Tsuchigumo was furious, livid beyond reason. After the destruction of the Flesh Ripper Gang and the disappearance of his Lady's sacred tail, he had spent days ruthlessly pulling every scrap of information from the weak, whimpering yokai they had found. They spent crucial time tracking the gang's movements before their deaths, and it was here they discovered the gang had been after a human.
At first, he laughed at the idea. A human? Affecting yokai business? Impossible. Such creatures were ants in the hierarchy of the supernatural, easily crushed or devoured. They were nothing more than food for yokai. The notion that a mere human could eliminate an entire group of yōkai was utterly preposterous and deeply insulting to his race's pride.
But when every other lead collapsed, the only consistent trail was the human the gang had confronted, and never returned from. They started investigating the human directly, which led to the discovery that the yokai sent to kill the human for his attack on the members of the gang before had all died. This piece of evidence, all pointing to a single, impossible figure, finally cooled his initial blind rage into a cold, professional fury.
Then they found the human's home.
More importantly, they found the tail's lingering youki.
The thing about his Lady's tails was that it didn't matter if it was no longer physically present, it left a trace of potent youki everywhere it had been. This residual energy made it easy to always find when it was in the open.
It was one of the reasons that made it hard for those traitors who stole the tail to keep it hidden, no seal or ward could truly erase the tail's afterwave, only bury it temporarily, and had to keep reapplying the seal.
As long as the tail was in the open, a yokai would always know. The trace they discovered around the human's home proved that it was with him or, at the very least, it had been with him, because only traces were left.
So Tsuchigumo sent out lower yokai to kill the human in an attempt to retrieve the tail from the human, only for them to be stopped by a barrier that erased the lesser yokai he sent and kept out the slightly stronger yokai.
Tsuchigumo had been angry and had been prepared to go himself, to lower himself and go after a mere human personally, but then the news of what the human he had been about to go face did to Kokabiel started making its way around the Khaos Brigade.
The reports were hilarious to a lot of the other leaders when they read it, that the Fallen Angel leader hadn't just been killed, but he had been broken, humiliated, and executed with cold indifference. Tsuchigumo would have laughed any other time but with the little he had guessed of the human, he knew he was a little capable, still not his match he was sure of that, even though he and kokabiel were almost equal in strength, he was still a bit stronger than the crow so he knew he could defeat the human, still while he'd never admit to being weak like that blasted crow, but he knew a fight against a being capable of such casual, complete slaughter would not be easily won.
To hear that the human had killed the Fallen Angel leader class with ease, he decided to swallow his pride for the sake of his Lady's tail and decided to bring company. Powerful, elite yōkai like Tara, a seven-tailed ultimate class kitsune, second in command in his group of the cult of Hagoromo Gitsune, with centuries of combat experience.
So he gathered other powerful yokai, and when the Khaos Brigade launched their attack, when Vali brought news that Azazel was planning to lure the human out, Tsuchigumo realized this was the perfect opportunity.
To lure the human out and kill him, taking the tail back.
It would be so simple.
Or so he thought.
Now, standing in the center of the area of battle with the devils battling under the watchful eyes of the Biblical Factions, he stared at the severely unimpressed human who sat casually, one leg over the other, resting his chin on his palm.
The human looked amused than concerned, as if Tsuchigumo's grand entrance was nothing more than a noisy fly buzzing too close to his ear, and that was making Tsuchigumo incandescent with rage. The audacity was unbearable.
"Very well, human," Tsuchigumo growled, voice deep, guttural, the floor vibrating faintly with the sheer youki he was releasing. "I shall enjoy your screams."
His human disguise tore apart as his true form split through skin and bone, eight thick, segmented spider legs, black and glossy like polished obsidian, exploded from his back. His jaw unhinged slightly into a monstrous maw lined with serrated teeth, and his red eyes glowed with malice and focused killing intent. His body swelled past seven feet, muscles bulging like cords of steel, aura boiling into a visible red heat haze. He looked ready to launch, his massive legs coiling and preparing to propel his bulk at blinding speed toward Kenji.
He roared and—
BAAAAAAAAAAM.
Silence.
Everyone froze.
The sound was not a flash of light, nor a magical explosion, but the single, overwhelming sound of an impact, a fight that was over before it began.
Tsuchigumo… was paste.
