"Shadows have no fear, they can feel pain, but they won't dread pain, nor will they fear death." Amamiya Natsuki said softly, "But Yote is different."
Shinomiya Kaguya nodded slightly:
"Yote's essence is still human; he will naturally feel fear when encountering danger."
Fujiwara Chika's eyes lit up:
"As long as Yote emits the scent of fear, Sadako can follow the scent to find him."
"Exactly." Amamiya Natsuki smiled, "That's why Sadako's mission today is crucial."
Sadako still had her head down, completely indifferent to the mission. A faint voice emanated from beneath her thick black hair:
"Mahjong…"
That's enough, can you please stop talking about mahjong!
Would you agree to play even strip mahjong?!
Watching Sadako, silent and absorbed in mahjong, Amamiya Natsuki sighed helplessly.
If she were human and not a kaidan, he would have already won all her panties.
"In any case, that's the situation." Amamiya Natsuki said seriously, "If the shadows keep disappearing in the mist, Yote will inevitably feel fear… So, let the operation begin."
"…"
All preparations were complete.
Next was the hunting hour.
The Human Faced Dog was originally a kaidan born from the Grudge Mist, so she was perfectly at home in the mist, experiencing no discomfort at all.
"Human Faced Dog." Amamiya Natsuki commanded in a low voice, "Go find the nearest shadow."
"Leave it to me."
The Human-Faced Dog crouched, pushing off with her limbs, and quickly vanished into the mist.
A moment later.
The mist gently swirled, and the Human-Faced Dog quietly returned, excited:
"I found two guys guarding the passage entrance up ahead."
Amamiya Natsuki decisively said:
"Lead the way."
"…"
The cave system was a naturally formed water-eroded landscape, so there were no flat paths inside. However, since this place had been the lair of Hiruko no Kami for hundreds of years, it had naturally undergone some modifications.
The group climbed along the steep cliff face and soon arrived at a man-made flat path.
Amamiya Natsuki squinted, vaguely seeing two figures guarding the entrance, one on the left and one on the right, seemingly conversing in low voices.
"The mist is strange; in all these years, there has never been mist in the cave system."
"It must be those human players who have invaded."
"I can't hear Mother's thoughts anymore."
"The walkie-talkie can still be used."
"We'll hold this place. Reinforcements are on the way. No one will harm Mother…"
Bang!
Before he could finish speaking, there was only a dull thud of something falling to the ground.
"Hmm?!"
The other shadow quickly turned his head and found that his companion had silently disappeared, leaving only a black walkie-talkie on the ground.
"What's going on?"
"Why did he suddenly disappear?"
The shadow man took a half-step back, looking around cautiously.
Tap, tap, tap.
The sound of shoes on stone slabs echoed.
Yandere Kaguya, in a pure black dress and holding a blood-stained cleaver, appeared from the dense mist.
"It's that girl from Mother's memory…" The shadow man's pupils contracted, "They've actually invaded this far. No, I must inform Mother as soon as possible."
Seeing that Yandere Kaguya was alone, with nothing behind her, the shadow man decisively made up his mind, lowered his head, and sprinted straight towards Yandere Kaguya.
"She's alone; I can definitely capture her and offer her to Mother…"
Then…
Pfft!
Yandere Kaguya was expressionless, decisively raising her right hand, and swung the blood-stained cleaver.
"So fast."
The shadow man had just thought this when his body on the ground was already separated.
Immediately after, Yandere Kaguya raised her right foot again and stepped on the shadow's main body.
Bang!
The ground quickly cracked.
The fatally wounded shadow instantly lost its ability to move, its body contorted, and finally transformed into a black humanoid trace.
Yandere Kaguya calmly held the cleaver, tilted her head, and looked at Amamiya Natsuki, calmly saying:
"President, don't forget the reward you promised me."
Amamiya Natsuki stood at attention and said:
"I guarantee I won't forget."
Compared to the real Shinomiya Kaguya, Yandere Kaguya is the true top combat power.
"So wonderful." Fujiwara Chika's eyes widened, "As expected of the strongest combat power."
The strongest combat power is clearly the President, not her!
Shinomiya Kaguya lightly bit her silver teeth and said:
"Continue the operation."
Although she was unwilling to admit it, in terms of combat prowess, she was indeed inferior to Yandere Kaguya.
"What did you encounter?"
A voice came from the walkie-talkie dropped on the ground, "Answer if you hear me."
Amamiya Natsuki bent down, picked up the walkie-talkie, and calmly said:
"Tell Yote, we're coming for him."
