Crack.
A peculiar sound greeted us.
The noise was quite rhythmic, as if a trono was set up to maintain a steady beat
Yet, there were slight variations in the sound itself.
Inside the dark alley, where even the moonlight didn’t reach, it was so dark that the inside was completely hidden from the outside.
Bang.
Crack.
I wondered why.
Although it sounded nothing like it, the mont I heard it, I realized it was a distress signal.
Perhaps I wasn’t the only one who thought so, as Xiao Hu was about to rush into the alley instinctively, but the Goblin held her back.
Help .
It was a pitiful voice that would stir the heart of anyone who heard it.
The voice reminded of various people: a child who had fallen into a stream, a girl fleeing from a murderer, a man caught in a trap, etc.
The voice evoking countless pleas for help with a single cry was honestly impressive.
Almost like a siren—A heavenly voice that lured sailors to their doom.
While this cry couldn’t be called a heavenly voice, it tested the moral compass of humanity, much like a siren’s seductive allure.
My heart pounded hard, urging to save the poor soul. However…
“This brings back so rather unpleasant mories.”
There was once a woman who forced to experience false love.
A woman who let her daughter kill those she once loved after her feelings faded.
A harlot who gained the ability to enthrall people by making a deal with Lehric.
The current situation felt eerily similar to the ti I t Ophelia. She too manipulated my emotions violently.
So it was easy to see why people ended up entering this pitch-black alley without any visibility.
Bang.
Crack.
Please, please help .
“Aren’t we supposed to help?!”
Eventually, Xiao Hu behind couldn’t hold back and blurted it out. She would have dashed right past if the Goblin wasn’t holding her back.
“Look at this.”
I subtly pointed to a red string with a talisman that was supposed to be hanging at the entrance of the alley.
It was a type of police line used in the Han Empire. It lay on the ground, unraveled and scattered.
“The security forces should’ve been standing guard to secure the cri scene.”
After all, this was a place where as many as six people were killed.
There was no way they would have left it unattended since nothing was found.
“So, where did the security forces go?”
Even as I spoke, I instinctively turned my head toward the inside of the alley.
Bang.
Crack.
Help ! Please! Help !
As the cries of unknown non-human grew more frantic, the urge to help whatever was inside the alley pounded violently in my chest.
The haste in my senses felt like it was urging not to remain still any longer.
Bang.
Crack.
Bang.
Crack.
Bang.
Crack.
The increasingly fierce sounds beckoned to hurry inside.
Now even Xiao Hu seed to sense sothing strange; she clutched the Goblin tight in fear.
The Goblin also swallowed hard, glancing at nervously.
“Follow .”
“Pardon?”
“Wait, are you saying we should also co along?”
The two yokai were startled, not expecting to suggest that we go in together.
But I responded as if it were natural.
“Didn’t we co here to figure out what is going on? If it’s that scary, I’ll go in first, so just follow slowly.”
Saying so, I stepped forward, walking steadily into the darkness of the alley.
The cold night air turned warm and heated just by entering the alley.
But it wasn’t the warmth of the sun or the heat from a hot air blower. It was the clammy heat of sweat and blood mingling together.
It was the heat one would feel on a battlefield.
Bang.
Crack.
Help !
Hearing the cries, I walked deeper inside. Perhaps because I was in an artificial body, I didn’t need ti to let my eyes adjust to the darkness.
The secrets hidden in the alley that were invisible from the outside soo beca clear.
The interior was chaotic.
The sharp stench of blood hit my nose and the walls of the alley were drenched in blood, as if the street ruffians had splattered paint on them.
A massive head.
In contrast, its arms and legs seed small but were elongated, probably around 2 ters in length.
The thick teeth that occupied half the head looked red like they were sared with seasoning because they were stained with blood.
Pale skin and long, straight hair.
If I were to categorize it, it would be a woman.
And now, I finally discovered the source of the botherso sound I had been hearing.
The upper body was nowhere to be seen, leaving the lower half of the body, with only the legs visible. With the ankle of a lower half dressed in a security uniform in its grip, the woman slamd it against the wall.
Bang!
Then, grabbing the tender calves and thighs with both hands, she snapped them as if she were deboning so at.
Crack.
She then shoved the calf into her mouth and repeated the process.
Bang!
Crack.
She smashed the other parts into the wall and continued to break bones as she ate.
“Help !”
With blood sared all over her mouth, she scread. The bright smile on her face didn’t look like that of soone asking for help.
“Yikes!”
“…”
The two who had followed also looked horrified. However, even after we arrived, the woman kept eating, and eventually, after consuming everything, she began to scream in tears.
No!
Dooon’t!
Dooon’t!
At this point, it was impossible to not understand what kind of screams these were or why she was screaming for help.
“Are you still hungry?”
I asked as her large eyes t mine. The tears flowing from her eyes faded away as she grinned and nodded.
“Hehe, yeah.”
She asked for help because she was hungry.
And after she was done devouring everything, she sighed in regret.
She truly was a beast-like woman.
Delighted that her next prey had arrived, she licked her lips and began edging nearer, licking the pool of blood on the ground.
