ACSP: Chapter 185: Failed Ambush, Terrifying Crystal Release Contractor!
"Hurry up and press the assault! Encircle it!" Hato Yui's voice cut through the roaring flames as she commanded her units. "The Lihuo Demon Flood Dragon is already exhausted. If we don't butcher it right here, we'll never get another opportunity!"
On the blood-soaked battlefield, Hato Yui's hands became a blur of seals. She unleashed her sinister [Crystal Release] jutsu, violently manifesting massive, crimson crystal pillars from the earth that locked together like a cage, grinding to a halt the thrashing momentum of the colossal serpent.
Across the clearing, Aoi Bing matched her pacing perfectly. She continuously channeled her [Ice Release], freezing the humidity into dense, sub-zero torrents to aggressively suppress the blood-colored demonic flames radiating from the dragon's scales, forcibly choking out the beast's lethal heat output.
The synergy between the two captains was flawless. Supported by the relentless, coordinated heavy artillery of hundreds of Dongdao Contractors, the mythical beast was actually firmly pinned down under their combined pressure.
"Perfect!"
Seeing the Lihuo Demon Flood Dragon's strength finally hit a breaking point, Hato Yui seized the opening. Her fingers snapped into a final, intricate sequence to trigger her absolute strongest offensive technique.
"——Crystal Release: Crystal Lance Dragon Technique!"
In an explosion of eerie light, three colossal, crimson crystal dragons condensed into solid form out of thin air. Snapping their bloodthirsty maws, they tore through the forest canopy, screaming straight toward the trapped serpent.
"——Ice Release: One-Horned White Whale!"
Simultaneously, Aoi Bing weaponized the residual moisture left behind by the vanguard's previous Water Release techniques. She rapidly condensed an ice narwhal the size of a literal mountain in the sky above. The sheer mass of the colossal ice construct was staggering, far eclipsing the scale of Hato Yui's crystal constructs. The moment it materialized, it brought with it an unstoppable, world-shaking momentum, plunging straight down toward the thrashing target.
"——ROAR!"
Sensing the incoming fatal threat, the Lihuo Demon Flood Dragon unleashed a deafening, furious roar toward the heavens. The raw, localized sound wave was so dense it physically warped the air, detonating outward and instantly shattering the crimson crystal pillars trapping its lower torso into a cloud of useless dust.
But Hato Yui's three crystal dragons were far too fast.
The exact millisecond the serpent shattered its cage and prepared to burst free from the encirclement, the three crimson constructs coiled violently around its massive body, binding its limbs and pinning it ruthlessly back to the coordinates.
Right behind them came the mountain-sized narwhal, dropped with the absolute maximum of Aoi Bing's reserves.
——RUMBLE!
A cataclysmic explosion tore through the valley, deafening anyone within miles.
The sheer kinetic force of the massive ice whale pulverized the earth, smashing the colossal body of the Lihuo Demon Flood Dragon and the three crystal constructs bound to it deep into a massive, cratered fissure in the ground.
The earth shook violently.
Red crystals shattered, and ice fragments scattered in all directions.
To avoid being caught in the devastating radius of the shockwave, the surrounding Dongdao Contractors scattered like ants, retreating over a hundred meters back into the treeline. Only when the pulverized crimson crystals finally settled and the freezing ice fragments in the air evaporated into mist did they cautiously tighten the perimeter once more.
Deep within the impact crater, the exhausted Lihuo Demon Flood Dragon lay severely mangled. Though its vital spark wasn't entirely extinguished, it was down to its absolute last breath. Even the terrifying, blood-colored demonic flames that had previously defied the laws of physics, burning fiercely despite water and ice, were flickering out into thin wisps of smoke.
"Fantastic, Sister Hato! We've been locked in a brutal war of attrition with this beast for two full days and two nights..." Aoi Bing breathed out, turning to Hato Yui with flushed, ecstatic excitement. "Today, we finally put the monster down."
A sharp, calculating glint flickered deep within Hato Yui's eyes as she deactivated her combat stance. "The strategic price for hunting this creature was undeniably high, but if we can harvest the Summoning Scroll from its spiritual core, then every single sacrifice will have been worth it."
They had cross-referenced the coordinates of this Lihuo Demon Flood Dragon while traversing the deep-sea trenches on their route to Great Xia. In order to successfully corner and grind down its massive health pool, their reinforcement division had suffered heavy casualties, losing quite a few elite personnel along the way.
Worse yet, the grueling hunt had severely compromised their tactical timeline, delaying their scheduled landing window on the coastline.
In a high-stakes invasion, missing a synchronized operational window was a massive blunder. If Captain-General Shimura back at headquarters were to discover that they had diverted military assets for a personal hunt, a severe, unforgiving reprimand would be the absolute least of their worries.
However.
If they could obtain the summoning scroll from this Lihuo Demon Flood Dragon, not only would they face no punishment, but they would also receive a generous reward.
After all, the value of a Kage-level Summoning Beast is enough to offset their mistakes.
