CHAPTER 6: The Strength of a Predator

  —"Perfect!" Ren’s voice shouted.

  Ren was busy crafting new anchoring objects: vases, figurines, brooches, and more.

  —"Fewer people came today than usual," said Kumiho, entering Ren’s workshop.

  —"Yes, perhaps tonight has some surprises in store for us," Ren replied while continuing to bless the objects.

  —"Master Ren, the food is ready," a young woman in temple attire entered kindly; she was an assistant.

  —"Oh, yes! I'm coming!" Ren said immediately, standing up with a wide smile.

  Once in the dining hall, the dishes for today were beef with sweet sauce and a side of pasta.

  —"Whaaaa!" Ren’s eyes looked like stars upon seeing the food.

  —"And this meal?" Mugen asked, looking at the steak, though he didn't seem annoyed.

  —"It’s for little Haru. It’s been two days since he absorbed his first nightmare, and since he looked a bit down, I decided we should eat well today," Ren answered with one eye closed, trying to look profound, even though he had a steak on his fork right next to his face.

  —"Good morning," said Haru, sitting down next to Kumiho, who, as always, ate in silence.

  —“Why would a person be so cruel?” Haru’s mind couldn't stop replaying what he had seen.

  As they ate, his mind slowly relaxed, and he began to show his typical nervous smile.

  —"Alright, I’ll set the teams for tonight," Ren exclaimed while chewing on a piece of steak. —"Yumi, you’ll go with Haru. Kumiho with Mugen," he continued, still chewing with total indifference to his lack of manners.

  —"As long as it’s not that show-off Yumi, I’m fine with it," Mugen said, while cutting his steak with... elegance?

  And so the day passed normally, but there was no physical training today. Instead, the four disciples spent the afternoon meditating until evening fell.

  —"Alright, time to clean up!" Ren shouted with excitement, swinging the door open and breaking everyone’s peace.

  Each of them, even Yumi, made a face of utter disbelief at the sudden interruption.

  —"You know the temple must always be clean—not just for our visitors, but also to keep it clear of negative energy," Ren began to explain as he handed out brooms, rags, and other supplies.

  Everyone cleaned with delicacy and care, even Mugen, for to all of them, the temple was home. They worked until night finally fell and the lights of dreams and nightmares illuminated their eyes.

  Then, at only four houses, doors began to materialize.

  —"Well, who would’ve thought? Not much work today," Ren said, looking at the doors. —"Alright, it’s a light load, so I want you all back here before dinner time," he added proudly with his arms crossed.

  The group headed toward the city and, once they left the temple, they dispersed.

  The first to reach a door were Yumi and Haru. Haru copied Kumiho’s style of opening doors, though with much more gentleness. With just a touch from Haru’s hand, the door opened; the nightmare was a C-Rank.

  On the other hand, Mugen and Kumiho entered a door that was also a C-Rank. The setting was a house, and the nightmare was just a stalker; Mugen finished the mission with a single blow.

  Yumi, with his usual indifference, let Haru handle the nightmare alone while he cleaned his shield, causing them to take longer at their door.

  When Kumiho placed his hand on another door, it didn't open.

  —"Oh, looks like tonight won't be so boring after all," Mugen huffed with a smirk.

  As if the door didn't matter, Mugen punched it. Upon the contact of two exorcists, the door swung open.

  —"It’s a B-Rank," Kumiho confirmed, looking at Mugen.

  Then, both entered. The scenery was a meat-processing plant with pig carcasses and blood.

  —[TARGET ANALYSIS: B-GRADE NIGHTMARE – THE HEMATOPHOBIA BUTCHER BROTHERS]

  Mugen and Kumiho walked with indifference into the place: conveyor belts with pigs atop them, carcasses hanging by the neck from hooks, the overwhelming stench of blood. The walls, ceiling, and floor were drenched in it, and what defined the room most was a thunderous, echoing thud—the sound of something heavy striking a base.

