Chapter 174: Astonishing Recovery
In a shabby, abandoned warehouse, Hachiman Hikigaya—still unaware that his worth had been equated to just two ice creams—was holding the unconscious Yumiko Miura, staring at Inoue Yasutaka in a tense standoff.
Yasutaka Inoue was utterly bewildered. Despite employing all sorts of anti-tracking measures along the way, why had Hachiman suddenly appeared out of nowhere? And he was carrying a burden along with him… Was this some kind of mockery?
"Since you're voluntarily seeking death, I'll grant your wish!"
Rising to his feet, Yasutaka's eyes flashed with murderous intent. A silent wave of energy emanated from his mouth, and countless malevolent spirits emerged from the concrete floor, ceiling, and walls.
"Why did you bring Miura along too?"
Hachiman glanced at Yumiko Miura in his arms, letting out a wry smile. If it were only him, dealing with this mass of spirits would have been a little easier… but complaints wouldn't solve anything.
After placing Miura on the ground with protective measures in place,
Hachiman grabbed a set of talismans and hurled them at the approaching spirits. Most of the minor spirits disintegrated instantly, but the black smoke produced by their deaths temporarily restricted Hachiman's line of sight to a small area.
"Whoosh!" A slicing sound pierced the air from within the smoke. A long sword suddenly appeared in front of Hachiman.
He sidestepped and blocked with his Demon-Slaying sword, following up with a Spirit Flow strike that pushed Yasutaka back.
Frowning at Yasutaka's armor and sword, Hachiman noted that it looked like the equipment of an ancient general… if not for knowing Yasutaka's identity as a Demon King, he might have thought he was facing a human.
Planting his right foot firmly, Yasutaka instantly teleported to Hachiman's side, slashing his back with the sword. Hachiman countered, and when their strength clashed, Yasutaka suddenly lifted a foot and kicked him away.
"Just raw strength…"
Watching Hachiman get effortlessly sent flying, Yasutaka shook his head, then flashed forward again to finish him off.
"Sun Breathing, Waltz!"
Midair, Hachiman twisted his waist and used the Waltz technique of Sun Breathing to repel Yasutaka's attack. He landed and charged at him again.
"Sun Breathing, Solar Bloom Thrust!"
During his advance, Hachiman executed another Sun Breathing move, accelerating to Yasutaka and striking at him.
"Clang!"
Yasutaka caught the thrust steadily, then swung downward, aiming to sever Hachiman's hand.
Hachiman deflected and flipped the sword, slashing horizontally toward Yasutaka's neck. By normal logic, Yasutaka should have leaned back or retreated to defend, but he grabbed the Demon-Slaying sword with his free hand.
"?!"
The sword screeched against Yasutaka's grasp, sending black smoke rising through his fingers. Ignoring the potential damage to his hand, Yasutaka took advantage of Hachiman's momentary shock and stabbed toward his abdomen.
"Fsshh!"
The blade pierced Hachiman's body, and the sharp pain made him shudder violently, cold sweat beading on his face.
Clutching Yasutaka's sword to prevent it from being withdrawn, Hachiman gritted his teeth and swung the Demon-Slaying sword with all his might at Yasutaka.
Perhaps thinking Hachiman's heavy injury had crippled his combat ability, Yasutaka was caught off guard by the counterattack. Despite retreating, the Demon-Slaying sword still grazed half of his throat. For a normal human, this wound would have been fatal.
But unfortunately, Yasutaka was no ordinary human. Beneath his appearance, he was still a Demon King-class malevolent spirit. Spirits don't die unless their core is destroyed.
"Hahaha…"
Letting out a chilling laugh, Yasutaka kicked Hachiman away and retracted his sword.
"It's all over now…"
He slowly approached Hachiman, who lay on the ground clutching his wound.
Though he didn't know why Hachiman had suddenly appeared, he was certain the boy was destined to die. Even without striking, the massive wound alone would bleed him out.
To prevent surprises, Yasutaka decided to deliver the finishing blow.
Following the villain rule of "too much talking equals death," Yasutaka swung his sword at Hachiman's neck without hesitation.
"Glug…"
A round object suddenly rolled to Yasutaka's feet.
"What… is this? A grenade?"
As a modern malevolent spirit, Yasutaka recognized it immediately. But how did a high school student like Hachiman even acquire such military-grade weaponry?
"Boom!"
The explosion launched both of them into the air.
"Is he trying to commit suicide?"
After rolling on the ground and getting up, Yasutaka couldn't comprehend why Hachiman would resort to a grenade, which posed no threat to a spirit like him.
A flash of cold light cut through the dark space, appearing directly in front of Yasutaka.
"I'm fine!"
Seeing Hachiman swing the Demon-Slaying sword at him with what seemed like normal human speed, Yasutaka couldn't help but shout in disbelief. How was this possible?! Even with his severe injuries, Hachiman's attack speed shouldn't be this fast!
Bewildered, Yasutaka looked at Hachiman's abdomen. The gaping wound had already stopped bleeding and was visibly healing before his eyes.
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