053 The Banshee within Private Toyosaki
"Huh?"
Seeing Iwanaga Kotoko dodge the black figure's attack with such agile movements, Yuuki Asuna couldn't help but be stunned.
"Necro... don't you not have combat ability? How could you…"
"I'm just not good at fighting, but that doesn't mean my physical fitness is poor."
Iwanaga Kotoko shook the prosthetic limb in her hand at Yuuki Asuna and said with a smile.
"Look, although I possess much stronger physical fitness than ordinary people, the prosthetic limb I've installed is already the best model in the world. But if I exercise as vigorously as just now, to protect the user's body, the connection will break like this."
After saying this, Iwanaga Kotoko looked at Asagiri and said with a cute, reproachful tone.
"Leader, to test my trump card, you even wasted one of my prosthetic limbs. I don't care, you have to compensate me. I don't accept monetary compensation, only compensation in the form of a date."
"Okay."
Asagiri nodded and replied without hesitation.
"Then I'll go on a date with Violet, consider that your compensation."
Iwanaga Kotoko's face turned red with anxiety, and she hopped on one leg.
"Since it's compensating me, it must be you going on a date with me!"
"Keep it down, let's do the important stuff first."
Asagiri raised his head and looked towards the top of the stairs, at the creature that was panting heavily and looked strange. He finally saw the true appearance of the so-called "Banshee".
Its head was like the legendary Yokai "Kudan", said to be able to predict disasters. Although it had the shape of a bull's head, it had a human face with no pupils, and its eyeballs were a deathly pale white.
Its body was similar to a human's, but covered in beast-like fur. The ends of its limbs were not feet and hands, but hooves.
"Hoh…"
Hearing Asagiri's exclamation, Yuuki Asuna thought that this thing indeed looked terrifying. The Floating Corpse Evil Spirit was at least within the human category, but the appearance of this Banshee in front of them had a strange aura that was truly unbearable to look at. It was natural for Asagiri to react this way…
"Could it be, this is the legendary Minotaur?"
Seeing Asagiri's excited face, eager to try, looking like a child at the zoo seeing a rare animal, Yuuki Asuna said somewhat speechlessly.
"Minotaur your head! You don't want to take this thing back and raise it, do you?"
"How could that be? You can't raise something like a Minotaur, it's too unlucky."
As they spoke, Asagiri, Yuuki Asuna, and Iwanaga Kotoko retreated. Only after the Minotaur-faced Banshee came down from the stairs and entered the spacious lobby on the first floor did they prepare for battle.
"Violet, get ready."
Yuuki Asuna nodded, looked directly at the Minotaur-faced Banshee, and clenched her right hand. The Exorcist Longsword automatically appeared in her hand.
Asagiri had no intention of summoning his Persona. After all, this time was mainly to test his newly acquired power, and he also had to give the head... oh no, the bull's head, give the bull's head to Yuuki Asuna so she could gain a speed boost through her exclusive talent "Flash".
If he were to instantly kill this Banshee, this operation would be meaningless.
"Clang…"
Accompanied by the sound of metal friction, a coiled chain appeared in Asagiri's hand. At the dangling end of the chain was a sharp blade resembling a dagger.
"Here we go."
As the words fell, Asagiri suddenly raised his hand. Along with his movement, an afterimage flashed through the air, and the sharp Rope Dart stabbed directly towards the center of the Minotaur-faced Banshee's forehead.
"Roar!!!"
The Minotaur Banshee let out a sharp, ear-piercing roar and raised its thick, fur-covered arm to block. As a result, the Rope Dart pierced directly through its flesh, sinking deeply into its arm. The force accompanying it caused its nearly two-meter-tall body to stumble.
Before it could react, a cold glint attacked from its side.
Accompanied by the sound of a sword cutting through the air, Yuuki Asuna struck the Minotaur Banshee's other arm with her sword. However, the blade only penetrated about one centimeter deep and did not directly cut off the opponent's arm.
"Tch... strength is indeed my weakness…"
The next second, Yuuki Asuna didn't hesitate at all. She immediately pulled out her longsword and performed a sideways roll, narrowly dodging the Minotaur Banshee's stomping attack with its raised hoof.
"Bang!!"
Under the Minotaur Banshee's powerful stomp, several cracks appeared in the building's hard floor tiles, and even gravel splattered out.
"This guy's strength is very high."
Yuuki Asuna saw this scene, made a judgment in her mind, and also realized her weakness.
Although she was a combat class, her defense and strength were not outstanding. Speed and reaction time were her advantages.
And the swordsmanship move that could most efficiently convert her speed into power was not cleaving, but...
Just then, the Minotaur Banshee's human face showed a twisted expression of pain because it was injured by the Exorcist Longsword, which had extra damage effect against spiritual bodies, and Asagiri's Curse Gaze Rope Dart.
Its pair of deathly pale pupils looked towards Asagiri, who was standing several meters away. Then, panting heavily through its nose and mouth, it opened its mouth and directly bit down on the metal chain connected to the Rope Dart. Its four limbs fell to the ground, changing from an upright walking state to a beast-like posture. Like a true fierce beast, it aimed its huge, sharp horns at Asagiri and charged forward.
"Hoh, you can even switch forms? That's interesting."
Asagiri stood still, with no intention of dodging. He just let the Minotaur Banshee charge towards him. Just then, he suddenly closed his hand, gripping the chain connected to the Rope Dart tightly with his fingers.
The next second, he took a step sideways and swung hard with one hand, using the force of the Minotaur Banshee's own charge to swing it, like the head of a flail, directly into the nearby wall.
"Boom!"
Under this sudden impact, the entire first floor's ground trembled slightly.
"Heh heh."
Asagiri retracted the Rope Dart, looked at the Minotaur Banshee embedded in the wall's crater, and said with a light chuckle.
"Daring to eat anything will only harm you."
Yuuki Asuna and Iwanaga Kotoko looked at Asagiri standing in front of a cloud of dust. The two looked at each other, both too shocked to say anything.
No, that nearly two-meter-tall, massive Minotaur Banshee, you just grabbed the chain with one hand and swung it directly into the wall, even creating such a deep crater?
Are you human?