"Why? Why are you all pushing me like this? I don't want to become your tool, a slave at your beck and call."
"I've been striving so hard for my dream, why do you all treat me like a clown?"
A figure walked up behind him and leaned close to his ear.
"Because your dreams are nothing compared to theirs. They have never cared about you."
"Now, look at them. Unleash the fury burning in your heart."
Back in reality, Wrath Demon glared at Amane, projecting the faces of those who had once mocked him onto her, and lunged forward.
Amane counterattacked with her Nichirin Blade.
"(Water Breathing - First Form: Water Surface Slash!)"
She slashed toward Wrath Demon, but the demon's charge smashed through the office window glass, sending Amane flying out along with him.
Fortunately, there was an artificial lake directly below the building. Amane plunged into the water, and their battlefield shifted to the exterior of the company grounds.
Amane crawled out of the lake onto the shore, while flames spewed ceaselessly from Wrath Demon's bone marrow like a jet from a flamethrower.
Painful memories flashed through his mind.
"Run downstairs and buy me a bottle of coffee. Oh, and get me the exact same thing—me, me, me."
"What kind of proposal even is this? It belongs straight in the trash can!"
Memories of his days as a human continually surfaced. He stared down at his own hands.
"Who on earth am I? I can't even remember anymore. What do I exist for? What am I supposed to be doing right now?"
Wrath Demon chose not to press the attack immediately. Amane took a deep breath and gripped her Nichirin Blade tightly.
"Damn it, it looks like I have no choice but to use this move."
Amane sprinted forward, desperate to complete the technique before the demon could react.
"(Water Breathing - Third Form: Flowing Dance!)"
Her blade lunged at Wrath Demon once more, but this time the attack had little effect; the wounds she carved healed almost instantly.
With every cut she landed, Amane spun and immediately adjusted her momentum to repeat the slash.
"(This isn't working, it still lacks the necessary power. I have to keep going!)"
Amidst another spin, Wrath Demon's fist materialized right in front of Amane. She instantly used her Nichirin Blade to slice through his arm, but the movement broke her rotation.
Wrath Demon's severed arm grew back in a flash, while Amane panted heavily.
"(If this keeps up, I'll be at a disadvantage. I have to end this as quickly as possible.)"
She recalled a memory from her training.
"Hideharu-senpai, what's the trick to bringing out the Tenth Form of Water Breathing instantly?"
"How should I put it?"
He had looked toward a small stream.
"Take this little stream in front of us, for instance. Its current isn't particularly strong, but when it becomes a rushing river, the current can smash through obstacles or carry a boat along its path."
"The Tenth Form of Water Breathing: Constant Flow turns your blade into water while turning you into water as well, sweeping away everything in its path like a massive flood."
"(Blood Demon Art: Molten Fist!)"
Amane sprang to her feet and charged at the demon. The shockwave of Wrath Demon's punches carried a blistering heat and fierce, fiery light.
"(Water Breathing - Tenth Form: Constant Flow!)"
Rings of water materialized around the Nichirin Blade as Amane deflected the punch pressure while maintaining her relentless spins.
"One, two, three, four."
Amane closed the distance right up to the demon, raised her Nichirin Blade, and slashed at Wrath Demon's neck. Wrath Demon instantly reinforced his throat with a layer of defensive magma.
A majestic water dragon suddenly appeared coiling around the Nichirin Blade.
"I see it! That thread is the guide to defeating you!"
"(Blood Demon Art: Molten Fist!)"
Layer after layer of magma was cleaved apart by the Nichirin Blade. The demon immediately clenched his fist and struck Amane squarely in the abdomen.
A head rolled onto the ground. Amane realized just in time that the scorching heat of that punch had almost finished her off.
As the head and body began to dissolve into nothingness, the demon glared at Amane and cursed angrily.
"Why? Why are you all bullying me? I didn't do anything wrong, why?!"
Wrath Demon's body was fading away, tears of bitter resentment streaming down his face. Amane asked for his name.
"What is your name?"
"Why do you care about my name? Is it so you can learn it and mock me? Impossible! Impossible!"
