Chapter 382: Slash · Angel
An unexpected scene unfolded.
Facing the rapidly approaching Artificial Angel, Mahiro actually met it head-on with a single punch, striking the angel squarely on the cheek with a powerful blow.
The angel was sent flying on the spot, crashing into the van and reducing it to scrap metal.
The mask shattered, revealing a delicate and beautiful face beneath.
"This... how is this possible?!"
Kanase Kensei couldn't believe it, nor could he accept it!
A mere human, a mere Demon Hunter, had actually confronted an angel with his bare fists!
Even if the angel was artificial, its divine power was genuine—how could it be sent flying by a human's punch?!
However, in reality, Mahiro wasn't faring too well at the moment either, his brow tightly furrowed.
His right hand, which had struck the angel's mask, was now a bloody mess, as if it had been broken.
The powerful regenerative ability from his genes was trying to heal the wounds on his hand, but it seemed as though some kind of force had contaminated the injury, eroding his body and destroying his cells.
Not only that, but just a single glance at the Artificial Angel with his Copy Eyes sent sharp, needle-like pains shooting through his brain!
So this is what an angel is like?
This was likely his first encounter with a being from a higher dimension.
Even though this Artificial Angel was incomplete, its existence still remained within the confines of this dimension.
But the power it wielded was undeniably from a higher dimension.
At this thought, Mahiro couldn't help but feel his heart surge with excitement, his entire being electrified.
A defiant smile gradually spread across his lips.
"Come, let me see what you're capable of."
"Regeneration"
The injuries vanished in an instant, and even the hand eroded by divine power, along with the information from the higher dimension, was completely overwritten by the old data.
Mahiro's right foot slammed hard against the ground.
The moment the earth shattered, his figure disappeared, like a high-speed train, charging fiercely toward the "angel" amidst the wreckage.
"Ahhhh—"
By now, the angel had already climbed out of the ruins. The mask gradually peeled away from its face, revealing a visage still glowing with the holy light of divine power, as it emitted syllables incomprehensible to humans.
It sounded like some kind of chant, or perhaps a ritual.
But the next second, a hand suddenly covered its entire field of vision.
Then, that hand was already pressed against its face, gripping tightly.
It covered its face completely, like a mask.
And then—
"Grab and refine in an instant!"
Boom!
The Artificial Angel, or rather, the "Mask Parasite," was slammed heavily into the ground.
It was as if the earth had flipped over, with sand and soil flying everywhere.
Amidst the dust and haze, a joyful yet maniacal laughter echoed.
"Hahahaha, Angel-sama, come and play with me properly!"
Mahiro laughed heartily, stomping the ground with brute force like a locomotive, charging recklessly forward as he dragged the angel by its head straight out of the orphanage's playground and onto the road.
"Ahhhhh!"
It sounded like a wail.
It sounded like rage.
The Artificial Angel, with its asymmetrical, ugly wings covered in blood vessels and limbs so thin they seemed fragile, was dragged along the ground by its face.
Its body, pressed firmly into the earth, carved out a terrifying trench as it was forcibly plowed through.
As if leaving a hideous scar upon the land.
The artificial angel was thus taken away by Mahiro.
Kensei Kanase was utterly terrified.
What exactly had he witnessed?
A human not only punched away the semi-finished angel he had created, but then grabbed the semi-finished angel by the face and forcibly dragged it away, with his creation showing no ability to resist whatsoever.
At this moment, Kensei Kanase felt the world had become utterly absurd.
How could a human possess the power to oppose an angelic deity?
Even if this angel was a counterfeit he had created, its divinity and power were genuine!
As long as the ritual was completed, allowing these incomplete angels to battle each other in a manner akin to raising gu insects, devouring a large number of spiritual core circuits, and leaving only one survivor to undergo a process similar to the cannibalism of the vampire race, they could achieve complete ascension and transform into a true angel!
