The earthen wall not only concealed their whereabouts but also blocked the gunfire.
A winding figure flashed past, leaping out from within the wall and heading straight for Kojimagawa!
The battle began.
"Open fire!"
"Prioritize killing the Barrier Master!"
Blades fluttering like butterflies sliced through bullets, and amid the clanging sounds, Sen Getsusa sped forward rapidly.
Countless afterimages were stretched out; the lightning-fast movement caused all gun muzzles to lose track!
"Captain Kojimagawa, we can't aim!"
"Target lost!"
"Ichigaya! Ichigaya?!"
"Suppress it!"
The scalpel pierced the neck with precision. One moment, the person was aiming and shooting; the next, they were clutching their throat, kneeling on the ground—blood gushing through their fingers.
Bang!
With a graceful tilt of her head to dodge the bullet, Sen Getsusa's hands wound around the rifle like two soft white snakes—
A gentle twist.
Under a multitude of disbelieving gazes, the figure who had easily shredded the firearm drifted close like a sheet of paper.
Snap.
The opponent's hand bones twisted outward in an extreme distortion—then, amidst the man's helpless wails, the eerie snake's kiss finally touched his neck... "Watch out!!"
Crack.
A 180-degree rotation.
"Bastard!!"
Bang! Bang bang!
Bullets struck the mud and the team members' bodies; the figure was already gone from the spot.
Vanished again.
The ghostly figure seemed capable of teleportation, appearing behind the tactical team members from time to time, either piercing hearts with a dagger or snapping cervical spines, then disappearing again just as the muzzles were about to turn toward her.
—This was an enemy they couldn't fight against.
Bang!
The flickering shadow nimbly dodged bullets. Kojimagawa stood outside the gunfire, his face cold.
Even with such dense firepower, she can't be hit?
White Torch might have been right... she is indeed stronger.
However... energy is finite, mystery is constant. Only Ritualists from non-regular forces would waste their energy on eliminating'small fry'.
"Prepare to move."
Kojimagawa flexed his fingers. Behind him, ten Origin Point-level Ritualists who had been on standby for a long time suddenly unleashed their mystery!
Intense energy spread out. The Contactees of the tactical team even paused for a moment. The roaring sound of gunpowder exploding in their ears seemed easily dispersed by the surging wave of mystery. A brief silence actually fell over this wasteland!
"Contactees fall back, official Ritualists step forward!"
Constantly calculating the Barrier Master's consumption, Kojimagawa was already impatient.
—Now, you probably have very little usable energy left, don't you?
Kojimagawa drew a tactical dagger and was the first to charge!
Clang!
Close quarters combat!
Sen Getsusa's body suddenly felt heavy!
This is... gravity?!
Clang!
Clang, clang!
Flash after flash of blade light passed. Sen Getsusa's body grew heavier and heavier, and swinging her arms became increasingly difficult. Invisible pressure wrapped tightly around her body, growing heavier and heavier.
Does gravity keep increasing within this range...?
She tried to retreat, but the opponent seemed to see through Sen Getsusa's intention and stuck to her nimbly—no matter how many wounds were left on his body or arms, Kojimagawa desperately kept Sen Getsusa within a certain range.
"Do you see?"
"This is the power of a Super-Sequence!"
"Barrier Master."
Kojimagawa, his tone somewhat smug, sneered.
He noticed the opponent's dire situation—in another ten seconds, after a few more clashes of blades, the gravity on her body would stack to an incredible degree.
No human can withstand continuously stacking gravity.
Not even a Judgment-level.
"You're nothing special."
"I'm curious why White Torch classified you as 'Highest Danger' rank."
"It seems you don't even have a Super-Sequence, do you? How did you defeat White Torch?"
Thud.
Losing her balance, Sen Getsusa's calf sank directly into the ground. Kojimagawa, spotting the opening, aggressively pressed forward. A straight blade, slightly longer than a scalpel, repeatedly slashed against Sen Getsusa's weapon.
Blades crossed, scattered sparks flying, reflecting Kojimagawa's arrogant gaze.
Legs, waist, shoulders, driving the arms; silver light flashed.
Too heavy.
Getting heavier and heavier.
Kojimagawa kept swinging his dagger, leaving no chance for Sen Getsusa to break away. Before this, no one hit by his stacking gravity had ever escaped.
"Even though I'm only a second-rank Super-Sequence, I've obtained the strongest Ability."
During the brief lull in conversation, the ten Ritualists behind Kojimagawa had caught up.
Gunfire, sharp ice needles condensed from Water, sharp longswords—the attacks from all the Origin Point-level Ritualists were now right in front of her!
"Barrier Master, what about you?"
Kojimagawa mocked pointedly; before the opponent died, he still wanted to vent his anger from being ignored earlier. "Controlling that pathetic barrier of yours?"
"Me?"
The distorted, mixed voice still carried a bone-chilling coldness.
