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"Stop dawdling, throw it!" Ishikawa Katori roared in a low voice, directly cutting off Ganju-nii's question.
Ganju-nii opened his mouth, then finally, as if he had thrown caution to the wind, he said fiercely, "I'll throw it!"
As he spoke, he looked at the constantly approaching crowd, took out a crimson firework from his waist, and slammed it directly onto the ground at his feet.
Boom—!
With a loud bang, a pungent, stimulating red smoke instantly enveloped the area where Ishikawa Katori and the five others were, causing those who were closing in on them to stop in their tracks, all looking warily at the strange red mist.
"Bakudo Number Twenty-one: Red Smoke Escape!"
And the moment the red smoke exploded, a low incantation was simultaneously heard.
The red smoke suddenly swelled, as if being squeezed by something, then instantly burst open, spreading out in a flash, giving the surrounding people no chance to react.
"What is th—... My eyes... Cough cough cough cough~~"
"So spicy..."
"Fall back! Cough cough, quickly fall back..."
"..."
Wherever the red smoke passed, screams erupted, some people were constantly rubbing their eyes, while others covered their mouths and noses, their faces turning crimson.
"This is?"
Ganju-nii looked at the rising smoke around him, his expression somewhat dazed. While instant Kido of the twenties was surprising, it wasn't unheard of, and it wasn't enough to make him react this way. However, the timing of this Kido's release was simply too clever!
Because the moment the Blood Tear Orb exploded, Ishikawa Katori cleverly used the impact generated by the Red Smoke Escape to push the chili smoke outwards, preventing it from affecting him and his companions in the slightest.
The smoke came quickly and dissipated just as fast. As his vision somewhat recovered, Ganju-nii's first reaction was to look towards where Ishikawa Katori had been.
"Take Haruka and the other four, run to the back-left!"
A low voice came, causing a look of confusion to appear on Ganju-nii's face. Although the voice was Ishikawa Katori's, the tone of speech gave him a sense of unfamiliarity.
He instinctively followed the sound, and just as Ganju-nii looked, Ishikawa Katori suddenly disappeared from his original spot.
Ganju-nii's eyes widened, as if he had seen something incredible, his gaze filled with confusion.
Was that Ishikawa Katori?
Although it was only for an instant, was that figure just now... truly the Ishikawa Katori he remembered, who was gentle in demeanor, helpful, and often called a 'goody-two-shoes'?
"Ga... Ganju-nii?"
After the recent anomaly, Hawk and the other four finally regained their senses, looking at the dazed Ganju-nii, asking tremblingly, "Sh-should we run in the direction Little Ishikawa... cough cough, big bro said?"
"Huh?"
Ganju-nii came back to his senses, and facing the terrified gazes of Hawk and the other four, his expression hardened. Their current situation clearly wasn't suitable for investigating Ishikawa Katori's changes.
...
Daimaru stood in the distance. Being cautious by nature, he had already retreated when Ganju-nii pulled out the Blood Tear Orb, thus avoiding the chili smoke.
"Who is that black-haired young man standing next to Shiba Ganju? Is he a student from Shin'ō Academy?"
Daimaru asked his deputy beside him. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but when Ganju-nii threw the chili smoke bomb, the Reishi around that black-haired young man seemed to show signs of agitation, and the Reishi reaction was somewhat similar to a Shinigami releasing Kido.
"That black-haired young man?"
The deputy was startled for a moment, then replied, "He's not a student from Shin'ō Academy. Information about him is easy to find because hardly anyone in the West Rukongai safe zone doesn't know him. From what I know, he only arrived in Rukongai four years ago and opened an 'Everything Store' in District 38, a shop that does all kinds of work."
At this point, a strange smile appeared on the deputy's face: "It's said that he is kind and helpful, and is recognized as a 'goody-two-shoes' in West Rukongai."
Only arrived in Rukongai four years ago, huh?
Daimaru's heart, which had just been racing, settled down again. He hadn't joined Shin'ō Academy, and a kid who had only been in Rukongai for four years, how could he possibly use Kido? He must have been mistaken.
"The smoke is about to clear, tell them to keep a close eye, don't let... Hmm?"
Daimaru's words suddenly cut off. Almost instantly, a commotion came from the distance.
Following the sound, a ghostly figure suddenly appeared in the crowd!
