Chapter 36

Whether it's a trick or a means,

If it can't ultimately and decisively defeat the opponent, it has no meaning at all.

Mo You currently lacks the ability to confront the enemy head-on. Even with the trump card obtained through exorcism, he might not be able to finish off the opponent in one go.

Under these circumstances, pretending to be weak might make the opponent suspicious and hesitant, or it might lead them to charge through the paper tiger.

No matter how the opponent reacts, Mo You is prepared.

Of course—

Mo You actually hopes the opponent will take the initiative to attack.

Only then can he use the information asymmetry to discover and seize the opportunity to take down the long-haired man.

And that opportunity—

Exists only in the instant after the long-haired man believes his attack has succeeded.

"I can't even 'condense' yet, so breaking through his 'fortress' is like a dream for a fool. But if I can lure him to use more 'aura' for offense, the 'aura' used for defense will decrease accordingly."

"Then, by using the 'emotional fragments' extracted from 'post-mortem thoughts' to increase my attack power, I might be able to finish him off in one go if everything goes smoothly!"

"I just don't know if the effect of these 'emotional fragments' will meet expectations."

Mo You pondered silently.

After obtaining an exorcism opportunity from 'perception,' when Mo You touched the photo entangled with post-mortem thoughts, information about exorcism and emotional fragments flooded his mind.

So-called emotional fragments are things extracted from post-mortem thoughts, with various uses, one of which is for attack.

Although it's unclear if the specific effects will meet expectations...

At the very least, they must be used properly.

"No rush, I only have one chance."

Mo You waited silently.

In his field of vision, one side was pitch black, and the other side was the long-haired man in a difficult position.

Both sides were at a stalemate.

From their positions and current situations, both were willing to wait for their companions to reach a conclusion in the stalemate.

If Qido, Ken, and Shiver remain at a stalemate,

Then they would wait for either Hawk or Gebur to fall first...

That would determine who makes the first move.

However, Mo You didn't expect the moment to come so quickly.

"Bang!"

A dull sound suddenly echoed in the battle circle.

It was Hawk being struck by Gebur and flying into a large tree, spitting out a large amount of blood.

The injuries from a few days ago, plus the need to allocate at least half of his mental power to maintain the 'rat treasure,' greatly limited Hawk's combat effectiveness.

The same was true for Qido.

As a non-combat type, she could only restrain with her ability, lacking the power to kill.

When Hawk was heavily struck and fell, Qido's already weak 'attack power' became even weaker, causing a chain reaction that clarified the situation in the field.

Gebur prepared to deliver the final blow to Hawk, while Cole's thoughts finally broke free from the mire.

"Hawk...!"

Qido's expression changed slightly. Her first thought at that moment was not to worry about Hawk's life but to have Mo You, who had awakened his mental power for less than half a month, escape directly.

Just as she was about to act on this thought, gunshots suddenly rang out in the mountains.

It was the figure standing in the darkness, who had somehow produced an assault rifle, aiming at Gebur and pulling the trigger.

With the dense gunfire, hot bullets flew toward Gebur.

The muzzle flashes, flickering continuously, outlined the figure's clothing and the gradually increasing mental power.

"Hmm?!"

Gebur, hearing the sound, did not choose to resist but dodged the bullets.

However, the barrage of bullets followed closely, seemingly trying to drive him away from Hawk.

"Hah."

Gebur sensed the other's intention and couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

He followed Mo You's thoughts, not insisting on delivering the final blow to the incapacitated Hawk, but dodging the bullets and trying to draw Mo You's attention.

This way, he could create an opportunity for Cole to attack.

Cole did not disappoint Gebur.

When Mo You fired and focused his attention on Gebur—

He pulled out a short knife and attacked Mo You, who was firing the gun, from a blind spot with the most fierce posture.

Before attacking, he glanced at the other's clothes and the night vision device covering half of his face, which had become increasingly bright with the aura.

"Is this the level of 'practice'?"

The only thing that could attract Cole's attention was the other's mediocre 'practice.'

In a flash, Cole, who had entered the attack range, thrust the short knife, charged with mental power, into Mo You's chest.

Splat!

The accompanying strong mental power instantly tore Mo You's clothes into countless pieces.

But this level of 'practice' could not stop Cole's attack; this strike was a one-hit kill!

"Unstoppable..."

This was Cole's thought as he ended Mo You with one strike.

But at that moment, the Mo You he had stabbed suddenly vanished into thin air.

The night vision device and the remaining clothes on Mo You's body, as well as the two assault rifles, fell from the air.

"!!!"

Cole's pupils suddenly constricted.

At that moment, a hand glowing with black mental power cleanly sliced across his neck, appearing behind him.

It was—

Mo You, wearing only a pair of boxers.

"Really hurts."

Mo You muttered to himself.

Behind him, Cole's head slid off his neck and fell to the ground with a thud, rolling a few times before stopping.

Before his consciousness completely faded, Cole struggled to lift his eyes and fixedly looked at the person who had cut off his head with one hand.

A... kid?!

Why is this happening...

I was always using 'condensation' to observe the situation...

If this kid used 'seclusion' to hide, then after closing the spirit holes, the 'clone' created with mental power should have dissipated...

What's going on?!

With endless doubts, Cole died with resentment.

To his death, he couldn't figure out what had happened.

"Cole!?"

The sudden turn of events made Gebur, who was about to win, turn pale with shock.

Hawk, leaning against a tree and cursing his own lack of ability, also saw this scene and was stunned.

What just happened...?

How did Mo You do that?!

Hawk felt his brain couldn't keep up.

After the pain subsided, Mo You looked at the black mental power wrapped around his hand with surprise.

The effect was even better than expected.

"An excellent one-hit kill, your Four Major Actions proficiency level +1"

"Huh?"