Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentosho (鬼人幻燈抄)

KAEI YEAR 6 (1853)

Nothing pleasant to talk about lately, eh?

The way I hear it, foreign ships along the coast have been getting aggressive with us,

but the Emperor won't do diddly squat.

Kake-soba, order up!

Okay!

H-here is your order.

Nice! You're getting the hang of it, Ofuu!

Worse yet, there's word of a serial killer in the streets.

It's really got me stressed out for my daughter's safety.

I wish the Emperor would just get his act together already.

You should watch what you say.

Fair point. Don't wanna see my shop crash and burn just 10 days after we opened for business.

But ya know, I got this place dirt cheap from the previous owner with all the trappings included.

No surprise there.

I must say, you've got strange taste, pal.

Our shop is practically a ghost town, and yet you've kept coming for five days straight.

Dad! You're going to scare away our only customer!

Oh, don't have a cow. We're just making small talk.

So, give it to me straight. How's our soba?

Not bad by any means. But it's plain.

You're a real straight shooter, ain'tcha?

Well, I'm more of a chef that makes soba out of passion than talent.

Yet you set up shop anyways.

Was there a reason for it?

Sorta. It's complicated.

Everybody's got baggage. I bet the past hasn't exactly been kind to you, either, huh?

That's for sure.

That'll be 16 mon. Thank ya kindly.

Say, pal. You seem to have a decent amount of cash for a ronin.

I work for it.

Doing what, pray tell?

Slaying demons.

Ain't that something!

Ya gonna visit Atlantis next?

Speaking of demons, remember that slasher I mentioned?

Rumor is the bastard might not even use a sword,

since all the victims have been found with their bodies horribly mangled.

And what's more, the number of corpses doesn't add up.

There are more people who've gone missing lately than the number of bodies discovered.

So they were either attacked or whisked away,

which has everybody convinced that demons are to blame.

Where does this slasher appear?

Let's see. Around the Edobashi area, as I recall.

Serial killers and demons. It's all so terrifying!

Indeed.

Be careful out there, okay, Jinya-kun?

The streets are dangerous at night.

I'm a little too old to be getting lectures about going out at night.

Well, putting on that tough guy act just goes to prove you're still a kid.

Here I was hoping it'd make an appearance tonight.

Alas. Things don't always turn out how we wish.

N-noooo!

SHIANBASHI BRIDGE

Just men?

Then who did I hear screaming?

An interesting power you have there... demon!

I suppose it's fortunate there were no survivors.

Now I don't have to hide this.

All right, slasher. Let's try this again.

Please wait!

My name is Jinya. Give me yours before I cut you down.

I am Mosuke, sir.

Your name will live on in my memory.

Now say your prayers.

Wait! I have no intention of fighting you!

That's funny, because I got the opposite impression.

It's because I thought you were the serial killer.

Rumors have been spreading that it's the work of a demon.

So, I tracked a demonic scent and then came across you.

I had every reason to assume that's who you were, okay?

But then I heard you called ME the slasher.

Which just didn't make any sense. You see?

And that's why you revealed yourself.

But what is a demon doing hunting down serial killers?

Well...

How about we find somewhere else to talk, first?

So nobody sees us.

As demons grow older, some choose to pass as human and spend their time living among society.

Demons don't lie, but they do hide the truth.

That's true for you as well, yes?

Here. It's just cheap booze, but I promise it's not poisoned.

Poison wouldn't be enough to kill me, anyways.

Thank you.

Let's start over.

My name is Mosuke. I'm a simple villager who lives in this cheap, back alley house.

But in reality, you're a demon with the special ability to completely erase your presence.

My power is called "invisibility."

It may come as a surprise, but I'm one of the so-called "superior demons" that has lived over 100 years.

Yet you are weak.

Well, we're considered superior mostly due to our awakened ability rather than our physical strength.

So yeah, even among superior demons, there are some who can be weaker and slower than the ordinary ones.

As much as I hate to admit it, I'm one of those.

Let's be clear here.

You mean to say that you're not the serial killer. Is that right?

Yes, that's right.

And neither are you, correct?

Very well. I'll believe you.

I appreciate that.

So, when you assumed I was the slasher, why did you go straight to attacking me without saying a word?

Because of a grudge.

Have you heard about the disappearances?

I've been told the number of victims don't match with the number of people who have gone missing.

Which seems to be true, seeing as how I heard a woman scream earlier, but found no sign of her body.

Right. The only victims the slasher kills on the spot are men.

Because it always abducts the female ones.

How can you be sure?

Because it took... my wife.

Her name was Hatsu.

And she was a kind-hearted human.

She was okay with our relationship, even though I was a demon.

But then, she vanished without a trace about a month ago, until 10 days later...

her body was found near the Kanda river.

The officer I spoke to said that... her body indicated she had been horribly raped.

Hatsu was charming and got along with everyone.

She even loved... a demon like me.

I know she never did anything to deserve such an awful death.

It's just cruel!

Jinya-san. I need you to understand that I don't live as a human because I'm fond of them or anything.

But I honestly loved my wife.

And so...

I have nothing but hatred for the goddamn monster that took her life in such a sickening way!

I want to avenge her with my own hands.

That's why I would like you to step away and leave this to me.

Not happening.

Why?! What stake do you have?

Slaying demons is what I do.

And that's your only goal?

All right.

Then how about we split up and tackle it together?

We'll each search for the serial killer and share whatever information we come across.

But I hope you're willing to let me put an end to him.

Mosuke.

Is revenge really what you're after?

You doubt me?

No.

But regardless of whether the killer is human or demon, you must bear the burden of taking a life.