It happened in the infinitesimal space of time between the inhalation of a breath and its release. Kenji had moved only his arm, slamming his open palm down and slightly forward on the table, not even moving a bit in his chair.
Gravity did the rest. The Tsuchigumo, an Ultimate-class being, felt the entire atmosphere above him collapse into a single, crushing plane. His transformation, his roar, his century of life, all reduced to zero in a moment by just a hand move.
A crater. A red smear. A massive handprint pressed into the concrete floor where the Ultimate-class yokai had stood moments before.
Nobody saw the movement. One moment, he was roaring. Next, he was a pancake.
Tara, the seven-tailed kitsune, stared in absolute horror, her face frozen in an expression of shock so profound it looked like she had seen the end of the world. The rest of the yōkai warriors behind her scattered slightly, their collective offensive youki immediately dissolving.
Even the three faction leaders gaped silently. Gabriel unconsciously raised a hand to her lips. Sirzechs's blue-green eyes were narrowed.
Kenji simply sat there, his hand resting on the table from where he had slammed it down, flexing his fingers as he tapped the table like nothing had just happened. He gazed at the terrified yōkai, his golden eyes glowing and cold. Eyes that seemed to stare into their very souls.
"Come and take it," he repeated in a smooth, amused tone.
No one seemed to move as if they hadn't expected that.
He snorted. Really, what were they expecting? Did they truly think he'd exchange blows with an Ultimate-class threat when he could eliminate them with a casual flick of the wrist? He wasn't these guys, he thought as his eyes flicked to the three leaders.
Kenji pushed himself upright, and Yamato materialized in his hand with a soft, chilling aura that seemed to freeze the air around it. The familiar, comforting weight of his blade settled instantly in his grip, perfectly balanced for the slaughter to come.
That sound of the legendary blade broke the remaining yōkai.
"K-KILL HIM! KILL HIM NOW!!" Tara shrieked, losing all composure and abandoning any pretense of strategy. She transformed fully, her seven tails whipping violently, each a conduit for tremendous, concentrated youki as she aimed at Kenji. The others followed suit, all attacking him.
'I'm going to make this quick,' Kenji thought, feeling a flare of spite. This was not a challenge, it was an execution. He was somewhat thankful these fools had come here rather than to his home, at the very least, knowing that they were after the tail, they would have shown up in his home, so it was a good thing he was here.
'Still, that doesn't mean Azazel has to know that,' he thought to himself.
The tails charged at him, devastating spiritual energy. Kenji pulled his sword out slowly, deliberately, the polished steel reflecting the terror in Tara's eyes as she attacked him.
"Third stance… …Whirling Death."
A blur of silver light carved the air. It was not one slash, but a sphere of cutting force, a vortex generated by the speed of the blade.
All seven of Tara's tails severed cleanly first, their youki dissolving into smoke and blood spraying like a fountain before her agonized scream tore through the building. The pain was secondary to the shock. Her tails were gone in a single, impossible instant.
She barely managed a flinch, her body already failing to process the catastrophic system shock, before—
Shlck.
Her head fell from her shoulders, the momentum carrying it a few feet before it tumbled and stopped, her horrified gaze locked on her headless body before the light faded from her eyes.
The rest of the yōkai turned to flee, but Kenji had already finished the swing, his blade tracing a horizontal line in the air.
"First stance… Sword Draw."
The world itself split. The air ahead of the blade shimmered, turning briefly into a clean, black line.
The attackers. The walls behind them. Half in half.
All seven high-class yōkai collapsed in perfectly sliced halves. The cuts were so clean that blood flow was momentarily suspended before gravity brought the two halves crashing to the floor.
Kenji could feel his stats surging, the rush of raw power overwhelming. This was exactly why he didn't give them time to fight, he didn't want to prolong a fight and reduce his gain.
Ultimate-class yōkai ×2. High-class yōkai ×7.
Checking his stats, His stats have all passed the limit for an upgrade. He was officially a satan class being, but he wasn't going to upgrade here. His stats are all in the 140s, seeing that 120 was the limit for ultimate class, unlike the normal 100. For now, an upgrade can wait, he'll do it later.
He'd even leveled up and gained rewards from the kills
He smiled slightly, sheathing Yamato with a sharp click. Good. Now to deal with the rest of the garbage.
