"If I remember correctly, the Head of the 7th unit of the Anti-Demon Corps, Uzen Kyouka, could defeat Shuuki with just her swordsmanship."
That thought crossed his mind, providing a glimmer of hope along with pressure. Naoki wasn't Kyouka who possessed Peach powers; he was just a man with a small knife.
Naoki immediately took a low stance, angling his body to minimize his target profile. His military knife pointed forward, his eyes locked on every muscle twitch of the creature before him.
"ROAARRRR!!!"
A deep, inhuman growling sound emerged from somewhere behind that plain white mask. The sound echoed among the rock formations, splitting the oppressive silence. And then, with a burst of speed surprising for its large body size, the Shuuki charged.
Not a step, but a leap. Its black claws swept through the air, clearly aiming to tear Naoki's body into several pieces.
"...!!!"
Naoki's instinct was faster than his thoughts. He didn't try to block—that was suicide.
One punch from an arm that size, one strike from those sharp claws, was enough to crush his bones or tear vital organs. The Shuuki's physical strength was beyond normal human limits.
*SWISH!*
He slid, not backward, but sideways to the right, using the momentum of his stance. His body almost touched the dusty ground as the Shuuki's claws roared past, just a few centimeters from his face.
Without wasting time, while his body was still in a low position, Naoki counterattacked. He didn't slash, but thrust quickly toward the Shuuki's side, right in the area that might be ribs or tendons.
*KLAK!*
The sharp knife tip touched the hard gray skin, not like flesh, but like stone coated with thick rubber. The knife only left a shallow white scratch, barely penetrating.
Naoki felt harsh vibrations traveling up to his shoulder.
"Damn, harder than I thought!"
The Shuuki turned agilely, unaffected by the attack. Its other arm swept horizontally, a wide and deadly rotating attack.
Naoki was forced to drop his body completely to the ground, rolling away. Dust and gravel flew. He could hear those claws slicing through the air right above his head.
He got up quickly, his breathing beginning to gasp. This was a cat and mouse game, and he was clearly the mouse.
The good news was the Shuuki's attack pattern was indeed simple: direct charge, vertical or horizontal claw strikes, occasionally thrusts with its claws.
No deception.
No tactics.
Just raw power, speed, and extraordinary endurance. But that simplicity was actually deadly because there were almost no openings.
*WHOOSH!* *WHOOSH!* *WHOOSH!*
Naoki kept moving, never stopping for more than one second at one point. He used the large rock formations around him as barriers, forcing the Shuuki to maneuver.
When the creature charged again, Naoki slipped behind a stone pillar.
*BRUK!*
The Shuuki's claw struck the stone, creating sparks and leaving deep scratches on the hard stone surface.
(It can tear through stone.) Naoki thought with horror.
(Opportunity!)
When the Shuuki pulled its claw back from the stone, for a moment, its body was exposed. Naoki pushed himself out of hiding, targeting the back of the creature's knee—a weak point on most bipedal creatures.
He thrust with all his strength, twisting his body to add force.
*Pu-chi!*
This time, the knife went in several centimeters. It felt like stabbing a very thick truck tire.
"ROAARRRR!!!"
The Shuuki made a snorting sound, more from surprise than severe pain. That leg limped slightly, but didn't collapse. Instead, a long snake-like tail that he hadn't noticed before (Note: some Shuuki have tails) suddenly swept from an unexpected direction.
*BAM!*
The blow hit Naoki's side, slamming him to the ground. It felt like being hit by a fast-moving brick. Sharp pain pierced his ribs, and his breath choked. He tumbled several times, the world spinning. The knife almost slipped from his grip.
The Shuuki approached, its steps heavy but certain. With spots in his vision, Naoki saw the creature raise its claw to deliver a final blow plunging downward.
(This is it!)
With his remaining strength, Naoki performed a breakfall and rolled to the side.
*BAM!*
The claw struck the ground where his head had been, making a dent.
Now Naoki was in a supine position near the Shuuki's feet, doing the only thing he could think of. He thrust upward, targeting the groin or lower abdomen area.
*KRANCH!*
The knife met a somewhat softer surface—possibly a joint or membrane.
"ROAARRRR!!!"
The Shuuki screamed in pain, its voice shrill. Its claws swept wildly.
