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"That's the West 38th District ahead."
Tsujido listened to his subordinate's voice but said nothing, his gaze subtly scanning behind him.
He was certain Genji had also come.
Although he couldn't locate Genji no matter how hard he searched, Tsujido could clearly feel the predatory gaze from the shadows.
Lunatic!!
Cursing inwardly, Tsujido's unease had reached its peak.
Genji's condition was worse than he had imagined; he needed to quickly devour Nishijin Ori to stabilize his condition.
Tsujido looked up at the sky; the midday sun was exceptionally bright, warm even in winter.
It would have been better if the attack could have been at night. There were too many variables during the day. Being discovered by those Rukongai wastrels was inconsequential, but if it attracted the Shinigami, it wouldn't be worth it.
"Pass it down. Tell them that once we enter the West 38th District, they are to be well-behaved. Apart from those from the 'Whatsit-shop,' do not harm the Rukongai resid—"
Tsujido's words abruptly stopped, and he sharply turned to look at the empty space in front of him.
Reishi fluctuations?
And...
Very close!
"No!!"
Tsujido's pupils sharply contracted. This wasn't just close; it was right in front of him.
Almost the instant he turned his head, the light of Reishi spread like wildfire, instantly forming six golden light fragments around Tsujido.
Crack!!
The light fragments intersected, directly binding the pale-faced Tsujido in place.
All of this happened too quickly.
Tsujido's subordinates behind him only felt a blur before their eyes, and Tsujido was already bound by the light fragments, so fast that they didn't even understand what had happened.
"Tsujido-sama!?"
"What is this?"
"..."
The team fell into a panic. Some quick-reacting subordinates instinctively tried to step forward to remove the light fragments from Tsujido, but before they could get close, they felt a terrifying pressure emerge from thin air.
Hum~~
The void trembled as Tsujido's spiritual pressure surged skyward. The six light fragments creaked and constantly vibrated.
So tough!?
Tsujido's eyes were filled with horror and dread. The moment he was bound, he had already begun to struggle with all his might, but the binding force of these six light fragments was too firm; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't instantly shatter them.
Quick...
Must be quick!!
Although he hadn't seen any trace of the enemy from beginning to end, the sense of crisis developed from years of combat had made him feel an unprecedented sense of danger.
If you don't break free quickly, you will die!!
His instincts constantly relayed this message into Tsujido's mind, making his movements increasingly violent. The immense spiritual pressure forced his subordinates to retreat step by step.
Click, click, click~~
Pleasant cracking sounds came, and Tsujido looked at the cracks gradually appearing on the light fragments, his eyes filled with ecstasy!!
"Self-destruct, Rondanini's Black Dog; read it once, burn it completely, slit your own throat."
"The soaring source light, the backward-flowing waterfall, the crown of the triangle, the fourteen circular names."
Rapid incantations almost simultaneously rang out from the void the moment cracks appeared on the light fragments. Waves of spiritual pressure, like surging tides, swept towards Tsujido.
Tsujido's gaze instantly locked onto the direction of the voice. As he looked, the void gradually distorted, like a canvas wrinkling and peeling away. A young man wearing black work clothes and with short, dark hair appeared out of thin air before everyone's eyes.
Who is he?
However, the other party didn't give Tsujido a chance to ask. The moment he appeared, he pointed a finger.
"Bakudo No. 9: Geki."
A cold voice sounded. Although the tone was extremely calm, the commotion it caused was entirely opposite.
Whoosh, whoosh~~
A flash of light appeared on his fingertip, forming a golden-glowing rope that shot towards Tsujido, binding his four limbs in a blink of an eye!!
Tsujido's eyes were filled with regret.
If he hadn't been bound by those six inexplicable light fragments, he could have easily dodged something like this!
The rope binding further intensified the restraint around Tsujido, making it even harder to break free from the light fragments.
However...
This was not the end!
One move fell, and another began.
With his right hand held vertically like a blade, the black-haired youth drew in the air. A triangle was drawn in a blink of an eye, solidifying in mid-air.
"Bakudo No. 30: Shototsu Sansen."
Double incantation!
