Chapter 138

"……oh?"

Seeing that [Six Eyes] was not surprised by his ambush, Fu Heishen raised an eyebrow slightly, and with a slight twist of the hilt of the knife that was piercing through the other's body, he used his forearm muscles to slash the body open with his backhand!

"Enlightenment!!"

Before the [Astral Matter] could reach out as if to stop him, the [Spellcaster] waved his hand first, summoning a large worm-like spellcaster to attack him—and the airflow that pulled him backward, was it [Six Eyes]'s enhanced attraction [Azure]?

Hmph, you reacted pretty quickly.

Fuheishen decisively released his grip and leaped backward, dodging [Cang] while being devoured by the cursed spirit—but this was inconsequential. The [Soul Release Blade], capable of striking regardless of the hardness of any object, was retrieved from the mouth of the cursed spirit wrapped around him, easily shredding it to pieces.

Under this devastating and extremely savage violence, large amounts of bodily fluids and chunks of flesh splattered, gradually turning into fine dust that scattered with the wind before they even completely hit the ground.

Covered in filth, Fuheishen carried the [Soul Release Blade] and stepped on the torii gate that symbolized the entrance to the divine realm, laughing without a care in the world.

"I thought I could take you down in one go."

Fuheishen clicked his tongue, glancing left and right. "[Stardust Body] is gone. Was it taken away by that [Spirit Manipulator]?"

"I told them to leave."

[Six Eyes], already wounded, spoke, his pale blue eyes looking at him a deeper shade of blue, as if they were filled with dark, icy ice.

“They have other things to do, and I just want to talk to you alone.”

Upon hearing this, Fuheishen tilted his head, as if he had heard some incredible joke.

His short, jet-black hair had clearly been unkempt for a long time, casting a small shadow in front of his eyes—his expression also revealed an extremely lazy nonchalance, completely disregarding the infamous [Six Eyes] of the sorcery world.

But beneath that seemingly nonchalant expression, every muscle in his body was taut yet slightly relaxed, ready to unleash its power at any moment, transforming him into a fully drawn arrow.

"What's there to negotiate with me about? You want me to pay you to let the asteroid go?"

Compared to his frivolous attitude, [Six Eyes]'s expression remained calm.

"If you just want to discuss money, whatever Panxing teaches you, Gojo can do for you too."

Fuheshen saw that the white-haired boy he had just stabbed was not angry at all, but actually tried to negotiate with him.

"Can you afford it?" Fukushige laughed. "You kid, you're just the next head of the Gojo family now."

Something's not right.

[Six Eyes] replied calmly, "If I say I can afford it, then I can afford it."

Fuheishen frowned, but not at the white-haired boy's answer.

Something's not right.

The heightened senses brought about by [Heaven and Curse] kept conveying one message to him—the person standing before him was [Six Eyes] himself, the little devil he had met once more than a decade ago when he was just passing by.

But there's always a sense of unease in my heart.

By the way, the [Astral Matter] is almost inside the Palace of Death now, so if we don't act soon, there won't be any time left.

"I'm sorry, but I still have some professional ethics towards my employers. After all, breaking a contract casually would damage my reputation—oh right, speaking of which,"

As planned, Fuheishen put the [Soul Release Blade] back into the weapon storage spirit's body and replaced it with another short sword with a shorter blade and a stranger appearance.

"I'm not particularly fond of the three starter families either!"

As Fuheishen charged forward, he arrived in front of [Six Eyes] in the blink of an eye—at his speed, an ordinary person would not have a chance to react!

But then, during their exchange of blows, a muffled sound, almost like the clang of a clashing sword, rang out.

The short knife aimed at [Six Eyes] was blocked by a piece of black staff. Judging from the sound of the collision alone, Fuheishen could tell that it was extremely hard. Even wood could not be easily cut by the [Heavenly Reverse Blade] in his hand.

After all, the effect of [Heavenly Reversal Blade] is not to cut through hard objects.

Just as Fuheishen was speechless at how [Six Eyes] could use a cursed tool, the black staff was gripped tightly in the other's palm, wrapped in a stream of dark light, and immediately swung towards him!

But the movement was far too slow. Fu Heishen easily dodged it by tilting his head, and with an extremely nimble twist, [Tian Ni Hou] switched hands in that single step, dodging the black staff that was swinging again at a tricky angle, and thrusting back at [Liu Yan]—

This time, however, the other party's response was not timely.

