The instant Rin rushed towards her, she gripped her Long Axe tightly. Utilizing the inertia from stepping back, she fiercely swung the axe blade horizontally. The strike aimed directly at Rin's waist and abdomen, the blade wrapped in Cursed Energy, slicing out a cold gleam, intending to force Rin to retreat from his sudden attack.
Facing this fierce strike, Rin displayed agility far surpassing the ordinary person.
His feet remained rooted, but his upper body sharply bent backward, his waist and back nearly forming a ninety-degree angle with the ground. Mei Mei's Long Axe grazed past the tip of his nose, the wind generated by the axe sweeping his fringe hair.
This evasion, which almost defied the laws of physics, caused Mei Mei's pupils to contract sharply. Just as she intended to pull back the axe and adjust her stance, the immense recoil delayed her movement by half a second.
It was this half-second gap that Rin seized.
Without standing up, he used the momentum of his backward bend, supported himself with his left hand on the ground, and whipped his right leg out like a fully charged lash, striking fiercely towards Mei Mei's calf.
His black training pants ballooned from the airflow. This strike carried the force of breaking wind; if it connected, her tibia would likely snap instantly.
But Mei Mei was, after all, a battle-hardened Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer. In this moment of crisis, she displayed seasoned combat experience, quickly turning around, using the weight of the Long Axe to neutralize the inertia, while simultaneously holding the axe handle horizontally in front of her.
"Bang!" A dull impact sounded. Rin's foot kicked heavily onto the axe handle. The immense force caused her to stagger backward repeatedly, her arm numb from the shock.
16s
Giving Mei Mei no time to catch her breath, Rin flipped up and stood, advancing again. The two instantly became locked in close combat.
However, this close-quarters brawl was undoubtedly agonizing for Mei Mei. Rin's movements were ridiculously fast; every punch and kick carried terrifying force, and he would occasionally launch his Gun Drawing Cursed Technique, disrupting her defensive rhythm.
What was more frightening was that the trajectory of every one of her attacks seemed to be anticipated by Rin in advance. His Long Axe chops were always barely avoided, not even touching his clothes.
In just a few seconds, Mei Mei was forced to rely solely on her Long Axe for desperate blocks and dodges, unable to find any opportunity to counterattack. She could only try her best to stall for time, hoping Aoi Todo could recover his arm quickly.
10s
But Rin didn't give her much room to stall. The instant Mei Mei made a blocking mistake and the axe blade shifted, Cursed Energy suddenly condensed on Rin's fingertip. "Bang!" A black and red Cursed Energy projectile struck her shoulder, and blood instantly bloomed.
This wasn't the powerful "Revolver," nor was it the densely targeted "Rifle"; it was the most basic form of Rin's Cursed Technique.
It was the foundation of his Cursed Technique. Although its power was low, its greatest advantage was that it had no charging wind-up, appeared without warning, and was impossible to anticipate.
The sharp pain in her shoulder caused Mei Mei's movement to freeze. Before she could adjust, Rin's fist arrived with a whoosh of wind, landing heavily on her cheek.
The immense force sent Mei Mei flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing into the ruins behind her with a loud boom. Broken stones and splintered wood instantly buried her.
Watching Mei Mei covered by the ruins, Rin did not pursue.
8s
His peripheral vision scanned the ruins where dust scattered. He then suddenly turned and sprinted towards Aoi Todo, black and red Cursed Energy condensing beneath his feet, increasing his speed further. Afterimages swiftly streaked through the ruins.
Beneath the ruins, Mei Mei, who had originally planned to feign death and stall for time, suddenly opened her eyes. Seeing Rin's movement, her heart instantly tightened. She finally understood that Rin's previous attacks were all a facade!
His true target, from beginning to end, was Aoi Todo! Ignoring the sharp pain across her body, Mei Mei struggled to push away the rubble pressing down on her and leaped out of the ruins. Just as she was about to chase after him to stop him, a Bone Cursed Spirit, completely stark white, suddenly appeared in front of her.
The Bone Cursed Spirit plunged both hands fiercely into the ground.
