"There's really nothing to think about," the lizard Hollow said as it shook Muten lightly. "Life is precious. You should treasure it."
Eerie black smoke crawled beneath Muten's skin. He stared straight at the lizard Hollow's face, breathing hard, blood foam spilling from his lips.
"You're making this difficult for me…" The lizard Hollow tapped its mask gently with the tip of its claw. "How should I convince you?"
"Mu…" Rukia let out a faint sound. "Muten…"
"Hm?" The lizard Hollow turned its head toward Rukia. "I've got an idea."
A strong sense of dread rose in Muten's chest. With his remaining arm, he desperately tried to pry the lizard Hollow's claw open.
But compared to the Hollow, his strength was negligible.
Faint black smoke gathered toward his right arm…
"Don't struggle." The lizard Hollow released him. Before Muten could hit the ground, the claw tip pierced straight through his shoulder, pinning him to the tree trunk.
With a sharp snap, the Hollow broke off its claw tip.
"See?" it said calmly. "You refuse me because you're still alive. You don't understand how terrifying death really is. I don't want to kill you, so I'll just borrow your companion instead."
Muten grabbed the claw tip embedded in his body, but his shoulder had been pierced clean through. He couldn't exert any strength at all.
"I'll try to eat slowly," the lizard Hollow said with a smile. "That way, you can truly come to understand how frightening death is. Once you do, you should be able to appreciate my good intentions and seriously consider my proposal."
Muten clenched his teeth. His right hand, wrapped in swirling black smoke, pressed against the tree behind him. He forced his body forward, letting the sharp claw tear through him, widening the wound as it passed through.
Blood sprayed out violently. Agonizing pain stabbed into his brain, veins bulging on his forehead. Muten stared fixedly at the lizard Hollow's back as the blood spilling from his nose and mouth gradually lost its color, turning into something far paler.
Like… melted bone.
The lizard Hollow reached out toward Rukia. "What a great idea. I really am brilliant—hm?"
Rukia, who had been lying on the ground, vanished without warning.
The lizard Hollow froze for a moment, then slowly scanned its surroundings.
Its wavering gaze swept past trees and brush before finally locking onto a small figure outlined by the clear moonlight.
Muten lowered his head and gently set Rukia down on the ground.
Rukia's voice was barely audible. "Muten…"
"It's okay now." Muten's voice sounded both clear and indistinct. A hoarse, feral growl overlapped with his words. The calmer his tone became, the more violent the growl underneath it sounded. "It's okay."
The lizard Hollow stared at him warily. "What did you do?"
"I don't know what I did either…" Muten slowly raised his head. A white substance poured from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, writhing as it solidified into a stark, bone-white skull mask that covered his face. Black, ink-like markings gathered across it, twisting, splitting, and shifting into chaotic shapes without end. "But I know what I want to do."
The drifting black mist surged into his legs.
Muten's figure blurred, and in the next instant he appeared in front of the lizard Hollow, slamming a fist straight into its head.
The lizard Hollow was knocked backward, stumbling half a step. The moment it steadied itself, it lashed out in rage, swinging its claws.
Muten leapt into the air, narrowly avoiding the attack.
The claws struck empty ground with a heavy crash. A vicious gleam flared in the Hollow's eyes as it twisted with the momentum and whipped its thick tail upward, smashing down like a falling mountain toward Muten, who had nowhere to dodge midair.
Black smoke billowed over Muten's skin. It was this same strange mist that had strengthened his body just moments ago, allowing him to do things that had been impossible before.
The smoke flowed across his body in response to his will, as if this power had never been something foreign or sudden.
It felt instinctive.
No.
Behind the constantly shifting skull mask, dense bloodshot veins spread across the whites of Muten's eyes, dyeing them a deep crimson.
It should be… even more violent.
Just like the killing intent surging through him right now.
The exposed teeth of the skull mask snapped open, and the growl that had been suppressed for so long finally broke free, erupting into a violent roar.
"ROAR!!!"
The shifting ink patterns on the stark white mask peeled away amid the howl, swirling like smoke as they wrapped around Muten's head.
With a soft click as the skull mask's teeth closed, the hazy black smoke ignited in an instant, transforming into surging black flames.
There was no searing heat.
Instead, an icy cold that pierced straight to the bone spread through him.
The black smoke crawling over his skin rushed toward the wound at his severed left shoulder, carrying spurting blood as it ignited into ghostly black fire.
The blood that had already spilled onto the ground also began to burn, rising in clusters of black flame. Faster than the lizard Hollow's tail strike, they converged at Muten's left shoulder, compressing and solidifying into a blazing arm that clamped tightly around the lizard Hollow's tail.
Borrowing the Hollow's own momentum to land, the half-transparent arm of black flame swung hard. Muten actually hauled the massive lizard Hollow up and smashed it violently into the ground.
The sounds of tearing flesh and snapping bones rang out in quick succession. The lizard Hollow severed its tail midair, then rolled twice upon landing to shed the force, dropping to all fours. When it looked at Muten again, the mockery in its eyes was gone.
"Escaping by cutting off your tail…" The fingers formed from black flame curled slowly. The leaping fire devoured the still-twitching tail like a greedy beast. "Grow another one. I quite like it."
After consuming the severed tail, the black-flame left arm visibly swelled. It grew thicker than Muten's slender body, extending past his knee. Through the dancing flames, the translucent outlines of muscle and bone could be seen.
"W-wait… wait a second…" The lizard Hollow's body trembled. "Let's talk this through…"
It kicked up dust and turned to flee.
The power Muten had just displayed shattered the lizard Hollow's will to fight. Even while retreating, it didn't dare take its eyes off him—
Where did he go?!
That question was answered in the very next moment.
A terrifying force descended without warning, sending the lizard Hollow flying sideways with no chance to resist. Its body smashed through several trees, snapping them clean in half.
Sensing Muten's position, the Hollow hurriedly looked up.
Against the full moon stood a slender figure.
Black flames danced across the stark white skull mask. Dark fire swallowed the whites of the eyes, crimson bloomed from the pupils, and blood-red flooded the irises.
Black flames.
White mask.
Red eyes.
The prey that had once been helpless now descended from the sky as a vicious predator.
The lizard Hollow instinctively raised its arms to block.
In the next instant, the skull mask wreathed in black fire crashed violently into its field of vision.
Like harvesting fresh vegetables, Muten tore off the lizard Hollow's arm.
The Hollow let out a shrill scream. Having seen the black flames grow even stronger after devouring the severed tail, it didn't dare hesitate. Ignoring its own injury, it slapped the torn-off arm away with its remaining claw.
Rolling with the motion to evade Muten's follow-up attack, the lizard Hollow bent its legs and sprang backward, trying to escape the pursuit.
But Muten was faster.