Especially during such a time of war.
After saying this, Hato Yui drew her Kunai and walked over.
However.
Just as she was about to finish off the Lihuo Demon Flood Dragon, a terrifying cylindrical barrier suddenly pierced through the air, shooting directly at them.
"Sister, watch out!"
Aoi Bing sensed the danger immediately.
She lunged forward, pushing Hato Yui aside.
However, her own arm was grazed by the cylindrical barrier and instantly disintegrated.
"Little sister..."
"Everyone, be careful, it's an enemy attack!"
"Watch your surroundings!"
"Stay alert!"
After the surrounding Dongdao Contractors realized what happened, they immediately formed a defensive formation and became vigilant.
Yet, before they could even locate the direction of the attacker, a large number of sharp wooden spikes erupted from the nearby forest like vipers, piercing straight through those on their perimeter.
In an instant, more than a dozen Dongdao Contractors collapsed into pools of blood with wide-open eyes.
"Damn Daxia Contractors, do you only know how to hide in the shadows and launch sneak attacks?"
Hato Yui stood tall and looked around, her sharp gaze scanning the surroundings for any movement, trying to find the attacker.
However, the response she received was another cylindrical barrier.
But this time, Hato Yui was prepared.
Seeing the cylindrical barrier shooting toward her, she immediately dodged it.
After landing, Hato Yui quickly formed hand seals and unleashed a Crystal Release secret technique in the direction the cylindrical barrier had come from.
"— — Crystal Release: Jade Crystal Wall!"
In an instant, dense masses of crystals erupted from the ground and surged toward Yang Ke's location at extreme speed.
Fortunately, Yang Ke was currently in an invisible state.
Even though he drifted out from his original hiding spot, the distraction of the dying dragon kept the Dongdao Contractors from immediately spotting him.
Yang Ke channeled the [Light and Weighted Boulder Jutsu], his body losing its mass as he floated silently into the air. He needed a higher, more concealed vantage point to start erasing their ranks from above with the devastating [Atomic Dismantling Jutsu].
But just as he gained altitude, Hato Yui let out a freezing, venomous snort.
"You sneaky rat," she hissed, her eyes locking onto the empty air. "Do you honestly think a pathetic invisibility skill can blind my eyes?"
Her fingers had already completed a rapid, silent sequence of hand seals before she even finished her sentence.
"——Crystal Release: Eight Trigrams Eight-Directional Formation!"
"——Crystal Release: Jade Crystal Labyrinth Technique!"
In a flash of blinding, eerie red light, a colossal crystal cage erupted from the earth, violently expanding until it enclosed a massive one-kilometer radius.
The [Eight Trigrams Eight-Directional Formation] combined with the [Jade Crystal Labyrinth Technique] formed an absolute, multi-layered barrier. Inside this geometric prison, light and chakra distorted, completely scrambling sensory techniques and stealth mechanisms. In the original legends, the rogue kunoichi Guren had deployed this exact layout to entirely blind the absolute sight of the Hinata's Byakugan.
Now, unleashed by Guren's high-tier Contractor, Hato Yui, the labyrinth's refracting red walls instantly shattered the stealth field. Yang Ke, who hadn't managed to outrun the expanding perimeter, was violently dragged back into the visible spectrum.
"Found him! The bastard is hovering in the sky...!"
"A rat from Great Xia! Slaughter him instantly!"
"Baka yarou... kill him!"
The moment Yang Ke's silhouette materialized, hundreds of Dongdao Contractors locked onto his position. A cataclysmic volley of long-range ninjutsu, specialized elemental skills, and thousands of high-velocity shuriken whistled through the air like a violent, coordinated hurricane.
Although Yang Ke wielded the legendary [Dust Release Kekkei Tōta]—making his offensive output a terrifying force of nature—his raw defensive capabilities were dangerously fragile. Previously, he had relied entirely on his flawless [Invisibility Jutsu] to mask this fatal weakness.
But with his stealth shattered by the labyrinth, he was stripped of his armor. He was a sitting duck in the open sky.
He maneuvered frantically through the air, pushing his flight speed to the absolute limit as he dodged wave after wave of lethal jutsu and metal. But the crossfire inside the enclosed crystal barrier was too dense. A stray cluster of kunai rigged with sizzling [Explosive Tags] detonated right in his path. The concussive shockwave ripped through his defenses, sending him crashing heavily into the dirt, bleeding and battered.
Just as a follow-up wave of lethal ninjutsu was about to pulverize his fallen form, He Gen broke his own cover.
He lunged forward, his fingers snapping into position as he unleashed his [Wood Release], creating a massive, interlocking shield of dense timber that absorbed the brunt of the incoming explosive bombardment.
But shielding his comrade came at a terrible tactical cost. He Gen was now fully exposed, standing directly in the crosshairs of the entire East Island vanguard.
"Tear them both to pieces! Avenge our fallen!" Hato Yui screamed, slashing her hand forward as she signaled the bloodthirsty horde to charge.
...