Koutarou paused in surprise, and didn't know how to react.

The handsome samurai observed him for a while before turning around. The samurai then suddenly pulled out the sword pinning the demon girl to the ground, causing a large amount of blood to spurt out as she screamed in pain!

The samurai then immediately pointed the sword downward, and was about to slice off the demon girl's head!

"Ahhh!!!" Koutarou's body automatically reacted before his mind could work. He suddenly jumped towards the samurai!!

The sword suddenly changed direction before it sliced down.

*Smack!!* The coal seller was sent flying back by an impact with the sword's other, dull edge.

The struggling demon girl was now solidly pinned on the ground again by the samurai's foot.

Koutarou crawled up again and shouted once more while jumping towards the samurai like the last time. And just like the previous time, he was sent flying back.

This scene was repeated an additional two times.

By the fifth time, Koutarou's legs suddenly gave out on him as he tried to crawl up again.

He had now taken four heavy blows from the samurai's sword's unsharpened edge. His body ached all over, and his consciousness was hazy. He felt like he almost couldn't go on anymore.

But, he had to keep going on.

He couldn't afford to collapse here. Otherwise, his younger sister would…

Koutarou did his very best to struggle and stand up again. He attacked the samurai once again with an incredibly clumsy and unskilled attack!

There was another loud smack as Koutarou was sent flying back for the fifth time.

His consciousness then sank into darkness as he fell unconscious.

...

Meanwhile, the dense white mist was spreading.

This was the evidence that the environment here was collapsing.

Seiji didn't know what would happen to this place in the end, but he figured that this town would end up being destroyed.

Basically, this town with so many "people" in it that was formed so mysteriously through unknown means at an unknown time was about to be completely destroyed soon!

Seiji felt something move in his heart as he understood this.

He was quite clear that the "people" here weren't actual humans.

However, they really resembled humans. They had their own free will and individual thoughts. They lived just like humans did.

Their will and thoughts might be rather simple and perhaps incomplete, but… would that be reason enough to deny their right to exist?

Seiji felt that it wouldn't.

He didn't want to deny the "people" in this town their right to exist. He didn't want to harm them. However, they were all going to meet their doom because of his arrival.

"Yomi, is there any method to protect all the 'people' in this town?"

"There isn't. These undead are all able to exist only because of the special environment here. When this environment completely collapses, they'll all disappear," his bonded female spirit answered.

"You think that they're all undead?"

"It's quite evident that they're not living spirits. That means they're all obviously undead."

You were either the living or the dead. This was very simple and easy to understand.

"According to this description, wouldn't that also make you an undead spirit?" Seiji inquired.

Yomi chuckled lightly.

"Actually, it doesn't really matter what you call them. The important thing is that they shouldn't exist to begin with. It's their destiny to disappear together with this unnatural environment that also shouldn't exist. Even if you pity them, there's nothing that you can do," Yomi stated in a seemingly casual tone.

Seiji fell silent.

They shouldn't exist to begin with…?

This statement was far too ambiguous, far too cruel, and far too helpless.

Seiji wanted to counter this statement. However, he also sensed that there would be no meaning in countering it.

As a spirit, and as someone who wasn't human, Yomi was more closely related to these "people" than a human like him was. Even if she said that "they shouldn't exist to begin with", she definitely wouldn't actually think that, as that would almost be the same as denying herself.

If she didn't actually think that, why was she saying it?

Seiji arrived at an obvious conclusion. Yomi was saying it for the sake of consoling him.

"…Is there really no method at all?" After a period of silence, Seiji tried to ask this again, unwilling to give up.

His bonded female spirit didn't reply.

That in itself was a type of reply.

Seiji could only sigh as he looked all around.

If there was nothing that he could do, at least he could try and remember this place the best he could.

Not long after, Seiji saw a cherry blossom tree.

Cherry blossoms weren't supposed to bloom in the middle of winter. Yet, this tree was filled with blooming cherry blossoms. Seiji also saw many other fully blooming cherry blossom trees, all in a neat row.

