ISEKAI? More like I See Crap!
Chapter 216: A Predator’s Smile ( 216 )

Chapter 216: A Predator’s Smile ( 216 )

Smoke curled from the ruins of the battlefield.

Blood soaked the ground.

Limbs. Claws. Ash.

Hazuki stood still at the center of it all.

Head lowered, body slack, sword dripping with blood and faint green fire still pulsing along its edge.

No more laughter.

No screams.

Only silence.

His mouth curled upward.

A slow, wide, devilish grin.

One hand at his side, fingers twitching slightly.

His eyes shifted, side-glancing at the last twitching corpse like a predator waiting for movement.

Above him, Ridan floated in lazy loops, arms behind his back like a smug little storm cloud.

"Yo... you tired?" he asked, circling like a buzzard.

Hazuki slowly lifted his head, eyes still glowing with that eerie spark.

The grin didn’t fade.

"No..." he said, voice low. "Just getting started."

Ridan smirked, eyes glinting.

"Good."

He twirled midair, hovering just above Hazuki’s shoulder.

"Because there’s one more place you should go."

"Where?"

Ridan leaned close, eyes narrowing as his voice dropped into a whisper only Hazuki could hear.

"To the one responsible for summoning these rifts."

Hazuki’s eyes flared again.

Then his body straightened.

The sword still gripped in his hand lowered slightly, but the fire didn’t fade.

His grin widened—slower, colder.

"Oh...?" he muttered.

He tilted his head.

Then licked his lips.

"Well then..."

His voice dropped lower.

"Show... me... the... way~"

The guards stood frozen, backs straight, eyes locked on the blood-soaked figure just meters away.

One guard’s hand trembled as he sheathed his blade.

"C-Captain...?" he whispered, trying to hold his voice steady.

The captain didn’t look away from Hazuki.

"Don’t ask..." he said hoarsely. "Just grab the wounded. Quietly."

Then Hazuki turned his head, and his eyes flicked toward them.

A side-glance.

Sharp. Hungry.

"Don’t try to steal my loot."

Every guard stiffened.

One stammered.

"A-Ah—we won’t! We won’t, sir! W-We’ll just, uh... pile them up. Help. That’s all!"

Another nodded rapidly.

"Y-Yeah! We’ll only take the ones we took down ourselves. Promise!"

Hazuki said nothing.

Just stared a moment longer.

wiping blood from his brow.

"...Let’s help the wounded first. Prioritize adventurers and guards."

He glanced down at the twitching body of a brute, the blade of an ally still lodged in its back.

"Then we help pile up the ones he killed. Separate them from the rest."

A younger guard hesitated.

"But what if he... comes back?"

The captain didn’t look up.

"Then we make damn sure we don’t touch anything with a clean cut or green burn marks."

The others nodded.

"O-Okay."

"Got it."

"Just... don’t look at him in the eye next time..."

The field, though soaked in horror, slowly returned to order.

"Umm... Captain?" one of the younger guards asked, hesitantly.

The captain didn’t even turn around.

He just sighed. Long. Heavy.

"...What?"

"Uh... how should we... report this?"

Another beat of silence.

Then the captain slowly straightened his back, turned his head slightly, and looked at the tired guard with dead eyes.

"Why are you asking me?"

"I-I mean, you’re the one in charge, right...?"

"I’m also the one who has to write the report," the captain said flatly. "And explain to the higher-ups how a solo black-haired human with no party and a glowing sword slashed through monsters like he was cutting vegetables."

"...While laughing," one of the archers added quietly.

"And talking to himself," another muttered.

The captain rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"I’m going to need a drink before I even start writing this."

Deep in the shadowed forest, beneath layers of dense leaves and hidden enchantments, three hooded figures stood atop a high ridge, watching the distant glow of the fading battle.

"Hmmm... Looks like all the rifts are closed now," one muttered, arms crossed and voice lit with quiet confidence.

"Yeah. The adventurers around here are tougher than I thought." Another chuckled softly. "Not to mention the town’s knights and guards. Beastkin are doing well enough."

"It doesn’t matter," the third said, shrugging as his cloak rustled. "We caused enough chaos—panic, casualties, confusion. The job’s done. Let’s get out of here before the knights catch on."

The first one snorted, still smiling.

"Move? Hah! You worry too much. No way they’ll find us here. They’re probably busy patching up their wounded or counting dead."

"Yeah! Hahaha!"

But suddenly, a faint sound. A step.

They froze.

"...Did you hear that?" one whispered nervously.

"...Probably an animal. Relax," another whispered, trying to sound confident.

Then—another step. Heavy, deliberate, drawing nearer.

And then, a voice.

Low, calm, filled with amusement and menace.

"You all going... somewhere?"

All three figures spun sharply.

From between the trees, a lone silhouette appeared, relaxed shoulders, sword hanging at his side, but his very presence oppressive.

His eyes flickered faintly red in the darkness.

A slow, dangerous grin curled across his face.

"Hello~ there~,"

The three cloaked figures paused their arguing for a moment—then snorted, one after the other.

"Man, that actually freaked me out for a second," one said, clutching his chest in mock relief. "Thought it was the royal beastkin special forces or something. If it was them, maaaaaybe we’d have to get serious."

The second chuckled. "Right? But this guy? No aura. No heavy armor. Just some scrawny human with black hair and a short green sword."

"Let’s decide who gets to kill him, then move on. The rest of us should go report back," the third said, his tone eager and bloodthirsty.

He stepped forward, licking his lips like a hungry dog.

"Hey, how about you let me have some fun with this guy? It’s been ages since I heard a human scream."

"Oi—hell no. I want him. I’m going to rip open his ribs and watch him try to hold in his guts,"

"How dare you talk back to your superior!?"

"Superior? In what? Talking out your ass? We’re all on the same level, you glorified errand boy!"

Without looking back, the first one simply raised a hand and began walking away.

"I don’t care which of you takes him. I’m not wasting my time on a nobody. Finish up fast and catch up later."

Hazuki stood there, sword still resting lazily against his shoulder.

He yawned.

"Oi... I’m sleepy."

He scratched the back of his head, watching the two cloaked enemies still bickering.

"Should be home... grilling drake meat. Not listening to two clowns argue about who gets to die first."

They didn’t hear him.

Too busy snarling at each other.

Hazuki sighed again.

"Whatever."

And in the next instant.

He vanished.

Not a gust.

Not a flash.

Just gone.

Then.

Two heads dropped to the ground.

A beat of silence followed.

"Ewww, Ridan!! Their blood’s green! That’s gross!" Hazuki complained, flinging a few drops off his sword.

He stood casually over the bodies, like he’d just stepped on bugs.

"You said they were demons? Looking like this?"

He glared into the air.

"You told me demons were supposed to be strong."

A pause.

"What do you mean, ’not all of them’!?"

His voice rose.

"So there’s strong ones and then there’s... stupid ones?"

Another pause.

Then Hazuki nodded slowly, expression deadpan.

"...Yeah. I can agree with that."

The third cloaked figure, who had only just turned around after hearing the sickening thunk of rolling heads, froze in place.

His eyes went wide.

His gaze remained fixed on the rolling heads of his companions, shadows flickering across his face.

His voice quivered, uncertain.

"W-what...?"

Hazuki paid him no mind, continuing to converse casually with Ridan.

"Hm?" he murmured, still relaxed. "Oh yeah. He’s still alive. Should I leave him? Or are we doing clean-up today?"

( End Of Chapter )