Chapter 411 – VS Reaper (4)
A life-or-death gamble.
Even attempting it was pretty risky.
You might think it’s too reckless, but…
I gained quite a bit from it.
I managed to lead the Wolf Beastman’s attack in one direction.
Thanks to that, I could keep her tied up in this spot for a while.
And she is still worried about her target.
In a way, the Wolf Beastman had no other option but to attack from behind.
Attacking from the front could have turned the tables, but…
If I wasn’t careful, her attack could easily shred my Defensive Coat.
Then, even if I win the fight, I’d still lose the battle.
[It’s like you pushed the top line and ended up losing.]
‘……But I won, fuck.’
Moreover, honestly, one more achievement was something I didn’t expect.
I had been too rushed to notice it.
Anyway, I can’t ignore that it’s one of my greatest achievements.
That’s because the weapon I manifested with magical power hasn’t disappeared.
Of course, my magical shield became so wrecked I can’t use it again.
About half of it was carelessly torn by the Wolf Beastman’s claws.
But at least it’s not disappearing due to my ability.
I’m not sure if it’s because the Bald Hunter isn’t paying attention to me.
Or if it’s simply due to the nature of the items, but…
At least from now on, I can manifest weapons without worrying.
[It’s a shame I couldn’t create a weapon when I was getting hammered earlier.]
‘It can’t be helped. If I manifested it and it vanished, it would be more of a hassle.’
I’ve managed to hold onto the Wolf Beastman for now, but I still felt it wasn’t enough.
With overwhelming power, she’d tear the shield apart in no time.
And she could slip away from this spot really fast as well.
So I decided to prepare another trick right away.
“Ha! Are you really a bastard with no regrets in life!”
“You erased your life over there, huh?”
To ensure the Wolf Beastman couldn’t escape.
“F-fuck, what did you just say?!”
“Cock.”
–Pah!
First, I quickly threw the Defensive Coat at the Wolf Beastman.
I spread it as wide as possible to momentarily cover my presence.
Thanks to that, the Wolf Beastman abruptly stopped in her tracks.
It makes sense she would do that.
Right in front of her was her target.
And I planned to dive into that tiny gap.
“Hey, wait a second-!”
“Zero.”
I unleashed my prepared [Cheonma Oseonghonggi] through the coat.
[How typical of a Holo bastard to use Zero.]
‘Fuck you.’
Just before my signature move activated, a shard suddenly appeared before me.
I couldn’t see the Wolf Beastman right now, but I could feel certain she had regressed.
The future I saw through the shard showed my attack piercing the Defensive Coat and…
Hitting the Wolf Beastman directly.
However, as I returned to the present, the situation changed a bit.
“M-m-madman! How precious is this!!!”
“Ah, fuck.”
She rushed in and pushed my arm up with a bang.
I had hidden my presence behind the coat, thinking my decisive strike was foolproof.
But the variables of the Wolf Beastman’s regression and speed twisted my plans.
[Is this the first time you’ve faced an enemy who uses regression this well?]
‘I hid it as well as I could… What a waste, fuck.’
Because of that, fierce starlights carve through the atmosphere, drawing arcs.
And they just so happen not to head toward the Wolf Beastman.
But instead to the empty void of the sky.
Meanwhile, a smile gradually spread across her face.
Even though her actions were quite reckless…
The sense of accomplishment from achieving everything she wanted made it bearable.
The target wasn’t destroyed.
And she wasn’t hit by my signature move either.
Of course, that smile quickly transformed into horror.
“……What… is that…?”
“Ah, can’t you tell?”
I noticed another [Cheonma Oseonghonggi] charged in my other hand.
“This is called [Cheonma Oseonghonggi].”
“No, why… is it… here… now…?”
“Can’t you figure it out?”
Judging by her reaction, she must’ve thought I couldn’t use [Cheonma Oseonghonggi] anymore.
Well, if you dig deep enough, you could argue that’s not wrong.
“Didn’t you use up all your magical power…? No way… you recovered it…?”
“I won’t give you the answer you want.”
I had converted part of my stamina into magical power to cover the deficit.
Finally, the Wolf Beastman sensed something was going wrong.
