Dororo: The Mio Chronicle Ch.2: The Stone-Throwing Assassin and the Voiceless Swordsman

The night air was damp, clinging to the skin like a wet cloth. Behind the temple hall, where the cedar grove thinned into a small clearing, Hyakkimaru stood alone, facing the grotesque. It had a human shape. But it had no face. Beneath a smooth, featureless head, a body like black mist swayed and undulated. A sound like weeping leaked continuously from every inch of it. A mass of grudge. It should have been driven off the night before by Mio's song—yet here it was again. Hyakkimaru moved the fingers of his prosthetic hand. A small click, and the concealed blade sprang forth. Moonlight caught the steel, and it gleamed cold. The monster approached slowly. Hyakkimaru kicked off the ground. In a single breath he closed the distance and brought the blade down in a diagonal slash. The sword carved through the monster from shoulder to flank. But there was no resistance. The moment he cut, the black mist gathered and sealed the wound. It was like swinging a sword through fog. No matter how many times he struck, it returned to its original form. Hyakkimaru bit his lip. He couldn't see the "core" he needed to cut. His prosthetic eyes held no light. But the flame-like presence he sensed through his spiritual power was spread faintly across the monster's entire body—not concentrated in any single point. Where should he cut? Hyakkimaru leaped back. The monster's arm shot out like a whip, striking the air. The tip of the arm hit the ground and scattered into black droplets. "Hi... hihi... hi..." The monster laughed. Or was it crying? The sound defied distinction, clinging directly to the back of his ears. Hyakkimaru ground his back teeth. There were things he had to protect. Inside the temple hall were Mio and seven orphans. Take, too, and the little ones. And yet. His blade couldn't reach this monster. Frustration burned hot in his chest. That was when it happened. Whoosh. The sound of something small cutting through air. An instant later—thunk—a stone struck the monster's head. The monster's movement stopped dead. Hyakkimaru looked toward the sound. On a branch of a cedar tree. A small shadow was there. "Ha! Got it, got it! My aim's a hundred percent, y'know!" The shadow leaped lightly from the branch. What appeared under the moonlight was a child. Messy brown hair. Large amber eyes shining with mischief. Ten years old, maybe. At the waist hung a cloth bag clinking with pebbles. Dororo. A young pickpocket who roamed these parts. "What're you doin' with that big ugly thing? Takin' it on alone—you must be some kinda weirdo!" Hyakkimaru didn't answer. Couldn't answer. Dororo's eyes went wide at the sight of Hyakkimaru's prosthetic arm and leg. "Whoa! What's with that arm! Is it made of wood? That's amazing—does it move?" It was a carefree voice. As if responding to that voice, the mass of grudge slowly turned toward Dororo. "Whoa—it's lookin' at me!" Dororo hurriedly threw a stone. Two, three. The stones hit the monster's head and chest with precision. But they sank into the black mist and only dropped to the ground with a soft patter. The monster crept toward Dororo. "W-wait a sec! I just came here lookin' for food!" Dororo backed away. His back hit a cedar trunk. The monster's arm struck the tree beside Dororo's face. Bark split with a sharp crack. "Eek!" Dororo let out a small scream. That was when it happened. Hyakkimaru slashed at the monster from behind. The blade swept horizontally across its torso. But still—no resistance. The monster ignored Hyakkimaru, its focus fixed on Dororo. Hyakkimaru clenched his teeth. He couldn't protect him. At this rate, that child would be killed. "...!" Hyakkimaru bent his prosthetic knee. With a click, the leg's armor opened. A boiling-water dispenser. Scalding water sprayed across the monster's back. Sssss. The black mist shrank, steaming. It was working. But only for an instant. The monster regenerated the melted portion immediately. "H-hey! You! Do