A surge of rat demons poured toward Ren Kuroda, eyes blazing with bloodlust, their frenzy unshaken even as their companions were cut down one after another. They felt no fear at all—because the king's command ruled everything.
Since Ren had drawn most of the swarm toward himself, Kujo Hinano and the others were granted a brief moment of relief.
But it was only temporary.
Even though fewer rat demons were clawing at the overturned vehicle than before, several still lurked near them—persistent, hungry, and unwilling to abandon the easy prey inside. Clearly, they believed the humans in the car were far softer and more digestible than the "hard-shell" target Ren Kuroda presented.
Sure, devouring these humans wouldn't bring as much power as feasting on the greater demon fighting in the moonlight—but they weren't stupid. Even if they joined the main pack to wear down the powerful foe, they wouldn't get the privilege of being the final scavengers.
From inside the shattered car, Kujo Hinano watched the figure leaping and slicing through the moonlit night. Her heart stirred with something like awe.
Every time Ren swung his sword, another giant rat demon dropped instantly. His calm, commanding presence was as mesmerizing as a victorious general striding across a battlefield.
At this point, Hinano no longer thought of Ren as an ordinary human being at all. Her captain's earlier respect for him suddenly made perfect sense.
And she remembered, vividly, the question he had once asked her:
"Do you believe yokai exist?"
Her answer had been "no."
But what she was witnessing now smashed that certainty to pieces.
Maybe, as Ren had said, yokai really did exist in this world. Only those who saw them never lived long enough to tell the truth…
Hinano didn't want to become one of those nameless deaths—dying confused and helpless. She wanted to live. She wanted to apologize for dismissing the supernatural so easily.
Her eyes drifted down to the two talismans Ren had entrusted to her. She tightened her grip on them, determination rising in her chest. She reached for the holster at her waist.
Calm down, Kujo Hinano. They're just oversized rats.You've always vowed to be a righteous detective who punishes evil—so isn't this exactly the moment to prove it?
Hinano forced her breath steady as she watched Ren slowly being submerged beneath the overwhelming number of rat demons.
Ren was strong—far stronger than anything she could have imagined. But there were simply too many of them. She had to help him. She must help him. It was her duty as a detective… and as a human being.
BANG!
A sharp gunshot split the night, bright sparks flashing from the muzzle.
Drawing, loading, firing—movements she had drilled into her bones at the police academy flowed seamlessly from muscle memory. Hinano executed everything in one perfect, instinctive motion.
The bullet shot from the chamber, trailing sparks, and pierced the foreleg of a rat demon that had been creeping toward them with murderous intent.
Blood splattered. The rat demon shrieked.
That one shot filled Hinano with confidence. She'd missed before because she had panicked—but next time, she was certain she could aim for the head.
Just as Ren had said—pistols could harm these monsters. Even kill them.
That was enough to shake off the despair. They weren't completely powerless.
Hinano's decisive action jerked her companions out of their stunned panic. As realization dawned—on what she had just done—they were hit by a wave of shame.
They had mocked her for being a rookie.
But the rookie had been the only one brave enough to actually act.
Especially Yuzaburō Gouda. He had known from the start that this assignment wouldn't be simple. He had been the one who asked Ren Kuroda to assist them. He had led his team straight into danger.
Yet he himself had been frozen in fear when the rat demons closed in.
He felt utterly disgraced.
"Hahahahaha!" Yuzaburō suddenly burst into hearty laughter. "After all these years on the force, I actually let myself get scared stiff! Kujo, thanks to you, I feel like slapping myself awake. And I owe you an apology—I underestimated you. You're a better cop than any of us right now!"
A short silence hung in the air after Hinano's gunshot, but the mustached man's booming laughter broke it apart. His old, confident expression returned. The girl had reminded them exactly what they should be doing.
"Captain, are you sure it's not just that you were scared out of your mind?""Shut up, Jiro! You're talking about the captain? You mean you weren't about to wet yourself? You were clinging to me like a terrified toddler. If I had to hug anyone, I'd at least prefer it be Kujo-chan!"
Their banter—the kind only long-time colleagues could exchange—made Kujo Hinano blink in surprise before a spark of courage flared inside her.
She didn't hear exactly what Yuzaburō Gouda shouted at her amid the gunfire, but as long as everyone's morale recovered, they had a real chance to survive.
Yuzaburō kicked open what remained of the car door, drew his pistol, and began firing toward the swarming rat demons.
"Monsters like you can be killed—so even if I, Gouda Yuzaburō, fall tonight, I'll take a few of you with me!"
The other officers, their fear softened by the sudden burst of bravado and humor, quickly followed suit. They drew their guns and opened fire.
The quiet night was replaced by a fierce volley of gunshots. Their firepower did make a difference—the rat demon swarm slowed, their advance temporarily stalled.
Unfortunately…
A closer look revealed the grim reality: though Gouda and the others had suppressed the horde for now, their accuracy left a lot to be desired.
Night visibility was terrible, and the rat demons—now wounded and alert—dodged the bullets with nimble, disturbing agility.
Although Hinano and her team had come prepared, their ammunition reserves were extremely limited. At this rate, they would run out of bullets very soon.
A shot that should have hit a rat demon square in the head missed again as the creature darted aside. Hinano gritted her teeth, glancing at the two talismans still in her hand.
If that boy wasn't human…And if the monsters he described were real…Then what he told them couldn't have been a lie, right?
Whether it was or not—there was no other option left to them.
"Kujo! What are you doing?! Are you out of bullets already?"
Their suppressive fire suddenly weakened as Hinano sprinted toward the back of the overturned car. The pressure immediately increased—every bullet mattered.
Because the vehicle had flipped earlier, the trunk was pinned tight against the ground. Hinano had to strain with all her strength to rip it open and pull out the rope net Ren had woven for them.
"Captain! Use this! If we can restrict their movements with a net, our hit rate will improve!"
The detectives stared at the net she shoved into their hands—bewildered, skeptical.
They wanted to complain, to demand an explanation, but there was no time.
Hinano's idea made sense in theory…But none of them believed this flimsy, handwoven rope net could possibly restrain rat demons the size of hunting dogs.
These things could flip cars.How could this broken net amount to anything?