Strictly speaking, double incantation isn't a technique but merely a method of combining two Kido by superimposing their incantations according to specific rules and releasing them simultaneously. As long as one is familiar with the rules, it's not difficult to perform.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~~
Accompanied by the sound of rushing air, three pointed, beak-shaped light fragments bound Tsujido's arms and waist, pinning him firmly to the ground, like a lamb awaiting slaughter!
And the black-haired youth was...
Once again, he vanished from the spot, as if everything that had just happened was an illusion, as if he had never appeared at all.
"Save—"
Tsujido's eyes were filled with extreme fear. The dread of death made him instinctively call for help, but before the words could escape, Tsujido felt his vision go black.
A chilling aura, an icy expression...
His dark hair seemed to devour everything, swallowing all the sunlight.
Pfft—
The sound of flesh being pierced echoed. Tsujido's eyes shifted downwards, landing on the two fingers that had pierced his neck. His spiritual pressure dissipated completely at that instant.
That was...
Soul Sleep!
The spiritual pathway where a Spirit Body generates spiritual power, and also a vital point of the Spirit Body. If this pathway is destroyed by an enemy, the Spirit Body, even if it survives, will lose all its power.
Of course, Soul Sleep is not so easily destroyed. The stronger the spiritual power, the stronger the Soul Sleep.
This one finger naturally couldn't destroy the Soul Sleep, but after that one finger, it still caused the high-density spiritual pressure gathered around Tsujido to stagnate for an instant. The spiritual pressure defense that he had maintained for years, almost becoming a constant, completely dissipated at that moment.
"No~ don't..."
The moment he realized this, Tsujido understood the other party's intention, his speech almost distorted by its speed: "Don't kill me, I can be your slave~ I can help you do many things..."
Gush~
His chest exploded. The black-haired youth slowly stood up, his right hand, bulging with veins, clutching a constantly beating heart.
I'm dead??
Tsujido looked incredulously at the beating heart in the black-haired youth's hand. He had never imagined that he would die so easily.
Let alone begging for mercy, he didn't even know who the other party was!
Thump~
Ishikawa Katori's palm closed, and blood and fragments of the heart splattered between his fingers. Some fell to the ground, while others landed on Ishikawa Katori's body.
He didn't look at Tsujido on the ground, because from the moment he appeared, he had sensed a dangerous, predatory gaze—that was the true enemy he had to face!!
"Kill!!!"
"Charge with Big Bro Ishikawa..."
"Kill them all."
"Awooo, awooo, awooo~~"
"..."
Almost simultaneously, Oyama led a group of people charging out from all directions, each of them excited, like they were on an adrenaline rush, rushing towards Tsujido's subordinates who were still frozen in place.
They couldn't help but be excited!!
Although in their minds, Big Bro Ishikawa had always been strong, that was only relative to them. They didn't believe that Big Bro Ishikawa could defeat the great villain.
But in just that short half-minute, they had witnessed the death of a great villain with their own eyes.
This made them feel their blood boil with disbelief.
Himura and Nishijin Ori walked at the back, looking in disbelief at the standing figure in the field, then at Tsujido on the ground, who had no trace of life left.
Although this battle had the advantage of surprise, killing a great villain within half a minute still made the two feel as if they were dreaming.
Was Tsujido weak?
Although he despised his character, Nishijin Ori highly respected his strength; it could be said that in that instant, if Tsujido had been replaced by himself, he would have suffered the same fate...
What kind of progress speed is this?
Just a few days ago, he could barely withstand his own spiritual pressure, yet a few days later, he could unleash spiritual pressure strength not much weaker than Tsujido's.
"Big Bro Ishikawa is truly a monster!"
Himura's mouth twitched. Though equally shocked, he was somewhat used to it.
The first time he met Ishikawa Katori, his spiritual pressure strength was similar to his own; the second time, he was already stronger than him and capable of defeating enemies Himura couldn't even contend with; now it was even more outrageous... he directly instant-killed a great villain!
And...
The areas of improvement were not just spiritual pressure, but also combat instincts!
After each battle, Ishikawa Katori would absorb experience like a sponge, whether successful or failed... all of it contributed to his growth!
A combat genius!
Himura could only use five words to describe him.
If one only looked at Ishikawa Katori's recent combat, who would have thought that the battles he had experienced were actually less than...
A handful!
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