Crossover anime, a daily life that begins with hunting supernatural beings.

He didn't feel that he deserved gratitude for what he had done.

after all...

From Sakurai's perspective, he accomplished nothing.

So--

Now there's only one thing left to do.

Sakurai raised his head, his eyes widened, and the veins on his forehead bulged. With each heavy breath, his eyebrows furrowed involuntarily, and a surge of heat rose up his body to his brows.

It was so hot. Even though the perceived temperature was close to zero, he felt a surge of heat filling his chest.

It wasn't a physical heat, but a deeper, almost soul-crushing sensation.

What is this feeling?

Sakurai didn't quite understand; this was a feeling he had never experienced in the past month.

If Mafuyu Kirisu were there, she would tell you that this feeling is called "anger".

But she's not here, and now there's no one to explain to him what it feels like.

Of course, he didn't really care that much.

All he knew now was that he wanted to tear the stone statue in front of him to shreds, drag out the abomination inside, and chop it into pieces.

To accomplish all of this using the most brutal and unrestrained methods.

Sakurai felt regret once again; he should have prepared a heavy weapon.

...[Chihiro] 00

As part of the seal, after the girls' obsession disappeared, a crack appeared on the stone statue.

The crack started at the chest and extended all the way up to the chin of the statue.

The dark light shone down on Sakurai through the crack, and the long-imprisoned Aragami was eager to feast.

Let this unexpectedly tempting human be the first feast to break the seal.

"Don't worry, I'll let you out right away."

His already cold expression grew even colder as Sakurai stared silently at the stone statue, as if he were looking at a lifeless corpse.

Soon, he will turn this guy into a corpse.

Are you ready?

Pay the price for what you have done.

Sakurai, who was already close at hand, took another step forward. Now, his breath could even hit the stone statue.

His right fist was raised above his head, and the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned.

Grinn, inhale, and strain.

The hand holding the dagger struck the statue's chest.

Push it up with all your might—

Cracks, and then...

The stone statue shattered.

Taking two steps back, Sakurai quietly looked at the shattered stone statue, then raised his right foot and crushed the stone in front of him whose face he could not see.

Feeling the heat in his chest subside slightly, he closed his eyes and silently adjusted his breathing.

Actually, if those girls hadn't suddenly appeared and stopped him from moving forward, given Sakurai's personality and efficiency, he might already be eagerly fighting this Aragami.

But this time was a little different from usual; instead of ending the battle quickly, it was different.

He was surprisingly patient.

He was willing to wait until the Aragami appeared, to let it experience the hope of seeing the light of day again, before taking it away.

Call it arrogance or a lack of self-awareness, but they were facing an enemy of godlike status.

Sakurai, however, decided to strike it down when it was at its most triumphant.

It should be almost done.

Sakurai could already sense the malice permeating the air.

The girls' obsession and the stone statue had already been destroyed by him.

Even if there are other seals, it doesn't matter much anymore; the imprisoned Aragami's [revival] is already a fait accompli.

I could hear the sound of wind in my ears.

It's as if something appeared out of nowhere in this world.

Without hesitation, he raised the dagger, flipped it, and pierced his own heart. His face paled for a moment before returning to normal. With his eyes still closed, Sakurai stretched out his arm and flipped the dagger back into his hand.

As he pushed off with the balls of his feet, his body turned around, his upper body leaned forward, and he swung his right hand, the sharp part of the dagger slicing through the empty space.

At the same time, the unfettered Aragami's indistinct, pitch-black body appeared precisely at the sharp point of the dagger.

The short dagger pierced the body of the deity, and pitch-black energy surged out from the point of contact between the dagger and the body.

Hearing the screams of pain, Sakurai felt extremely happy.

For someone who can foresee the future, a sneak attack is always the most foolish way to attack.

Once he "sees" it, even the most stealthy sneak attack can be turned around and used against him.

Just like the Aragami that attacked him from behind.

Sakurai drew his short dagger and stood still.

He hadn't forgotten that he was standing on a dilapidated wooden floor.

If his movements are too exaggerated, he will reveal a weakness in the next moment.

He is not afraid of death, which is not wrong, but he would never want to die for this reason.

He opened his eyes and looked at the desolate god whose body was shrouded in black mist, as if flames were burning on its body.

Sakurai could feel it directly; the temperature had risen.

Sakurai once inadvertently browsed through the materials belonging to the Aragami.

In ancient times, there were three types of wild gods.

He was worshipped as the god of fire inside the house, as the god of the house or village outside the house, and as the guardian deity of cattle and horses.

He is easily angered and has an extreme aversion to women.

This guy is Vulcan.

Only after realizing this did Sakurai belatedly notice that transparent flames had already ignited on his hand.

The flames spread from his arm to his entire body, and in just a moment, Sakurai was completely engulfed in flames.

The temperature kept rising, giving him no chance to carbonize. In the scorching heat, he turned to ashes from the inside out in just a moment.

In this battle of gods, Sakurai lost his life for the second time.

This time, it's because of this Aragami.

71. Burning Heart Fire

Before Aragami could even gloat, Sakurai, who had been engulfed by flames just moments before, was resurrected.

In the instant of his death, Sakurai saw the future.

The flames of the Aragami are not the temperature of the physical body, but rather a flame residing in another location within the body.

If he wasn't mistaken...

Did this flame ignite from the depths of my heart?

Is that what's known as the soul fire?

It is more troublesome and more unpredictable than a physical flame.

With the advantage of being able to foresee the future, Sakurai reached this conclusion in an instant.

but...

Looking down at the clothes she was wearing, which were still intact, Sakurai secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The thought that if his clothes were torn, he would have to fight the God of Fire naked made him want to bury his head in the ground.

It was too humiliating; he couldn't bear it at all.

"You really never get tired of this, huh? All you ever do is sneak attacks?"

"Vulcan."

After letting out a sigh of relief, Sakurai clenched his fists, feeling somewhat embarrassed and angry.

With a single step, his body leaped into the air, dodging the flames that surged from the wooden planks beneath his footing.

Enraged, Sakurai pursed his lips, black gas swirling around his palm, and swung his fist at Aragami. Aragami, unable to dodge in time, was sent flying by Sakurai's punch.

Watching the Aragami disappear before his eyes, Sakurai slowly exhaled.

To reiterate, this applies to Sakurai, who gains immortality after consuming flesh.

As long as he can effectively inflict damage, he will not lose from the very beginning.

There are only two possibilities: winning beautifully or winning poorly.

At least for now, in reality, Sakurai has not yet encountered an enemy powerful enough to cause him to "break his record".

With his body tense, Sakurai strode towards the location of the Aragami.

As Sun Tzu's Art of War states—

It is as swift as the wind, as slow as the forest, as fierce as fire, and as immovable as a mountain.