Wrath Demon's body kept dissolving until most of it was gone. Amane crouched down and picked up an employee ID badge, but it had been burned beyond recognition.
Consumed by rage, the demon fell into a revolving-lantern memory of his past.
"Where is this? Am I dead?"
Wrath Demon transformed back into his human appearance, sitting alone in a conference room staring at a projection screen.
"Is this my dying vision? I remember now—my name is Kimimaro Okamoto. But it doesn't matter anymore."
"Hey, the manager wants you to run down and buy him a cup of coffee."
"Look at your performance this month, dead last again. Can you even do this job? If not, get out of here."
Okamoto had walked down to the coffee shop just like that.
"(Same as always... I'm so sick of this life.)"
"(Day in and day out, over and over, endless cycles where I can never do anything right, and nobody ever believes in me.)"
Okamoto knocked on his own head.
"No! What am I even saying? I can definitely win their approval."
That evening after work, Okamoto saw the manager step out of his car and head toward a patch of woods, followed closely by two men.
Okamoto ran up to the manager to submit his proposal, handed over the USB drive, and turned to leave. When he looked back, he saw the manager casually toss his drive deep into the bushes.
Okamoto tried to enter the woods, but was grabbed by the two men accompanying the manager. One of them punched Okamoto hard.
The manager took a briefcase out of the car, opened it to reveal it was full of cash, and hurled the money right into Okamoto's face.
"Is this enough money for you? You're nothing more than a clown meant for our amusement."
"I'm sick of watching your clown act. You're fired!"
The manager got back into the car, and the two men let go and walked away, leaving Okamoto all alone.
"So in everyone else's eyes, I've always just been a clown performing all by myself."
"Hahahaha, all my hard work is utterly worthless to anyone else."
Okamoto struggled to his feet and looked back to see a figure standing deep in the shadows of the woods.
"Don't you want to make the people who mocked you start fearing and respecting you?"
"Who are you? What kind of crazy talk is this?"
The sun had set, and the figure stepped out from the forest. Those eyes were unmistakably not human. Panic gripped Okamoto.
"Who... the hell... are you?"
"You aren't qualified to know who I am yet. I'm here to help you."
Tentacles sprouted from the creature's back, and the needle-like tips pierced straight into Okamoto's body.
"From now on, you can accomplish whatever you desire. Go. Make those people feel your wrath."
Back in reality.
The sound of police sirens echoed in the distance. Amane got to her feet and left as a heavily armed military squad rushed to the scene.
Kangmaru stepped out of a vehicle, crouched down to examine the dissolving arm, and stepped on it with his boot.
"Search the surrounding area for any other demons. I've been dying to capture one and take a look."
"Captain Kangmaru, radar scans show no other life signs in the vicinity."
"(This demon was already eliminated before we even got here.)"
"Then let's move out. There's nothing left for us here."
After the incident was over.
Amane changed out of her soaked clothes and returned home to find Maigo struggling to thread a needle, likely hindered by nearsightedness as she kept missing the eye.
Amane snatched the needle and thread away and began mending Maigo's school uniform instead. Maigo watched Amane's concentrated expression and inexplicably began to blush.
"All done."
"Have you been drinking? Why is your face so red? That doesn't make sense—could you be coming down with a cold?!"
She pressed her hand against Maigo's forehead, then touched her own.
"You don't have a fever. Why is your face so red?"
A phone started ringing. Maigo immediately jumped up and answered it.
"Amane, it's for you."
Taking the phone, Amane heard Zuoye's voice on the other end.
"Amane, you don't need to go to that company tomorrow. Your mission is already complete."
"At the very least, I need to go submit my resignation."
"Unnecessary. Your identity there was fake anyway, and I've already got that company by the throat. Tomorrow, they will pay the price for everything they've done."
"I want to go with you, I don't know why."
"That's fine."
The next day, the police arrested all the company's executives and managers.
"Because of tax evasion and the illegal capture and trafficking of wild animals overseas, you are all facing criminal prosecution on two major charges."
The police rescued numerous protected animals from the forest.
"All of you scum are going to prison."