"…"
The other end of the walkie-talkie immediately fell silent.
Crack.
After speaking, Amamiya Natsuki directly crushed the walkie-talkie.
"President, isn't this a bit too ostentatious?"
Fujiwara Chika asked in a low voice.
Amamiya Natsuki looked at Shinomiya Kaguya upon hearing this: "What does Kaguya say?"
"It's not ostentatious at all." Shinomiya Kaguya crossed her arms over her chest, "Before he figures out our methods, Yote definitely won't let Hiruko no Kami restart time. The President saying this will make Yote feel fear faster."
Amamiya Natsuki nodded lightly and said:
"Continue the operation."
"…"
The mist of resentment filled the entire cave system, severely limiting the vision of everyone, whether players or shadows.
But Amamiya Natsuki's side had Human-Faced Dog, allowing them to quickly locate enemies in the mist.
"Hey, I hear three footsteps ahead."
The Human-Faced Dog wagged its tail and reminded in a low voice.
"Stop."
Amamiya Natsuki raised his right hand, making a stopping gesture, and the girls behind him stopped in their tracks.
"Marin, get ready."
Amamiya Natsuki turned his head, looked at the Succubus Girl beside him, and mouthed the words.
"Understood." Kitagawa Marin nodded seriously, clenching her right fist, "Leave it to me."
At this moment, Marin's clothes had transformed into a black evening gown, with horn decorations on her head, and a heart-shaped tail gently swaying behind her.
The others held their breath, ready for action.
Amamiya Natsuki narrowed his eyes slightly, watching a figure appear in the thick mist, and decisively extended his right hand, silently chanting in his heart:
"Accio… come here!"
[Strength judgment in progress… Judgment passed]
The shadow's physical quality far exceeded that of ordinary people; its strength and speed were even twice that of ordinary people. Unfortunately, it was not as good as Amamiya Natsuki's basic attributes. After the strength judgment failed, it felt an unstoppable force acting upon it, and the entire being flew directly into the thick mist.
Bang!
A female shadow flew into Amamiya Natsuki's hand.
At this point, the shadow woman finally saw Amamiya Natsuki and his group clearly and decisively tried to shout a warning to her companions.
However, the next second.
Kitagawa Marin's gaze sharpened, and her eyes suddenly turned into pink heart shapes.
"Charm Spell!"
The shadow woman's body trembled slightly, and two pink hearts forcibly appeared in her eyes. The shout that had reached her lips instantly dissipated.
Immediately after, the senpai opened a flashlight beside her, shining light on the shadow woman, casting a shadow on the ground.
Finally, Amamiya Natsuki acted, bringing his hammer down onto the ground, hitting the shadow.
Thud.
With a muffled sound, the shadow woman, whose main body had suffered a fatal blow, immediately distorted. Her body quickly disappeared, leaving only a puddle of black human-shaped residue on the ground.
"Second one done."
Amamiya Natsuki let out a light breath.
"Eh heh~" Kitagawa Marin put her right hand on her hip, proudly raising her chin, "Natsuki, Natsuki, how did I do?"
Amamiya Natsuki praised:
"Quite excellent."
Accio can silently grab shadows, but shadows are not stupid. Once they realize they've been caught, their first reaction is to escape into the shadows—
Information from previous weeks mentioned that one of the shadow creatures' innate abilities is to hide their bodies within shadows and pass through various narrow gaps. However, a body hidden in the shadows cannot breathe, and two to three minutes is the limit.
Even so, once a shadow escapes into the darkness, players can only stand by helplessly.
Therefore, after using Accio to grab a shadow, there must be an instant crowd control.
The combo Seize and Eliminate Evil won't work.
It requires "calling out names" first, which isn't instant.
Hayasaka Ai's magic gun also won't work; it's still not instant.
"Natsuki, I might be able to handle it…"
Until finally, Kitagawa Marin stepped forward.
Equipping the Succubus Skin Card, using the role-playing skill, and activating the Succubus skill allows her to actively charm others. Although the duration is very short, it is indeed instant.
One of the two shadows guarding the cave entrance earlier was instantly killed under the combination of Accio + Succubus skill, unable to even let out a warning.
Now, repeating the trick, it's still very effective.
However, after one combo is used, there will be a cooldown.
Amamiya Natsuki was not in a hurry. He remained calm and unruffled, hiding in the thick mist with the girls, silently waiting for the skill cooldown.
A moment later.
The skill cooldown was complete.