something about this thing!" Dororo shouted. Hyakkimaru stood before the monster. He wanted to do something. But what? The blade wouldn't work. The boiling water wasn't a decisive blow either. "...Ahh, enough! I can't just stand here watchin'!" Dororo suddenly drew a deep breath. And then. "UWOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!" From the pit of his stomach, he let out a roar. It was an absurdly loud voice, one that seemed to echo through the mountains. The cedars trembled; the very ground seemed to shake. The mass of grudge flinched. The black mist warped and twisted. "My yell's so loud, even bears run away from it!" Dororo shouted again. "UWOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!" A second roar. The monster's body wavered violently. In that instant, Hyakkimaru saw it. Deep in the monster's chest. At the center of the black mist, a dark red light flickered—just for a moment. The core. Hyakkimaru kicked off the ground. One step, two steps, three. The springs in his prosthetic legs propelled him forward. Straight toward the monster's chest. He leveled the concealed blade horizontally. "...!" The blade pierced the dark red light. There was resistance. Heavy, solid. Not the sensation of cutting bone, nor of tearing flesh. Something deeper—as if the blade had reached the very core of a soul. The monster screamed. No—it wasn't a scream. It was weeping. Infant, woman, old man—countless cries overlapped, shaking the night air. And then. The mass of grudge vanished like mist. Silence returned. Hyakkimaru lowered his blade. "D-did you do it?! Amazing! You—did you see that just now?!" Dororo came running over, hopping with excitement. Hyakkimaru looked down at Dororo. "I saw that red light too! That was its weak spot, wasn't it! When my yell scared it, the light popped right out!" Hyakkimaru gave a small nod. Dororo's shout had exposed the monster's core for just an instant. Alone, he couldn't have won. "Heh! How's that—my power was useful, right! You should be grateful!" Dororo puffed out his chest. Hyakkimaru silently sheathed his blade. "Hey, don't ignore me! I saved you, y'know!" Hyakkimaru started walking toward the temple hall. "Hey! Wait up! What's your name? Where're you from? You a samurai? No way you're a samurai. That sword ain't no ordinary blade, is it?" Dororo fired off questions rapid-fire from behind. Hyakkimaru kept walking without turning around. "Hey hey, don't ignore me! I'm Dororo! I'm a pretty famous thief around these parts!" Hyakkimaru stopped. He turned around. Dororo grinned. "You're strong. I like you. I'm gonna be your underling!" Hyakkimaru shook his head. Don't follow me. He conveyed it—through telepathy, through emotion, through will. But it didn't reach Dororo. "What? Why're you shakin' your head? Don't be shy. There's no harm in havin' me around, right?" Hyakkimaru shook his head again, more firmly. "Why not! I was useful back there! Without my yell, you couldn't've beaten that thing, could you?" Hyakkimaru fell silent. It was true. "See! With me around, it's a hundred times better! It's settled! From today on, you're my aniki!" Dororo lunged at Hyakkimaru's prosthetic arm. Hyakkimaru tried to shake him off, but Dororo clung tight and wouldn't let go. "Aniki! What's your name, aniki? Tell me!" Hyakkimaru, as if giving up, wrote characters on the ground with his finger. 'Hyakkimaru.' "Hyakkimaru! What a weird name! But it's cool! Aniki, nice to meet you!" Hyakkimaru let out a small sigh. He couldn't shake him off. This little pickpocket was persistent. Hyakkimaru returned to the temple hall, dragging Dororo along. Inside, Mio and the orphans huddled together anxiously. "Hyakkimaru-san! Are you all right?" Mio ran to him. Hyakkimaru nodded. "Oh my... who is this child?" Mio looked at Dororo, who was clinging to Hyakkimaru's prosthetic arm. "I'm Dororo! From today on, I'm aniki's underling!" Dororo introduced himself, chest puffed out. "Aniki...? Hyakkimaru-san's?" "That's right! Just now, I