Chapter 6

As the battle unfolded, Mayu and Ayane watched from a distance.

"Looks like we're completely left out of this!"

"Yeah, but their target is that Oni, so we might as well let them do as they please, right?"

"Of course not! That Oni is probably classified as a top-tier demon. Even with a spirit weapon, it's uncertain if they can defeat it!"

Ayane's words made Mayu think that it would indeed be difficult for them to defeat it alone. The current Rikuki was stronger than the one she remembered. A spirit weapon wasn't just a weapon; it was also an amplifier of spiritual power, enhancing the already high spiritual power of the Six Families' practitioners. They would likely not lose unless faced with an exceptional opponent.

However, the opponent before them was an exception. Moreover...

(The Oni is getting stronger with each attack, instead of weakening.)

Rikuki must have noticed this as well. The flow of spiritual energy was abnormal. Although hidden by his hair, a malevolent spiritual energy was overflowing from his forehead, spreading throughout his body, strengthening him.

"Ah, I can't just stand here! I'm going in too!"

Ayane must have felt the Oni's strength and abnormality. Judging that Rikuki and the others couldn't handle it alone, she decided to join the battle.

"Come forth, Flame Spear."

As spiritual energy converged in Ayane's right hand, flames appeared and burned fiercely. From the flames emerged a beautiful, deep red spear with a large, sharp blade at the tip.

The spear itself was a work of art, yet it was also a powerful weapon, polished and honed to perfection, imbued with potent spiritual energy. Ayane's spirit weapon, a condensed form of her powerful flame, was her trusted partner.

"I'm going in. Mayu, stay here. This is beyond your capabilities."

Ayane's demeanor changed; the relaxed look on her face disappeared, and she took on the appearance of a warrior.

"Got it. Be careful."

"Sure. Watch closely from here."

With a firm step, she approached the red-faced Oni at high speed, enhanced by her physical abilities, and thrust the spear into its body.

"Haahh!!"

"Gruu!?"

The sudden attack shook the Oni's body. The spear pierced through, dealing clear damage. A wound appeared where the spear's tip had struck, and flames were released into its body.

"Gwoooooo!?"

"How does my spear and flame taste?"

She pulled the spear back, maintaining a certain distance, and then asked the Oni.

"Don't get in the way! This is my prey!"

"You can't defeat it alone. Stop being stubborn and let me help. Otherwise, you'll either let it escape or die."

Unlike her argument with Rikuki earlier, Ayane spoke calmly, stating the facts without emotion.

Rikuki seemed to understand this, biting his lip.

"...Fine. But don't get in the way."

"Sure. We'll fight independently. It's hard to coordinate, anyway."

Ayane bent her knees, lowered her hips, and pulled the spear back slightly before thrusting it forward at a speed that was impossible to see.

Instantly, another spear made of flames was released from her spear, charging towards the red-faced Oni. The Oni tried to knock it away with its hand, but the moment it touched, the flame spear exploded.

"Gaah!?"

The intense heat and energy from the explosion attacked the Oni, aiming to destroy it.

"What are you doing, just standing there!? Keep attacking from a distance!"

"Hey! Don't give me orders!"

Rikuki and the others, momentarily stunned by the power of Ayane's attack, resumed their assault at her urging.

Attacking from a distance without getting close to the Oni. The Oni's attack options were limited. While its physical strength and power were formidable, it couldn't do much if they didn't get close.

Occasionally, Oni could use demonic arts, but powerful ones were rare, and even if they could, they wouldn't get the chance to use them.

From a distance, Ayane imbued her spear with spiritual energy and launched it, either thrusting or slashing. If the Oni tried to move, she would increase the number of spears to hold it back and allow Rikuki and the others to land their attacks.

This way, they could suppress the Oni without taking damage.

(I'll keep pressing. It might be tough, but we have two spirit weapon users, and the Oni seems to still be struggling with its power. Even if it takes time, we can steadily defeat it.)

Ayane was neither complacent nor careless, determined to handle the Oni. She was not wrong; she was taking the best and most optimal approach.

However, her only miscalculation was that the Oni was not ordinary. She had overlooked the reason for its sudden increase in strength.

"Gruuuuuu!! Gwoooooo!!"

The Oni let out a roar. Immediately after, a change occurred.

Thump!

The Oni's body seemed to pulse, jumping as if it had a heartbeat.

Spiritual energy overflowed from its forehead. A suspicious blackish-purple light shone, and its hair floated. There was a large, purple gem embedded in its forehead, the size of a human fist.

"What is that?"

Everyone froze. Ayane and Rikuki, who had been attacking, couldn't help but stare at the scene.

"Gwoooooo!"

The red body turned a dark brown, and the Oni grew even larger. Its claws extended, and the fangs visible in its mouth grew longer.

The sudden change. It was unbelievable. The red-faced Oni, which had the power of a top-tier demon, had been instantly reinforced to the level of a special-class demon.

