The party's eyes widened at the sight.
But before they could even say a word to each other, the skeleton in front of Takeshi swung the shortsword in its hand.
Takeshi, who had learned the importance of observation from the monk, had kept a fraction of his attention on the skeleton even when he turned toward the noise behind him.
Thanks to that sliver of focus, he noticed the skeleton's movement before it could even wind up for the strike.
With a swift motion, he turned toward the undead soldier, drew his katana in one smooth move, and sliced the skeleton cleanly in half.
The lifeless bones once again crumbled to the ground.
When he turned back around, he saw the doorway to the house blocked by more skeletons, clumsily bumping into each other as they struggled to enter.
Just then, a blazing fireball shot toward the doorway.
It struck the cluster of skeletons directly, reducing them to a pile of smoldering bones.
Renji, who had now recovered from what he had experienced in the church, shouted, "Let's exit the house! We can't let them trap us in here!"
With that, the group stormed out.
The moment they stepped outside, they saw the entire main street of the tiny village overrun by skeletons still rising from the earth.
From a quick estimate, Takeshi counted at least fifty of them.
They looked nearly identical to the one he had just defeated—some wore tattered scraps of cloth, and their worn weapons ranged from shortswords to shields and scythes.
Upon seeing the horde, Aiko turned to Takeshi and said, "She can't defend herself. You protect her—Renji and I will handle the rest."
Takeshi immediately understood the situation.
Rin was a fragile woman with no weapon and no demon powers to protect herself.
He, on the other hand, had no powers either, but he wielded a katana and was skilled with it.
Then there were Aiko and Renji, both experienced fighters with powerful demon abilities.
The distribution of roles was clear and logical.
Aiko and Renji would be the main fighters, and Takeshi's task was to protect Rin.
He gave a firm nod and stepped in front of Rin, assuming a ready stance.
Then he turned his eyes to the battlefield—and what he saw left him deeply impressed.
Though they were heavily outnumbered, Renji and Aiko were holding their ground incredibly well, each in their own unique fighting style.
Aiko moved fluidly through the shadows, launching lethal surprise attacks.
She slipped from shadow to shadow, eliminating skeletons with swift precision.
Renji, on the other hand, had a more direct approach.
He took out his first enemy with his signature fireball, then grabbed the sword the skeleton had been holding.
Coating the blade in thick fire using his power, he swung it with force.
The flames would extend from the blade in a wave, burning and weakening the skeletons behind his target.
Takeshi watched, amazed by the display of two very different demon powers and two very different fighting styles—both equally powerful and awe-inspiring.
As Takeshi watched the fight unfold, he couldn't help but be reminded of the video games he used to play back on Earth when he was younger.
Aiko perfectly embodied the assassin "playstyle", while Renji matched that of a damage dealer.
Unlike Takeshi, who watched with a sense of admiration, Rin didn't share the same feelings.
She felt embarrassed—ashamed to be a useless burden on everyone else.
Occasionally, a skeleton or two would slip through Renji and Aiko's defenses and make their way toward Rin and Takeshi.
Each time, Takeshi swiftly cut them down with a precise movement of his blade.
Even he had a role to play in this battle.
Only Rin was left standing on the sidelines, unable to contribute.
For that, she silently cursed herself.
Time passed slowly as the group fought off the seemingly endless wave of undead soldiers.
As soon as one skeleton was slain, another would rise from the ground to take its place.
Worse still, the skeletons were growing stronger with each passing minute.
Then, without warning, a new enemy emerged from the earth.
This skeleton was different—twice the size of a normal one, and wielding a massive greatsword.
The moment they laid eyes on it, all of them tensed.
It wasn't quite as terrifying as the enormous skeletal giant Takeshi had encountered when he first arrived in the Shadow Realm, but even so, all three of the fighters knew they were in serious danger.
The massive skeleton quickly advanced toward Renji, who was closest to where it had risen.
As it reached him, it swung its greatsword in a powerful arc.
Renji instinctively knew he couldn't block it.
Then, just a moment before the strike landed—
The world around Takeshi flashed.
Everything vanished.
When his vision returned, he found himself seated in a meditative position on a large stone prayer platform, deep within a dense forest.
