Horitake grinned coldly at the trembling children. "Your chance to atone has come. You heard what those orbs are and the disaster they'll bring to Kusatsu. If the plague erupts, half of Kusatsu dies. If it spreads, half of Japan dies. You scattered those orbs. You're responsible for thousands, millions, even tens of millions of deaths—executioners, all of you!"
His half-true threats terrified the children, too young to bear the weight of such guilt.
After scaring them, he softened. "There's still time. The orbs haven't burst. We must recover them all, fast. You may not remember every spot, but find as many as you can. I'll handle the rest. Now, fetch me one orb!"
A quick-witted child darted to a nearby alley, rummaged, and returned with a red-black orb.
Horitake examined it, frowning. Fist-sized, fleshy, red-black, with a skin-like texture and pulsing blue veins. Alive. Disgusting.
Activating his spiritual sight, he saw the orb radiating an ominous red-black aura. Scanning Kusatsu, his vision pierced through obstacles, spotting more of the same aura scattered across the town.
Perfect! Spiritual sight works for large-scale detection! He silently thanked the system for this invaluable ability.
A fleeting thought struck: Why hadn't the system triggered a mission for such a massive crisis? Wasn't this a negative butterfly effect?
Shaking it off—he had no time for distractions—Horitake told the children, "Stay here. I'll be back."
With a flash of lightning, he vanished into the distant woods, leaving the bewildered children behind.
He needed to test something far from Kusatsu. Crossing two hills, he confirmed he was alone. Holding the orb, he unleashed a surge of purple lightning. The intense heat incinerated it instantly, leaving no trace.
The plague within? Obliterated by the lightning's extreme temperature, not a single pathogen escaped.
Horitake exhaled in relief. Complete destruction was possible—thankfully. Two months ago, his lightning control wasn't precise enough to ensure no leakage. His recent experiments had sharpened his skill.
Then, a realization hit. Without those two months of practice, he couldn't destroy the orbs safely. Without Mitsuri, he couldn't split their efforts. Without their chance arrival in Kusatsu, this catastrophe would've gone unchecked. Everything aligned perfectly—too perfectly. As if fate had orchestrated it.
How?
Pushing the eerie thought aside, Horitake flashed back to Kusatsu. The children, obediently waiting, hadn't fled.
Nodding approval, he ordered, "Your task: recover as many orbs as possible. Use your baskets to carry them back. Find as many as you can, then meet here. I'll destroy them. Clear?"
"Yes!" they chorused, too scared to refuse.
"Wake the knocked-out ones, too. They'll atone with you."
The children roused their unconscious peers, some using rough methods. The revived kids, disoriented and defiant, were quickly silenced by others explaining the situation. Seeing the paralyzed demoness at Horitake's feet, they believed.
Satisfied with their compliance, Horitake warned, "You know how serious this is. Disobey or slack off, and I will kill you, kids or not."
They gulped, nodding frantically.
"Go! Hurry! Time's short!"
The children scattered, frantically searching alleys and corners. Horitake's intimidation worked—no one dared slack or flee.
Would he really kill a child for disobedience? Horitake mused darkly, I'm no saint.
Finally, he turned to the demoness, asking a nagging question. "Are you an Iguro?"
Her eyes widened, shocked. "How… how did you know?! Do you know my cousin?! He's a Demon Slayer! Please, for his sake, spare me!"
Horitake shook his head, kicking her onto a tree to clear the path. With a flash of purple lightning, he sped into Kusatsu to begin his work.
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