"One strike… just one strike…"
Looking at the headless rat's body, Yura Keikain was completely astonished. She could clearly feel that Nakano Yu's kick just now was pure raw strength! It was a power completely different from the power of shikigami, a power that belonged entirely to him!
Could it be that Nakano Yu is a cursed Onmyoji from the Tsuchimikado faction?!
As Yura Keikain's thoughts collided rapidly, shocked by Yu's strength, Arima Kana behind her slowly woke up.
"Ugh! What is this noise? What happened?"
Holding her head, Arima Kana barely opened one eye as she spoke, only to see a scene that completely shocked her:
She was inside a huge iron cage, while outside the cage stretched a hall filled with blood and corpses. In the center of the hall lay the body of a huge monster!
Seeing that, Arima Kana froze, cold sweat appearing on her forehead. At that moment, she couldn't help but think:
"Did I wake up at the wrong time? What the hell happened here?!"
As Arima Kana was filled with horror and her thoughts were in complete chaos, Ichika suddenly jumped out of the iron cage and in three steps rushed into the hall.
Seeing Ichika, Arima Kana startled, stood up, and then noticed that there were two more girls in the cage whom she did not know.
Swallowing her lump in her throat, Arima Kana cautiously addressed Yura Keikain:
"Ah… hm… wh-what… what is happening here?"
Hearing that, Yura Keikain composed herself, glanced at Arima Kana, and explained:
"We were kidnapped by monsters, but we've been rescued."
After saying that, Yura Keikain lifted Kana Ienaga, who was still unconscious, and carried her out of the iron cage.
Hearing the word "monsters," Arima Kana felt as if her head was going to explode. Didn't she come for an audition? How did she, without any reason, end up kidnapped by monsters?!
No! That wasn't the most important thing right now!
Why do monsters even exist in this world?!
Doubting her own understanding of reality, Arima Kana's head spun. Thinking that she had narrowly avoided death, her legs weakened, and she collapsed to the ground, murmuring:
"This… is insane…"
At that moment, Ichika had already reached the rat corpse. Looking at the pieces of flesh scattered on the ground and the familiar yet strange figure in front of her, she hesitated to approach.
She recognized that young man as her younger brother, but… his cold and contemptuous aura seemed completely foreign to her.
That appearance was entirely different from the Nakano Yu she remembered—the one who cooked for the family, joked, and was gentle with all of them.
Looking into Yu's indifferent eyes, Ichika took a deep breath and moved toward him.
"Yu? Is that you?"
Nakano Yu, who was thinking about where to later throw his dirty clothes, heard Ichika's voice, turned his head toward her, and showed her his usual warm smile.
"Ichika, are you okay?"
Seeing that the young man had returned to normal, Ichika froze for a moment, and then could no longer suppress her fear. She took two steps forward, hugged Nakano Yu tightly, and pressed herself against him.
"Yu! I… I was so scared! Really, really scared!"
Holding onto Yu's clothes tightly, Ichika buried her face in his chest and spoke quietly.
Tears ran down her face, soaking Nakano Yu's clothes.
Was Ichika afraid?
She was.
Whatever the case, Ichika was still just a high school girl. How could she not be scared when faced with the danger of being kidnapped and eaten by a monster?
She was just a teenager; she hadn't yet become a big star, hadn't stood under the spotlight, hadn't drawn everyone's attention! She didn't want her life to end here!
But she could only be strong. Ichika firmly believed that Nakano Yu would come to save her. She was ready to die, wanting only not to feel despair in the final moment. From beginning to end, Ichika never expected that Nakano Yu would actually come to save her.
And in such an incredibly cool and impressive way!
After surviving such a close encounter with death, how could she not cry?
Looking at the girl in his arms, Nakano Yu sighed.
Although Nakano Yu had long wanted to get rid of the Kyūso clan and prevent them from lingering around his doorstep, he hadn't expected that, even after reacting so quickly, Ichika would still be drawn into all this.
Wasn't Ichika supposed to be busy with work? Could it be that someone from the human entertainment industry had become a servant of this monster?
Thinking of that, Yu's killing intent began to grow. He had actually never supported Ichika entering the entertainment industry. Although it looked glamorous from the outside, behind the spotlight lay a lot of filth.
That was Ichika's dream. Nakano Yu would not stop her, but Nakano Yu could clean up that filth!
With that thought, Nakano Yu decided to settle things and see who dared to do this.
At that moment, Yura Keikain was supporting Kana Ienaga as they approached.
Kana Ienaga had already woken up, but when she saw the terrifying rat corpses, their heads, and the blood scattered throughout the hall, her face went pale with fear, her legs weakened, and she had to lean on someone.
"Sir, thank you immensely for saving us today! We are extremely grateful!"
Yura Keikain stepped forward and thanked the young man, trying to bow, but hesitated as she was holding Kana Ienaga.
Kana Ienaga, who had regained consciousness, looked at Nakano Yu's handsome face. Her pale lips moved, wanting to thank him, but she couldn't find the words. She was too scared and at that moment didn't know how to express her gratitude.
"Ienaga-san!"
Seeing Kana Ienaga, Nura Rikuo quickly stood up and approached, looking somewhat excited.
"Nura-kun?"
Seeing Nura Rikuo, both Kana Ienaga and Yura Keikain looked confused, clearly wondering why he was here.
Seeing that, Nakano Yu had no intention to explain and gently patted Ichika on the head.
"Ienaga, Keikain, are you okay?"
Nura Rikuo stepped forward to check their injuries, but Yura Keikain stopped him.
After all, Nura Rikuo was a young man, and although it wasn't clear why he was here, it wasn't appropriate for him to touch them.
"We're fine, we were just unconscious for a while and our heads still hurt a little."
"Hm."
After Yura Keikain said that, Kana Ienaga nodded in agreement.
After confirming that his friends were okay, Nura Rikuo felt relieved and bowed to Nakano Yu.
"Thank you so much for your help today! I am extremely grateful! Please feel free to visit the Nura house whenever you have the chance!"
Looking at Nura Rikuo, Nakano Yu did not accept the offer, but simply said calmly:
"I don't want something like this to happen again."
Hearing that, Nura Rikuo paused, then quickly responded:
"Yes! Understood!"
"Take your friends and go. I still have some things I need to deal with."
Nakano Yu waved his hand, signaling to Nura Rikuo and the others to leave.
Seeing that, Nura Rikuo helped Kana Ienaga to go, but to Yu's surprise, Kana Ienaga did not leave with him.
As Nakano Yu wondered why, Yura Keikain nervously fidgeted with her skirt, as if struggling with something inside. After a moment, the girl looked at Nakano Yu and asked:
"Excuse me, are you an Onmyoji from the Tsuchimikado faction? Is the Tsuchimikado lineage really that superior to the Keikain family?"