After a few seconds of inspecting his surroundings, Takeshi realized that he was back in the real world. The sun had come out.
Sitting beside him in the same meditative position was the bald monk, who—without opening his eyes—asked, "How was it?"
Takeshi stared at the stone platform beneath him and replied shortly, "Troublesome."
The monk opened his eyes and gave a small nod.
"As expected," he said calmly.
Takeshi remained seated, lost in thought.
He couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if they hadn't been lucky once again by the time night had ended.
Would that massive skeleton have simply cut Renji down where he stood?
Or had Renji still had something up his sleeve?
Either way, Takeshi was extremely relieved it was over.
Then, his thoughts turned inward—toward himself and Rin.
In his eyes, both of them were the weak links in the group.
He knew he couldn't allow himself to be a burden to the others.
If he truly wanted to survive and one day escape this world, he would need to grow stronger—and quickly.
The only path forward he could see was forming a contract with his demon.
He turned his gaze to the monk beside him, who continued to sit peacefully, radiating an air of absolute tranquility.
The only thing disturbing the silence was the occasional green leaf drifting down from the canopy above.
"Mr. Monk," Takeshi said, breaking the silence, "how familiar are you with demons and the Shadow Realm?"
The monk slowly opened his eyes again and replied, "I only know of them, and the most basic information. Not much beyond that."
Takeshi nodded in quiet acknowledgment.
"I understand."
With that, he closed his eyes once more—and decided it was time to try speaking with his demon.
He closed his eyes and softly chanted:
"One of the mighty rulers of the Shadow Realm, the great master of taking and unmaking, stealer of essence and breaker of claims—please respond to my prayers and grant me your audience."
After that, he sat in total silence.
Minutes passed. Nothing happened.
Then the bald monk finally spoke.
"Your demon doesn't seem to want to respond to you."
After a short pause, he added, "I might have a solution."
Takeshi was more than happy to hear what the monk had in mind.
But then a different thought crossed his mind—Tsukigawa Haruto, the old man.
He turned to the monk and said, "I'm willing to hear your suggestion, but before that… do you mind if I write a letter to my friend?"
The monk shook his head, silently indicating that he would wait.
Takeshi turned and prepared to write—but quickly realized he had no pen or paper.
The monk, watching him, noticed the same issue.
Without saying a word, he gestured for Takeshi to wait, then once again assumed a prayer stance and began to mutter something softly under his breath.
After a few moments, a strong gust of wind swept through the forest.
Riding on that wind came an empty scroll and two small, thorny beads that looked like the fruit of some ancient tree.
Takeshi's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at the monk.
In that moment, he was certain—the monk had to be blessed by the god of fate and fortune.
He bowed his head slightly in sincere gratitude, then glanced at the two beads in front of him, a look of confusion crossing his face.
The monk noticed and calmly said, "Break them open. Inside, you'll find a liquid you can write with."
Takeshi did as instructed and cracked open one of the beads.
As the shell split, a thick, black liquid oozed out—perfect for ink.
He once again thanked the monk, dipped his finger into the liquid, and began writing on the scroll.
"Dear Mr. Haruto, I wish to exchange knowledge with you. Since you were rather vague about what you know and what you don't, I'll have to be upfront and share the information I've gathered—whether or not you're already aware of it. I assume you know of the existence of demons and the Shadow Realm…"
Takeshi continued writing, detailing the events, experiences, and discoveries from his past two nights in the Shadow Realm.
He spared no detail, hoping that honesty and openness would lead to a valuable exchange.
"…Therefore, I would like to request any information you might have about the seven stages of power that a human contracted with a demon can go through. Of course, only if you possess such knowledge. But considering you've lived for over 400 years, I can only assume your understanding in this field is considerable. Best regards, Your acquaintance, Ren Takeshi."
After finishing the letter, Takeshi stood up and loudly called out the old man's name.
In less than a minute, his courier arrived—a white falcon, known as a Bird of Wisdom.
With great care, the majestic bird took the folded scroll from Takeshi's hand using its beak.
Then, just as swiftly as it had appeared, it soared into the sky, disappearing at incredible speed.
With that matter settled, Takeshi turned toward the monk, now ready to hear his proposed solution to the problem of communicating with his demon.