Chapter 114: Run——————!!
“Roar!”
Natsuba Kouryu let out a long cry, a roar that was part dragon, part human.
His body swelled to more than twice its size, his height reaching six meters.
Although his limbs hadn’t regenerated yet, the power within his body was overflowing, almost to the point of bursting.
He was eager to unleash it.
His originally golden dragon pupils, due to the leaping black lightning, trembled uncontrollably.
His dragon tail slammed against the ground, and he charged forward.
Seeing this, Natsuba Hanae pursed her lips and said softly,
“My dear brother.”
“You look a little tougher now.”
Then, Natsuba Hanae took a deep breath.
“Just in time, I can try out the form constructed from the pure power of the Old God after devouring the third one.”
“It’s a bit violent, so I’ll limit it to a fifth of its power for now.”
She wasn’t fully familiar with the power of the Old God that had just returned to her. If she accidentally killed Natsuba Kouryu, it would be a disaster.
Natsuba Hanae needed to set a trap for the soul fragment of the god’s arm, to make it easier for her to capture it later.
If she killed Natsuba Kouryu instantly, and the trap wasn’t set, then if the soul fragment of the god’s arm wanted to escape, with her current mastery of soul power, she probably wouldn’t be able to stop it.
And Hoshikawa Oto, while having sufficient mastery, lacked the power level. She could only assist her later.
Having made up her mind…
Looking at the approaching Natsuba Kouryu, Natsuba Hanae calmed her mind and communicated with the power of the Old God within her.
“Vwooooom——————!”
A layer of malicious black ripples spread outward.
Countless supernatural users in the concert hall instantly saw terrifying, twisted illusions in their minds, clutching their heads and screaming in pain.
The blood on the ground began to roll towards her, all of it absorbed.
And a chaotic, malevolent, indescribable aura wrapped around Natsuba Hanae’s body. The air twisted under layers of black mist, as if she were in another dimension.
Her crimson vertical pupils spun wildly, like a vortex.
Finally, a black color enveloped the whites of her eyes, and the crimson color transformed into a blood-red bird, flapping its wings, ready to fly.
Her brilliant silver hair gradually turned a dull, lifeless silver-gray.
Then, the hard ground seemed to come alive, writhing like a swamp.
And turned a dark red.
Then, within the dark red swamp, countless black-edged red tentacles rose up and swung wildly, instantly enveloping Natsuba Hanae, and injecting her with the power of the Old God.
Outside her exquisite, elegant black dress, a sinister, cold, black armor wrapped around her beautiful, full body. And her beautiful, graceful face was also covered by a black, bird-like helmet, revealing only her fair, well-defined jawline.
On both sides of the black helmet, like spreading wings, while covered in black, a dark crimson light appeared under the wings.
And on the surface of the black armor, blood-red markings spread, exuding a noble, yet evil and strange aura.
Not only that, but the armor rose and fell from time to time, as if it were a living thing, not a dead object.
Natsuba Hanae’s entire body was enveloped in the black armor. Her silver-gray hair swayed, and she stood there, cold and silent, on the bloody ground.
Under the helmet, her blood-red, bird-like pupils coldly looked at the charging Natsuba Kouryu.
Like a killing machine filled with slaughter and violence.
When Natsuba Kouryu entered her attack range, directly above her, and his dragon tail swept down…
She moved.
Like a surging wave, or the earth dragon turning over, her feet slammed against the ground. In an instant, the ground shattered, and a deep crater appeared.
The sound of explosions was endless.
Natsuba Hanae was like a cannonball, carrying immense force, and shot towards Natsuba Kouryu!
The two clashed violently in mid-air!
Due to the length of his dragon tail, Natsuba Kouryu’s attack arrived first. The massive force slammed into Natsuba Hanae’s helmet.
“Boom—!”
A hint of joy had just appeared on his face.
But it was cut short.
He saw that Natsuba Hanae’s helmet wasn’t even scratched, and her momentum didn’t slow. She continued forward.
And rushed above Natsuba Kouryu.
She clenched her left fist, and a chaotic aura gathered, burning like a raging fire, its blood-red color intense and dark.
