She remained motionless, quiet, on edge. She could feel something approach in the distance, something making only the slightest of disturbances in the flow of the wind.

"That old bastard sure is nifty."

He wasn't at the end of that road. No, he is trying to sneak behind her instead. She assumed his plan was to scare her away, and just when she would rest he would sneak up and kill her swiftly.

'Maybe if I let him believe that I'm at his mercy, I can kill him instantly.'

The gore was however strewn about, she couldn't let that set him off. So she slowly but surely started to approach in his direction.

The decision was simple. if she stayed there, he would have noticed. if she walked out to the square again there was a good chance he would still see what happened and go into high alert. There was only one move left, and that was walk into the trap.

From the square, there are 4 sides. left right up and down. she tried to go up before but halted and retreated to the right side. thus, he would be assured that she 'knew' he was to the front. He then likely left the front to approach to the right side and go close to the corner, either to see her walk out when she tried to go behind his position, or if she doesn't move, to assassinate her from the back.

'For a senile old idiot he sure is a clever one, even if it's somewhat simple. But that only leaves one question.'

Why would he have given away his position?

The only hint for now is him trying to play around, as he felt he had already won... but is that really the case? She didn't have time to think about it yet, for now she had to play her move. Slowly, as if she's still hurt, she inched closer towards the end of the street. She tried to maintain her sense, and could still feel him approaching from the street to the other side. she knew that one she saw him, his death would be guaranteed.

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'10 meters...... 5 meters... 3 meters.. 2.. 1.'

In a moment she jumped out of the corner, ready to strike. But as she lunged forward there was one apparent flaw.

He wasn't there.

Another bone shot towards her at high velocity. Barely a millisecond too late, it scraped her leg, causing a sharp pain she had to bite through.

"Oh? A miss? What seems to be amiss?"

He tauntingly mocked her as she failed to realize that he never once left the spot he was in.

'How? I definitely sensed it. I sensed him move.'

"You youngsters sure know how to fly around with the wind. My bones could never handle that... imagine how bad my hip would be if I tried. Keh heh heh."

"... Are those your last words?"

"Are they yours?" He said, pretending to be pondering about it by rubbing his pointer finger against his chin. "Hmm... anything else to say?"

She pushes her hand in front of her face.

"Ooh, a trick? Exciting, exciting."

In a single moment, a drop of boiling hot blood shot out like a bullet, but before he could hide, it exploded into a hot mist.

But he wasn't affected by it seemingly much at all, he wasn't screaming in pain, he wasn't cooking alive. He simply stood there in his same relaxed posture.

"...Disappointed, my dear?" He said, taking out a piece of chicken from a chicken bucket. As he bit down, he snapped the bone into two with his teeth as easy as a shark could do so, and spat the end out at her once again. She quickly moved away from it.

"Crafty, aren't you?" she replied.

"Crafty? No, no no.... thorough is the word you're seeking. I don't like surprises as all, they aren't good for my heart."

He seemed calm, almost serene when he talked. It was as if he was completely assured that he was in no danger at all.

"It was a shame that two of my good friends died in the process, but that is just a small sacrifice for one that has killed many more."

With complete nonchalance he rambled on, as if he was a teacher trying to correct a misbehaving student.

"But once more man shall be at peace, for a vital key in the structure of demonkind will be vanquished. The souls of the fallen may finally rest."

"The yakuza guy was right, you do sound like a pervert."

"Ahaha, how impertinent. Back in the day, I was known as a lady killer, don't you know?"

She knew she would have to try something different, an attack he won't expect.

She shot another drop of blood at him, exploding it in his face once more... or more specifically, in his eye.

"Agh?!"

She quickly went behind the corner, dashing quickly from one end to the other, until this time she approached from the front part of the square knife in hand.

But as she came near once more, the old man simply grinned.