Amamiya Natsuki and Marin repeated their trick, Accio + Alluring Eyes, grabbing another shadow and silently killing it instantly.
Time quietly passed, bit by bit.
The number of shadows hunted by the players continuously increased.
One, two, three…
As the shadows in the cave system continuously lost contact, Yote began to panic.
"What the hell is going on with these damned mists?" Yote's tone was gloomy, burning with rage, "How can these mists be dispelled?"
"This can't go on!"
"Because of the presence of the mist, even Hiruko can't contact the shadows. Only the walkie-talkie can still be used, but it's completely meaningless!"
In Yote's original plan, all shadows were to be gathered back into the cave system. As long as those players dared to appear, he would immediately use a mobbing tactic. Even exchanging ten shadows for one player would be a profitable trade.
But now, with the appearance of the thick mist, the human wave tactic had completely lost its meaning.
Without knowing the players' specific locations, no matter how many shadows there were, it was futile. Instead, shadows were constantly losing contact in the mist.
"Damn it!"
"We can't split up anymore!"
Yote's expression was grim. Through Hiruko no Kami, he issued an order for all shadows to gather and huddle together, blocking the entrances and exits of the passages.
With no shadows left isolated, surely no more shadows would disappear, right?
"There are a lot of guys at that entrance ahead." Human-Faced Dog lowered its voice, scouting for information, "At least a dozen of them."
Amamiya Natsuki cautiously approached, squinting his eyes to look over. Sure enough, he saw a pile of shadows standing at the passage entrance, old and young. Every shadow had a serious expression, vigilantly observing their surroundings.
"They're abandoning the jungle and preparing to group up mid."
Amamiya Natsuki clicked his tongue softly, then extended his right hand, aiming at a shadow that looked like a elementary school student.
"Accio!"
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the shadow elementary school student suddenly disappeared into the mist.
Sorry, with a long-range lock-on grab skill, your grouping up is useless.
One by one, the shadows guarding the entrance were grabbed away. The other shadows did not panic or fear; they inherently had no emotion of fear. But Yote, as a human, was already completely frantic.
"Useless!"
"All of them are useless!"
"So many shadows gathered together, and so many were eliminated, yet not a single player was killed!"
Yote's two clones stood one on each side of Hiruko no Kami, their faces grim, looking at each other.
"Should Hiruko restart time?"
"No, restarting now is meaningless. Even if we enter the next week, they will still invade the cave. If we restart, we must first obtain enough information."
"Then let's wait a bit longer…"
At the same time.
Amamiya Natsuki suddenly felt his sleeve being gently tugged.
Turning his head, Sadako, with black hair covering her face, appeared behind him. A faint voice emerged from beneath her dense black hair:
"I feel it… the scent of fear…"
Amamiya Natsuki's spirits lifted:
"Is it Yote?"
"It must be him." Shinomiya Kaguya nodded in agreement, "Those shadows have no sense of fear at all."
Yukinoshita Yukino said softly:
"Can you find the source of the fear?"
"…"
Sadako lowered her head, showing no reaction.
Amamiya Natsuki straightened his face and said:
"What Hiranoshita says, is what I say. Answer quickly."
Upon hearing this, Yukinoshita Yukino's pretty face hardened, and she couldn't help but glare at him.
Amamiya Natsuki looked innocent and explained:
"I can't help it, after all, I can't call out names."
Yukinoshita Yukino secretly gritted her silver teeth, not wanting to bother.
"I can…"
Sadako nodded slightly.
"Since you can, then we need to change our tactics." Amamiya Natsuki let out a light breath.
While Accio + Succubus skill is reliable, it has a cooldown of several minutes and can only grab one shadow at a time. The cave system has an extremely large number of shadows. If they were to grab them one by one, they might not be able to eliminate all shadows before the mist dissipates.
Now that Sadako has smelled Yote's fear, they naturally cannot miss this opportunity.
After a brief discussion, the members of the Beheading Squad were quickly determined: Amamiya Natsuki, Chika, Marin, Kaguya, and Senpai.
"Senpai will act with us," Amamiya Natsuki whispered. "We still need to understand what mechanisms and arrangements Yote has around him, so the next reconnaissance will be up to Senpai."
Koyasu Tsubame clenched her small fists and nodded seriously:
"Leave it to me."
"Senpai, do you want to drink some water first?" Fujiwara Chika whispered. "So you don't run out of saliva when you spit bubbles."
Koyasu Tsubame: "...So that's just a skill, it doesn't need saliva at all!"