GREYSTONE.

  A soft wind blew through the terrain, sending a trail of leaves spinning until they reached the spot where Aghnis’s vomit from earlier lay.

  Yellowish-brown worms suddenly materialized from the discharge, twisting and writhing.

  There were four of them. Each crawled to the scattered viscera and bones, devouring everything until nothing remained.

  After feeding, their bodies convulsed. A large mouth filled with knife-like teeth burst open. Their bellies swelled, and they vomited everything they had just consumed.

  The moment the discharge touched the ground, it transformed into another set of yellowish-brown worms.T he worms scattered, heading in different directions.

  Three slipped into the convenience store, slithering across the floor until they reached the door at the back.

  A small hole gaped beneath the door. They squeezed through it, leaving trails of slime behind.

  Inside the room, shouts filled the air as the audience watched the wrestlers clash. Amid the noise, one laugh rang louder than the rest.

  “Hahaha!” Ken boomed as the wrestler in blue knocked the one in red to the mat.

  “What’s with him?” the man beside him muttered to another.

  “Can’t blame him. He’s the only one who bet on blue,” the second man replied.

  “Yeah, that’s it!” Ken roared, his voice echoing. On the stage, both combatants lay on the ground, the man in blue pinning the man in red.

  The referee stood a short distance away, raising his hand to begin the count.

  “Oi, stand up already!” the crowd bellowed at the man in red as he struggled against his opponent.

  The referee stepped forward. “One!” he started.

  “Boo!!” the crowd hissed.

  “Two!”

  “Ahh! Ahh!” The red wrestler thrashed, but the blue held him fast.

  Totally unnoticed by the audience, a worm crept into the ring toward the red wrestler. He something slimy slide across his arm.

  “What is this?” He glanced at his skin, but by the time he saw it, it was too late. The worm had already burrowed into his flesh.

  “Thr—” the referee began, but mid-sentence, a spray of blood and gore exploded across the ring, showering the referee and the mat.

  “Eh?” The referee blinked, staring at the ruined body of the blue wrestler.

  Silence instantly fell over the room.

  The red wrestler struggled to his feet. He raised his hands and scratched his face, then began to scream in agony. His face stretched and twisted unnaturally. His eyes dangled from their sockets by thin red strands. His pupils grotesquely rolled toward the referee.

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  "Monster!” The referee gasped. Sweat slid down his cheeks as he swallowed hard.

  “Gruuhh!” The wrestler’s lips curled into a wicked smile. He tilted his head slowly. Bones cracked and shattered until his neck inverted completely.

  “What is that?!” a man in the crowd muttered, covering his mouth.

  The referee spun and tried to flee, but a hand clamped around his wrist. “Hehe,” the wrestler grinned at him.

  “Ah! Let me go!” the referee screamed, struggling. The wrestler’s arms wrapped around him. His twisted face split open, revealing a mouth full of writhing worms.

  “Gahh!" The referee gasped. “Please, I have three wives and eleven kids,” he pleaded.

  Worms poured out of the wrestler's body, landing on the referee’s face and burrowing inside. Blood sprayed as they devoured him from within. His eyes popped free and rolled across the floor before more worms consumed them. In moments, nothing remained of the referee but scraps.

  “This is going too far!” someone whispered from the crowd. “Disgusting!”

  They were still oblivious to the fact that it was a demon attack. Most of them thought it was the red wrestler's doing.

  Murmurs spread as panic etched across every face. Yet amid the horror, one voice cut through. “Aww, come on,” Ken said, jaw clenched. “How am I supposed to get my money back?”

  “I-I don’t think that’s the problem right now,” the man beside him muttered.

  “What do you mean?” Ken turned. A strange crawling sensation prickled his arm. “What’s this?” He looked down and spotted a worm trying to bore into his skin. But no matter how it twisted, it couldn’t penetrate.

  “Pointless,” Ken muttered. He plucked the worm free and flicked it away. “My skin’s as hard as steel.”

  The worm landed on another man’s neck. “Fuck, what the hell?” the man growled, whirling toward Ken. But the face that turned wasn’t human anymore. Worms poured from every orifice, turning it into squirming mush.

  “Shit, it got you too?” Ken said.

  “Gruuhh!” A growl rose behind him. Ken spun and realized. "Everyone’s been taken," he whispered.

  …

  Outside the store, Ryūma lay on the ground, struggling to rise. ‘Shit, my energy’s draining too fast,’ he thought, jaw clenched, and fists hardened.

  “Hey, it’s futile,” Aghnis said with a grin as he approached. He grabbed Ryūma face and lifted it. “My poison is strong enough to kill an elephant in seconds,” he whispered.

  “Oi,” Ryūma interrupted.

  “Heh?” Aghnis paused.

  “Your mouth stinks,” Ryūma replied. He jerked his head back, then slammed it forward into Aghnis’s face, breaking his nose.

  “Bluegh!” Aghnis groaned, stumbling backward. “You bastard!” Veins bulged on his forehead.

  “He… hehe.” Ryūma chuckled through heavy breaths. ‘I have to stop the poison somehow,' he worried. ‘If it reaches my heart, where the tenzen core is, I’m truly dead,’ his mind reeled.

  “Anyway,” Aghnis said, wiping blood from his nose. “Your struggle doesn’t matter. My soldiers are here!”

  "Soldiers? What soldiers?” Ryūma rasped. He looked up.

  Hordes of twisted creatures stood behind Aghnis. Necks snapped at impossible angles, bodies half-crushed, flesh shredded to reveal writhing worms inside. With every step, worms spilled to the ground and scattered.

  “Holy…” Ryūma’s mouth fell open.

  “Haha! You thought you could stop me from reaching the market?” Aghnis laughed. “My little babies found their way in anyway. How beautiful. Truly exhilarating!” His mouth split into a wide, manic grin.

  “Shit,” Ryūma bit his lip. ‘He wasn’t the real threat. Those worms were.’

  “Now,” Aghnis said, his cold gaze lowering. “Let the real battle begin!”

  “Go!” he commanded, thrusting his arm forward. The creatures surged, tongues slithering, shrieking as they charged.

  “Nnggh!” Ryūma groaned. He exhaled sharply. ‘Force it! I need to stop my heart, even for one second. Stop the poison from circulating!’ he told himself. Flames erupted from his right palm.

  ‘The core. If I can halt the tenzen flow… ’He swung his hand and slammed the flames against his own chest.

  Fire exploded outward. Ryūma’s heart thudded violently. His eyes turned bloodshot. "Hnn!” He strained as veins bulged across his skin as flames engulfed his body.

  “Raaaah!!” The puppets shrieked, leaping from every direction.

  “Now, die!” Aghnis shouted. “You’ll make a fine puppet.”

  Time seemed to slow.

  Sparks flared through the air before a decimating inferno ripped outward, shattering everything around Ryūma and incinerating the charging puppets.

  “Impossible!” Aghnis gasped, eyes wide. "H-how did…”

  The flames cleared, and Aghnis gazed at him. Ryūma stood in the center of the chaos, eyes glowing deep red, clothes burned away. He slowly raised his hand and fell into a stance.

  “I’ll kill you," he said.