章 44: Chapter 44

"Stop! State your identity," Inuchiyo questioned as she observed the figure emerging from the bushes.

It was a man missing an arm, an eye, covered in cuts and bleeding.

"Help me," the man pleaded before collapsing to the ground.

"Ginryu-sama," Inuchiyo called out, uncertain of what actions to take.

"Yin, block potential escape routes and immobilize if possible. Yang, prepare to covertly escort them while preventing their death — wounds are within an acceptable margin," Ginryu instructed the cubs, who discreetly slipped away.

Tora made a huffing sound, seemingly questioning his role.

"You, my dear Tora, will stay with me," Ginryu stated, while gently stroking Tora's fur.

Tora, upon hearing this, cast a smug glance towards Yin and Yang, who seemed displeased but focused on their assigned tasks, likely plotting vengeance upon their return.

Ginryu's senses detected the presence of an approaching demon a fair distance away, but it seemed that it hadn't noticed him yet; it would have fled if it did.

"What an unexpected twist of events. It deviates from the original plan, but I can adapt," Ginryu mused.

Initially, he had anticipated a random demon attack on his carriage during travel.

Inuchiyo and Goemon would likely try to defend him as his current servants, but they would presumably face defeat.

That's when he would intervene, offering them the choice to become his kin rather than face death at the hands of something they might not have known existed.

It was just a simple scare tactic, a bit dangerous but it was a manageable situation.

It was also a little test to judge if they were indeed people he wanted.

"The man is unconscious, leaving us unaware of what happened and who his assailant is. I don't think any of us can sleep easy knowing that something or someone nearby is out there to harm us" Ginryu said.

"Why don't you and Goemon investigate the cause of his injuries? I will stay here to tend to him," Ginryu suggested.

"But what about your safety?" Goemon inquired.

"I will be fine. Tora is here with me," Ginryu assured, as Tora emitted a cute low growl to display his readiness.

Inuchiyo and Goemon hesitated briefly, then proceeded towards the direction the injured man had come from.

"Hmm, what shall I do with you?" Ginryu pondered, examining the man's wounds.

'I should attend to his wounds first. It's remarkable he hasn't bled out already,' Ginryu thought as he began treating the injuries.

......

Meanwhile, Inuchiyo moved cautiously through the bushes, her senses heightened to avoid missing any details.

Goemon climbed the trees to scout ahead, staying within proximity of Inuchiyo due to the poor visibility of the night.

Unknown to them, Yang stealthily advanced ahead, minimizing his presence as he sensed the nearing demon.

It didn't take long before they made it to a scene where there was a broken cart, but what shocked them was that there were what looked to be dead bodies, what was left of it.

The bodies were horribly mutilated as if done by a rabid wild animal yet signs of human-like involvement were visible and it looked fresh.

"What happened here? Who would do such a thing to a woman and child?" Inuchiyo muttered in disgust as she tried to prevent herself from vomiting.

The heads of both mother and child were neatly placed on a pile of their bones, an act that a wild animal couldn't replicate.

"We should hurry back and inform Ginryu-sama. I have a bad feeling about this place," Goemon said from a distance, she refused to look directly at the gruesome scene. It was a bit too much for her.

Quickly, they began to hurry back toward the camp; they didn't want to linger around the area.

Suddenly, a voice broke the night's silence. "And who do we have here, two children out at this hour? Are you lost as well?" the voice questioned.

Inuchiyo and Goemon immediately tensed, scanning their surroundings.

Their gaze settled on a woman with fair skin and lengthy black hair bathed in the glow of the moonlight, giving the illusion of an ethereal glow.

Inuchiyo's warrior instincts signaled danger, prompting her to grip her spear tightly, ready to react.

Goemon, on the other hand, noticed blood traces on the woman's lips and clothes, indicating an ominous presence.

"No, but who are you?" Inuchiyo responded cautiously.

