The world is completely dark.
I’m sure just a moment ago, I did something I would regret, but I can’t quite remember what it was.
‘…I’m sleepy.’
All I want now is to sleep.
This darkness felt as cozy as the blankets in my room.
I thought that if I stayed here, I could sleep peacefully, dreaming forever.
One person.
“Miss.”
If only I could forget that person.
“…!”
Kang, Janghoon.
Yes, Janghoon.
My only friend.
And the first boy I met who wasn’t just a friend.
I was sure I did everything to protect him,
but… wait a minute.
What did I do?
I can’t remember clearly.
Sleep is pulling me in.
Right before I fell asleep, I’m sure I made a huge mistake, but when I try to recall it, it feels like my head is going to explode.
Then, at that moment,
“You’re no longer needed.”
A sinister voice echoed from the sky.
At the same time, my body was violently pushed forward.
Thud.
“Ugh, cough, cough!”
I felt like I was thrown to the ground, and I rolled across it repeatedly.
It felt like I had just woken up from a long sleep.
My head was pounding, and my stomach churned—it didn’t feel good at all.
But before I could even understand what had happened,
“…Mom?”
As I slowly tried to stand, what appeared before my eyes was…
Mom, lying on the floor, bleeding from every part of her body.
Seeing my mother, who had been a hero known as the S-rank “Flash Fox,” sprawled and lifeless, my nightmare became reality.
“Hoshi, no…”
“Mom.”
Our mom.
The strong, dependable mom who had always been our family’s pride.
But now, she lay in a pool of her own blood, as if defeated by a monster, lifeless.
Seeing her so weak and unconscious, I realized then.
Ah, I did this.
It was all my fault.
“Uwaaahhh!”
Everything came rushing back.
I had made an absurd contract to save Janghoon.
I let the sinister voice that always whispered to me guide me, leading me to this point.
It’s disgusting.
I’m in pain.
I vomited up the food and drink I had enjoyed at the festival.
And then I turned to look around. The scene was horrific.
“Ah, ah…”
The place where I was born and raised.
The Okami family’s estate.
The traditional tiled roof houses were now burning fiercely, reduced to a sea of flames.
And my mom, the master of the estate, was unconscious.
“Mom, please wake up! Mom!!”
I desperately shook my mom, who was lying there.
But every time I shook her, all I felt was the cold, sticky touch of her blood.
A foul, pungent smell filled the air.
A smell that should never come from my mom’s body.
“Ugh, ugh…”
And then, as tears poured endlessly from my face,
“Mom!”
Even if you enter a tiger’s den, you can survive as long as you keep your wits.
When I pressed my fox ears to her mouth, I could faintly hear her breath.
Mom was still alive.
This was probably the “golden time,” the critical window between life and death.
“Mom, I’ll get you to the hospital quickly!”
I was planning to carry my unconscious mom on my back and escape this burning estate.
Screech.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“!?”
The creature that had discarded me, no longer needing me.
Before I even saw the “Sword Beast” that had loomed over me since the very beginning.
“Ah, ah…”
“Okami Hoshino, leave your mother and go. Then, I will spare your life.”
“What…?”
It was a massive being, towering over me.
It stood about 2 meters tall.
With a face covered by a hood, only terrible skin and a mouth capable of speech were visible, and the armor it wore emanated a terrifying aura.
It was truly a walking catastrophe.
As soon as I saw the sword beast, I instinctively knew.
It was the one that had been whispering those awful words to me all along.
And I realized,
this monster, which even my mom couldn’t defeat, had reached a level far beyond mine.
I dared not even think of fighting back.
If I made the slightest wrong move, my body would be sliced into countless pieces before I could even comprehend what happened.
And yet, this overwhelming force was showing me mercy.
A chance to survive.
If I just leave my mom behind, this pathetic being that I am, would probably be ignored.
Then, of course…
Thud, thud, thud.
“I won’t!”
I can’t fight back.
But I also don’t want to leave my mom behind.
So, Hoshino’s conclusion was to flee while carrying her on my back.
“…Well, fox hunting wouldn’t be so bad, right?”
I ran through the burning estate.
During that time, I couldn’t afford to stop.
Because…
Boom!
Crash!
“Is this the place?”
“Eek?!”
