The faint, holy aura of Asia's presence had become a constant, low-level hum in the back of my mind, a beacon drawing me toward the old part of town. For two days, I'd subtly patrolled the area, my demonic senses stretched thin, trying to pinpoint her exact location without alerting any other supernatural entities that might be watching.
I found her on a bustling shopping street, looking utterly lost.
She stood out like a single, pure lily in a field of weeds. Her blonde hair was tied back, and she wore a simple, modest dress, a small travel bag slung over her shoulder. Her face, etched with a mixture of hope and desperation, was turned towards passersby, who either ignored her or gave her a wide, confused berth.
"E-Excuse me?" she called out, her voice soft and melodic, but heavy with a foreign accent. "Please, can you tell me the way to the church?"
She repeated the question in English, her words clear but met with blank stares and shrugs from the Japanese locals. I saw her shoulders slump, the hope in her green eyes beginning to dim. She was a ghost already, unseen and unheard in this foreign land, just as she was in the original story.
This was my chance. Not just to save her later, but to offer a moment of kindness now.
I walked over, my approach calm and non-threatening. "You are looking for the church?" I asked in clear, if slightly accented, English.
Her head snapped up, and her eyes widened as if I'd performed a miracle just by understanding her. "Yes! Oh, thank you! Yes, the church, please. I was told there is one here?"
Her relief was so palpable it was like a physical wave. I kept my expression neutral, though a part of me, the part that remembered her fate, twisted inside.
"It's not far," I said, pointing down a side street. "But it's an old building. It's... abandoned. Are you sure that's the right place?" I let a note of concern color my voice, a genuine warning masked as casual advice.
Her smile was heartbreakingly bright. "Yes! That is the one. Thank you so much! You are very kind."
She bowed deeply, and I returned a slight nod. "Be careful," I added, the words feeling inadequate. "It's a lonely area."
"God will watch over me," she said with unwavering faith, before bowing again and hurrying off in the direction I'd pointed.
I watched her go, the gentle, holy energy receding with her. The encounter was over in less than a minute, but it solidified everything. She was real. Her kindness was real. And the threat to her was more real than ever.
A cold certainty settled in my gut. Raynare was watching. This meeting wouldn't have gone unnoticed. The timeline had just accelerated.
I turned and walked away, my mind already racing. I had 3,200 Points. It wasn't enough for the Rokushiki, but it was enough for something else. Something crucial. I couldn't afford to be caught off guard. I needed an edge that went beyond muscle and demonic power. I needed to *feel* the fight before it began.
Ducking into a quiet alley, I pulled up the system interface. I navigated past the flashy, expensive techniques and went straight to the foundational, practical skills.
**> Combat Intuition (Tier 1):** Sharpens pre-cognitive instincts in a conflict. Allows user to subconsciously read an opponent's killing intent and muscle twitches, granting a fraction of a second to react.
**[ Cost: 3,000 Points ]**
It was expensive. It would wipe out almost all my savings. But a fraction of a second was the difference between a light spear through the heart and a dodge. It was the difference between saving Asia and watching her die.
"System," I commanded silently. "Purchase Combat Intuition, Tier 1."
**[ Purchasing: Combat Intuition (Tier 1) for 3,000 Points. ]**
**[ Balance: 200 Points. ]**
**[ Administering... ]**
There was no wave of heat, no physical transformation. Instead, it felt like a film had been wiped from my senses. The world suddenly seemed sharper, more defined. The distant sounds of traffic, the rustle of a bird taking flight, the shift in the air as someone rounded the corner—my brain processed it all not just as data, but as potential vectors of threat. It was a subtle, background hum of awareness, a spiderweb of perception now sensitive to the slightest tremor.
I looked down the street where Asia had disappeared. The gentle warmth of her aura was gone, but the cold, predatory stillness I now sensed watching that same path was unmistakable.
The pieces were in motion. I had made first contact. I had spent my points on a sharpened instinct.
The wait was over. The hunt was on.