Thinking of this, Kensei Kanase looked somewhat unwillingly at Kanon Kanase, who had already been thrown to the ground.
Unwilling!
So unwilling!
His niece, the most perfect vessel, was right before his eyes, within reach, so close he could almost grasp her!
Yet, he had no choice but to give up.
Not to mention that the situation with XDA-6 was currently uncertain, and even if he wanted to determine the outcome, it would require some time.
Meanwhile, Beatrice was clearly at a disadvantage, no match at all for that little girl from the Lion King Organization wielding the Seventh Style Assault Demon-Slaying Spear!
What a pity.
That little girl from the Lion King Organization was a top-tier spiritual medium vessel, second only to Kanon Kanase!
If only he could get his hands on her.
But such thoughts could only remain in his head.
What was more important now was to escape from here quickly!
If that Demon Slayer, Natsuki Minamiya, discovered him, or if that little girl from the Lion King Organization freed up her hands, he would truly have no chance of escaping!
With this in mind, Kensei Kanase had already made a decision in his heart.
He had to flee, he couldn't stay here, he had things to do!
Immediately, he ran to the black sedan, pulled open the door, and climbed inside.
Just as Beatrice was about to lose her hold, the car was started, its engine roaring.
Kensei Kanase drove the sedan away on the spot!
He recklessly sped the car out of the orphanage!
"Don't even think about escaping!"
Seeing this, Yukina lifted Snowdrift Wolf, intending to chase after him and stop him, but a crimson spear shot through the air, blocking her path.
"Hehe, don't go, little girl. Your opponent is me, big sister~"
It was Beatrice.
Her tight leather outfit remained largely torn, revealing delicate, fair skin, with some areas still showing gruesome bloodstains that hadn't yet healed.
The moment she heard the engine start, she knew what Kensei Kanase intended to do.
She was about to become Kensei Kanase's discarded pawn, but Beatrice felt it didn't matter, even found it natural.
After all, that was what had been agreed upon from the start.
Moreover, she was a vampire. Even as a discarded pawn, she wouldn't die so easily.
But what she hadn't expected was that her thinking was still too simplistic.
Just as she clashed with Himeragi Yukina and was pushed back once again, Beatrice's body suddenly froze in place.
Her hair stood on end, her pupils contracted sharply, and even her voluminous wavy hair seemed on the verge of bristling!
This presence...….
Not only Beatrice, but even Yukina halted her movements, unable to help but gaze toward the darkness before the orphanage gate.
From within the darkness, faint yet distinct footsteps echoed slowly and crisply.
Each step seemed to fall in rhythm with her heartbeat, mercilessly crushing Beatrice's heart!
Beatrice couldn't help but turn her head, peering into that darkness.
"How could you be here…" Yukina murmured involuntarily.
Beatrice was even more terrified, her courage shattered.
She recognized the figure emerging from the darkness.
Clad in deep black attire, styled like a military uniform, with a small round hat tilted on her head—it lacked any sense of solemnity, instead adding a touch of playfulness and cuteness.
Most importantly, that flowing emerald-green hair…
"G-Giada-sama…"
Beatrice's voice was thick with fear.
She never imagined that her own Progenitor, the Chaos Bride Giada Kukulcan, would appear here!
Why?!
Why would the Third Progenitor be here? Shouldn't she be in South America, guarding the territory of the Third Dominion?!
Clearly, Beatrice was unaware of Giada's visit to the Third Progenitor.
The news from that day had long been sealed by Natsuki Minamiya.
Now, upon seeing Beatrice, Giada parted her lips slightly, letting out a soft laugh.
"Hehe, I never thought a casual stroll would lead to such a scene… how amusing. However, to dare address me so directly… it seems my bloodline does not hold much respect for me."
"N-no, Giada-sama! I…"
Beatrice was so frightened that she immediately abandoned all resistance, dropped her spear, and fell to her knees with a thud.
Her entire body trembled.
Not a single thought of defiance could arise.
