Chapter 447: Cruelty and Smile
Horror!
Fear!
Omega found himself frozen in place at this moment, failing to react immediately to follow up with the Mind Storm, leaving Lancer to face Mercenary Tao alone.
The other person standing behind Omega was a dark-skinned man wearing a baseball cap. During the previous battle with the 74960 squad, he was responsible for observing and sniping from a distance.
At this moment, the Gauss sniper rifle was clearly in his hands, but he found his hands spasming, unable to raise it.
The man codenamed [Chief] had his heart beating wildly. He felt the muscles all over his body contracting. His skin and meridians had even shrunk to the point where he felt pain.
Fear, as long as he raised this gun, he would die!
This thought appeared clearly in his mind. At the same time, he began to feel ashamed of his cowardly thought. Just before, when Fireman sacrificed himself and jumped out the window, he had fantasized in his mind that he could do the same.
If Lancer and the others hadn't supported each other, most people in this team would have died in cruel missions long ago.
He thought he had the resolve to sacrifice his life for these people.
But when he was really only three to five meters away from a monster like Mercenary Tao, he realized his cowardice.
He wanted to live; he really wanted to live!
He still wanted to return to the real world to meet that person...
Chief's right fingers twitched like a spasm, but ultimately he didn't raise the Gauss sniper rifle to support.
Omega had no time to care about Chief's state at this time. He knew he had to act; otherwise, once Lancer was killed, the others absolutely couldn't contend with Mercenary Tao.
This was not just camaraderie, but a rational choice.
Omega's eyes focused. Intense spiritual power suddenly surged towards Mercenary Tao.
But when he looked up, he found Mercenary Tao had turned his head at some point, looking at him calmly.
The moment he met those eyes, a strong impact crashed straight into his spirit and chest.
Pfft!
Omega's vision went black. Blood spurted wildly from his mouth and nose. His figure seemed to be hit by an invisible psychokinesis, crashing heavily into the pillar inside the building.
A scarlet phantom appeared on Mercenary Tao's body surface, like a terrifying demon shadow emerging from within him.
What kind of ability was that...
What level and what type of Reincarnator was Mercenary Tao...
Omega's eyes turned red, and blood also seeped from his eye sockets.
[Based on your Spirit, you obtained the following information]
[You suffered the influence of Active Spirit, Spirit Check in progress...]
[Check failed, you will suffer erosion]
[You suffered the attack of Omen of the Evil God - Gaze of Arrogance]
...
Omega looked at the prompts in the panel, still unable to believe he actually failed the Spirit Check and was eroded by Mercenary Tao's ability. Was the martial artist Mercenary Tao actually a Spirit-specialized Reincarnator?!
In the next moment, Omega began to feel the world before him become colorful and chaotic. His vision twisted, and he could no longer clearly see his teammates' positions.
Damn it, a strong sense of crisis surged into his heart. This bad, desperate feeling was unprecedented, as if in the next second, everything he cherished would disappear.
Omega suddenly shouted loudly.
"You guys go quickly!"
Then a high-frequency sonic wave emitted from his mouth. The sound instantly exceeded the frequency band humans could receive, chanting in some weird tone.
The air began to shrink. Some dangerous power gathered in Omega's mouth.
Lancer, burned by Brilliant Flames, was very calm. His Nen erupted at this moment. The golden [En] (Circle) acted like a barrier, directly framing Mercenary Tao inside.
At the same time, various prayer magics were constantly added to himself.
[Cat's Swiftness]
[Bear's Strength]
[Endless Stamina]
In the next moment, feeling his strength had reached its peak, the heavy sword in his hands seemed to disappear. Hundreds of sword lights burst out simultaneously.
Every sword light slashed at Kaito Shirogane from a different angle within the [En], so fast it was as if they were slashed simultaneously.
The types of abilities Lancer strengthened were very mixed. He wasn't the type who got extremely high ratings in a certain world or obtained a powerful ability and then rose smoothly.
Lancer was the type who struggled to survive by fighting enemies to the death in almost every mission, and then used the resources at hand to survive with all his might.
Therefore, he learned whatever ability he could get. Entering the Hunter x Hunter world, he sought to awaken Nen. Entering a magical world, he sought spellcasting abilities. Entering a world with gods, he sought the power of prayer.
