Chapter 338: Assault Form
"What?!"
The red light bypassed Kazuhiro Mitogawa and covered Totsuka Saika's body. This sudden turn of events caught Mitogawa completely off guard.
However, remembering the Nine-Tailed Fox standing beside him, Mitogawa quickly regained his composure. Though he loathed that fox internally, its strength was undeniable. Even if its power hadn't fully recovered after just being unsealed, ordinary opponents were absolutely no match for it.
As Mitogawa was thinking, the red light clinging to the surface of Totsuka Saika's body transformed into armor. Although the emergency binding did not include a verbal confirmation due to Totsuka's unconscious state, his subconscious had already accepted the presence of the bracelet. Because of this, the bracelet completed the final physical optimization part...
[Detection: Host is in a state of unconsciousness. Auto-Battle Mode engaged!]
After the transformation was complete—unlike the transformation of the Hikigaya siblings—a "Totsuka Saika" who had grown twin-tails on his original form opened his eyes. Staring at Mitogawa with a hollow expression, he spoke in a monotone voice.
Before Mitogawa could react, "Totsuka Saika" lightly raised his right hand, and the giant red sword instantly slid from mid-air into his grasp.
"If it's just Special-grade, then even doing this again will have no suspense!"
Having recovered from his initial surprise, Mitogawa sneered, sensing that the armor wasn't much stronger than when Komachi used it.
"Totsuka Saika" did not respond to Mitogawa's provocation. After the body finished gathering strength, he held the giant sword and charged at Mitogawa without the slightest hesitation.
Facing such a simple and crude combat style, Mitogawa waved his hand. The butterflies filling the sky converged in front of him, transforming into countless steel needles that pierced toward "Totsuka Saika."
The needles clattered against the protective barrier, yet they did not shatter it midway as Mitogawa had expected.
"What's going on?"
Seeing the barrier on "Totsuka Saika's" body remain immovable even as he rushed right in front of him, Mitogawa's mood grew solemn for the first time. The attacks he launched should have been enough to deplete the armor's energy, so why...?
Before Mitogawa could figure out what had changed, "Totsuka Saika," boosted by the armor, had already lunged into his personal space.
"Tsk!"
Faced with "Totsuka Saika" in his face, Mitogawa—despite his immense irritation—followed his instincts and disintegrated into countless butterflies to reform his body at another location.
However, "Totsuka Saika" acted as if he knew exactly where Mitogawa would appear. Seeing the butterflies vanish, he raised his right hand and pointed his palm toward the sky.
"Phantom Spirit Fire Pillar!"
Energy shot straight up from his palm, transforming into a massive pillar of fire that crashed down onto Mitogawa's new location.
"What?!"
Mitogawa, who had just finished reforming his head, felt a powerful energy surge toward him. The fiery energy instantly engulfed him, leaving him temporarily paralyzed.
"Great Emperor Explosive Flame Slash!"
Confirming that the Phantom Spirit Fire Pillar had successfully locked down Mitogawa's movement, "Totsuka Saika" showed no mercy and unleashed the ultimate move of the armor's standard state.
"Are you just going to keep watching the show from the sidelines?!"
Feeling the destructive power contained within the giant sword and realizing he might actually be killed, Mitogawa hurriedly urged the spectating Nine-Tailed Fox to act.
"A measly Special-grade... I thought you could handle this alone."
Hearing Mitogawa lower himself to beg for help, a human-like flash of mockery crossed the Nine-Tailed Fox's face. Despite their alliance, the fox was well aware of Mitogawa's loathing for itself and other spirits. Therefore, seeing Mitogawa suffer at the hands of a mere Special-grade was incredibly satisfying.
Satisfaction aside, the Nine-Tailed Fox could not let its only ally be destroyed. Thus, just as "Totsuka Saika" swung down toward Mitogawa with certain-kill momentum, a slender hand blocked the path.
"Such strong power..."
The Nine-Tailed Fox, in its human-fox form, blocked the strike with its hand. Feeling the energy stored in the blade, the fox couldn't help but frown. This strike was not something a so-called "Special-grade" could produce. With the armor's enhancement, the girl's strength had clearly reached King-level!
"But even if you're King-level, you're not enough in my presence."
With a gentle flick of its finger against the tip of the sword, "Totsuka Saika"—who had nearly checkmated Mitogawa with overwhelming momentum—staggered back a dozen steps before barely stabilizing his body.
[Detection: Enemy exceeds current system processing capability. Equipment automatic upgrade commencing!]
Mechanical words rang out from "Totsuka Saika's" mouth. He then walked straight to Komachi's side. As he approached, the silver energy clustered around Komachi's body suddenly sent out a tributary stream, flowing into the chest of "Totsuka Saika."
At the same time, Hikigaya Hachiman, who was sprinting through the suburbs of Chiba after receiving the SOS, suddenly felt the energy consumption of the barrier he set for Komachi skyrocket!
Fortunately, with the world's origin acting as his power source, Hachiman only felt slightly uncomfortable from the massive energy drain, with no other side effects. However, sensing this change and mistakenly believing Komachi was in extreme danger, Hachiman's speed increased even further.
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"Something is strange..."
The Nine-Tailed Fox, who hadn't taken "Totsuka Saika" seriously, saw its smile freeze upon witnessing him absorb the energy from around Komachi. Because it was significantly stronger than Mitogawa, the fox could clearly feel "Totsuka Saika's" strength rising at an alarming rate.
[Assault Form!]
After confirming that enough energy had been collected, "Totsuka Saika" suddenly snapped his head up. Simultaneously, the armor on his body underwent a transformation—the plating covering the surface retracted slightly, but in its place, the longsword in his hand became significantly sharper. Just by being held there, the Nine-Tailed Fox felt as if its heart had already been pierced from a distance!
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