And then…
“Xiao Hu! Run!”
“Huh?!”
“Hurry up and run!”
The Goblin pushed Xiao Hu outside without warning and shouted. Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, Xiao Hu followed the Goblin’s command and hurried out of the alley.
And then, the darkness began to lift.
Even the woman in the alley seed sowhat bewildered, but soon, a loud noise echoed around us.
Nurous yokai began to appear, blocking both exits of the alley. They even climbed the walls, completely obscuring the sky above.
“Hey, you noble one.”
A middle-aged man with nurous hands descended from the wall and called out to .
There was a stickiness in his voice and an unmistakable, rancid undertone.
It was the stench of blood.
“You could have gone on your way quietly. Why are you threatening us?”
I just stared at him in silence, and he let out a snort, grinning mischievously.
“How dare you threaten us. You are the one who cut your own lifeline. ”
“…”
“I also heard that you’re the one responsible for driving away the souls, right? The owner of that damned voice that echoed out of nowhere.”
The woman who had been standing blankly in the alley glared at upon hearing that.
The rest of the yokai from the city turned toward as well, baring their teeth with hatred. To them, I was nothing more than a calamity, like a swarm of locusts.
However, the difference was that, unlike a locust plague, they could take their revenge on .
“Human Ghost! Help us! This guy is the reason all the souls have disappeared!”
The Goblin shouted toward the woman in the alley. She bared her teeth and prepared to charge at at any mont.
The woman known as a ‘Human Ghost’ was distinctly superior to other yokai.
Did she obediently follow all the way here, intending to use the ghost’s power to ensure my death?
I could say that she had co up with quite a decent plan.
While I was surprised by the number of yokai, there was sothing I was more curious about.
“What about the Ancient Dragon?”
Was the being, said to be a guardian deity, aware that the yokai were planning to ambush like this?
The Goblin let out a snicker and drew her massive guandao.
“We already received permission from the Ancient Dragon. Can’t you see all the yokai gathered here?”
The Goblin was getting cocky.
Indeed, there was no place to escape, and the number of enemies was overwhelming. There were plenty of grotesque figures in my line of sight as well.
“I see.”
I nodded.
I wanted to inform the Ancient Dragon that, while it was understandable, it wasn’t exactly an excellent choice.
“Is this so manner of begging?”
Did he send the yokai to plead for his life? What a selfish guardian deity.
The unaware yokai approaching seed sowhat pitiful.
“Did you really think that you’d still survive even after consuming human souls like that?”
I even tried to give them a chance to explain themselves, but thinking that I was just making a final, pathetic struggle, they burst into rumbustious laughter.
“We’re already dead. What’s the harm in grabbing a little bite?”
“Do you know how hard we’ve had it because of your little bastard?!”
“You bastard! I nearly starved to death!”
The curses of the yokai echoed all around .
They claid it was for the sake of their survival. However…
“That’s not true.”
Unfortunately, that couldn’t possibly be the case.
“You shouldn’t be feeling hungry.”
My firm declaration left the yokai looking perplexed.
Strictly speaking, yokai were spiritual forms.
If Luaneth’s plan had succeeded, they all would have been annihilated as well.
The closest examples were the Dark Spiritualist and Stella. Not only them but also the other spirits.
If I had to point it out, even the yokai who enjoyed the Night Parade of One Hundred Yokai in Claren.
None of them experienced hunger.
Silence fell along with the darkness.
While so yokai believed that it couldn’t possibly be true, there were others who were well aware of it.
“You don’t need to eat anything.”
Each one had a different background concerning their birth, but in the end, they all shared the sa root.
“It would be better…”
I shook my head and let out a deep sigh.
“If you just said you were born from legends or stories of killing humans, I might’ve at least felt so pity for you.”
If the excuse was that they were born as yokai ant to kill humans, I would have felt a little pity.
To such yokai, I would have offered apologies, comfort, and a peaceful death.
“Be honest.”
As I watched the yokai entering the alley, I urged them to confess.
“You eat because it’s delicious, right?”
If they truly ate to survive…
“You eat because you’re bored.”
There was no need to eat human souls.
“Your hunger is just a fake feeling.”
There were also lingering questions.
It had been three months since the human souls had disappeared.
There was nothing to eat.
But how were they all able to survive here so openly?
“And one more thing. You only ate the souls of the dead?”
That couldn’t possibly be true.
Starting from the woman known as a human ghost, many yokai here must have secretly killed humans and eaten their souls and flesh.
“Do you know?”
Snicker.
A laugh escaped.
Amidst the hatred the yokai directed at …
“So of you are grateful to .”
The screams of humans during their hunts beca a source of amusent for them. They were the yokai who thanked for giving them the justification to eat both human flesh and souls.
“So, don’t ask for any rcy now.”
I glanced up at the sky.
Xiao Hu peeked out from the rooftop railing of a building near the alley, listening to everything below.
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This was a small village—the one the girl loved.
Everyone was kind and happy. They shared at, clinked their glasses, forged friendships, and celebrated festivals.
However, this was also the village of flesh-eating /genesisforsaken
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