24 Foretold Death

That was no flashlight at all—it was unmistakably a fragment of a leg bone! Kojima Muramasa began to tremble all over, a chill running through him that seemed to make the darkness even colder. He whipped around, and there, illuminated by the faint light from the doorway, stood a corpse, its entire body rotted away, facing him.

A scream tore from his throat. Examined more closely in the doorway’s pallid glow, the corpse was even more horrifying: it had no face. Even decayed, one would expect some trace of features, but this was a smooth, mirror-like surface—unnaturally, disturbingly blank.

His body shook uncontrollably, and instinct told him to hurl away the femur in his hand and run for his life. Yet, inexplicably, he could not move.

He could do nothing but watch, wide-eyed, as the rotten corpse drew nearer with each step.

Paralyzed, Kojima Muramasa could only stare, wanting to open his mouth and call for help. But no matter how he tried to scream, not a single sound would emerge from his throat.

After that first cry, it was as if he had lost the ability to shout, to make even the faintest noise.

It was just like a film whose soundtrack had been abruptly cut.

A strange, deadly silence filled the room. Drenched in cold sweat, Kojima Muramasa watched the corpse inch closer, his fear swelling to the breaking point…

…%…

“Did you just hear a scream?” Qi Xi frowned, glancing at the three people beside him.

They shook their heads, indicating they hadn’t heard a thing.

“What did you hear?”

“It was a meaningless scream, I suppose. Kojima Muramasa must have encountered… those things. Damn it, the teacher never should have told us to return to our own rooms.” As Qi Xi spoke, he watched Miki Akasaka out of the corner of his eye, inwardly weighing how he might discern what kind of character she truly was in this world. Were those manipulated ghosts and monsters under her control?

There was no doubt she was a traveler from another world. But Qi Xi wasn’t certain whether the ghosts were her doing, not only because of the recent battle. If she could so easily control spirits, she wouldn’t need to seek him out—she could simply locate the world’s source and take it, without all these roundabout actions…

The four of them entered the room. Pulling open the door, they found, as expected, that Kojima Muramasa had vanished. Only his urine-soaked trousers remained on the floor. Mizukami Jirou stood in disbelief, his eyes blank and filled with terror. “Impossible… Impossible… Where’s Muramasa? He just said he was going to the restroom. There’s a public bathroom downstairs in this hotel. He must be there—no, he has to be there, he must—”

Kojima Muramasa was Mizukami Jirou’s good friend, so naturally he couldn’t accept what was before him and instinctively refused to believe it.

“Yes, that’s it! That must be it!” Mizukami Jirou seized Qi Xi’s hand, demanding an answer.

“Mhm.” Qi Xi did not contradict him, but simply nodded.

---

“Ha! I knew it, I knew it—he must be in the downstairs restroom. No, maybe he’s already on his way back.” Mizukami Jirou struggled to convince himself, deliberately ignoring the bloodstains on the tatami mat.

But Miki Akasaka had no patience for such self-delusion. She shook her head. “He’s most likely dead. Look at the blood here, and that white stuff—that’s probably… brain matter.” She pointed to a spot of white on the floor.

Mizukami Jirou clapped his hand over his mouth. Ever since watching Konoe Hajime be devoured, he’d been fighting the urge to vomit. Now, faced with this new grisly scene, his mind involuntarily conjured up images of Kojima Muramasa’s death, and he could hold it in no longer.

“Miss Akasaka, are you human?” Qi Xi turned away from the retching Jirou and addressed Miki Akasaka.

She nodded, her expression dim. “I am human…”

“In that case, stay with us. Suika, you stay close too. Now let’s go and wake everyone else—bring them all to the hotel lobby. I believe gathering everyone together will be safer.” Qi Xi turned to Suika.

Suika nodded in agreement.

But things did not go smoothly. As the group set out, they encountered a monster. It was shrouded head to toe in black mist, so dark it seemed to swallow all light—a pure, devouring blackness. As it lunged for them, Mizukami Jirou’s legs gave out, and he collapsed.

The creature showed no mercy. In an instant, Mizukami Jirou was devoured.

Qi Xi tried to intercept with his Lightning Blade technique, but the creature was too fast—so fast that not even his genetic burst ability could have stopped the sudden attack.

Startled, Qi Xi quickly deployed his World View Data ability. Instantly, information on the monster appeared before him.

[Name: Blackwind Fiend]
[Type: Monster]
[Element: Wind]
[Attack Power: Decent]
[Defense: Strong]
[Agility: Excellent]

---

[Note: Comes and goes without a trace.]

Seeing the creature’s attributes, Qi Xi was shocked. Aside from its slightly lower attack, its defense and agility were rated as strong and excellent—even by the standards of this world’s data system. Unbelievable! Could such a terrifying monster truly exist in this world?

But then…

Qi Xi noticed something as he and his companions retreated. Suddenly, certain things became clear to him.

So that’s how it is…

The Blackwind Fiend, heedless, surged forward after devouring Mizukami Jirou, but, as it closed in, it seemed to sense that these three were not ordinary prey, and hesitated to attack.

The three of them had nowhere left to run.

Qi Xi was unwilling to reveal his true power, and Miki Akasaka also refrained from using hers. Exposing their abilities in front of others would be extremely dangerous—especially since Qi Xi already knew she was a fellow world-traveler. If he exposed his hand now, all his earlier probing would be for nothing.

Yet things were not so simple…

As they retreated, Suika pulled out her phone. One glance, and her soul nearly fled her body.

The diary had ended at eleven o’clock.

It held a single word.

[End]

Above that word, a chilling entry was logged:

[September 14, 2013, 23:00:01: I, Senior, and another world-traveler, were attacked by the Blackwind Fiend and killed.]