As unexpected as it may have been, the Black Scabbards were facing their first real adversity together.
Faced with this strange assassin, the trio found themselves in a dire situation.
"Kutcher..." Tuziku mumbled as he gazed at Kutcher, who lay drenched in a pool of his own blood.
With a hole through his arm and another through his chest, along with the tremendous amount of blood he had already lost, Kutcher's body had entered a state of shock.
He was on the brink of death.
Prīōra could only cover her mouth in disbelief as she gazed at Kutcher's pale, bloodied, corpse-like body.
Then, Giō slowly approached Tuziku.
"He was foolish to try to suddenly attack me like that!"
"Because I let my guard down... I wasn't able to control it!"
Giō let out a sigh as he nodded his head from side to side.
As Tuziku gazed at Giō approaching him, he couldn't help but feel enraged upon hearing his voice.
"What... the hell are you talking about?!" Tuziku clenched his fists.
"How the hell could you do that to Kutcher?!"
Giō raised an arm.
"I told you already! It was his fault for attacking me so suddenly!"
At that exact moment—
FWOOOOOOOSSSSHHH!!!
Powerful winds began to violently surge throughout the night sky.
"Hmmm?" Giō scratched his chin.
"Is this wind your doing?" he asked.
Tuziku remained silent, wearing a stern expression.
"Interesting..." Giō let out a grin.
"I never would've thought you were a member of the Hakashi Tribe!" he smirked.
Suddenly, the powerful winds surging throughout the sky began to concentrate around Tuziku's body.
Giō gazed at him with utmost curiosity.
"That's actually impressive."
"Well, since you're gonna die... here's a secret of mine..." Tuziku raised his fists.
"I'm not a member of the Hakashi Tribe!"
Suddenly, Tuziku dashed toward him at incredible speed.
"HAAAAAAAAA!!"
However, at that exact moment, instead of countering or avoiding the attack, Giō simply closed his eyes.
BOOM!!
SPLSSSH!!
Blood gushed from Tuziku's right arm.
"I know that sound~" said Giō, his eyelids still shut.
"That's a bullseye!"
"I wonder where it hit!"
Giō slowly opened his eyelids.
"That's—his arm! That's five points!"
"Hahaha!!" He burst into laughter.
"Tuziku!!" Prīōra burst into tears as she dashed toward Tuziku's side.
"Stay back, Prīōra!" Tuziku shouted.
Prīōra came to a halt.
Tuziku...
As Tuziku clenched his wounded arm, he thought to himself:
What the hell is up with this guy?!
Before I could land my attack—he suddenly closed his eyes and fired a precise shot straight toward my arm!
"What the hell is up with you?" Tuziku glared at him.
Giō wore a saddened expression.
"When you're faced with life-and-death situations from the moment you were born, this is what you turn into." He pointed toward himself.
"This is the result of my perseverance through life and death since birth!"
He raised his weapon toward Tuziku.
"I am a breathing, living killing machine!"
"I have no other purpose... my entire being... my entire existence... is solely..."
"TO SNUFF OUT THE LIFE OF OTHERS!!"
BOOM!!
He fired a projectile toward Tuziku.
However...
Thia time...
Tuziku had completely vanished.
"What the..."
"Where is he?!" Giō began to panic.
Then—
Tuziku suddenly appeared behind him.
"Now's my chance to pay you back tenfold!"
Using his left arm, he drew his fist back, preparing to launch a powerful attack.
But then—
BOOM!
SPLSSSHH!!
"AHH—"
THUD!
Tuziku collapsed to the floor as blood gushed from his freshly wounded stomach.
"I knew it..." he mumbled.
This guy's weapon...
Can attack on its own!
"Phew!"
"That sure was a close one!" Giō grinned.
"Unfortunately for you, surprise attacks won't work against me... in fact, they'll only prove to be more fatal to my enemies!"
"Tuziku, no!!" Prīōra screamed.
Giō slowly turned toward her.
But suddenly—
"Is that so..." Tuziku slowly rose from the floor.
Giō turned toward him.
"Impossible...!"
Tuziku stumbled around, gasping heavily as he glared at Giō.
"Tuziku!" Prīōra shouted in relief.
"How are you able to speak, let alone stand up?!" Giō wore a confused expression.
As he glanced toward Tuziku's wounds, his face became filled with confusion.
"What's going on with your wounds?"
Within Tuziku's wounds, small amounts of swirling wind occupied the damaged areas, preventing him from losing more blood.
Tuziku wore a smirk.
"This... is my solid resolve to protect the people close to me!" He clenched his fist.
Giō aimed his weapon.
"I've grown tired of you," he said in a irritated tone.
"You can die now."
BOOOM!
He fired a projectile toward Tuziku.
Tuziku summoned all his strength and used it to narrowly avoid Giō's attack.
That was close.
He frantically gasped for air.
"I think I finally understand how your weapon works now!" said Tuziku.
Giō's expression hardened.
"Then that means I've already spent way too much time on you chumps!"
He aimed his weapon.
"Consecutive Heavy Projectiles!"
BOOM! BOOM!!
Giō unleashed two powerful projectile blasts.
SPLSSH!!
"AHHHH!"
The first projectile pierced through Tuziku's stomach again.
THUD!
His body collapsed to the floor.
However, the second projectile...
It suddenly strayed from its initial trajectory and curved toward Prīōra, piercing her shoulder.
SPLSSH!
THUD!
Her body collapsed to the floor.
Giō approached Tuziku and stood over his unconscious body.
"Well then... I guess I better get you three back to those ungrateful villagers!" He let out an eerie smile at the thought of it.
"I bet they'll be so thankful and happy! Then they'll have no choice but to let me back into the village!"
He grinned.
Suddenly, Giō raised his weapon and gaze it at it in an unusual manner, almost as if it were a another person.
"Well done today... Ocēanō!"
His weapon began to vibrate violently.
"Calm down now, girl."
"We have but one more task to do."
He gazed at the trio and pointed his weapon toward them.
"Water Prison!"
Suddenly—
Water began to leak from Giō's weapon and surround the trio's bodies.
After a mere seconds, the trio became engulfed in a large body of floating water.
"Hahahaha!"
Giō let out an eerie smile.
"Now, off to Nepa we go!"
He walked off as the body of water detaining the trio followed behind.
CHAPTER 72 END!