Undead Murder Farce (アンデッドガール・マーダーファルス)

A.D.

Meiji Year 30 Tokyo

This is a different Meiji era

than we know

Under the flag of Westernization,

there was a large-scale, organized extermination effort

aimed at the supernatural, ayakashi, and trickster yokai

Hell yeah, Oni Slayer!

Damn it... He won again.

They called this

the Great Purge

What you have just witnessed, ladies and gentlemen, is our troupe's main attraction!

A martial arts show from our fearsome Oni Slayer!

How truly exciting! He's so fearsome, he doesn't even need a metal club!

Let's give a huge round of applause!

Great job out there.

Thank you very much, sir.

What the hell was that thing anyway?

A shokera.

There were some stragglers left in Chichibu after the Great Purge,

so I got 'em real cheap.

With the authorities watching,

I'm surprised you can keep getting those things.

Well, I've got my ways.

Hell, our performers may not be the best...

But we've got more monsters than anyone else in Tokyo.

Given what I've heard about the world beyond the sea,

we might have the most entertaining show in the world.

Sorry I'm not living up to your expectations.

The hell are you talking about? You're no performer.

You're one of the monsters.

The hell do you think you're doin', you freak?!

Get your lazy ass up and onto that stage!

He wants to meet with Lord Enma in Hell

and try to bribe his way to Paradise.

Will it work? Probably not.

Oppekepe, oppekepeppo, peppopo.

This story takes place

under these social conditions

It is what one might call

a farce

Oni Slayer

Episode One

All right, here's the goods for today.

Outta my way!

Hey, I was first!

Hey! I'll pay an extra sen! Gimme that potato!

You bastard! I'm starving way more than you!

He's gonna eat us!

Here ya go.

Got some from the navy.

You ain't gonna find it this cheap anywhere else.

You're in luck, pal.

It might not be any of my business,

but if you've got money to drink, maybe you should go to the doctor.

And why's that?

Venereal disease, right?

Damn it! I overslept!

That thing's an ayakashi!

Let's kill it already!

This damn thing's fightin' back!

Just kill it already!

Hey, you!

You're an Oni Slayer, ain't ya?

Get rid of this monster for us!

I hate to break it to you, but that's just a cat.

It ain't no monster or the like.

You liar!

I've never seen a cat like that before!

I'm terribly sorry, but an Oni Slayer like me can't kill a cat.

Oni Slayer, my ass. You're just some phony.

Come on. Don't waste your time with the likes of him.

Talk about a twist of fate...

They look great on the outside,

but they lack political thought.

They don't see the truths of the universe.

Sow the seeds of freedom in their hearts.

Can I help you?

I can't say that I enjoy being followed around.

So what's the deal with the birdcage?

Apparently, it's quite important.

Oho...

Aw... This beer wasn't cheap, ya know?

Behold these two sets of scarlet lips!

Who is going to swallow whom?

That's quite enough.

Oni Slayer, please forgive this rudeness.

This only happened because you suddenly tried to touch the birdcage.

Be more cautious in the future.

Could you settle on either apologizing or bossing me around?

Otherwise—

You're only able to kill when you're onstage, are you not?

Well, it appears that you know a thing or two about me.

So, who are you?

I'm rather fond of you.

Well played, Oni Slayer. You were able to keep up with Shizuku.

Which means that this trip I made to Tokyo based on rumors was worth it.

That's quite a unique act you've got goin' there,

but you should really talk to our troupe leader, not me.

It appears as though you don't have much longer to live.

What do you mean by that?

Even if you continue winning, you'll die before long.

What you're doing is not a performance.

At least, it's neither an act nor an illusion, is it, Oni Slayer?

Or should I say Oni Hybrid— half oni and half human.

I have a rather keen eye for these matters,

so I can tell just by looking at you.

The blood of an oni runs through your veins.

The creature that can kill any monster known to man, the oni.

But I must say, you're a rather reckless mix.

It must be difficult for you to maintain your sanity given how shoddily you're made.

Even more so since you're using your powers at the theater every day.

You'll be consumed by the oni and die very soon.

No, really. Who are you?

Exactly how much do you know?

Depending on your answer, we might have to resume our little dance from earlier.

Now, calm yourself.

I'm actually here to strike a deal with you.

A deal?

Fear not. I'll make it worth your while.

It's a lovely deal for the both of us.

I have the means to extend your life.

If you promise to grant my wish,

then I shall thank you by telling you how it can be done.

I want you to kill me.

My name is Aya Rindo.

This is Shizuku Hasei. She is my maid.

I thought you were just using some kinda fancy ventriloquism.

You sure don't say much, do you?

I'm sure you'll eventually hear her voice.

What are you, the Immortal or something?

Indeed.

Uh?!

You mean the one and only creature of its kind in the world?

Indeed.

I just thought that was made-up nonsense.

It's not nonsense. It's the truth.

Also, I am a person. Not a creature.

I figured the Immortal would be some frail geezer, like a hermit.

My immortality means I don't even grow old.

For 947 years, I've been 14 years and 3 months old.

So 900 years and some decades ago...

That'd be the Heian period.

You are correct.

So why do you only have a head?

About six months ago, some fool took the rest of my body.

I'd heard that the Immortal could grow back its whole body if it lost it.

So why can't you restore yourself now?

The Immortal is helpless against just one thing...

Ah, you mean an oni.

Well, aren't you knowledgeable?

Prior to becoming a performer, my work involved something like that.

It's true that a wound inflicted by an oni doesn't heal quickly,

and if you were cut by an oni, you'd typically die.

So how...

The answer is the darkest place under the candlestick, Oni Slayer.

Ah, I see.

Oni can nullify a monster's regenerative abilities.

But if it's an incomplete creature that is mixed with some other living thing,

its powers will also be halved.

As a result, you get stuck with a talking severed head.

So the one who attacked you is also an Oni Hybrid.

That is the only explanation.