He turned, just in time to see every enemy magician shift their focus to him and started firing useless spells at his gravity bubble. His eye twitched at the sheer ineptitude.
He glanced toward the six faction leaders who were still standing around watching him fight their battle.
"Is this not your mess? Why are you standing there doing nothing?" he said, irritation clear in his voice, the question laced with judgment.
Silence.
Michael cleared his throat, adjusting his Seraphic robes with a touch of aristocratic dignity.
"Ah… apologies, Mr. Takahashi. We were… assessing the threat level. An Ultimate-class yōkai is a serious matter." his brow twitched at that, seriously?
Even Gabriel looked embarrassed, her expression a mix of awe and shame, and Azazel gave a guilty shrug, though his eyes twinkled with unrepentant amusement.
Shameless bastards. He could feel the power he had just acquired tingling under his skin, and his want to get more, but he wasn't going to do all the work, this was their faction, their problem. His spite was stronger than his want.
Kenji was spiteful. He wanted all the EXP, but if they thought they could just stand there while he did all the work, they were sorely mistaken. He was willing to give up all the EXP if they thought he would just be doing their work for them. He grunted, turned back, and sat down on the remains of his shattered chair.
The leaders immediately went back to their dramatic negotiations with Katerea, picking up the threads of the political posturing with strained urgency. The fight started with her and Azazel battling it out, Serafall and Gabriel fighting the magicians, with Baraqiel helping out. Sirzech and Michael are shielding the frozen people.
A few minutes later, chaos broke out again.
Katerea's power skyrocketed, her Ouroboros seal glowing, shoving her into mid-Satan class.
Then, out of nowhere, another person joined the battle. Creuserey Asmodeus. Another descendant of the old maou. Things were really starting to get out of hand.
Creuserey Asmodeus emerged next with his own mark, leading hundreds more followers, using the opportunity of the leaders being separated to overwhelm them. Creuserey attacked Michael and Baraqiel, while Sirzech left to protect the frozen victims. Katerea pushed Azazel back, forcing him to show off his Sacred Gear and revealing his most dangerous tricks.
Kenji watched, mildly entertained, for about five minutes. Though he hoped Katerea would kill Azazel, he knew the Fallen Governor was simply baiting her, conserving his true strength. Kenji used this time to observe the leaders' fighting styles, noting their weaknesses and strengths. He was, to be honest, a little disappointed by their reliance on known quantities.
Enough. This petty squabble was infringing on his peace and time with his wife and kids.
He clapped his hands.
A shockwave rippled outward. WHOOM.
The air itself became heavy, dense, and physically painful for the weaker beings, as if the room had suddenly been submerged miles deep in the ocean. The lesser enemy combatants, the scattered magicians and stray devils, stumbled and bled from their noses, their internal organs protesting the sudden, unbearable change. He focused carefully, avoiding friendly fire, carving the space around his allies as exempt.
Then he opened his hands wide again, paused for a beat, and brought them together, performing a powerful SLAM.
All enemy forces within a certain area were violently yanked toward a single, invisible point in the center of the air and slammed together with explosive, crushing force.
A wet CRRSH filled the air, the horrible, sickening sound of dozens of bodies collapsing into one another. Compressing the bodies into a fleshy ball.
Kenji raised his hand again, dark spheres forming around him no bigger than golf balls. They were perfectly spherical, completely absorbing all the lights around them.
One. Five. Ten. Dozens. The air around him crackled with contained power as multiple balls formed.
"Gravity Bullet."
He flicked his wrist.
The orbs shot forward, impossibly fast, tearing through shields, enemy magicians, devils, and everything they touched, erasing bodies from existence, leaving nothing behind but the scorched trail of their passage. The gravity bullets acted less like projectiles and more like holes punched through space.
When the silence finally settled, the entire place was silent as people stared in shock.
Katerea stared at him, her mid-Satan class aura momentarily flickering. Creuserey took a step back involuntarily, his eyes wide with stark fear as he scanned the annihilated space where his reinforcements had stood moments ago.
Kenji wiped imaginary dust from his hands, the gesture completing his transition back to casual boredom.
"There we go," he said casually, smiling at the stunned room. "Now, where were we?"
To the enemies… he no longer looked human.
He looked like a demon wearing human skin, and even the allies couldn't help but see it.
And for the first time that night… they understood why Kokabiel died begging.
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