Unfortunately, before she could finish speaking, Beatrice felt her vision suddenly begin to spin.
Then, a sharp pain shot through her neck, and she lost consciousness.
"I did not permit you to speak, traitor."
Giada held Beatrice's head in her hand, watching as her body stiffened and collapsed into ashes, a blooming smile on her face.
Powerful, ruthless, decisive.
This was Yukina's new understanding of the person before her—or rather, a renewed understanding of a Vampire Progenitor.
It was as if she were not the same person who had been beaten up by Mahiro in the school cafeteria that day.
This made Yukina's gaze toward her fill with a mix of fear and wariness.
Noticing the shift in her gaze, Giada smiled once more and gestured for silence.
"Shh."
At the same time.
"Tendo Style Martial Arts, First Form, Third Stance—"
"—Rokurokushi!"
Mahiro swiftly twisted his body in a full rotation, then threw a powerful punch.
Boom!
The force of the fist shook the air, landing precisely on the delicate chin of the artificial angel with a dull thud. A powerful shockwave erupted, sending the artificial angel flying into the air.
Like a cannonball fired from its chamber, it blasted toward the boundless night sky.
Although his body had suffered heavy blows, their wings seemed to have a mind of their own, spreading in a bizarre manner mid-air.
In an instant, countless distorted waveform light blades shot forth, rushing toward Mahiro.
"Multi-Layered Barrier · Antimatter Form."
A shimmering, mirage-like transparent barrier completely blocked these light blade attacks. Even when the barrier was destroyed, new ones instantly replenished to continue the defense.
The light blades struck the barrier, and upon being blocked, transformed into scorching flames that fell from the sky like fleeting fireworks.
Such exchanges had occurred countless times already.
Both Mahiro and the Artificial Angel seemed tireless and impervious to pain.
Even the "Regeneration" magic had been activated innumerable times.
Information had been overwritten again and again.
However, although Mahiro's body sustained continuous damage, he was gradually adapting.
And within his body, a power that should not have belonged to him, nor should have appeared in this body, was slowly accumulating—
Divine power.
A force originating from the same source as the Artificial Angel.
This was the result of the "Copy Eyes" analyzing and replicating it.
Though only a small amount, it was enough to deal with the Artificial Angel.
"[Material Conversion · Sakuradite]"
Before the Artificial Angel could react, a pink metallic block suddenly appeared beside it.
That was the energy ore from Lelouch's world—Sakuradite.
The next second, the surface of the Sakuradite suddenly erupted with dazzling, brilliant light.
"Material Burst!"
Boom!!!
At an altitude of ten thousand kilometers in the stratosphere, a scorching ball of light suddenly appeared, like a blazing sun, radiating an intensely violent energy that seemed capable of annihilating everything.
The spreading thermal currents instantly swallowed the dark clouds, and the blinding light immediately dispelled the darkness.
Illuminating the entire world as bright as day!
Many people were startled awake from their sleep by this strange phenomenon, but after realizing it had nothing to do with them, they fell back into deep slumber.
It was just an extra sun appearing suddenly.
Perhaps it was some corporation on Itogami Island conducting a nuclear fusion experiment for an artificial sun.
They couldn't possibly imagine that a battle of another dimension was taking place high above in the sky.
"Oaaaaaaaaaa!"
In the stratosphere above the clouds, where natural phenomena like wind should not exist, a storm suddenly erupted.
At the center of the raging winds, the XDA-6 Artificial Angel was clutching its head and wailing, seemingly enduring some immense, unbearable pain. A trickle of bloody tears slowly slid from the corner of its eye.
The anguished cries triggered a tornado, intensifying the storm in the stratosphere.
[Please... please kill me, I beg you...]
[It hurts so much, I don't want to endure this pain anymore...]
[Please... I beg you...]
A delicate, ethereal voice suddenly echoed in Mahiro's heart.
He frowned slightly, gazing at the grieving Artificial Angel in the distance.