"You may call me Tsukiko," the woman replied.

"Tsukiko-dono, I must take my leave," Inuchiyo replied curtly, sensing the urgency to distance herself from Tsukiko.

She cautiously retreated, not daring to turn her back on such a dangerous-looking woman.

"Oh my, leaving so soon. You didn't even introduce yourself; that's not good manners," Tsukiko said with an eerie grin.

"My name isn't something I can give freely," Inuchiyo hesitantly replied. She could sense the increasing bloodlust emanating from Tsukiko.

"I see, how about your friend over there?" Tsukiko questioned while looking up at the tree where Goemon was hiding.

The gaze was sinister enough to send shivers down Goemon's spine, stunning her in place.

"Run!" Inuchiyo shouted upon realization, snapping Goemon out of her stunned state, prompting both of them to begin sprinting back to their camp.

Swish! Thud !!!

A sudden thud, along with an odd wet splatter, suddenly caused Inuchiyo to instinctively halt. Something solid and wet had fallen in front of her.

Instinctively, she looked down only to see that an arm lay before her.

Inuchiyo immediately recognized it to be Goemon's arm, still twitching while gripping a kunai.

She didn't remain stunned for long; without hesitation, she immediately turned back to rescue Goemon.

Normally, the last thing Inuchiyo would do as a warrior was to flee from an opponent, but she also was a person that relied on her instincts.

It had saved her on many occasions; at this moment that very instinct, for the first time, told her to flee, and that she did.

As soon as Inuchiyo turned, she was suddenly struck from the side with the body of battered and unconscious Goemon.

Inuchiyo quickly recovered and swiftly picked up Goemon on her back and continued fleeing.

Yang stealthily followed close behind, prepared to intervene when necessary.

"Oh my, she didn't leave her friend. This is a bit different but nevertheless interesting," Tsukiko muttered to herself.

"How delightful. Yes that's it run, entertain me," Tsukiko's gleeful voice echoed, relishing the chaos she had instigated.

She squealed in delight as in the past centuries, this was the most fun she had in one night.

Inuchiyo ran with urgency, trying to halt Goemon's bleeding while navigating the unfamiliar terrain.

She had managed to stop the bleeding by tightly wrapping it with a piece of cloth but she had lost her way at some point while being chased.

She had realized that Tsukiko didn't want them to die immediately but rather she simply enjoyed the thrill of the chase.

"Inuchiyo, what happened? It hurts," Goemon, regaining consciousness, inquired.

"Stay calm, you've lost a lot of blood," Inuchiyo reassured. She had hidden to rest a bit.

"Are we going to die?" Goemon asked anxiously, memories of the recent events flooding back. "I don't know," Inuchiyo replied, fatigued from the ordeal.

"I see," Goemon replied, wiping tears that she had unknowingly shed.

Inuchiyo just stared into empty space, thinking on how she ended up in her current situation.

She had envisioned that if she were to fall, it would be on the battlefield.

But here she found herself in the forest being chased by some monster lady that wanted to slowly kill her.

Goemon, on the other hand, was thinking of the promise she made to her lord.

Her body felt weak, and she knew that she would only be a burden to Inuchiyo's escape.

The only path available to her was death.

"Inuchiyo, leave me and run," Goemon requested after contemplating for a while.

She struggled to sit up and search her pouch where she kept a mini bomb.

"No, we are both going to make it out together or die trying," Inuchiyo firmly replied.

"But…" Goemon wanted to say something, but Inuchiyo put her finger on her lips to silence her.

"I will not leave you behind," Inuchiyo stated again. Goemon didn't say anything more and just smiled.

"There you are," Tsukiko's sudden appearance startled them, prompting them to prepare for a final stand, their resolve tested in the face of impending danger.

"I have been listening to the nonsense you both have been saying, why don't we put it to the test," Tsukiko said with a gleeful grin on her face.

Then Tsukiko proceeded to ...