This figure was none other than Ishikawa Katori. At this moment, his eyes had lost their usual gentleness, replaced by a kind of... indifference, as if he had shed all emotions in an instant.
The two people at the very front, who were rubbing their eyes, changed their expressions. Habits formed from years of living on the edge of life and death made them instinctively swing their fists at this suddenly appearing person.
To their surprise, Ishikawa Katori seemed to have anticipated it. His body swayed like a pendulum, leaving two afterimages, and like a loach, he slipped between the two of them with extreme agility.
At the same time, Ishikawa Katori's hands, shaped like blades, passed by their chests like venomous snakes, striking precisely at their Adam's apples.
With a crisp snap, the two men's eyeballs bulged outwards. The immense force caused their feet to lift off the ground, and blood gushed uncontrollably from their mouths. Before they even hit the ground, they had already lost their breath.
This scene caused everyone around to change their expressions.
What a ruthless fellow!
Killing was commonplace for them, but individuals like this black-haired young man, powerful and ruthless in their actions, were rare. Ishikawa Katori gave them the feeling not of an ordinary resident of Rukongai, but rather more like one of their own!
However, they also wouldn't be intimidated by the deaths of two people.
Almost simultaneously with the deaths of the two, everyone around them showed a fierce expression, charging towards Ishikawa Katori with a near-frantic intensity!
"Kill him!"
"Go!"
The crowd surged towards Ishikawa Katori like a tide.
Ishikawa Katori slowly raised his head, and a sinister aura emanated from the depths of his soul. This aura seemed to have been suppressed for a long time, and the moment it was released, even the surrounding air cooled by a few degrees.
Compared to the group of villains around him, he actually appeared even more terrifying.
Looking at the rapidly approaching tide of people, Ishikawa Katori not only didn't dodge, but instead leaped up abruptly, like a large bird, meeting the crowd head-on.
The wind whistled like a knife in his ears, and Ishikawa Katori's pupils began to gradually dilate at this moment. His body's almost instinctive reaction made Ishikawa Katori sigh inwardly...
Indeed, it's not that easy for a person to change!
In the center of the crowd, seeing Ishikawa Katori falling towards them like a meteor, everyone scattered, brandishing various weapons at Ishikawa Katori, who was rapidly descending from the sky.
Although these weapons were just ordinary iron tools, under the magnification of spiritual pressure, they were swung with continuous whistling sounds, their power formidable!
A clear shout suddenly echoed in the sky.
"Windmill!"
In mid-air, just as Ishikawa Katori was about to land, he flipped over, his spiritual pressure surging dramatically, no longer appearing incredibly weak as before. A leg carrying terrifying force kicked up a gust of wind, batting away the weapons aimed at him one by one.
Boom!!
The ground shattered, and the resulting impact sent several nearby people flying.
The next moment, screams erupted in the crowd, as a black figure, like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, caused continuous wails wherever he passed.
The dense crowd became incredibly chaotic, yet Ishikawa Katori was as agile as a loach.
As time slowly passed, the crowd rapidly diminished.
It wasn't just a crushing superiority in spiritual pressure, but also in skill. With both combined, Ishikawa Katori didn't even need to use any special techniques. Without exception, everyone who encountered him died by his hand.
Ishikawa Katori's black work clothes were soon stained blood-red.
The remaining people, though still charging towards Ishikawa Katori, found the madness in their eyes gradually being replaced by fear.
It wasn't because of how many people had died, but because...
They discovered a terrifying truth: this cruel black-haired young man clearly showed a sense of awkwardness when the battle began, but as the fight continued, that awkwardness actually disappeared little by little. He had adapted to the feeling of life-and-death combat in an extremely short amount of time!
Moreover, his killing methods became increasingly brutal and concise!
Was this level of adaptability truly something a human could possess?
His heart was pounding wildly. Whether in his previous life or this one, Ishikawa Katori had never felt anything like this before.
If he had to use words to describe it.
Exhilaration!!
These two words were undoubtedly the most suitable to describe Ishikawa Katori's mood at that moment.
...
"Is this what you call a good person?!"
Daimaru withdrew his gaze, looking at his deputy beside him with an extremely grim expression.
If this could be considered a good person, then most of the people in District 79 could be called angels. Had those idiots in the safe zone lived too comfortably for too long, blinding their eyes?
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