What sorcerers are proud of is their innate spells, which they hone over the years. Even though they can use spell power to enhance their physical abilities, their training and understanding of physical techniques are still too superficial.

Not to mention that Fuheishen is extremely rare, with zero curse power [Heaven and Curse].

...It was a miscalculation.

The thought flashed through Kazuma Hatake's mind the instant the short blade pierced his neck.

No one expected that Gojo Satoru, who was so powerful that he completely suppressed the curse masters and prevented them from acting recklessly for more than a decade, was the assassin's primary target.

Kazuma Hatori, whose appearance was modeled after Gojo Satoru, was the first to be stabbed.

But this is not a big deal. His pain sensitivity to injury is infinitely reduced. As long as his physical strength does not drop to the point of death, he is essentially unharmed.

The instant the other party responded, he saw the assassin's name on the [Social] interface.

—Fuheshchener.

It was actually Fushiguro Megumi's father?

Then we can't let Satoru kill him, to avoid creating enmity between him and Fushiguro Megumi in the future.

How about we try negotiating with the assassin using Plan Three, which we discussed last night? If necessary, we can use his acquaintance with Fukuro Megumi as leverage.

In a flash, Hagoromo Kazuma decided to stop their attack and proceed with the original plan to find Tengen at the Hōsei Palace, while he stayed behind to face Fushiguro Jinji.

[Hang in there, I'll be right back!]

Upon hearing this, Kazuma Hatake thought that with his first-level sorcerer skills, he shouldn't be unable to hold out for even a few minutes against Fushiguro Jinji, who didn't know any spells.

The best outcome would be a successful negotiation, with Fuheshel stopping, and them jointly fabricating the death of Tianrizi, while also using the opportunity to push Panxingjiao out as a scapegoat.

If all else fails, we'll stall until they return, and then we can all work together to suppress Fuheishen'er.

At this moment, Kazuma Hatori realized that he had made a huge mistake on the most crucial point.

—Fuhejin has no magic techniques, but his attack speed is extremely fast, his strength is immense, and he is extremely skilled in close-range hand-to-hand combat!

Even with the help of the game, his defense and counterattacks couldn't keep up with the opponent's extremely agile and swift speed!

[Black Flash] missed immediately, and the second [Spell Rotation - Split] also missed again.

Switching to the dual-blade form takes a short time, so Kazuma Hatori never had a chance to use it.

He even sensed that Fukushige seemed to harbor a considerable sense of aversion and hostility towards the three main families.

Kazuma Hatori felt he should have used his original appearance, no, he should have offered his real bargaining chip from the very beginning of the negotiations... However, at this moment, it was too late to say anything.

One miscalculation put him at a complete disadvantage in one-on-one combat and resulted in a fatal injury.

His full stamina dropped drastically in an instant, and as the short blade sliced ​​a long and deep wound from his throat to his chest, he plummeted below the warning line at an alarming speed.

The familiar dizziness I experienced on my first playthrough struck again.

Kazuma Hatake opened his mouth, but the game was too real—his trachea had been cut open, and he had lost the ability to speak. After a brief struggle, he could only fall backward, exhausted.

Enlightenment...

He fell into a pool of still-warm blood.

The sky in sight was still a deep blue.

My stamina, already on the verge of death, is still slowly decreasing.

—From Fuheishen's perspective, [Six Eyes], who had been repeatedly stabbed by him and was certain to die, still looked like the white-haired boy, without any change.

Was he overthinking it...?

However, he did initially feel that he was being attacked by [Azure].

Hmm... never mind, after all, he's just a proud brat whose energy has been severely depleted. In front of [Heavenly Reversal], which has the ability to forcibly remove the activation of the spell, even the most invincible [No Limit] is nothing but a thin piece of paper.

Not to mention that these high-and-mighty lineage sorcerers are always dismissive and arrogant, looking at him as if he were a monkey or a bag of garbage.

"Your condition has recovered a little."

Fuheshen stretched his body and followed the remaining footprints and scents, heading towards the Hongxing Palace.

………

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed in the archway leading to the main hall of the Hōsei-gū Palace.

"hurry up,"

[Nenchi Riko] ran in a great hurry, while calling out to Xia Youjie, who was a step behind, to speed up as well.

"I have a bad feeling. After we finish talking to Lord Tengen, let's hurry out and find Kazuma!"

