Chapter 181: Submission: Moon Fiend or Kaito Shirogane?
Kaito Shirogane didn't know where that guy had Apparated to with his right arm, but the Nexus's notification would never be wrong. The Reincarnator with the flashy abilities was dead.
Kaito glanced at the sky. Amidst the roiling storm clouds, he felt that Enel had probably already noticed the new commotion on the island, but for some reason, hadn't acted yet.
He moved his shoulder, and new flesh began to grow.
After using the [Secret Trove: Cursed Blood Origin], Kaito's strongest trait at this moment was his regenerative ability. He turned to leave, but suddenly, a clear killing intent appeared. Kaito turned his head and saw, a thousand meters away, a person in a green robe, dragging a black cross-shaped greatsword through the sand.
Noticing Kaito's gaze, Moon Fiend's lips curled. Her normally stoic, poker-like face became animated.
"Mercenary Tao, you really haven't disappointed me..."
Moon Fiend spoke. Her voice wasn't loud, but it had a dream-like, murmuring quality.
[Kyung], who was beside Moon Fiend, tilted her head. Her pupils focused on this man who had made his Avatar so hideously ugly. She could tell that Miss Moon Fiend was very interested in this Mercenary Tao.
[Kyung]'s hands fell to her sides as sharp claws extended from her fingers. She looked at Mercenary Tao. He was now wearing the exact same smile as her. Kyung suddenly had a premonition that she and this Mercenary Tao might have a lot in common—a language spoken through flesh and blood.
Kaito stood on the beach. An intense presence washed over him. Even though she hadn't swung her blade, a terrifying, sharp aura radiated from her, making Kaito's skin ache.
Although they were from the same batch of Reincarnators who had entered this world, the feeling this [Moon Fiend] gave Kaito was on a completely different level—several tiers above the guy he just killed.
This had nothing to do with stats or ability counters. It was the way a powerful person naturally dominated your senses just by existing in the same space. Their breathing, their heartbeat, even their aura, would drown out all others.
It was the unique "presence" that belonged only to the strong.
In this regard, Moon Fiend was even more pronounced than Kai or Rose Tiger, whom Kaito had met before.
This person... just by standing in front of you, she made you feel pain.
"Ha, Moon Fiend... I hear you've been hunting me?"
Kaito wasn't in a hurry to leave. He remembered clearly that Moon Fiend's abilities included [Moonwalk] and that absurdly large-scale slash. Turning his back on someone like that was not a good choice.
Moon Fiend wasn't in a hurry to attack Mercenary Tao either. She just dragged the Black Blade [Yoru], her sword's aura contained but not released. She was ready to draw her sword instantly, no matter which direction he tried to flee.
She had watched the fight with [Hades]. Honestly, it was a complete mess.
A Reincarnator could specialize in one area, but they should never limit themselves to the rigid patterns of a native character.
Just because you mastered spells from the Harry Potter derivative world, did that mean you must only use a wand and incantations?
If he had mastered some elemental or other instant-cast magic, how could he have ended up in a situation where a martial artist got in close, leaving him with no way to escape?
Although [Hades] was a Reincarnator who had passed the first ladder and Mercenary Tao probably hadn't even hit his stat limit, in terms of raw talent as a Reincarnator, that guy was far inferior to Mercenary Tao.
"That's right. I thought a beast like you would remember that I spared your life back in the Dragon Ball world and come to me willingly. But... tsk, you're no fun at all, Mercenary Tao."
Moon Fiend seemed to move slowly, but she had already crossed 200 meters. Kaito remained standing in place. He was turned to the side, his right arm already regrown.
Kaito only half-believed Moon Fiend's claim of "sparing" him.
Back then, Moon Fiend was facing an un-enhanced Kaito. She'd had plenty of chances to kill him. With that [Observation Haki] that could find him no matter how he moved through the misty forest, combined with her mountain-splitting swordsmanship, she had plenty of ways.
But she wasn't trying to spare him. Moon Fiend was probably thinking of cutting off his arms and legs, so she held back, afraid to use a slash that was too powerful. She just kept forcing him to move, trying to get close enough to dismember him.
Reincarnators who used a special [Card] to gain a special Sequence had a trait: the [Card] would re-manifest upon their death. This was why those mysterious [Cards] never disappeared from the Nexus.
But the re-manifested [Cards] didn't drop on the spot. They were randomly scattered elsewhere.
Therefore, when Moon Fiend saw his special number, she knew killing him wouldn't be the most profitable outcome. Controlling him, "farming" him, or whatever—keeping a living special Reincarnator by her side was the best choice.
"Then why not spare me again today?"
Kaito wore a careless smile, watching Moon Fiend close the distance. That stinging pain, as if a blade was about to graze his skin, made Kaito truly realize that these high-ranking, famous Reincarnators truly possessed a power fundamentally different from others of the same tier.
It wasn't stats, it wasn't rank... what was that fundamental difference in power?
Moon Fiend smiled. The distance between them was now less than 500 meters. For her, this was her perfect kill range.
She slightly raised the Black Blade Yoru and gave it a gentle swing. She didn't use any ability, but Kaito clearly saw the air tear, a white stream of pressure flying several meters before dissipating.
Her Swordsmanship Mastery was probably terrifyingly high.
Moon Fiend's eyelids lowered. She wasn't going to waste any more time. She angled her blade, and just as she was about to strike, Kaito spoke again.
"Flame Fiend is here too, isn't he? Are you sure you want to fight me?"
Of course Moon Fiend knew. In fact, the [Hades] Mercenary Tao just killed was one of Flame Fiend's new team members.
But so what? She had been avoiding Flame Fiend's pursuit, but not because she was afraid of him. She just didn't want to become a casualty in the fight between those two "big shots."
