Chapter 337: Smart Mode Activated
"Was that girl just now... Komachi-chan?"
Shorty after Komachi had left, Totsuka Saika, who had rested briefly at the convenience store, continued toward his destination. Because of the sweltering heat, the streets were completely deserted—except for him.
Suddenly, Totsuka felt a shadow pass over his head. Though it was only a fleeting glimpse, for some reason, he was certain that the identity of the person was Komachi, who had just bid him farewell.
At the same moment Totsuka spotted Komachi, the fleeing Komachi also heard his shout.
"Saika?"
Looking down at Totsuka on the ground, Komachi was equally shocked. Considering the streets were empty due to the heat, the odds of running into an acquaintance like this were so low she felt she should have bought a lottery ticket.
Without hesitation, the moment she spotted him, Komachi dropped to the ground, scooped Totsuka up in a princess carry, and resumed her flight.
A split second after they moved again, countless steel needles pierced the concrete where they had just been standing.
"An extra person?"
Mitogawa narrowed his eyes as he watched the "girl" in Komachi's arms, his thoughts unreadable. Suddenly, he split the butterfly swarm into two groups. One continued the pursuit, while the other took a detour to cut them off from the front.
"Um, Komachi-chan... what exactly is going on?"
In Komachi's arms, Totsuka asked curiously, feeling the hard edges of her armor pressing painfully against him.
"Someone is trying to kill me."
In a life-or-death escape, Komachi naturally couldn't engage in small talk. She explained the situation clearly and concisely, and Totsuka immediately shut his mouth. If his talking caused her to lose focus and resulted in an accident...
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As it turned out, even with her full concentration, Komachi could not escape Mitogawa's pursuit. Looking at the swarms of butterflies surrounding them from both front and back, Komachi's face grew solemn.
"Sorry. If I had known it would be like this, I shouldn't have brought you along."
Looking at the trembling Totsuka beside her, who was trying his best to look calm, Komachi regretted her decision. If she hadn't picked him up, perhaps he wouldn't have caught Mitogawa's attention and would have escaped unscathed.
But it was too late for regrets.
"It's okay. If you hadn't pulled me along, I probably would have lost my life already, right?"
Compared to Komachi's guilt, Totsuka was remarkably optimistic. Judging by the way the pursuer refused to stop until Komachi was captured, the enemy clearly wouldn't have spared someone who had called out her name. Besides, what was done was done; the priority now was how to escape.
"Onii-chan should be on his way back already. We just need to hold on a bit longer."
To ease Totsuka's worry, Komachi revealed a bit of information about Hachiman.
"Hachiman is coming to save us?"
Countless question marks appeared above Totsuka's head.
"Yeah. Onii-chan is very strong. Once he arrives, he'll definitely beat that annoying guy to a pulp!"
As the only person aware of the System's existence, Komachi was full of confidence in Hachiman's strength. But just as she was pumping herself up to endure until his arrival, a beam of energy struck from a distance, instantly leaving the two inside the barrier covered in dust and grime.
However, that wasn't the most critical issue. What made Komachi truly anxious was that after the beam hit, her bracelet began to malfunction, acting as if it were broken.
"Power obtained through external objects is just that easy to disrupt."
As the culprit, Mitogawa looked at the flickering barrier with a triumphant smile. In the next second, he struck again. Under his control, countless butterflies threw themselves recklessly against the surface of the barrier with a series of loud thuds.
"Ugh..."
Amidst the impact of the swarm, Komachi's face twisted in pain. She crouched down, her right hand tightly gripping the bracelet on her left wrist to prevent it from falling off. However, due to the interference, the bracelet's rejection of her had increased to the point of incompatibility.
With a massive surge of energy, countless butterflies in the sky turned into powder and scattered. Mitogawa casually summoned a surviving butterfly, transformed it into a short sword, and began walking toward the now-de-transformed Komachi.
"Run..."
Seeing Mitogawa approaching and knowing she was the target, Komachi urged Totsuka to take the opportunity to escape. However, after a moment of internal struggle, Totsuka swung his fists and charged at Mitogawa.
Smack!
Unsurprisingly, Totsuka—being an ordinary human—was swiped aside by Mitogawa before he could even get close, landing back near Komachi.
"Saika..."
Looking at the unconscious Totsuka, Komachi's eyes welled with tears. But before she could grieve, she felt her right hand seized, and her entire body was lifted high into the air.
"The fourth puppet... the creation begins now."
Looking at Komachi in his grasp, Mitogawa made a declaration to the void and began to hypnotize her. Without the bracelet, Komachi was just an ordinary girl; she fell into the illusionary realm he created without even a struggle.
A new swarm of butterflies gathered in the sky. Under Mitogawa's control, a butterfly—completely different in design and size from the others—slowly landed on the center of Komachi's forehead.
Just as Mitogawa prepared to brand her like the previous two puppets, a violent surge of spiritual energy erupted from within her, instantly blasting him backward.
"So he really left a protective barrier on his sister?"
Wiping blood from the corner of his mouth, Mitogawa looked solemnly at Komachi, whose body was now completely enveloped in silver energy. He knew the great Exorcist Lord couldn't have left his sister with only a single defensive tool.
"In that case, I have no choice but to act."
A sigh echoed from the void. Then, a Nine-Tailed Fox, wreathed in resentment and the size of a large wolf, appeared beside Mitogawa.
"Ah, I'll leave her surface barrier to you. I'm going to take care of that guy."
Having said that, Mitogawa walked toward the nearby Totsuka. At the same time, a strange voice rang out inside the unconscious Totsuka's mind.
[Detection: User is in life-threatening danger. According to safety protocols, Bracelet Smart Mode is activating.]
[Smart Mode initiated. Searching for a suitable combat vessel in the vicinity...]
[Ultra-high-quality vessel discovered. Auto-Battle Mode engaged!]
As the final voice faded in Totsuka's mind, the bracelet—which had gone dark after falling from Komachi's hand—suddenly erupted with a blinding red light and lunged toward him.
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