"Gwoooooo!"

The Oni directed a roar at Ayane and the others. The sound became a shockwave, attacking them.

"Ugh!"

Ayane and Rikuki quickly raised their non-weapon hands to create a spiritual barrier.

However, the barrier was easily destroyed.

"No way!? Kyaaaah!"

"Uwaaaah!?"

The shockwave sent them flying backward. This was not just a roar; it was a devastating shockwave enhanced with spiritual energy. The other water practitioners were also blown away, hitting trees and losing consciousness.

(Could this have become a special-class demon? An upper-class demon, second only to the supreme and super classes. Even top-tier exorcists would find it difficult to defeat it alone. This is impossible.)

Ayane's thoughts were correct. It was understandable that she felt overwhelmed. The entity before them was likely one of the higher-ranked special-class demons.

Ayane and Rikuki were not weak. They could defeat a top-tier demon under certain conditions, with the right companions and compatibility.

However, the entity before them was a monster that made them doubt their ability to win.

"This monster! Taste my full power! Water Dragon Burst!"

Rikuki focused all his spiritual energy into his spirit weapon and released it. A vast amount of water compressed into the form of a giant dragon, which opened its jaws and attacked the red-faced Oni.

But...

"Gwoaaaaa!"

With a roar, the Oni's spiritual energy converged in its right hand. It pulled back its fist to its armpit and thrust it at the dragon.

A black mass of spiritual energy was released, colliding with the dragon. The impact, the roar, and the splash of water echoed. The black mass of spiritual energy blew away the water forming the dragon, scattering it around.

Not stopping there, despite losing much of its power, the black mass of spiritual energy flew towards Rikuki.

"Gahh!"

Without time to defend, Rikuki was sent flying through the air by the spiritual energy. He hit the ground and lost consciousness. His body was convulsing, indicating he was not dead, but blood was flowing from his mouth, and his limbs were twisted in odd directions.

(He neutralized that attack? No, the Oni's power was clearly superior. In terms of a single strike, I might still be stronger, but the Oni's spiritual energy hasn't decreased much, so it can still use that attack. ...Even with my Flame Spear amplifying my spiritual energy, the total amount is still less. I can't see a way to win.)

Ayane's face contorted in agony. She thought of various strategies, trying to construct the best way to fight, but the Oni's spiritual energy was too high. Moreover, it was recovering and growing stronger even now.

(No, I can't lose hope. If I give up, it's over. If that happens, I'll either be killed or eaten alive. And... )

She glanced at Mayu, who was still watching the demon without changing his expression.

(Mayu is safe. Haha, even in this situation, he's not scared at all. He really has a lot of courage. Ah, please don't tell me he's standing there unconscious or something.)

While thinking random thoughts, she refocused on the red-faced Oni.

(I got him involved in this, so I have to at least get Mayu to safety.)

Even if she couldn't win, she would fight to the end. She wouldn't be eaten or killed. She would rather self-destruct than give her body to an Oni.

(Sigh... I'm going, Ayane.)

She made up her mind, took a deep breath, and raised her voice.

"Mayu! Leave this to me and run! I'll hold it off, even if it costs my life! You must tell the Hinano clan about this!"

Even if she died, if Mayu told the Hinano clan, her father and the head of the clan would take action. She would do what she could without regrets.

(If only I had more time, I could have told you things I haven't yet. Haha, maybe it's just lingering thoughts.)

But if she told him and then died, it might make Mayu feel even worse. And she would probably regret hearing his response, no matter what it was.

(No, this is fine. This is fine.)

As an exorcist, she knew she could die at any moment, so she lived each day to the fullest. The time she spent with Mayu was truly enjoyable.

So...

(I won't let Mayu die!)

With this resolve, she infused her spirit weapon with spiritual energy, which glowed a deep red in response.

Just as she was about to charge,

"Kyaaah!"

The moment she took a step, Ayane hit something invisible and fell on her butt with a strange sound.

"What the heck is this!?"

Upon closer inspection, a glowing spirit talisman was floating in the air. It was being continuously hit by a black mass of spiritual energy. Looking ahead, the Oni was flicking its finger, sending the black mass of spiritual energy at the talisman.

"You've grown so much in such a short time and can even use such a trick. The key must be that gem-like thing on your forehead."

Mayu was standing next to Ayane, observing the Oni and analyzing its abnormality.

"Hey! Why aren't you running!? I told you to run!"

"Idiot. How could I leave you behind and run alone? Besides, you were ready to die, right?"

"I wasn't ready to die. I just thought that if we couldn't win, I'd self-destruct to take it down with me."

"Sounds like you were ready to die to me."

"Shut up! Anyway, this spirit talisman..."

"Yeah, it's my spirit talisman. I also healed the others. They're still unconscious, though."

