"Alright, since everyone is here, let's set off." Seeing Hachiman arrive, Yukino gave him a nod before addressing the group.
First on their agenda was a visit to a public cemetery, because there were reports of strange, eerie occurrences there… as if people had seen ghosts.
So today, the group had gathered to investigate. If they really encountered a ghost, they wanted to see if they could defeat it.
As for the possibility of the group being wiped out by a ghost, it wasn't very likely. While some people talked about the presence of ghostly beings there, no incidents of ghosts harming people had been reported.
Since the distance wasn't great, the group chose to walk. After about twenty minutes of walking, they arrived at their destination.
As soon as they reached the place, everyone felt a strange sensation… an uncomfortable feeling, as if being watched by something peculiar.
"Did you all feel that?" Yukino was the first to speak up.
"Mhmm, it feels unpleasant," Taihei nodded quickly.
"It seems something really unusual has appeared here," Takeru remarked without changing his expression.
"I... I think we should come back another time!" Rikka said, trembling slightly.
Although she had a bit of a Chuunibyo streak and now possessed some strength, encountering something ghost-like naturally terrified her.
"Since we're already here, how can we give up halfway?" Yukino was also somewhat afraid internally, but driven by her sense of justice, she took a deep breath and spoke.
Takeru naturally had no objections, as he hadn't sensed any danger.
Soon, the group continued into the cemetery. Just as they entered, Takeru spread his Observation Haki. Quickly, he spotted something peculiar… two terrifying-looking ghostly beings moving about. Perhaps because they hadn't been formed for too long, their bodies appeared somewhat ethereal.
One was currently standing in front of a man who had come to pay respects, seemingly absorbing something like life energy from the man, who remained completely unaware...
"Takeru, did you find something?" The group soon noticed Takeru staring intently in a certain direction and asked curiously.
"Mhmm, found the troublemakers." Hearing Umaru's question, Takeru replied calmly.
Hearing this, Rikka immediately clung to Takeru nervously.
Perhaps due to experiencing many things with Takeru in a previous world, encountering frightening situations had become a conditioned reflex for her.
Takeru glanced at Rikka, shook his head helplessly, but didn't scold her. Instead, he continued, "Right in front of that man, and another one at the seventh position from the left, third row from the bottom."
"Eh, two?!" Hearing Takeru's words, everyone was taken aback but didn't doubt their truthfulness.
"Mhmm, you can 'see' them if you use Observation Haki." Takeru gave a slight nod.
"Eh!" Upon hearing this, everyone strengthened their Observation Haki. Soon, they "saw" a faint, ethereal figure in front of the man. However, since they weren't yet proficient with Observation Haki, their vision wasn't clear. Taihei and Ui, because they hadn't focused on mental attributes, couldn't detect it at all.
"Onee-chan, can you see it?" Ui asked her older sister, Yui, fearfully.
"I... I don't dare look!" Hearing Ui's question, Yui showed an embarrassed smile.
As the two sisters spoke, the man began to leave. The ghostly being then turned its gaze towards Takeru and the group, starting to drift towards them.
Though it lacked conscious thought, it could sense that Takeru and the others were definitely nourishing entities. An instinct for evolution drove it towards them.
"It seems to be coming over. What should we do?" At this moment, Yukino also noticed the anomaly and asked worriedly.
After all, it was daytime, and there were still some people around. They couldn't openly use magic. But without magic, Yukino didn't think physical attacks could harm such a being.
"Let me try something." Seeing everyone's concern, Takeru said calmly.
With a thought, Takeru's immense telekinetic force quickly formed an invisible fist that punched towards the drifting ghost. Telekinesis seemed effective against such beings.
Hit by Takeru's telekinetic fist, a part of the ghost's body dissipated directly, and it let out an unconscious wail.
This wail couldn't be heard with ears, and it seemed to act directly on the soul. Those with high spirit attributes, like Takeru and the others, heard it clearly.
"It seems your attack worked, Takeru." Hearing the ghost's wail, Yukino said excitedly.
Yui and Ui looked puzzled, as they hadn't seen Takeru attack at all.
Ignoring their confusion, and seeing it was effective, Takeru used telekinesis to pull the ghost right in front of him. Then, clenching his fist, he threw a direct punch.
Pure physical force seemed to have no effect on the ghost. Takeru's fist passed right through it, but the ghost showed no reaction...
Seeing this, Takeru withdrew his fist, coated it with Armament Haki, and punched again...
"Ah~" A pained wail sounded again, clearer to everyone than before. At the same time, they sensed the ghost seemed to completely dissipate.
"Takeru, that was..." Seeing Takeru's pitch-black arm, Hachiman couldn't help but ask.
"Armament Haki. It seems to have a strong restraining effect on these ghostly beings." Glancing at the astonished Hachiman, Takeru explained calmly.
"Armament Haki?" Hearing Takeru's words, everyone showed thoughtful expressions.
"Mhmm. It seems to come from the same source as Observation Haki. Using Armament Haki can enhance defense and attack power." Seeing their thoughtful looks, Takeru added.