She hastily twisted her body to escape the trajectory of the starlights I unleashed.
But that was a tough task for her.
“W-when did this start!”
“When did it start? That’s funny.”
Of course, she had made quite a reckless move.
A moment ago, she swatted away my [Cheonma Oseonghonggi].
And with that, her stance completely crumbled, leaving her unstable.
In her attempt to dodge the immediate threat…
She just dove deeper into the ensuing crisis.
“Then I’ll ask from my side.”
Regardless of her, I unleashed [Cheonma Oseonghonggi].
In the end, she decided on what she thought was her best choice.
To swipe at my hand once again with her fingertips.
But since she tried it in an unstable position, she couldn’t fully hit my hand.
Ultimately, one of her arms remained in the trajectory of the starlights.
“When did you think I couldn’t use [Cheonma Oseonghonggi]?!”
Starlights then began to fiercely and savagely consume her.
They did not spare the strong or the weak.
For this moment, they were simply prey for the starlights.
Perhaps due to the nature of the starlights…
The meal was quickly over in no time.
Leaving only a few remnants in the spot they occupied.
It was as if her nails had shrunk so much they weren’t pulled out at all.
Her once normal skin color turning suspiciously red.
And as the starlights departed, a brief silence followed.
In that instant, the Wolf Beastman suddenly collapsed to the ground, screaming.
It took her a moment to realize her injuries.
“Aaaaaaaah!!!”
I certainly dealt the most effective blow yet.
But it’s still not the time to relax.
The Wolf Beastman’s regeneration remains intact.
[Indeed, just like the “Hwangdu”, her recovery is impressive.]
‘Then let’s give her something better than “Hwangdu”.’
By chance, I recalled something.
The Wolf Beastman’s ability, being a member of the Reaper Guild, is none other than regeneration.
Currently, she has transformed into a state with overwhelming power.
Strength, speed, and even recovery.
It’s almost perfect, you could say.
But let’s think for a second.
Can this really be considered the Reaper’s ultimate move?
Absolutely not.
Perfection can’t be the ultimate move of a god.
Originally, an ultimate move should have some idiot-like aspect or two.
[Ichigo’s ultimate move is a completed form, right?]
‘The user is the idiot, though.’
[Aha.]
Either that or the user is an idiot.
Meanwhile, the Wolf Beastman continues to clutch her arm, wailing in pain.
She’s likely lamenting not mastering her ultimate move just yet.
Isn’t that so pitiful?
These days, whether it’s a dog bastard or a cow bastard, everyone has an ultimate move.
Yet she’s the only one without one.
So, I decided to willingly complete her ultimate move.
“Ultimate Move!!!”
–Click!
Her wrist, covered in black fur.
I placed the handcuffs meant for powerful ability users on them.
“Application of the Phantom Ghost Light!!!”
And with this, her true ultimate move was completed.
One hand is still covered in black fur, with thick and long claws.
At the same time, the other hand maintained the setting of being unrecoverable, without breaking it.
Thanks to that, her wounds began to heal suddenly stop.
Flesh was regrowing from the skin, and the claws were growing out ambiguously.
Finally, the Wolf Beastman stopped moaning and fiercely shouted at me.
“Hey, you fucker!!! What have you done!!!”
“Congratulations. You’ve finally reached the captain level.”
She must have realized the completion of her ultimate move and expressed intense joy toward me.
[Thanks, Mom. I’m off to the top of the Soul Society…!]
‘You don’t have a mom, though.’
[Ah, right.]
Anyway, with what I could offer done…
The moment I grab my fallen Defensive Coat.
The Wolf Beastman springs up and rushes at me.
“Give me back my ability!!!”
“That’s impossible due to the ultimate move’s settings.”
Once again, I spread the Defensive Coat as bait like before.
But unlike before, now the Wolf Beastman hesitated not at all.
She stabbed her claws with all her might.
–Bwoof!!!
“I don’t need this shit anymore! I just have to kill you!!!”
Thanks to that, a huge tear appeared in my Defensive Coat.
With the Wolf Beastman reborn as a true Reaper, having abandoned her goal…
I willingly prepared to face her from the opposing side of a Reaper.
Thus, the battle between the Reaper and the Holo bastard began anew.
