Chapter 99: Baba Yaga’s Encounter with Kiyoshi Rin II

Then Rin looked at the food in the steaming bowl, the chunks of meat floating in the thick broth giving off a coppery, metallic scent that made his nose wrinkle.

He pushed the bowl away slightly with one small hand and said in a calm, steady voice that carried far more weight than his twelve-year-old frame suggested,

"You expect me to eat this food made from human parts?"

The words hung in the air like a blade.

Baba Yaga’s evil smile slowly disappeared, her wrinkled lips straightening into a thin line as her amber eyes widened in shock.

In her mind, the thought raced with rising alarm:

How could he tell it was human meat?

The old woman form she had taken faltered for a moment, the illusion of the kindly grandmother cracking as her true cunning and hunger showed through.

The air in the dark, cluttered hut grew heavier, the hanging bones and jars of floating eyes seeming to watch the scene with silent interest.

The stew continued to steam innocently on the rough wooden table, but the scent now felt wrong, thick and wrong, the coppery undertone unmistakable to someone with Rin’s sharp senses. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Then Rin said to her, his young voice clear and unafraid, "Hmm... well this is the main reason why I’m here." He stood up slowly from the mismatched chair, his small frame straight and determined, blue hair tousled from the long journey, blue eyes sharp as he looked at the old woman.

"I heard this is where the terrifying Baba Yaga lives... Are you Baba Yaga?"

She looked at him in silence for a long moment, her amber eyes narrowing as she studied the boy standing in her hut.

In her mind, the thoughts swirled with confusion and dark amusement:

Who is this kid? He came all this way alone? Doesn’t he know what I am?

The ancient witch’s wrinkled hands tightened on the edge of the table, the rags of her robe shifting as she leaned forward slightly, the fire in the hearth crackling louder as if reacting to the tension.

The hut felt smaller, the shadows deeper, the air thicker with the scent of herbs and hidden decay.

She finally spoke, her voice raspy and sweet like honey over broken glass,

"How could you..."

Then suddenly Rin stood up fully and kicked her.

The kick was so powerful it threw her out through the walls of her building.

His small leg snapped forward with explosive force, the impact sounding like thunder as his foot connected with her chest.

The old woman form flew backward like a rag doll, crashing through the wooden wall with a deafening crack of splintering timber and exploding debris.

Dust and wood fragments filled the air as she tumbled outside into the frozen Russian wilderness, snow flying up around her as she landed hard on the icy ground.

The hut shook from the force, the roof creaking as if it might collapse, the hanging bones rattling like wind chimes in a storm.

She stood up slowly, snow clinging to her ragged robes, her amber eyes wide with shock as she saw Rin walking out of her building toward her.

The boy stepped through the hole he had created, his small boots crunching on the snow, his blue hair tousled by the cold wind, his expression calm and determined. Baba Yaga wiped blood from her lip, her old woman form flickering as the illusion strained, revealing glimpses of her true, more terrifying shape beneath.

She said to herself, her voice a low growl in her mind, Who is this kid who defies me?

Then she became so furious.

Her wrinkled face twisted into a snarl, amber eyes blazing with rage as she grabbed a large, long bone from the snow — a femur from some long-dead giant, heavy and jagged.

She sprinted toward Rin with surprising speed for her apparent age, the bone held like a club as she swung it with deadly force.

The fight broke loose between them in the snowy clearing outside the hut.

Baba Yaga attacked with wild, powerful swings, the bone whistling through the air as she tried to crush the boy.

Rin dodged with effortless grace, his small body moving like water, ducking under swings and sidestepping strikes that shattered trees and sent snow exploding into the air.

The fight was thrilling and chaotic — Baba Yaga’s rage fueling her speed and strength, the bone cracking against rocks and trees as she roared, while Rin countered with precise, powerful strikes of his own, his small fists landing with force that sent the witch staggering.

Snow flew in clouds, the cold air burning their lungs as they clashed, the forest around them shaking with the intensity of the battle.

Baba Yaga was fast and powerful, her attacks wild and overwhelming, but what she noticed was that none of her attacks showed any damage on this little kid.

Rin moved with unnatural speed and precision for his age, dodging and weaving, his blue eyes calm and focused as he landed blows that cracked her illusions and sent her flying into snowdrifts.

The witch’s ragged robes tore, her old woman form cracking further as she realized the boy was far more than he appeared.

She rushed toward Rin, trying to grab him in a desperate hug-like grip to crush him, but Rin dodged at the last moment and punched her stomach with full force.

The impact was devastating — his small fist sank deep into her midsection with a sickening thud, the force lifting her off her feet and sending her flying backward through the air.

She landed at a distance, her body skidding across the snow, eyes rolling back as she coughed up dark blood that stained the white ground.

The pain was immense, her illusions shattering completely as she gasped for air, her true form flickering into view for a moment — a more monstrous, ancient witch with sharp features and glowing eyes.

Then she looked at him and realized this wasn’t just a normal kid.

Her amber eyes widened with shock and fear as she gasped, "What are you and who sent you?"...