Not far from Kyoto.
Miyazu City, a city where the Four Horsemen of John roam everywhere.
A young Imperial Demon Army soldier cleanly severed the head of a Four Horsemen of John.
"Seriously, that old man is really something, making me do such boring work. Guren seems to be pretty free, doesn't he?"
Hiiragi Seishiro sheathed his weapon, complaining discontentedly.
"Captain! Wait for us, Captain! Kyoto is very close by. There might be Vampires around. Be careful!"
At that moment, four people dressed as Imperial Demon Army soldiers ran over.
Hiiragi Seishiro curled his lip and grumbled.
"Vampires would be perfect. These monsters are too easy to kill; they can't even stir up my fighting spirit! And you guys are really slow. At your pace, we'll have to stay in this godforsaken place for several more days!"
One team member muttered quietly.
"Hmph, if you think we're slow, why don't you help us set up the talismans? You're clearly the most proficient with Curse Talismans among us..."
Another team member hurriedly covered his mouth, not daring to let him continue. This man was a genuine young master of the Hiiragi Family, not someone to offend!
Hiiragi Seishiro glared at the member who had spoken, making him tremble all over in fear.
"Tch, if it weren't for me clearing out the surrounding monsters, how could you smoothly set up the talismans? Anyway, hurry up and work! I don't want to keep sleeping rough and eating in the wind."
After saying that, he slung his weapon over his shoulder and walked off aimlessly, leaving the four team members to set up the talismans at the Cursed Formation nodes.
Just then, another squad walked over. Their captain was a woman. She looked at the four diligently setting up the formation, then glanced in the direction Hiiragi Seishiro had left, and shook her head.
Which member of a team paired with the Hiiragi Family's second son wasn't an elite of the Imperial Demon Army? They were all capable of leading a squad single-handedly, yet they still had to watch their words in front of the Hiiragi Family.
"Colonel Shishin Ran!"
Hiiragi Seishiro's four team members also noticed this captain.
Shishin Ran nodded, signaling them to continue with their own tasks.
Marshal Hiiragi Tenri had dispatched two squads to Miyazu City. One was Hiiragi Seishiro's squad, and the other was Shishin Ran's squad.
The mission was also simple: clear out the surrounding Four Horsemen of John while setting up nodes for a barrier, facilitating the Imperial Demon Army's future advance and encampment on the way to Kyoto City.
It was said that similar actions were recently planned for Maizuru City and Yawata City near Kyoto.
The Marshal had specifically warned them to avoid being discovered by Vampires, but Hiiragi Seishiro's actions clearly showed he hadn't taken those words seriously.
He didn't dare utter a peep in front of the Marshal, yet now he had cast his instructions to the wind.
But there was no helping it. Who made Hiiragi Seishiro bear the Hiiragi name? In the normal Imperial Demon Army, rising through the ranks was grueling work, starting from Private Second Class. But members of the Hiiragi Family started as Sergeants upon enlistment, with their rank gradually increasing as they aged.
Speaking of the Hiiragi Family, there seems to be a young girl who has remained a Sergeant for so many years. I heard she refused promotions. How rare.
Shishin Ran didn't plan to stay here long either, so she led her teammates away. Their squad still had a few nodes left to set up.
As for Hiiragi Seishiro, after wandering around for a long time, he didn't encounter any more Four Horsemen of John, let alone Vampires.
"The Vampire Extermination Unit gets assigned to do odd jobs. Damn it! At this rate, when will I ever catch up to my elder brother?!"
Hiiragi Seishiro sat on a broken wall, feeling somewhat bored.
The view here was excellent, allowing him to see his team members, as well as Shishin Ran and her teammates.
"Wait, what's that? A Vampire!"
Hiiragi Seishiro looked at the black figure drifting not far away, excitement flashing in his eyes.
Hiiragi Seishiro was just bored to death here, and this Vampire had come at the perfect time!
In Hiiragi Seishiro's view, combat and power were a man's true romance, goals worth pursuing for a lifetime.
Hiiragi Seishiro tightened his grip on kushitamahime and charged towards the Vampire's direction. He chose not to notify his team members; he alone was enough!
That "Vampire" also noticed Hiiragi Seishiro, but a clearly disappointed expression appeared on his face.
"Ah, why is there only one?"
Clang!
The sound of weapons clashing rang out. The "Vampire" inquired of Hiiragi Seishiro.
"Human, where are your teammates? Your Imperial Demon Army shouldn't have sent you out alone. It's not exactly close to your nest here."
Hiiragi Seishiro's first strike was blocked, and he immediately launched a second.
"I alone am enough to deal with a minion like you! Die!"
Hiiragi Seishiro's physical abilities were enhanced by kushitamahime, making his slashes more cunning and powerful.
But they were all blocked by the "Vampire." The demon sword in the "Vampire's" hand was wreathed in Demonic Aura, connected to the hand gripping it.
The "Vampire" felt a slight surprise in his heart because this human's strength was somewhat higher than he had anticipated, but only somewhat.
The "Vampire" expressionlessly offered his evaluation.
"You're not bad."
A vein bulged on Hiiragi Seishiro's forehead. Since when did he need a Vampire to evaluate his strength?!
"Are you looking down on me, you bastard!"
Hiiragi Seishiro's attack frequency decreased slightly, but his power became even greater than before.
The "Vampire's" response was no longer casual. This was getting a bit more interesting.