With a powerful roar, it slammed into Natsuba Kouryu’s face.
“Boom————————!!”
With a single punch…
His skull cracked, and blood splattered.
Natsuba Kouryu fell straight to the ground, like a meteor crashing into the moon, sending up a cloud of dust.
And creating a massive crater in the ground.
But the attack was far from over. Natsuba Hanae also fell like a meteor, and after landing…
She faced the just-risen Natsuba Kouryu, and her next punch was already on its way!
And this time, Natsuba Kouryu seemed to have a premonition. A divine light surged, and he dodged Natsuba Hanae’s attack.
But Natsuba Hanae used the momentum to support herself with her right fist, her legs leaving the ground.
And with a circular, moon-like arc, she delivered a skillful spinning side kick, like a cannonball, at Natsuba Kouryu’s abdomen.
“Boom——————!!”
Natsuba Kouryu was sent flying backward.
He crashed through one building after another, constantly being pushed back.
Finally, he stopped at the last wall, his form obscured by a cloud of dust.
And Natsuba Hanae once again stomped her foot and charged forward.
Her attack was like a storm, giving Natsuba Kouryu no time to breathe, the pressure immense.
If an outsider were to see their current state, they probably wouldn’t think either of them was a good person.
More like a hidden boss from a game’s second playthrough, brutally beating the first playthrough’s boss.
And not giving Natsuba Kouryu time to breathe was necessary. She had to give him enough pressure to make the divine foreign object in his body frantically strengthen him.
Until Natsuba Kouryu broke through to A-rank.
The power of the divine foreign object was not infinite. Helping someone strengthen to A-rank would definitely consume its divine power. This would reduce the number of variables she had to face.
Not only that, but it would also make the trap she had set for the divine foreign object more likely to succeed.
With each of her strikes…
Out of ten attacks, Natsuba Kouryu, with the help of the divine foreign object, began to predict and dodge five of them.
And the damage she inflicted was being constantly repaired and regenerated by the divine foreign object.
And Natsuba Kouryu probably thought this was his own ability.
Not only that, but Natsuba Hanae could feel that his power was constantly increasing.
Finally, as Natsuba Hanae’s right fist, burning with a black aura, was about to pierce his abdomen and open a large hole…
Natsuba Kouryu’s power broke through the critical point of B-rank.
—And reached A-rank!
“Boom————————!!”
With Natsuba Kouryu as the center, a terrifying, vast wave of energy instantly erupted.
In an instant, the weather changed.
A fierce wind howled, and a torrential rain poured down.
And in the sky, black lightning flashed.
The rain was also black, and it sizzled as it hit the ground, corroding it.
Many supernatural users at D-rank, caught in the rain without finding shelter in time, were simply melted away.
Only those at C-rank could use their abilities to barely resist the corrosive rain in this wide-scale weather phenomenon.
The black lightning instantly suppressed the Sanctuary Flame, and Natsuba Kouryu’s limbs were filled with new life. Under the regenerative ability of the A-rank “Black Dragon”…
In an instant, his limbs grew back.
Natsuba Kouryu’s sharp, ferocious dragon claws sparked with arcs of lightning. He suddenly grabbed Natsuba Hanae’s attacking right fist.
A sinister smile appeared on his lips.
“Hahahahahaha!”
“My limbs have grown back, and I’ve broken through to A-rank.”
“Your previous attacks were only at mid-A-rank.”
“And the ‘Black Dragon’ ability, once it reaches A-rank, its physical strength is above mid-A-rank. With physical strength alone, you are by no means my opponent!”
After being beaten by Natsuba Hanae for so long, his anger was about to erupt. And now he had the qualifications to take revenge.
But Natsuba Kouryu saw Natsuba Hanae raise her left fist, also condensing a flickering, burning black aura, and once again slam it towards his abdomen.
“I already said, it’s useless!”
Natsuba Kouryu said with extreme confidence.
He extended his left claw to intercept Natsuba Hanae’s left fist.
However, in the next second…
Natsuba Hanae’s left fist, with an unstoppable, crushing force, shattered Natsuba Kouryu’s dragon claw and struck his abdomen, opening a bloody hole.