Naoki had already rolled again, evading. He stood up, his body covered in dust and aching everywhere, especially his left ribs which might be bruised or cracked. But he was still alive.
This fight might have only lasted one or two minutes, but felt like an hour.
Every muscle screamed, every breath felt like fire. The military knife in his hand looked so small and meaningless before that monster, only leaving a few scratches and two shallow stabs that didn't incapacitate it at all.
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
Ten minutes later.
Relying on remnants of memories from State Intelligence Agency training in his previous life and almost impossible luck, Naoki finally found a narrow opening.
It was a moment when the Shuuki, perhaps from frustration, made an excessive charge and lost balance for a fraction of a second.
With arms already limp and spots in his vision, Naoki lunged forward. Not attacking the hard body, but jumping and with his last strength, he plunged his military knife right in the center of that plain white mask face.
*KRAAAK!*
A satisfying cracking sound, followed by harsh vibrations through the knife handle. The Shuuki convulsed briefly before finally collapsing.
"I… won!"
His condition was pitiful. His school uniform was now nothing more than dirty and dusty cloth. The corner of his mouth was wet with blood; he had coughed up blood several times due to shock waves from blows that nearly hit him. His body trembled violently as the adrenaline surge began to subside.
"This is just an ordinary Shuuki, but very difficult to face." He muttered while staring at the corpse before him. 'No wonder only Peach Blessing users can fight them effectively."
Before Naoki could take a relieved breath to calm his racing heart, the ground around him shook again. One, two, five... dozens of earth mounds moved. Identical creatures emerged from the ground, surrounding him with the same hungry gaze.
(It's decided, staying still is not a good idea.)
Naoki didn't consider fleeing shameful; in the intelligence world, survival was the top priority. He turned and began running as fast as possible.
But with their natural speed exceeding ordinary humans, the Shuuki soon began to chase.
Naoki knew he probably wouldn't be able to escape before help arrived. He couldn't run as fast as them, especially in this condition.
He felt ironic; a reincarnator dying in a barren desert without a single monumental achievement.
*CRACK!*
Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet gave way. Naoki tumbled into a hole.
"Ahhhhhhh—!!!"
His body slid down, but death hadn't claimed him yet. The dense foliage of a giant tree growing underground cushioned his fall, slowing the impact until he landed on a pile of soft but damp vegetation.
*CLING!*
On the ground surface, the horde of Shuuki suddenly stopped chasing. As if there was an invisible wall blocking them. Glowing feathers appeared in the air, dancing gracefully before a spatial portal opened.
A girl stepped out of the portal.
"Oh my~ this situation is beyond my expectations. If I had known, I should have helped from the beginning instead of observing." Her voice sounded beautiful like bells, but contained a tone of genuine regret.
The girl was captivating with shoulder-length blonde hair framing her beautiful face and emerald-like green eyes. She wore a light purple turtleneck sweater under a dark purple suspender vest, paired with a white short skirt and long stockings.
"This is my fault for not helping earlier." Her slender fingers touched her blushing cheeks. Her eyes looked toward the hole where Naoki fell, sparkling with unusual emotion. "That man captivated me with courage I've never seen from other men. So, I couldn't help but restrain myself to watch his extraordinary performance further."
She sighed softly, then her expression changed to full of regret.
"Most likely, I won't find a man as amazing as that again. Therefore, I must not let him die here."
Her gaze then shifted, sweeping over the horde of Shuuki before her. There wasn't the slightest tension or fear on her face, only the calm certainty of victory.
"You've hurt him. For that, you must pay with your lives."
The girl gracefully raised her hand forward, palm open facing the horde of creatures. The name of her Peach Blessing was spoken clearly.
"«Ame-no-Mitori»."
*ZING!*
A high-frequency sound deafening to the ears. The air in front of her hand distorted violently. A wormhole was created, tearing through the reality and space it occupied. The vacuum force and spatial pressure destroyed anything within its range.
In the blink of an eye, the dozens of Shuuki that had threatened Naoki's life were completely annihilated, vanished swallowed by another dimension without leaving a piece of corpse.
Silence once again dominated Mato, leaving the blonde girl standing gracefully at the edge of the hole, looking down with a charming smile.