Precisely because surviving was so difficult, he cherished other people's lives even more. He did his best to protect every companion and wouldn't waste their sacrifices.
Lancer's Nen ability was named [Incomplete En]. The effect was very simple. After he shrunk his [En] small enough, Nen completely filled the range of the En. Any target entering this range would be slashed by his sword in an instant.
It was a Nen ability with sure-hit and godspeed characteristics.
Similarly, obtaining this ability wasn't because of his talent or aptitude.
It was a Nen ability forcefully shaped by learning the domain and sword skills of a swordsman he admired very much in a certain cruel world.
Lancer suddenly jolted awake. Even though his thinking speed was quite fast, he shouldn't fall into this state during a battle.
Moreover, why hadn't Omega's [Banshee's Howl] been unleashed yet?
Amidst the dancing sword lights, Lancer looked to the other side from the corner of his eye, only to see a scarlet serpent already piercing through Omega's throat.
This agile and smart man, who was very good at digging out hidden rewards in plot worlds, had been nailed to the pillar, twitching constantly. Blood kept overflowing from his mouth and nose; it was obvious he couldn't live.
And [Chief], this robust sniper, just stood in place, eyes blank, hands trembling constantly, without any movement.
Damn it!
In his shock and anger, Lancer suddenly saw Mercenary Tao still tilting his head looking at him. His figure flashed constantly in his En like a phantom.
Those hundreds of sword lights didn't land a single hit?!
"How is that possible..."
No matter how fast the speed, it was impossible to dodge so many slashes within his En. These were slashes with godspeed and sure-hit characteristics!
Kaito clearly realized at this time that his combat power had far surpassed these Reincarnators who theoretically should be on the same ladder as him.
Whether it was this Nen user in front of him or that Spirit controller, both should have crossed the extreme value of First Ladder attributes. But whether it was the height of a single attribute, or the quantity and quality of abilities, they absolutely couldn't compare with him.
"In the [En] formed by your Nen ability, there is always an empty spot, isn't there?"
Kaito explained to Lancer like a patient teacher how he managed to stand in this En without being slashed.
If it were in the past, facing this ability, Kaito would probably violently use his immortality to resurrect and then instantly kill the opponent.
But after [Transcendent Helix] entered the Second Stage, he became extremely sensitive to energy, even able to directly observe the essence of energy with his naked eyes.
In his eyes, there was always a void in this Reincarnator's [En]. That void constantly changed positions, but the speed wasn't considered godspeed to him.
Therefore, Kaito simply used his speed and Wind God's Kick to keep himself always standing in that empty spot, so these slashes landed in the air. That was all.
Clang!
Amidst the sound of metal clashing, Kaito suddenly pinched that heavy sword in front of him with his left hand.
Lancer's sword momentum was instantly cleared.
At this moment, Lancer felt the insurmountable gap between himself and Mercenary Tao. It wasn't just attributes and abilities; purely in combat and mentality, he completely couldn't compare with this monster who didn't even produce a sliver of emotion when killing.
"Answer me, how did you guys get this heart..."
Kaito extended his right hand in front of Lancer, holding a heart that had slowly stopped beating. In the next moment, that heart slowly turned into scarlet luster and disappeared.
Lancer knew everything belonging to Fireman had been taken away.
He tried to pull the heavy sword, but Mercenary Tao's strength was overwhelmingly powerful. He lowered his head, fell silent for a moment, knowing in his heart that today was probably the time [White Temple] perished.
Subsequently, Lancer suddenly raised his head, looking at Kaito with a mocking expression.
"You haven't obtained that kind of thing yet, Mercenary Tao..."
"That resolve to let others live even if you die yourself."
"That resolve for others to be happy even if you die yourself."
"Even if you die... that feeling where heart and blood begin to burn, completely unable to feel fear... a monster like you, can't feel it, right~ Ha~"
Lancer's voice became increasingly high-pitched, and towards the end, it had become shrill.
In the next moment, Lancer's long hair rose, revealing a weird silver-white mechanical part on the neck. Lancer backhandedly pressed the switch at the very top of the triangular mechanical part.
This is...
Kaito was originally still thinking about the meaning in the opponent's words. The reason he didn't instantly kill this group of people was that he was indeed trying to learn how that intense emotion was born among these people.