Natsuba Kouryu was sent flying backward. He used his dragon feet to stop himself, and spat out a large mouthful of blood, mixed with pieces of his internal organs.
He fell to the ground, like a dead dog.
Natsuba Hanae murmured softly,
“Three-fifths.”
However, when she saw Natsuba Kouryu’s constantly regenerating body…
Natsuba Hanae’s brow furrowed slightly.
“What kind of god is it? Just a fragment, and its divinity is being given to Natsuba Kouryu like water?”
Not only that.
Natsuba Hanae used her soul power and saw that the divine foreign object still had half of it in Natsuba Kouryu’s soul.
And now, she had pushed him to this point.
Even if she made him burn his potential, the divine foreign object could probably replenish it with its divinity.
It was a universal power bank.
This couldn’t go on. She had to give him a big one.
In terms of physical attacks, to make the divine foreign object reveal itself to this extent was the limit. So she had to attack him mentally.
To stir up Natsuba Kouryu’s deepest emotions.
Natsuba Hanae knew what to do.
She took a step, and with each step, the power of the Old God in her body weakened, and the armor slowly fell off and dissipated.
Until she was standing in front of Natsuba Kouryu.
Natsuba Hanae had returned to her original form.
And Natsuba Kouryu, although he didn’t know why he could constantly recover, this was clearly his source of confidence. Since he couldn’t defeat Natsuba Hanae with strength…
He would wear her down with his regenerative ability.
He stood up.
Looking at Natsuba Hanae, who had returned to her original form, he thought her power was about to be exhausted. He laughed wildly and twistedly.
“Hahahahaha!”
“Is your power finally exhausted?”
“I’ve grown back my limbs, I’ve become an A-rank, I’ll be the head of the Natsuba conglomerate. As long as you can’t kill me, I’ll always be a thorn in your side.”
“Unless you get on your knees and beg me, maybe I’ll give you a lighter punishment!”
Hearing this, Natsuba Hanae’s expression didn’t change. A faint smile appeared on her lips, and her red, glass-like eyes looked at Natsuba Kouryu with a half-smile.
“So.”
“Is it the fact that you’ve grown back your limbs that gives you courage, brother?”
“In that case, I won’t trouble myself and will just cripple you again.”
Natsuba Kouryu, hearing Natsuba Hanae’s words, his dragon pupils were filled with confusion. He said,
“Cripple me again?”
“How can you…”
“You!!!!”
Natsuba Kouryu’s dragon pupils suddenly expanded, and his body trembled uncontrollably like a sieve. A huge, dark shadow of fear swept through every corner of his body, every cell.
His pupils even dilated, and cold sweat flowed like water down his back. A bone-chilling sensation, a suffocating feeling, swept over him, and he couldn’t breathe.
He unconsciously retreated, and retreated.
“Impossible!!! Impossible!!! Absolutely impossible!!!”
What appeared before his eyes was a black flame, filled with a deathly stillness, floating in Natsuba Hanae’s palm.
This was the Sanctuary Flame that had tormented him for so long!
He was so familiar with its properties. Besides Natsuba Hanae, he was probably the most familiar with it. The days and nights of that time, it was the pain from the Sanctuary Flame that had kept him awake.
Natsuba Kouryu couldn’t admit the truth that had already appeared in his mind.
Until Natsuba Hanae used the Sanctuary Flame to lightly touch her exquisite, beautiful face.
A black bird mask appeared on her face.
That image, which was deeply etched in Natsuba Kouryu’s memory, that image that had brought him endless pain, was now right in front of him.
“You… you are…!!”
Seeing the panicked, terrified Natsuba Kouryu…
A gentle smile appeared on Natsuba Hanae’s lips. A black and red lotus, radiating a deathly stillness, condensed between her fingers, and she played with it.
She looked up slightly, and her brilliant deep red eyes shone like the sun.
Just as he remembered.
She said softly,
“Long time no see, Natsuba Kouryu.”
And with it came Natsuba Kouryu’s trembling voice.
“—Master of Summer Harvest Mountain!!”
He confirmed her identity.
At the same time, a single word rose in his mind, frantically urging him to act.
Run—————!!!