Xia Youjie subconsciously wanted to summon a flying spirit to carry them, but thinking that this was, after all, the main hall of the Hongxing Palace where Lord Tianyuan resided, he held back.

"Does that mean Kazuma will lose?"

"No, I mean that the assassin just now didn't have any magical power on him."

[Tenchi Riko]'s expression was grave. "I've been wondering what was wrong, and now I know what it is."

This could only remind him of one person—[Heaven and Curse] with zero curse power, Zen Monastery Shen Er!

That is, Hui's father.

No wonder Yizhen told him not to attack when he was furious at the sight of Yizhen's injury; now I understand why!

But how did Ichijin discover the other party's identity?

The thought flashed through Gojo Satoru's mind, but he didn't have time to examine it further for the time being.

All he needs to do is enter the Ryousei Palace, create the illusion that [Tenchi Riko] has been sent to the Ryousei Palace at the High School with its monitoring barrier, and then reveal the truth to Lord Tengen. He can then immediately return to the ground to support Kazuma!

Even if Lord Tengen disagreed, there was nothing he could do. The real Heavenly Being—the real [Star Essence]—had already left Tokyo in the form of Misato Kuroi the moment they got off the plane!

Gojo Satoru's mind raced, but as he took his next step, he quickly brought his two fingers together.

It was the sound of gunfire.

The bullet that had been fired at him suddenly stopped near his temple, slowing down until it remained forever within arm's reach.

“…”

Those bluish-green eyes were now extremely cold, slowly turning as they looked at Fu Heishen'er.

Why are you here?

[Nen no Riko] spoke, but was met with a sneer from the other party, who also carelessly tossed the pistol aside, making a loud sound as it slid across the cold stone bricks.

"Oh, I see."

Fuheshen scratched his head, and looking at the [Stardust Body] that could activate a spell to block his shot, he showed a knowing expression.

"Is this that brat's spell? A disguise?"

I finally understood why [Gojo Satoru] not only knew how to use cursed tools but also never activated any more spells.

"Who was it again, Kazuma Hagoromo?" Jin slapped his forehead. "Sorry, I'm not good at remembering men's names."

"I'm asking you a question."

[Nen no Riko]—No, Gojo Satoru, his voice was low and menacing as he spoke again.

"Oh dear, what a scary expression. You want to ask how he is, right?"

Fuheshner vomited out the weapon arsenal spirit, which had shrunk into a ball, and made it lie on his upper body like a caterpillar wrapped around a branch.

And inside its mouth are stored those cursed tools that can kill people.

"I've already killed him."

Before he could finish speaking, a fierce gust of wind rose out of nowhere, destroying not only the stone bricks beneath Fuheshen'er's feet but also blowing away a large area of ​​ancient buildings behind him.

"I'll kill you."

When [Nen no Riko] raised her hand again, the simulated appearance gradually faded away, revealing Gojo Satoru's true form.

This sign further corroborates what Fushiguro Jinji said—[Hatori Kazuma is dead].

"If I could, I really wouldn't want to fight you. After all, [Star Magma] isn't here, so it's like I'm doing all this work for nothing."

Fuheshen quickly traversed the ancient architectural complex, which was arranged in a ring-like, overlapping pattern, while the cursed spirits wrapped around him opened their mouths and released a large number of fly heads stored in their bellies.

That spirit manipulator must be the real deal; he was attacked by the spirits controlled by the other party, and his appearance hasn't changed back yet.

Tsk... So, the maid who got off the plane was the real astral body, right?

The dragon-shaped cursed spirit with its serpentine body charged toward him with its gaping maw, its aura terrifying—but Fu Heishen paid no attention to this rabble. He held the [Soul-Devouring Blade] upside down in his hand and cleaved it in two with almost effortless ease.

That's his strongest Rainbow Dragon!

Before Xia Youjie could react, countless lowest-ranking fly heads had already spread throughout the main hall of the Hongxing Palace, interfering with their perception of magical power and creating countless blind spots in their vision.

They even separated him from Gojo Satoru.

"On another note,"

Amidst the intense buzzing of rapidly flapping wings, Fuheshel, who was leaping at high speed between the buildings, spoke again.

"Would you like to see that kid's body? I can take you there."

When Kazuma Hato's identity was exposed, yet he still appeared at the high school, Shigeji Fushiguro keenly realized his importance to Satoru Gojo.