Clap!
A loud clap of hands.
The ground beneath Kojimagawa's feet, like a mischievous Child, suddenly began to writhe violently and restlessly. Along with the shattering of massive rocks, he heard bursts of screams from behind!
"Barrier Master!" the man roared.
Dimension Manipulation!
Layers of spikes pierced through the surface like a high-speed machine! Not only did it block the opponent's dense assault, but the sharp points growing out of the soil repeatedly impaled Kojimagawa's team members!
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
The Ritualists, focused on attacking and unable to dodge in time, were like bursting bubbles—after a 'pop,' they were impaled and twitched in mid-air.
Then, blood like a flood covered the upturned rock spikes. Under the Moonlight, it was as if a flowing red carpet had been laid over the brown pillars, stained with severed limbs, firearms, bulletproof vests, human hair, and torn muscle tissue... Rows of rag-like corpses were scattered, impaled in mid-air.
Kojimagawa's eyes nearly split from rage as he roared backward, "Quick! Get away!!"
Boom—
The sharp rock spikes paused for a moment, but the earth began to shake even more violently instead!
The ground was being raised.
Folded like paper, the continuous, jarring sound of grinding machinery and metal pierced the surface—it was as if countless crude and powerful machines were installed beneath the soil. As the operator pushed the lever and gears meshed to transmit motion, the rock slabs of the ground crudely tilted up following the trajectory!
Beneath the sky-blotting curtain, the tiny humans were like panicked ants in a hydraulic press.
Several physically powerful Ritualists strained to grab Kojimagawa's hand, running frantically as the downward-crushing, folding ground chased them!
"Quick! Get the Captain out!"
"Shinagawa, I'm counting on you!"
Thud.
The ground closed and crushed.
A Ritualist whose leg had been impaled voluntarily gave up his life. The man he called Shinagawa grabbed Kojimagawa's arms and, at the last moment, threw his Captain out of the crushing range.
While his own lower half remained forever in the earth.
Sen Getsusa stood in place and lowered her palm, which had been held out forward.
She calmly looked at the limping Kojimagawa and the remaining Ritualists. She didn't attack again. Within a twenty-meter radius, it was like a meat-grinder hell on earth.
"How... is this possible!"
"She can't possibly have such massive energy! mystery is constant!"
"It's... a demon..."
"Captain Kojimagawa..."
Inside the soil barrier, Yuno Gasai wore a mask, staring blankly at the god-like figure not far away.
"Barrier Master!!" Kojimagawa, with a hole stabbed through his thigh, frantically drew his gun and fired incessantly at Sen Getsusa in a fit of rage!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Sen Getsusa blinked, letting the rising barrier deflect the bullets. "Learning to bow your head is the first lesson for an adult."
"Captain Kojimagawa."
Bang! Bang!
Flames burst, the gunfire continuing.
The young girl held the corners of her skirt and stood on tiptoe, using the gunfire as accompaniment as she twirled atop the massive pile of corpses—as her skirt bloomed, she also hurriedly waved to the peeking Yuno Gasai. The Moonlight scattered on the deep red severed limbs, like a chef sprinkling a handful of fine salt over a steaming delicacy.
Looking at the girl jumping around in the mud of flesh and blood, Yuno Gasai suddenly understood why she was always buying shoes.
Not far away, the battle halted, the wasteland in a state of complete mess.
All the survivors of the Ritual Institute squad were deathly silent.
They quietly watched the distorted shadow stretching and dancing like seaweed upon the throne of corpses.
It seemed they were truly... facing a demon that had just crawled up from hell.
"Hum hum hum La la la"
"The black swamp..."
The young girl happily raised both hands to her sides, standing on tiptoe. Her wrists moved her palms into elegant patterns. "La la la, my god..."
The crazed ballet twirled. The eerie nursery rhyme she hummed was like a rapidly spreading virus, taking root in the deepest part of everyone's heart. Then, a wave of coldness struck through their bodies like an electric current.
Changing posture, she bowed and opened her palms, her firm calf playfully tucking behind the other leg. With a snap of her fingers, the rock spikes obediently retracted according to the girl's will. The earth unfolded again, like the pages of a book turning, from 180 degrees to 90 degrees, and then returned to its original flat state.
Only corpses and severed limbs remained on the spot.
By now, Kojimagawa could no longer feel the sharp pain from his thigh. Most of his direct subordinates had died here.
The opponent had only dealt a single frontal blow.
Of the ten Origin Points, only four remained alive. The five tactical teams, the elite of the elite within the Ritual Institute—every member was a Contactee prepared for promotion, needing only a suitable ritual object... Now, more than half were dead or injured.
Watching the figure taking a bow in an arabesque pose atop a pile of blood-soaked human corpses, this unruly young man, who once considered himself a genius, felt a great sense of dread and unease for the first time in his life.
His heart was screaming hysterically and silently!
...Madman!
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