Chapter 366: Fighting Over the Puppet
The moment the breeze blew, Hikigaya Hachiman finally understood what the system meant by "smooth."
Acting on a subconscious thought that he needed clothes, the spiritual power within his body automatically flowed outward, clinging to his skin and manifesting into the same attire he had worn before.
"I hope no one saw me like that just now."
Once dressed, Hachiman finally breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, his intuition flared; he raised his head and looked sharply in a certain direction.
"Another horde of evil spirits?"
After breaking his limit, Hachiman discovered that his sensory abilities and range had increased dozens of times over. Even though the spirit horde led by Isayama Mei was still over ten kilometers away—and was already beginning to retreat due to the phenomena caused by his ascension—he could still lock onto them with ease.
Suspended in mid-air, the concept that he could fly naturally occurred to him. He leaned his body forward slightly; before he could even consciously explore the mechanics of flight, the spiritual power within him circulated automatically, carrying him rapidly toward Isayama Mei's location.
"What a powerful presence!"
Far in the distance, Mei, who was returning to the abandoned shrine, sensed a massive pressure closing in from behind. Her expression changed drastically. While relaying this intel to the Nine-Tailed Fox, she leaped off the bird-shaped spirit and vanished into the cluster of buildings below.
"You can't fool me with that."
By the time Hachiman arrived, Mei had long since disappeared, and the massive spirit army, now leaderless, had begun to wander aimlessly. However, facing this chaotic scene, Hachiman simply shook his head, unhurried. Although Mei thought using the spirits to confuse his vision was a brilliant strategy, he had actually locked onto her aura long ago.
He descended directly into a narrow alleyway. Looking at the dense, maze-like streets surrounding him, Hachiman followed Mei's aura toward her hiding spot.
"How is this possible? How does he know I'm here?"
Adhering to the philosophy that the most dangerous place is the safest, Mei had chosen not to flee after landing but rather to use the complex terrain to hide. She never imagined that Hachiman would merely glance at the scattered spirits in the sky before landing and walking straight toward her. Clearly, she had been compromised!
[What a useless waste!]
The Nine-Tailed Fox's cold snort echoed in Mei's mind. Instantly, her previously clear eyes became vacant, then filled with a crimson light. Surrounding spiritual power began to gather into Mei's body, and the fragmented spirit horde was once again integrated, appearing in the sky above the two.
"You again, human?"
Standing not far from Hachiman, the Fox-controlled Mei frowned as she looked at him. He was clearly different from yesterday. In just one night, his presence had risen several times over. Hachiman's previous strength was already at the peak of the Emperor Grade; to go a step further would mean...
"Your Status Rank... you actually broke the limit?"
The Fox's tone was filled with shock and genuine surprise that Hachiman had succeeded. In the thousands of years it had lived, Hachiman was the first human to successfully break the Status Rank limit within this native world.
"Does that have anything to do with you?"
Standing opposite "Mei," Hachiman recognized the familiar speaking style immediately—this wasn't Mei, but the Nine-Tailed Fox. With a thought, the Ghost-Slaying Blade, which had now fused with his being, instantly appeared in his hand. Different from its previous form, the max-upgraded blade was now covered in dark red blood-veins; just looking at it was enough to make one shudder.
"That blade is an even greater threat to me now..."
Despite the "new skin," the Nine-Tailed Fox recognized the Ghost-Slaying Blade at a glance. Sensing the razor-sharp aura radiating from the weapon, the Fox's expression turned terrifyingly grim. It could no longer allow Hachiman to live. The five Exorcists of Japan were already enough of a headache for the spirit forces; if a God-tier Hachiman who had broken the limit were added to the mix, the evil spirits of Japan would truly never have a chance to rise again!
As the Nine-Tailed Fox resolved to kill him at any cost, the spirit horde in the sky began to tremble restlessly. A fair arm was raised high. The spirit horde shifted from restless to manic. A few individual spirits, unable to bear the internal terror, even began to flee in all directions.
However, a streak of wicked light quickly overtook the fleeing spirits. They, along with the remaining horde, were condensed into a black bead the size of a baby's fist, which "Mei" then sucked into her mouth.
"The main body will be here soon. I hope this puppet can hold out."
Having gathered the power of the entire spirit horde, the Nine-Tailed Fox controlled Mei to launch a proactive attack. It knew clearly that if Hachiman were allowed to strike first, Mei—whose strength had only been forcibly boosted—would quickly be defeated.
"This is going to be tricky."
Facing the approaching Mei, Hachiman only dodged and did not strike back. The reason was simple: he had promised Kagura last night that he would save both Yomi and Mei. Therefore, Hachiman decided to first see if he could break the Fox's control over her. If it proved truly impossible, only then would he move to eliminate her.
"Trying to save her?"
After Hachiman dodged several moves without retaliating, the Fox guessed his intentions. With a cold laugh, "Mei" continued to press forward, swinging her tachi at Hachiman.
'If you want to save her, go ahead.'
It wanted to stall for as much time as possible!
However, at that very instant, a sudden change occurred...
Instead of dodging again, Hachiman faced the incoming Mei head-on. He lunged forward against the blade's edge and delivered a punch straight into her abdomen.
"Ugh..."
Her soft belly was hit by a powerful force, and "Mei" felt as if her internal organs were being turned upside down. Before she could react, Hachiman immediately pressed his palm against her forehead.
A domineering spiritual will surged through his palm into Mei's mind. Caught completely off guard, the Nine-Tailed Fox instantly lost its grip on the puppet!
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