Moon Fiend's lips curled as she met his gaze.
"You think Flame Fiend can restrain me?"
"Mercenary Tao, I will give you three chances. If you do not submit to me, I will cut you down."
"This is... the first sword!"
Vmmm!
Moon Fiend's blade turned. Her right hand and sword vanished. A massive green, fan-shaped arc instantly split the beach in two.
Kaito's expression was calm. Even at this speed, with the aid of his [Pre-Initiative] and [Transparent World], the motion of the swing was incredibly obvious.
Kaito took one step to the left. The jade-green sword light swept past him, slashing into the sea on the other side. Over 500 meters of coastline collapsed, and seawater rushed in.
Pff!
Kaito's pupils shrank. Several wounds appeared on his body simultaneously. As blood sprayed, his eyes finally caught sight of several nearly invisible steel wires in the air, retracting back to the black blade.
Moon Fiend revealed a cold smile. "That was the first time, Mercenary Tao. Are you ready to submit?!"
She wasn't [Hades]. Her swordsmanship didn't rely solely on Hawkeye's techniques. She had mastered other abilities as well.
[Seven Flashes]—a special technique from the A Certain Magical Index derivative world. It wasn't swordsmanship, and it wasn't magic. It was a unique skill.
Moon Fiend hadn't "learned" this ability in the traditional sense. She had mastered the technique through direct, personal experience in the [Training Hall] and modified her weapon to use this incredibly stealthy attack.
Kaito touched his cheek. Her attack had perfectly avoided his vital points.
Ha...
This one... is interesting!
Kaito completely ignored the several deep cuts on his body. They would heal soon enough. He was becoming more and more interested in the Nexus's infamous [Moon Fiend].
In his eyes, she was a true Reincarnator—one who specialized in combat and slaughter, and relentlessly honed her craft for it.
Kaito suddenly clasped his hands behind his back and took a step forward. His eyes saw nothing but Moon Fiend, his expression zealous, almost deranged.
"Moon Fiend, I'll give you three chances, too. If you can't kill me... why don't you submit to me? How about it?!"
[Kyung]'s face went cold. Moon Fiend laughed, partly in anger, partly in amusement. She was certainly getting a taste of this Mercenary Tao's madness.
She didn't reply, simply took another step, gripped her sword hilt with both hands, and swung down hard.
Pff!
Kaito's pupils shrank. No sword light appeared, but an invisible sword pressure passed through his body. The muscles from his shoulder to his waist were instantly torn, and blood gushed out.
But Moon Fiend's eyes also widened slightly. Her opponent's physical toughness was beyond her expectations. Her intentional restraint, meant to wound but not kill, had failed to do any real damage.
Kaito analyzed the last attack. It was just using an extreme-speed swing to send the force of the slash through the air. It just... lacked a bit of power.
Kaito guessed that his current, inhuman body composition had caused Moon Fiend to miscalculate the force needed.
He shook his head, extremely dissatisfied with Moon Fiend's arrogant restraint.
"Moon Fiend, you haven't actually reached Hawkeye's level at all, have you? You probably killed Hawkeye through some trick... or maybe... you didn't even kill him at all."
"Don't you get it yet?"
"You don't have what it takes to do whatever you want to me."
Kaito advanced again, his wounds already healing. This confirmed for Moon Fiend that he indeed possessed high-speed regeneration. Her assessment of his power level rose again.
She took a step forward. Less than 300 meters separated them. Gripping the black blade with two hands, she whispered,
"Mercenary Tao... don't die on me now."
BANG!
A sudden gunshot. A bullet tore through the air. Before the sound of the sonic boom had even fully dissipated, Kaito was blown backward, a massive hole exploding in his chest, nearly tearing his torso apart.
The place where his heart should have been was now empty.
Moon Fiend's pupils shrank. She instantly canceled her sword stance. The attack had come from outside her Observation Haki's range, and since it wasn't aimed at her, she hadn't sensed it at all.
This kind of over-the-horizon sniper capability...
Damn it!
Moon Fiend turned toward the distant sea. She could almost see a man in a silver trench coat standing on the docks of Mock Town, a wisp of smoke still rising from the muzzle of his enormous, two-meter-long sniper rifle.
"Kyung, go, hide. It's that guy, [Critical Point]."
Kyung's figure flashed and she vanished. [Critical Point] was one of the most famous marksmen in the second power-echelon, possessing an over-the-horizon sniping ability with terrifying killing power that most of the Nexus's protective charms couldn't block.
Moon Fiend relied on her Observation Haki, preparing to confirm if Mercenary Tao was truly dead. But from the sea, a pirate ship with a red dragon figurehead sailed into the inner bay, and Flame Fiend's furious roar echoed.
"Mercenary Tao! Moon Fiend!"
"So you two teamed up to kill Hades!"
Moon Fiend's expression was cold. She ignored him and walked over to Mercenary Tao's "corpse," only to stop. Tendrils of flesh were already growing in the hole, the wound rapidly shrinking. Through it, she could see a new heart regenerating.
Moon Fiend's pupils shrank. This guy... he's immortal!
Kaito and Moon Fiend locked eyes. He gave her a cruel smile. The next second, he opened his mouth and roared, his voice booming:
"False god Enel! Come out and die!"
Bzzzt— KRRRACKLE!
Blue-and-white lightning instantly lit up the sky.
Enel's expression was grim. Because of the earlier incident, he had been watching the "demon" more carefully and had planned to ignore these pests making a racket outside the town.
But these mortals... were just too disrespectful.
(End of Chapter)
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Guys We cross the 400 power stone goal and as promise here the bonus chapter
Next goal 500 power stone,come on guys you'll can do it, good luck.
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