And wasn't Hiiragi Seishiro also inwardly shocked? After over twenty exchanges, the other party hadn't moved a single step and hadn't counterattacked at all. Hiiragi Seishiro could tell the other had the opportunity and ability to counterattack! Why?
This guy's strength might be comparable to his own when he underwent Demon Transformation by borrowing kushitamahime's power.
"Do you only know how to defend?"
Upon hearing this, the "Vampire" stopped attacking. A great opportunity! Hiiragi Seishiro seized the moment and brought his blade down on the "Vampire's" head.
"Got you! What?!"
kushitamahime cleaved into the "Vampire's" body, but Hiiragi Seishiro didn't feel the sensation of hitting something solid. It was like cutting through air.
"Game time is over, human kid. You'll have a tough fight later. Restore your stamina a bit."
Under Hiiragi Seishiro's shocked gaze, the "Vampire" passed right through his body and drifted towards Shishin Ran's squad.
"What the hell is this thing?!"
Hiiragi Seishiro had never seen a Vampire like this before!
No, wait. Thinking carefully, this guy was completely shrouded in Demonic Aura. This was a demon! A demon capable of autonomously wielding cursed gear!
But why couldn't cursed gear harm him?!
No matter what, Hiiragi Seishiro was considered one of the best of his generation in the Hiiragi Family. Apart from Hiiragi Mahiru and Hiiragi Kureto, no one of his generation could compare to him. He quickly sorted out his thoughts.
"Not good! Can't let that woman Shishin encounter him!"
Hiiragi Seishiro hurriedly chased after the demon.
But no matter how he attacked, Hiiragi Seishiro couldn't stop the demon's advance. Every attack simply passed through the demon's body.
The demon paid him no mind at all, allowing all attacks to pass through its form.
"Damn it!"
Left with no choice, Hiiragi Seishiro could only shout, trying to warn Shishin Ran's squad and his own four team members.
But there seemed to be no response. The distance was too great!
This was no time to stubbornly cling to pride.
Hiiragi Seishiro stopped worrying about the demon drifting along leisurely and found Shishin Ran's squad before the demon did.
"Hmm? Major General, is something the matter?"
Seeing Hiiragi Seishiro covered in sweat, Shishin Ran asked curiously.
Hiiragi Seishiro didn't have time for lengthy explanations and issued an order in a commanding tone.
"Stop setting up the talismans! We need to leave here! A demon capable of autonomously using cursed gear is heading this way."
Shishin Ran's brow furrowed slightly. This was their last node; they were almost finished.
Seeing that Shishin Ran didn't immediately carry out his order, Hiiragi Seishiro grew annoyed.
"Obey the order, Colonel Shishin!"
"Yes! Everyone stop. Prepare to leave."
Shishin Ran had no choice. Since Hiiragi Seishiro addressed her by rank, this was now an order from a superior, and she had to obey.
Hiiragi Seishiro's team members also heard the commotion and hurried over from not far away, though they still didn't understand what was happening.
Seeing that even his own team members had arrived, Hiiragi Seishiro suddenly remembered something. One of his members was from the Nanami family. They had a knack for dealing with demons.
Hiiragi Seishiro wanted to counterattack.
"Nanaumi Yua, do you have a method to target a demon's form? There's a manifested demon capable of autonomously controlling cursed gear heading this way."
Nanaumi Yua thought for a moment, then shook his head and replied.
"No, we didn't bring that kind of Curse Talisman. Besides, that type of talisman is extremely complex and impossible to create on the spot."
Hiiragi Seishiro felt somewhat frustrated. It seemed they could only retreat for now. But with so many people together now, there wasn't too much to worry about.
"Ah, one, two... ten people. That should be enough for him to play with for a while."
Suddenly, a voice rang out. Hiiragi Seishiro turned his head to see that the demon had also arrived here, unhurriedly.
Hiiragi Seishiro shouted.
"Prepare to leave! Don't fight him head-on. For some reason, cursed gear can't harm him."
Everyone also entered a state of alert, somewhat surprised by Hiiragi Seishiro's words.
This demon didn't initiate an attack either. Instead, it gripped the demon sword in its hand, plunged it into the ground, and coldly announced in a declarative tone.
"Well then, let the game begin!"
As the demon finished speaking, immense Demonic Aura erupted from the demon sword, forming a pitch-black pillar of energy that shot straight up into the sky!
For a moment, it seemed as if the sky had darkened.
"What level of cursed gear is this?! How can there be such concentrated Demonic Aura?!"
An Imperial Demon Army soldier stared dumbfounded at this exaggerated display of Demonic Aura and couldn't help but shout out.
Shishin Ran and Hiiragi Seishiro prepared to lead everyone away immediately. This demon didn't look simple!
Boom! Boom! Boom... Suddenly, sounds of walls collapsing came from not far away.
Hiiragi Seishiro only saw a figure charging towards them at an extremely high speed, so fast he couldn't even get a clear look before he lost sight of it.
"Well done, Kyle! I searched for ages and couldn't find anyone. You actually found so many!"
A voice came. Hiiragi Seishiro turned to look and saw a silver-haired Vampire with features like a work of art already standing beside the demon.
Luke took the demon sword back from Kyle and put it away. Kyle also vanished.
Only then did Luke turn to look at the assembled people with a grin. Hmm, Hiiragi Seishiro looked somewhat familiar. The others he didn't recognize; they were probably extras.
"Good afternoon. Are you ready to challenge the BOSS?"
You will get 90 chapter ahead for this fanfiction.
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