The conflict of identities could not make Gojo Satoru lose his mind, but the death of one of them could.

"Wait, Wu...!"

Xia Youjie immediately tried to speak up and dissuade him, but it was too late!

[Azure], exceeding its usual maximum power output, was almost like a hurricane of natural disaster level, instantly crushing half of the main hall of the Hōsei Palace!

However, the stronger the magical power output, the more it means the sorcerer needs to concentrate and focus entirely on controlling it.

[Tian Ni Hou], whose attack range was constantly extended by the chains, suddenly launched a surprise attack from a blind spot.

This swift and decisive strike, accompanied by a sonic boom, not only cleaved through the [No Limits] technique but also caused a large spray of blood to bloom in front of Gojo Satoru.

In the brief moment before Xia Youjie's cursed spirit arrived, with those wide-open blue eyes, Fu Heishen spun around, causing the chains to arc through the air. As he lunged forward, he reached out and grabbed the hilt of the [Heavenly Reversal Blade], piercing through [Six Eyes]'s heart once more.

Those misty blue eyes, still clear as a clear sky even in their frenzy, slowly widened.

………

At the same time, Kazuma Hatori, who had collapsed at the entrance of the vocational high school, twitched slightly at his fingertips, which should have been stiff.

[Current hidden quest: The Pope's instructions, completed.]

[Reward: Unlocks the skill [Reversal Spell].]

Please note that when a player's stamina drops to the warning threshold, their spell power is sufficient, and they are out of combat, the [Reversal Spell] will be activated by default.

—The stamina, which had long been depleted but for some reason had not been declared dead, began to slowly recover at this moment.

………

"Oh."

Seeing that the psychological tactics had succeeded, Fuheshen chuckled softly and quickly retreated, leaving the attack range of the cursed spirits controlled by Xia Youjie.

Commanding cursed spirits to attack? No matter how many cursed spirits there are, they are nothing but a rabble.

The reaction speed and physical attributes gained by using zero-curse power [Heaven and Curse] far surpass those of the sorcerer himself.

When Xia Youjie was also seriously injured and unconscious in the ruins of bricks and tiles, Fuheshen used his foot to stomp his face to the other side, his gaze falling on the dome of the underground palace.

“If you were a shikigami user, I would kill you. But if it's a cursed spirit manipulation technique, who knows what will happen to those cursed spirits after you die? So I'll spare your life... This kind of injury shouldn't be fatal to a sorcerer, right?”

"I am truly grateful for my parents' kindness."

As for the other [six-eyed] corpse lying in a pool of blood, he couldn't even get a glimpse of it.

"Even if you receive a favor, you will still be defeated by a monkey like me who can't even use spells."

At this point, Fuheishen sighed, rubbed his temples with his thumb, and said thoughtfully.

"Speaking of grace... I think it's the name I gave her."

"But [Astral Matter] is a problem. The chances of it returning to its own apartment are practically zero. Where to find it is a problem... Hmm, never mind. Anyway, it can't be assimilated after the time limit, and I can still receive a reward."

Since he had zero spell power, he couldn't sense the spell power on the sorcerer's body, and naturally couldn't distinguish the flow of spell power when the spell was used—he was actually tricked in this respect; that kid from the Panxing Sect was quite capable.

With some time before dark, Fuheshen'er simply picked a rock among the ruins and sat down, waiting for the assimilation process to completely end before leaving.

Anyway, with zero curse power, whether he passes through the barrier of the High School or the barrier of the Star Palace, he won't attract anyone's attention, just like the rock under his butt.

It doesn't matter if the corpse of that Panxing Sect brat is discovered outside. The Hongxing Palace and the Jiku are hidden barriers. Not only are there no guards at the entrances, but among the more than a thousand doors, only Tianyuan knows which one is the correct door to enter this place.

He's made such a big fuss, but Tianyuan hasn't reacted at all.

—After waiting idly for a while, Fuheishener realized that the sun was about to set, so he got up and prepared to leave Hongxing Palace.

"What, you're leaving already?"

A slightly low, hoarse voice sounded coldly from behind him.

Fuheshchen paused in his steps.

When he turned his head in surprise, he saw Gojo Satoru standing there, his black uniform open and his white shirt stained with mottled bloodstains. His raised eyes were like the sharp teeth of a wild beast, his expression cold.

Did I give you permission to leave?