scared the monster with my yell, and aniki cut it down! We're the best team, right!" Mio looked at Hyakkimaru with a puzzled expression. Hyakkimaru shook his head. "Aniki, don't be shy! It's the truth!" "...Fufu." Mio gave a small laugh. "I see. Thank you, Dororo-chan. For helping Hyakkimaru-san." "Yeah! Leave it to me! With me around, monsters ain't scary at all!" Dororo was completely into it. Hyakkimaru looked at Mio's face. Her color was still pale. The fatigue from driving off the mass of grudge with her song the night before still lingered. A small pang shot through Hyakkimaru's chest. "Hyakkimaru-san, please rest a little. I'll take over the watch." Mio said. Hyakkimaru shook his head. You rest. He wanted to convey that. But words didn't reach. Hyakkimaru sat at the entrance of the temple hall, holding his blade. "...Thank you." Mio said that and returned to the orphans. Dororo plopped down heavily beside Hyakkimaru. "Hey, aniki. What's that big sister to you?" Hyakkimaru didn't answer. "Are you two... close? The way you look at her, aniki—it's different somehow." Hyakkimaru glared at Dororo. "Oh, hit a nerve! Heh, I can see right through you!" Hyakkimaru lightly tapped Dororo's head with his prosthetic hand. "Ow! What'd you do that for!" Hyakkimaru looked out beyond the temple hall. The night darkness was deep. He'd defeated that mass of grudge. But something else might come. And then there was that talisman. Hyakkimaru reached into his robe. The wooden talisman Dororo had found while prowling behind the temple hall, looking for a burglary target. The mark of Jigokudo. Kagekō's family crest. And the characters for "demon sealing." Hyakkimaru gripped the talisman tight. This temple hall was being targeted. The orphans were being targeted. Mio was being targeted. A dark flame kindled in Hyakkimaru's chest. "Aniki, what's that? You've been holdin' it this whole time." Dororo peered at Hyakkimaru's hand. Hyakkimaru tucked the talisman back into his robe. "What! You could at least show me! I'm the one who found it!" Hyakkimaru shook his head. "Stingy! Fine, whatever. It's probably nothin' good anyway." Dororo snorted. Silence followed for a while. "...Hey, aniki." Dororo spoke up quietly. "Why're you so strong, aniki?" Hyakkimaru didn't answer. "I saw it. When you cut that monster. No human moves like that. You were like... a demon." Hyakkimaru looked at the moon. "I wanna get stronger too. I can't just keep lettin' those samurai push me around." Dororo's voice trembled, just slightly. Hyakkimaru looked at Dororo. Dororo's amber eyes caught the moonlight and glinted. "I'm gonna get strong like you, aniki, and make those samurai eat their words." Hyakkimaru placed his prosthetic hand on Dororo's head. "...What?" Hyakkimaru said nothing. He just left his hand there on Dororo's head. "...Heh. Your hand's cold, aniki." Dororo laughed, looking embarrassed. That was when it happened. Grrrrrr. A loud sound rumbled from Dororo's stomach. "...!" Dororo's face went bright red. "W-what! Anyone's stomach can growl!" Hyakkimaru stood up. He went inside the temple hall and picked up one of the rice balls Mio had set aside for the orphans. Then he held it out to Dororo. "...Huh?" Dororo's eyes went wide. "I-I'm not even hungry! This is—I mean—you eat it!" Hyakkimaru pressed the rice ball to Dororo's mouth. "...Can I really?" Hyakkimaru nodded. Dororo took the rice ball hesitantly. Then he started devouring it. "Delicious! So delicious! How many days has it been since I had rice!" Hyakkimaru watched Dororo eat in silence. Rice that Mio had shaped. He felt like the warmth of her hands still lingered on it. "...I-I'm not grateful or anythin', got it! This is just—aniki said to eat it, so I'm eatin' it!" Dororo grumbled while stuffing his cheeks with rice. Hyakkimaru's lips softened, just slightly. "...Aniki, did you just sm

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Dororo: The Mio Chronicle Episode 2: The Stone-Throwing Assassin and the Voiceless Swordsman