This voice undoubtedly belonged to the Artificial Angel.
But asking him to kill it... that was a bit of a dilemma.
To be honest, his current strength was more than sufficient, but his position was somewhat awkward. Killing an angel was no easy task.
[Mahiro, please call upon me. I can do it.]
As if hearing his inner thoughts, Est's voice suddenly echoed from the depths of his heart, offering a response.
"Are you sure you can do it?"
Mahiro was somewhat uneasy.
He feared Est might be damaged, so he had never summoned this sword elf, choosing instead to fight barehanded with his fists.
Because he didn't know if he could restore her or overwrite her data if Est were to be injured.
[Hmph, Mahiro, you underestimate me too much.]
[Who do you think I am? I am the Boundary Guardian, Terminus Est!]
Perhaps from spending too much time with Mahiro, Est had also learned to play along with the jokes.
"Alright then, I'll leave everything to you."
Mahiro couldn't help but show a relieved smile, then closed his eyes, raised his right hand high toward the sky, and began to chant.
"Cold steel queen, Demon King Killing Sacred Sword—"
"—Become a steel weapon here and now, and help me slay all enemies!"
[As you wish.]
With the gentle, ethereal voice fading, the legendary steel queen, the Demon King Killing Sacred Sword Est, descended once more!
A slender, elegant silver-white blade, ancient elven inscriptions flowing with magical light, and luxurious handguards adorned with gilded accents.
A sword worthy of being called the best in the village was tightly gripped in Mahiro's hand.
Feeling the warmth transmitted from his palm, Mahiro opened his eyes.
Facing the gradually expanding black storm that was about to engulf him.
Mahiro placed the silver Holy Sword at his waist, slowly lowered his center of gravity, and began to pour his internal magical power continuously into the Demon King Killing Sacred Sword.
Magical power sufficient to shake the atmosphere and evaporate the seas now bloomed with dazzling radiance upon the blade!
At the moment when the magical power reached its limit, as the storm was about to engulf him and the fierce winds tore at his clothes, Mahiro slowly spoke:
"Tendo-ryu Battoujutsu Zero-Type Third Form—"
"—『Afwei Evil Twin-Bladed Sword』!"
Swish—
Upon the dark night sky, a pure white sword scar was left, like the dividing line between dawn and dusk, akin to the breaking dawn.
There was no sound, nor any movement.
Only the endlessly rolling massive storm seemed to suddenly be pressed with a pause button, collapsing the next moment. On the slender neck of the imitation angel at the storm's center, a thin line of blood appeared.
Afwei Evil Twin-Bladed Sword was a sword technique created by Tendo Kisara for her revenge against the Tendo family.
It was a bizarre sword technique that was both a single strike and a double strike.
The first strike severed the storm, causing it to collapse.
The speed of the second strike approached the speed of light, directly cutting the imitation angel's throat from a distance.
Thus.
The imitation angel immediately fell from the sky like a kite with its string cut.
Mahiro immediately dove down from the sky, catching the already deceased girl and embracing her in his arms.
"Sorry."
His fingertips gently brushed the slash mark that had nearly severed her head, and he whispered an apology.
This apology might have been for the girl's suffering through cruel experiments; or perhaps it was an apology for his own insufficiently swift action.
Although doing so might seem somewhat hypocritical, it must be said that this girl's suffering was undoubtedly connected to him.
However, he did not regret it.
Even if given another chance, he would still make the same choice.
Around him, Psionic Light gradually shimmered, enveloping the deceased girl.
[Information reading complete.]
[Retrospective time point confirmed.]
[Regeneration, activate—]
The deep blue Psionic Light completely enveloped the girl. In an instant, all the wounds on her body healed, and the pair of grotesque, sanity-draining wings that had sprouted from her back scattered like dust.
At the same time, all memories from this period were erased by him.
Once again, she returned to the form a girl should have.
Holding the unconscious girl, Mahiro shot toward the ground like a streak of light.