The mission came without warning.
A series of disappearances near an abandoned mountain shrine. Blood, torn clothes, no bodies. Upper-rank demon activity was suspected, though unconfirmed.
Johan didn't hesitate.
He volunteered before the message finished being read.
To his surprise, Kanae asked to accompany him.
They moved through the forest at dusk, the air heavy with moisture. Birds had gone silent. The path ahead twisted like a snake, choked by roots and fog.
"You don't usually volunteer for hunts," Johan said as they crossed a broken bridge.
Kanae smiled faintly. "I trust my instincts."
"And they told you to come with me?"
She didn't answer directly. Just looked at him with a softness that disarmed him more than any blade.
"I want to know who you are when no one's watching."
Johan's grip on his katana tightened.
That question again.
But before he could respond, a scream tore through the trees.
They found the demon moments later.
It had twisted horns and eyes like molten gold. Its body was long, snake-like, half-melting into shadows that flickered in and out of form. Victims hung from the trees like puppets.
"Two of you?" it hissed. "Ah… I'll savor this."
Kanae leapt first, her movements fluid and elegant—Flower Breathing, Third Form: Crimson Hanagoromo.
Her blade curved like a falling blossom, striking with both beauty and precision.
Johan followed close behind, but his strikes were sharper, quieter, his movements surgical. He didn't use breathing forms.
He didn't need them.
The demon was clever. It split its body into tendrils of shadow, reforming behind Kanae mid-spin.
"Behind you!" Johan shouted.
Without thinking, he threw himself between her and the claws.
They tore across his shoulder, deep and brutal.
"Johan!"
She caught him as he fell back, her face pale with fear and fury.
But Johan didn't wince. His other hand was already moving.
[System Quest Completed: "Night Hunt — Tier 2"]Reward: Unlimited Blade Works – Domain Concept Seed Unlocked
Synchronizing…
Time slowed.
The world flickered into red and iron.
Swords. Thousands of them. Stretching endlessly across cracked ground beneath a burnt-orange sky.
Johan stood at the center. He saw it. Felt it.
"I am the bone of my sword…"
He understood.
Back in reality, the demon lunged—
And Johan moved.
Not with speed. Not with force.
With inevitability.
A single blade appeared in his hand—one that hadn't existed before.
It sang through the air, cutting clean through shadow, flesh, and soul.
The demon shrieked once, then turned to dust.
Kanae stared at him, wide-eyed. "What… was that?"
Johan looked down at the sword still in his hand. It faded like mist.
"Nothing I can explain," he murmured.
His knees buckled slightly. Blood loss. Too much at once.
Kanae rushed forward, catching him again.
"You're hurt. We need to stop the bleeding—"
But Johan wasn't listening. Not really.
He was staring at her, close now, her eyes frantic but filled with something more than fear.
Care.
"Why do you keep doing this?" he asked. "Caring. Trusting. You don't even know me."
Her hands stilled on his bandages.
"I don't need to know everything," she said softly. "I just need to know what kind of person you are now. And I've already seen it."
He couldn't speak. For once, words felt heavy.
So she leaned in.
Not fast. Not impulsive.
But slowly—offering him the chance to turn away.
He didn't.
Their lips met in silence, surrounded by fog and blood and broken branches.
For a moment, the world stopped spinning.
[Quest Progress: 100% — Emotional Bond Completed][Bonus Unlocked: Kanae Kocho's Affection has reached Love][Title Unlocked: Blade of Her Heart]
Johan didn't care about the system messages.
He just held her hand.
And for the first time since arriving in this world—
He allowed himself to feel warm.