  Turning the corner, they saw the figure of a man with a pig’s head or mask, who was hacking another pig apart with a machete.

  —"So, a little piggy, huh?" Mugen said with a short laugh.

  As they entered the room where the butcher stood, the machinery roared to life. The hanging pigs began to swing around the room, the conveyor belts moved their cargo, and the butcher fixed his gaze on the protagonists. He said nothing; just the unblinking stare of the pig.

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  As if by silent agreement, Mugen and the pig lunged at each other.

  —"Ohhh yes!" Mugen shouted. Giant steel gauntlets materialized over his arms—his signature weapon.

  The chaos of the blows was swift. Mugen threw a punch that the butcher parried with his machete; the pig counterattacked with a second machete, which was blocked by Mugen’s fists, all at an abysmal speed.

  Kumiho began to survey the environment with suspicion, narrowing his eyes for any clues. A B-Rank scenario couldn't be this simple.

  The impact of their arms was thunderous, but the butcher used his leg to kick Mugen in the ribs, sending him crashing against the wall.

  —"So you know how to dance, piggy," Mugen spat, smiling at the thrill of combat.

  The pig only stared, silent.

  Mugen leaped toward the pig when, from the swinging carcasses, another butcher appeared, hanging upside down by his feet. He held sickles, which he hurled toward Mugen. The impact seemed inevitable, as this second butcher had made no sound; the sickle was centimeters away from Mugen’s shoulder.

  CLANG-ZINGGG!

  The sound of metal striking metal. A bullet from Kumiho deflected the sickle just in time.

  Mugen managed to land a punch on the first pig, making it squeal as it was slammed against the wall.

  —"What’s wrong, pig? Getting slow?" Mugen mocked.

  The other brother engaged Kumiho, who used his sanchaku, but the pig was incredibly precise with its attacks.

  —“It seems these pigs really are a problem,” Kumiho thought while trying to find an opening.

  The first pig stood up again and lunged at Mugen with more strength and technique than before, landing a blow on Mugen’s face while receiving one in return.

  The hit made Mugen spit blood, but like an instinctive reflex, neither fighter flinched at the pain, returning immediately to the exchange of blows. The clash was chaotic until the pig lost a machete from its hand, causing a brief pause.

  —"What’s wrong, piggy? Go get it," said Mugen, who was bleeding from his forehead.

  The pig, silent as ever, looked at Mugen. With its free arm, it grabbed a pig carcass and smashed it against Mugen’s face, throwing him back while it retrieved its machete.

  —“What the hell, how can a pig be this tough?” Mugen thought, eyeing the carcass that had hit him.

  Meanwhile, Kumiho and the sickle-wielding brother continued to fight with more refined technique and precision, until the butcher jumped onto a rotating pig, slicing it with his sickles and using the blood as a projectile.

  Kumiho quickly drew his revolver, imbueing it with spiritual energy and firing a bullet that grew in size to disperse the blood. But in that instant, the pig was already close again, poised to strike with its weapons.

  The sickle began to graze Kumiho’s coat, but a pig carcass suddenly struck the butcher, sending him against the wall.

  —"I don't owe you anything now!" Mugen shouted, quickly returning to his fight against the one with the machetes.

  Mugen’s sunglasses were gone, making his red eyes visible, but he didn't care. He began to imbue his gauntlets with red spiritual energy. Smoke rose from his gloves, and as the weapons clashed again, Mugen’s speed and strength had surged.

  Suddenly, the pig began to be overwhelmed by Mugen’s relentless blows, leaving the creature deformed and practically dead.

  The sickle-wielding pig found itself cornered by Mugen and Kumiho. However, with immense agility, it slid to the center of the room, grabbed a pig, and sliced it open, letting the blood rain down over its fallen brother.

  As if by some dark magic, the first pig began to rise. Something was different: a red aura emanated from its eyes, and it suddenly lunged at Mugen with terrifying force.