Amidst "clack-clack" sounds, a White Bone Cage drilled out of the ground, blocking Mei Mei's path. Pale blue Cursed Energy lingered in the gaps of the bones, completely sealing off her route.
At the same time, Aoi Todo also sensed Rin's approach.
7s
The threat of death caused him to instantly erupt. Ignoring the bloody gashes the Shadow Beast's claws made on his back, and disregarding the black threads of the Long-Haired Cursed Spirit wrapping around his waist, he violently grabbed the arm of the Rock Cursed Spirit in front of him, treating this two-meter-tall Cursed Spirit as a "weapon," and fiercely hurled it toward Rin.
The massive body blotted out the sky and sun, practically blocking all space for evasion.
But Rin did not slow down.
The moment the Cursed Spirit was about to smash into him, his body suddenly squatted down. Using his momentum, he slid across the ground, passing between the Cursed Spirit's legs like an arrow shot from a bow.
6s
After stopping, he remained crouched. He slowly raised his right fist, and black and red Cursed Energy furiously condensed in his palm, forming a visible energy vortex.
Rin only had five seconds left.
Because of his reckless move just now, Aoi Todo was now riddled with openings. The black threads of the Long-Haired Cursed Spirit wrapped around his torso, firmly locking down his movements.
The Shadow Beast seized the opportunity to pounce onto his back, its sharp claws deeply embedded in his flesh, making it impossible for him to move.
The Ox-Head Cursed Spirit also finished charging and rushed toward him, its massive hand chopping down toward his head.
At this moment, he was like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered; aside from his left arm, which could still move, he had no chance to dodge.
Mei Mei, on the other side of the ruins, watched Aoi Todo entangled by Cursed Spirits and unable to move, and then looked at the impenetrable White Bone Cage in front of her. Despair finally surfaced in her eyes. She finally fully understood Rin's scheme: pretending to mainly attack her, but actually using the Cursed Spirits to drain Aoi Todo's energy, waiting for him to fall into distress before suddenly launching a fatal strike.
Once Aoi Todo was dealt with, she, the remaining opponent, would be nothing to fear.
The countdown seconds continued to decrease.
5s
4s
3s
2s
Rin's right fist had condensed Cursed Energy to the extreme. The black and red energy vortex spun furiously, and surrounding rubble was swept up by the airflow, forming a small storm around his palm.
This Tank shot had been charging continuously for five seconds, making it several times stronger than previous attacks. If it hit, it would be powerful enough to blast Aoi Todo and the Cursed Spirits wrapped around him away, completely ensuring Aoi Todo lost his ability to fight.
He looked up at Aoi Todo. The opponent's situation was desperate; his right hand was only repaired up to the wrist, and the bare forearm was still slightly trembling, clearly unable to activate the Boogie Woogie.
But just as Rin prepared to release the attack, his pupils contracted sharply. A confident smile actually appeared on Aoi Todo's face.
That smile was not bravado born of desperation, but the composure of someone who had everything under control, as if this moment was exactly what he had been waiting for.
"Something's wrong." An alarm blared in Rin's heart, but the Cursed Energy, charged to the extreme, could no longer be retracted. He could only watch helplessly as the Cursed Energy cannonball, containing terrifying power and roaring loudly, shot toward Aoi Todo.
1s
On the other side of the ruins, Mei Mei was still struggling desperately.
The wound on her abdomen split open again, and blood soaked her clothes, yet she gritted her teeth and used her sharp axe to hack at the bones. She had to interrupt Rin's attack, or Aoi Todo would surely die.
But her injured body couldn't support her in breaking through the Cursed Spirit's defense. She could only watch the Cursed Energy cannonball approach, a grave expression gradually spreading across her face.
Just as the Cursed Energy cannonball was about to hit Aoi Todo, a crisp sound of palms clapping suddenly rang out.
"Clap!"
The sound pierced through the noisy explosion like a sharp arrow, striking Mei Mei's eardrums and causing her entire body to shake. This familiar sound made her eyes widen instantly, and she cried out almost instinctively:
"Aoi Todo! You—"
The "tank," containing terrifying might, successfully hit its target.
But Rin, who had been crouched on the ground firing the cannonball, had already transformed into the disarmed Aoi Todo.
....