Right before that Fireman died, he rarely felt from the opponent the eagerness that Corey and Mob had before they died.
But at this moment, Lancer showed another characteristic.
Intense "magic power" steamed from him. This magic power was different from any magic power Kaito had felt before; it was more like a weird biological power.
And... this Lancer was a bit beyond his expectations. The opponent's avatar was a man's appearance, and his words and deeds showed no loopholes at all. But the true face of his ability was the Witch enhancement from [Brynhildr in the Darkness].
This contrast gave her the opportunity to cast her ability.
She floated up from the air, pointing one hand at Omega, who was nailed to the pillar, and said:
"You, shall live because another's life is taken."
Then, she pointed her other hand at Kaito and said:
"And you, shall die because you took too many lives."
At this moment, Lancer was like a witch issuing edicts. After speaking, the magic power triggered a massive shock in the space, and some profound power began to take effect.
In the next moment, Omega, who should have died, began to twitch again.
At the same time, Lancer's face also turned much paler. She looked at Mercenary Tao. As long as she could kill Mercenary Tao before she died, then everything would be worth it.
Unfortunately, Mercenary Tao had no reaction.
Above Kaito's head, a broken crown shone brilliantly. [Authority Fragment - Fatalism]. Kaito could already significantly weaken and be immune to fate-side abilities.
Seeing her ability fail, Lancer's magic power suddenly began to collapse. That bug-like magic power began to melt her body.
Kaito reached out and tapped. Golden light instantly pierced her glabella.
[You killed Reincarnator BU72280356, Sin Karma Point + 1]
"No, no no no... No!"
The newly resurrected Omega saw Lancer falling lifelessly from the air. In despair, he opened his mouth to use Banshee's Howl again.
Bang!
A gunshot suddenly rang out. Omega blankly clutched his neck, where a neat hole appeared.
[Chief], holding the Gauss sniper rifle, slowly lowered the gun and knelt down in front of Mercenary Tao.
Seeing this scene, Omega spurted a large amount of blood from his mouth and nose, unable to say anything more, and also fell down.
Kaito lowered his eyelids. The curiosity that had just arisen in his heart because of these people's beating [Hearts] slowly dissipated.
Ultimately, humans are just such creatures.
"Lord Mercenary Tao, I can hand over all my things, and I can point out the locations of others. As long as you need, I can do anything for you..."
Bang!
Kaito turned around indifferently. The tentacles brewed by the scarlet [Sin - Excessive Slaughter] directly shattered this dark-skinned man's head.
[You killed Reincarnator JV10447933, Sin Karma Point + 1]
"Tsk, truly a bold guy, actually wanting to steal my kill..."
Speaking words where true and false were hard to distinguish, Kaito came in front of the Reincarnator by the wall who was about to die because his throat was smashed.
He pressed one hand on the opponent's glabella.
"Are you happy to die the same way as her?"
Kaito asked.
Omega closed his eyes, the corners of his mouth curving.
That was... a smile.
Pfft!
[You killed Reincarnator IJ40331765, Sin Karma Point + 1]
Three Scarlet Drop Cards glowing with golden spots slowly condensed in front of Kaito. Kaito put them away one by one.
He looked at the place where that man, who showed a smile despite being killed by him, was nailed previously. He reached out and touched it. There seemed to still be a little warmth there.
Was the so-called [Heart] this kind of thing?
Roar!
Amidst the giant beast's roar, its dorsal fins lit up with terrifying light again.
Boom!
A massive breath swept across Tokyo. In the next moment, a white shockwave broke through the air and directly bombarded the top of the giant beast's head.
"Ha!"
A terrifying shout subsequently erupted.
Like thunder exploding, and like a giant cannon bombarding.
The terrifying explosion blew up directly next to the giant beast's head. This blow completely brought this hundred-meter giant beast down.
Kaito stood beside its head. From the corner of his eye, he already saw many Black Ball Team members appear. These people held various super-technological weapons, aiming at the giant beast, or at him.
Kaito raised his head. Humans, this kind of creature, were truly too complex. The Multi-Faced Aliens' view was ultimately too simple.
In the next moment, boundless killing intent erupted, completely enveloping the giant beast and the nearest few Black Ball Team members.
Kaito removed his restrictions, and tyrannical killing intent began to pervade.
[Shun Goku Satsu]!
(End of Chapter)
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