  The pig was now even stronger than Mugen. Kumiho tried to intervene, but a jet of blood was fired between them. It was the sickle brother, determined to keep Kumiho away from Mugen and his twin.

  The pig grabbed Mugen's steel gauntlets and began to bend them, inch by inch.

  —"What do you think you're doing, scum?" Mugen shouted, kicking the pig, who didn't even flinch.

  Meanwhile, Kumiho remained in a frenzy of overwhelming attacks from the second butcher, who dominated the environment with absolute mastery.

  —"I'm tired of this," Kumiho whispered. He imbued his sanchaku with even more spiritual energy; the weapon became a thousand times lighter and stronger. Kumiho advanced toward the pig brother, who was spraying blood by ripping open the carcasses, but Kumiho spun his sanchaku so fast that not a single drop breached his defense.

  As Mugen’s steel fists continued to buckle, an image flashed through his mind: it was Yumi, who had once done the exact same thing. Recalling that face of indifference, Mugen hissed with fury.

  —"I WON'T BE WEAKER THAN HIM!" he roared, releasing a massive amount of spiritual energy, so hot it began to sear the blood in the air around him.

  With a kick, he shoved the pig away. His gauntlets didn't disappear, but something began to materialize in his hands: an axe that fused with Mugen's energy, causing the ambient heat to vanish.

  —"You want to play at being strong, pig?" Mugen asked, gripping the axe. —"Then I hope you can endure what's coming." He smirked, his eyes wide open, a smile that made the pig retreat by sheer instinct.

  On the other side, Kumiho took a great leap toward his target.

  —"I'm here," he said calmly before falling upon it.

  He struck repeatedly and relentlessly with his sanchaku until the butcher was immobilized. He ended it by driving the two tubes through the pig's eyes, killing it instantly. Kumiho touched his own chest and separated the pig's energy, consuming it while he turned to watch Mugen.

  —"Here I go!" Mugen yelled, punching the pig's abdomen and sending it flying against the ceiling.

  He delivered a barrage of blows until the pig lay broken on the floor. Mugen raised his axe, poised to take the head.

  —"You made me remember a very unpleasant moment, you bastard," he said, holding the axe high.

  In Kumiho's eyes, the anger was understandable; he remembered the only time Mugen had ever looked weak.

  Years ago, he and Yumi had a duel in the Dream World. Mugen used his fists and Yumi used his shield. The shocking part was that after taking a hit from Mugen, Yumi stood back up; his expression had shifted from disinterest to absolute coldness. Yumi had grabbed Mugen’s fists just like the pig, but Yumi actually shattered the gauntlets, forcing Mugen to use his axe—and even then, Mugen fell in defeat.

  —“I wonder what Yumi’s second weapon is,” Kumiho mused while watching Mugen.

  —"Die," Mugen uttered with a cold voice just before severing the pig's head.

  Once separated, Mugen took the head in his arms and crushed it, absorbing the pig's energy. With the mission complete, the two disciples exited the Dream World.

  When they arrived at the temple, Ren, Yumi, and Haru were already having dinner. Haru's clothes were shredded, while Yumi looked pristine.

  —"Oh, you're back," Ren announced upon seeing them. —"My, it looks like you two took a bath in blood."

  Kumiho and Mugen were indeed drenched in blood, their clothes torn in several places.

  —"You're seven minutes late," Yumi commented while eating.

  —"Yeah, well, shut up," Mugen snapped, sitting down to eat.

  —"And why are you so 'intact'?" Kumiho asked as he sat.

  —"The two doors were C-Rank, so I let the rookie handle it," Yumi replied with indifference.

  Haru had tears in his eyes; he had never felt so abandoned.

  —"You did well, Haru! It's all part of the training! Wah-hah-hah-hah!" Ren laughed, slapping Haru’s back so hard it made the boy cry even more.

  —"I don't want to fight anymore..." Haru whispered, his voice cracking.

  Hao!

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