Chapter 6

"Stay with Kanoe," Kai hissed to Shiro, his eyes fixed on the figure as it continued to tear into Kazuo's remains.

Kai sprinted towards the mysterious figure, his knife glinting in the dim light.

Kai's heart pounded in his chest as he saw the creature did not regard him as a threat. Its singular focus on digging up Kazuo's remains filled him with fury and disgust.

Kai growled angrily and surged forward, his dagger sliding into the creature's side with a terrible squish. The beast screamed, sending chills down Kai's spine.

The beast twisted and lashed out with its hands, sending Kai sprawling across the floor.

Kai's heart was still pounding in his chest as the creature wrenched the knife from its side, its anger increasing with each breath. He could feel the creature's rage and hunger as it focused on him.

After a year of training and months of surviving in the city, they had never learned how to battle the yomigaeri. It was always about evasion and survival, not conflict.

With just his instincts to guide him, Kai prepared himself, bracing himself for the war he knew he had to win.

The yomigaeri's jaw snapped open, a loud glutteral groan escaping from its throat as it lunged at Kai with malicious intent.

Kai jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the yomigaeri's hand that swept through the air, but not before they cut across his arm, leaving a terrible crimson line on his skin.

The pain was horrible, but Kai gritted his teeth, the adrenaline running through his veins using the misery to fuel his drive.

He swung out with his knife, aiming for the creature's throat, but it was too fast and agile.

The yomigaeri drifted away, its motions seemingly stunning, despite its hideous appearance. It lunged again, teeth snapping, the sound reverberating throughout the store like the jaws of Hell.

Kai leaped backwards, the blade of his knife grazing the creature's chest, leaving a shallow cut. The beast cried out in wrath, and the smell of its blood stung Kai's nostrils.

Kai's mind raced as he recalled everything they'd learned about the yomigaeri in the hideout . Their endurance was incredible, and their strength terrifying.

Kaori and Ren rushed into the aisle, their eyes wide, and their breath coming in rapid gasps. The sight that greeted them frozen the blood in their veins—Kai, stuck in a fix.

"Kai!" Ren screamed, fear and concern driving him to action. He dashed towards his comrade, but Kai's frantic shout of warning arrived too late.

Ren crashed into the yomigaeri, which sent him sprawling into a neighbouring shelf. He landed with a horrible thud, a groan from his lips as the weight of the shelf pressed down on his body.

Kaori's gaze shifted to Ren, her heart in her throat. "Ren!" she exclaimed, her voice a raspy scream as horror and desperation threatened to consume her.

Undeterred by Ren's fall, the beast turned its ferocious glare to Kai, ready to continue the struggle.

Kanoe whimpered in anguish, her head cradled in Shiro's arms. Shiro's eyes went to the mayhem unfolding before them, and she struggled to understand what was going on.

Kai, her beloved, in a desperate battle with a yomigaeri that appears to have gone wild. Ren, their friend and ally, was lying behind a shelf, still and silent. And Kaori, her eyes wild, her hands trembling.

Shiro's heart broke as she witnessed the horror unfold in front of her. "What have we done?" she thought regretting their decision to enter the supermarket , wishing they had listened to the warnings about dangers of the supermarket.

In the midst of the devastation, Kai's mind was reeling, searching for a piece of insight. The other yomigaeri's stillness, their absence in the midst of such uproar, made no sense. A shiver ran down his spine as he considered the consequences.

As he examined the room, his gaze fell on the yomigaeri, its blood-soaked claws who had returned to burrowing into the mutilated remains of their fallen companion.

A surge of anger and sorrow surged through Kai, tightening his grip on his weapon.The fury within him burned, propelling him forward with renewed determination. With a roar, Kai lunged at the feral yomigaeri, his weapon slashing through the air with deadly precision.

Kai's rage boiled hot, driving him onward with renewed strength. His blade sliced through the air, aimed towards the yomigaeri's neck. But the monster was swift, its reflexes far exceeding what they've witnessed writing a year of survival

In a flash of speed, the yomigaeri pivots, dodging Kai's blade and lunging for his vulnerable side. Kai fell, almost missing the razor-sharp claws that ripped through his shirt and grazed the skin beneath.

As Kai danced away from the creature's keen claws, his eyes caught sight of something that set his mind racing. In the creature's exposed abdomen, he noticed a network of nerves extending from clusters just in front of the aorta. They resembled sun rays, glowing brightly against the black background of its interior.

Kai got a chill as he realised it wasn't just a solar plexus. Something about it felt unusual, strange, almost mechanical.

Kai's thoughts moved, his training in anatomy clashing with the weird reality in front of him. Can the solar plexus be modified? Was this the source of the yomigaeri's increased endurance, strength, and possibly even intelligence?

He needed to find out. He feinted left, avoiding another swipe from the beast, then plunged his sword down, aiming for the solar plexus and attempting to penetrate through the blazing nerves.

As Kai's blade arced towards the shining nerves, the yomigaeri let out a thunderous scream, a piercing, mechanical howl that echoed through the corridors. Before he could strike, the beast moved with dizzying speed, its claws digging into Kai's chest.

Kai was thrown flying, smacking into the glass door with a terrible bang. Pain erupted in his chest, the impact draining oxygen from his lungs as he dropped to the ground, his vision blurred.

Kai lay on the ground, his body shaking in pain and his mind reeling from the realisation. The yomigaeri's incredible strength had taken him by surprise, powered by the odd, mechanical solar plexus that glowed with a strange brightness.

As the abomination crept closer, its eyes shining with savage desire, Kai realised with dread that he had exposed its vulnerability. But, with his body damaged and his strength depleted, how could he possibly exploit it?

With every labored breath, Kai could feel the adrenaline fading, his body begging for rest.

Kai watched, breath held, as time appeared to slow. The beast, prepared to administer the final blow, halted, a howl of agony and wrath escaping from its twisted mouth.

Kai, his heart racing in his chest, watched in horror as the yomigaeri's form vanished before his eyes, the odd light in its chest fading into nothingness.

As the yomigaeri dissipated, the room fell into a deafening silence, broken only by the sound of Kai's labored breathing. Mai stood there, the metal rod still clenched in her hand, her expression a mixture of fear and relief.