Seiji instantly felt like he had discovered an important location.

He followed the row of cherry blossom trees, and soon saw a bright red torii which was completely enveloped in dense white mist, giving it a holy yet ominous appearance.

His goal was highly likely to be inside here… Seiji had such a feeling as he made his preparations. Right as he was about to enter the torii, he suddenly heard footsteps from behind him.

Seiji turned around to hear a large number of footsteps approaching as if a large group of people were all running.

Not long after, many samurai appeared on the street.

"Over there!"

"Kill him!!!"

The moment that the samurais saw him, it was as if they just found the most heinous criminal possible. All of them had expressions of hatred and rage as they simultaneously unsheathed their swords and surrounded Seiji!

'My invisibility spell is no longer working!?' Seiji furrowed his eyebrows.

Seeing so many samurais attack him, Seiji instantly decided to unsheathe his sword and fight back!

No matter what the reason for this was, it was a fact that he was now surrounded and under attack. Rather than having these samurais constantly chase after him, he preferred to deal with them right now so that they wouldn't become even more troublesome to deal with in addition to whatever waited for him inside that torii.

While Seiji indeed felt pity for the "people" living here, he wouldn't be so softhearted as to not fight back when attacked for no apparent reason.

"Die!! Evil demon!!!"

The samurais shouted loudly as they attacked their target with all their might.

Swords clashed as light reflected off all the numerous swords. A figure kept dancing in and out as blood splashed everywhere…

In just a single move, several samurais had been slain.

The samurais were astonished by the "evil demon's" display of power. However, not a single samurai retreated as they continued fighting with their full might as their anger and hatred burned hot!

Seiji kept retreating as he fought and continuously slew the samurai.

If he was in perfect condition, it would have been quite easy for him to deal with these low-level samurai. However, he felt great discomfort from all the fighting due to the backlash he was receiving from the collapsing environment. Soon, he began to uncontrollably cough.

And then, a sword managed to strike a blow against him.

Seiji had a personal barrier that managed to block this blow.

But, after the first sword that managed to strike a blow came a second, third, and fourth blow…

Seiji was already in great discomfort to begin with. He was angered by being constantly attacked, and roared as he viciously slashed in a whirlwind all around him, which sliced three samurais in half!

Blood spurted everywhere as the snowy ground was stained red…

This shocking scene of three samurais dying astonished the other samurais as they all stepped back slightly.

"Don't be afraid! The evil demon is becoming weaker!! He's just struggling in his last throes now!!! Continue killing him!!!" a samurai suddenly roared loudly.

This restored all the samurais' morale as they launched another barrage of fierce attacks!

Seiji continuously killed, killed, killed, and killed… He had long since lost track of how many samurais he killed here. At any rate, he killed all the samurai that attacked him.

Indeed, perhaps he really was an "evil demon" in these "people's" eyes as he was the one who brought destruction upon them.

And right now, as he was fully covered in blood from having slain so many samurai, he indeed resembled an evil demon.

This was a deathmatch between a "demon" and "people".

No pity was necessary. No kindness could be afforded in such a battle.

"Cough, cough… cough, cough, cough, cough… Come at me!" Seiji roared at the samurais to vent his emotions.

Even he didn't know just what he wanted to vent.

This wasn't good.

However… perhaps this was also fine.

Samurais kept dying left and right. Their corpses just about filled this entire street which was lined with cherry blossom trees. All the snow and ground in the area had been stained red with blood.

The last remaining samurai used all his force and succeeded in breaking Seiji's protective barrier!

However, this final samurai was unable to injure the demon. Seiji blocked this sword with his armlet, and then stabbed the samurai right through the neck.

The young samurai had an angry expression as he slowly collapsed while glaring at the demon.

"…You've all done really well…"

Seiji had no sadness, joy, anger, or pity in his voice as he calmly praised all the dead samurais around him.

He then began to violently cough up blood as he kneeled on the ground with one knee and supported himself with his sword.