Mayu didn't want to reveal his full power just yet, especially in front of someone like Rikuki or the others from Mizuha. If they saw him fighting a monster that Ayane and Rikuki couldn't defeat, it could cause problems later.

He had healed them to prevent them from dying. He could have saved them before they were injured, but it would have been embarrassing for them to be saved by a dropout. He had treated them properly, so he didn't deserve any complaints.

"Mayu can use such a powerful defensive spirit art?"

"I also reinforced the barrier around us. This way, no matter how much it rampages, there will be no damage to the surroundings."

Using four spirit talismans as anchors, he created a barrier around them. This way, no matter what happened inside, there would be no damage to the outside.

The barrier shifted the surroundings to a different dimension. The barrier technique used by exorcists cut off the surroundings and created a separate world, ensuring no damage to the original world.

Mayu's barrier was of a different caliber in terms of strength and precision. Inside his barrier, he could even suppress the demon's power, though it was less effective against a special-class demon.

(Also, I felt like we were being watched. Someone or something was observing us.)

Since the Oni appeared, he had felt a gaze from somewhere. That's why he created a strong barrier to prevent anyone from peering inside.

"Huh? But Mayu couldn't use such a powerful barrier technique, right? And the spiritual energy I feel from Mayu is on a completely different level..."

Isn't it more than mine? No, it's incomparable to mine, she thought.

The spiritual energy she felt from Mayu was more than her father or uncle, the head of the Hinano clan. Why hadn't she noticed it before? It was because Mayu had been suppressing his spiritual energy and using the spirit talisman to conceal it.

"Three days without seeing a man, and you should look at him with new eyes."

"But I saw Mayu yesterday and the day before."

"Don't worry about the details. Just leave the rest to me."

"The details? I don't think they're minor at all! And leaving it to you? Are you serious!? That thing has the power of a special-class demon! Even I and that guy can't do it, and Mayu can't use offensive spirit arts!"

Ayane was right. Mayu still couldn't use offensive spirit arts. He could use spirit talismans for attacks, but unfortunately, he didn't have any specialized for offense.

"Yeah, I can't use offensive spirit arts, and these talismans aren't suitable for attack. But I don't plan to lose to something like that."

Mayu's presence changed. The spiritual energy emanating from within him grew stronger. Although he couldn't release it, Ayane could sense the vast amount of spiritual energy.

At the same time, several spirit talismans floated around Mayu.

There were eight in total. Including the four used for the barrier, there were twelve spirit talismans in total.

The Divine Spirit Weapon: Twelve Star Spirit Talismans.

When he crossed over to the other world, a god had materialized Mayu's spiritual energy into these talismans, which he had evolved into a unique and unparalleled spirit talisman.

They were not based on the twelve zodiac signs but could store a vast amount of spiritual energy and be controlled remotely. They amplified the effects of defense, barriers, and healing.

If attached to his body, they automatically defended against attacks and concealed his vast spiritual energy.

One talisman could easily block an attack from a Tsuchigumo, and even the enhanced red-faced Oni's attack could be completely blocked. If the target was non-physical, the talisman could purify it upon contact.

However, their effectiveness against physical beings was limited. If the target was a human possessed by a spirit, the talisman could forcibly remove it, but it wouldn't cause damage. Therefore, it was not an effective attack against demons.

"If you can't use them for attacks, how will you defeat it!?"

Even Rikuki's attack was neutralized. Ayane's full-power attack might not even work. That's why she raised her voice and asked Mayu again.

"Simple. I'll do this."

Instantly, Mayu disappeared from the spot.

"Wha!?"

By the time Ayane noticed, Mayu was in front of the red-faced Oni, jumping and delivering a powerful punch to its face.

"Guhaa!?"

The Oni let out a scream-like cry as its massive body staggered.

"Not done yet!"

One punch wasn't enough. He repeatedly pounded the Oni's face and body with both fists. Mayu's fists, imbued with spiritual energy, had a destructive power that surpassed Ayane's Flame Spear. Each punch caused the Oni's face to contort in agony.

"Haah!"

Finally, he delivered a powerful uppercut to the Oni's jaw and then a heel drop to its head, slamming its face into the ground.

"How to defeat it? Simple. I'll just keep pounding it with spiritual energy-infused physical attacks."

A simple and straightforward answer. Just level up and punch. That's all. Mayu couldn't release spiritual energy externally, but he could converge it within his body.

By focusing vast amounts of spiritual energy into his fists and feet, he could transform them into attacks with overwhelming destructive power.

"Gwoooooo!"

But the red-faced Oni wasn't about to give up. It had taken unprecedented damage but was still capable of fighting. This was far from over.

Facing the Oni, Mayu released a killing intent.

"!"

"Perfect. Let's see how well I can handle a demon of this level. Come at me."

Mayu, one of the heroes who saved the other world and a Guardian, unleashed his power against the demon.

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