If I slowed down even for a moment to rest, the Sword Beast would catch up, as if it had been watching me all along, breaking through walls to get to me.
“Ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh!”
I felt like my heart was going to explode.
My whole body was already burning from the flames.
I couldn’t even rest, so sweat kept pouring down like rain.
And then, I heard my mom’s breathing getting weaker behind me.
Her condition was visibly getting worse.
“Mom, please hang on!”
If only I had the chance to perform first aid.
If only I could stop the bleeding that was still flowing…
But there was no time for that.
Boom.
In this life-or-death moment, was it the tears or sweat that blurred my vision?
Maybe that’s why, when I reached the dead-end alley, a heavy presence suddenly settled behind me.
And, of course…
“This is the end.”
“…!”
“I won’t even need a warm-up.”
It was the Sword Beast, the one who had been toying with the helpless little fox from the start.
“Ah, ah…”
“You’ve managed to run quite well.”
“Ugh, ugh…”
“I’ll make sure you watch your mother’s head roll before your eyes.”
With those words, I was instantly thrown against the wall ahead of me.
After enduring the impact, I somehow managed to stand up, only to see the monster holding my mom’s hair and pushing a blade towards her throat.
“I am now the destroyer of your life.”
“Ha, please don’t…”
“To kill someone like me, you’ll need to feed on ‘hatred’ and grow stronger from here on out.”
“Please, don’t… please, I beg you… don’t!”
A strong person is someone who tries to prove their power by making enemies.
The revived Sword Beast chose young Hoshino as the perfect candidate to grow stronger, seeking vengeance for its parents.
Why? Because this child’s talent was extraordinary.
Even now, Hoshino had already defeated the Stone Beast with ease. If this child kept growing by feeding on hatred and revenge, what kind of person would they become in the future?
It was fascinating, both as a vessel that could endure possession and as a swordsman.
And so…
“Please… please don’t… someone, please save my mom!”
Okami Hoshino.
I will personally sever your last trace of weakness.
The girl who wanted to be happy would be turned into nothing but a crazed sword demon. The best pillar of support for this young fox—the mother—would die to create the perfect story of a strong warrior.
Crack.
“Pfft?!”
“…!”
It was almost done.
Boom! Bang… Boom!
What was that?
What just happened?
The Sword Beast, who had been about to slice off the head of Lord Miyabi, looked down at the screaming Hoshino, but as it moved its hand, its vision suddenly turned red, and it tumbled in every direction.
At the same time, just how far had it flown?
When it got up, it kneeled once more, with something spilling from its mouth.
Its own blackened blood and two large fangs.
“…Huh?”
The Sword Beast finally realized that it had been “hit” by someone.
And with enough power to even spit out its perfectly healthy teeth.
Meanwhile, beyond the countless walls of the Okami family that the Beast had broken through, a new scene began to unfold.
“Heh, heh…”
“You are…”
“Ugh!”
The monster wearing a horned mask with shiny blonde hair.
He had carefully cradled Lord Makoto, whom he had taken from the Sword Beast, and walked toward Hoshino, making sure not to frighten the child.
With great care, he gently placed Hoshino’s mother in front of the child.
And in that moment…
“Are you showing your back to your enemy?!”
The Sword Beast, moving faster than ever, jumped behind the horned mask monster just as it leapt toward the hole it had created.
It was an incredible speed.
Just as the sharp blade was about to strike the horned mask monster’s neck,
“Watch out!”
Hoshino, finally noticing the movement of the Sword Beast, cried out with tears in his eyes, but it was too late.
Crack.
“?!”
“…Huh?”
As if there was no need to worry, the horned mask monster simply turned its head, and the blade meant to strike its neck was crushed by its teeth.
Crunch…
The legendary sword that was said to be able to cut through mountains was now being chewed up like a mere snack.
What is this?
What kind of scene is this?
But before the Sword Beast could process this impossible situation…
Snap.
“Cough?!”
This time, a punch landed on the other side of its face, sending it flying through the wall once again.
Pat-pat.
Before the Beast could react, the horned mask monster gently placed its hand on top of Hoshino’s head and patted it, as if to reassure the child.
Then…
“CRAAAAAAAHHHHHH!”
The roar filled the entire district with pure fury.