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The combatants from both sides immediately engaged in a fierce battle, and for a time, the sounds of shouting and killing enveloped the entire area.
Himura did not stay in the rear but stood at the very front, continuously swinging her two giant axes, cutting down every enemy in her path; no one could survive under her two giant axes.
And the villains she brought, even setting aside their stronger spiritual pressure and numerical advantage; even in one-on-one combat, Oyama and his people would absolutely not be a match for the people of the West 80th District.
The reason was simple: these villains from the West 80th District possessed stronger combat skills.
If evaluated by a system level, most of Oyama and his people's 'combat skills' were at the introductory stage, with a few reaching Low Level; whereas most of Himura and her people's 'combat skills' were at the Low Level stage, with a few even reaching intermediate.
These individuals' techniques were not only honed through combat but also underwent a relatively rough systematic education.
Their Zanjutsu and Hakuda already had a certain rudimentary form.
Less than a minute after the two sides made contact, Oyama's side had already fallen into an absolute disadvantage.
"Where is that bastard?!"
Oyama cut off the head of the enemy in front of him, his face grim as he scanned the battlefield, but no matter how he searched, he couldn't find Ishikawa Katori's figure.
Could he have fled?
At this thought, Oyama's face grew even uglier. Although he was insane, a Lunatic is not a fool. The short battle had already made him realize that without the intervention of other forces, his people would soon be wiped out by Himura!
Even if they surrendered now, it would be the same.
Submission or death!
This was the rule of the game in the lower-numbered districts. Ignoring the final warning meant making a choice. Only two paths lay before Oyama and his people: either annihilate the other side or be annihilated by them.
During the recent battle, even after realizing the disparity, a glimmer of hope remained in Oyama's heart.
However…
Ishikawa Katori, who had been behind him, suddenly disappeared, causing that glimmer of hope in his heart to vanish as well. He could only desperately search the surroundings, hoping to find Ishikawa Katori's figure.
"I remember you!"
Just then, a coarse, heavy female voice came from not far from Oyama: "You're the subordinate who always followed Daimaru, aren't you?"
The scar on Oyama's face twitched. With that distinctive voice, even without looking up, he knew who had arrived.
Looking up, he saw Himura had arrived at the center of the town at some unknown time. Behind her was a blood-soaked path paved with blood and corpses, and the two giant axes she held continued to drip blood.
"Is this the result of your efforts these past few days?"
Himura scoffed, looking at Oyama with disdain: "I even gave you so many days to prepare slowly."
Despite her words, Himura's gaze subtly observed her surroundings.
In fact, when she found Oyama, she didn't immediately go to him but secretly observed him for a while.
She appeared rough on the outside but was not reckless; she was very calm, otherwise, she wouldn't have attained her current position in the West 80th District.
From Oyama's previous reaction, he was clearly looking for someone.
Did he find someone to help?
Or did he join under another great villain in the West 80th District?
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Himura's expression changed, and her gaze shifted to both sides.
Spiritual pressure disappeared?
She had brought around two hundred people, but the actual frontal battlefield only accounted for one-third. It was precisely because of this that Oyama's subordinates were able to hold on until now, despite being outnumbered, and not collapse and flee the moment they made contact.
The other two-thirds had split into two groups, encircling the town from both sides to cut off Oyama and his people's escape routes.
Never let any opponent go; this was a common understanding among the residents of the West 80th District, because many people had died for this reason.
Some were killed by enemies they had already made who escaped, only to return for revenge after growing stronger; others were killed by people who fled and then sought refuge with powerful individuals, eventually leading to their pursuers being tracked down… The reasons were varied and numerous!
Living in the West 80th District, leading a life on the edge, it was naturally impossible not to kill. Once the decision to kill was made, then no one should be left alive, completely denying the other party any chance of retaliation.
This was precisely why Himura sent two groups to cut off the town's rear: she had no intention of letting any residents of the 79th District, whether they were Oyama's subordinates or not, escape!
And just now…
Himura, alerted by Oyama's reaction, suddenly discovered that the spiritual pressure fluctuations of the two groups she sent to cut off the rear were rapidly diminishing at an alarming rate!
"Ahhh—"
Almost simultaneously, a scream came from the rear of the town. Following the sound, a group of people could be seen rushing quickly from the rear of the town towards the center.
Oyama and his people's expressions immediately changed upon seeing this.
They've already encircled us so quickly?
They naturally knew that Himura had split her forces to cut off their retreat, but they were powerless to stop it. The frontal battle alone had already left them overwhelmed, so how could they worry about being surrounded?
"That bastard—!"
Oyama cursed, his face contorted. He was now certain that the bastard Boss of the Everything Store must have fled when he saw the situation was unfavorable; otherwise, with his strength, how could he have gone unnoticed for so long?
However, Oyama didn't notice that Himura, facing him, wasn't happy about the encirclement being completed after seeing those people. Instead, her face was grim, and her gaze swept past her subordinates to look into the distance.
Buzz—
In an instant, a sheet of red flame appeared out of nowhere, behind Himura's subordinates.
As the flames appeared, an incantation, whose exact origin could not be determined, suddenly echoed in everyone's ears.
"Oh, wielder of the mask of flesh, all creation, flapping wings, you who bear the name of man! Scorching heat and conflict, surge against the sea, march south!"
The crimson flames, accompanied by the incantation, expanded and magnified like an explosion, gradually coalescing into a gigantic fireball that distorted the very air. This fire was so dense that its burning seemed to refine heaven and earth; even a single spark within it could instantly evaporate the moisture from the surrounding trees.
Vast spiritual pressure permeated the air. Beneath the fireball, a figure flickered in and out of view—it was Ishikawa Katori, who had disappeared at the beginning of the battle.
Ishikawa Katori raised his right hand, pressed it down, and let out a low shout: "Hadō #31: Shakkahō!" The surrounding air vibrated, and the fireball above his head immediately rushed towards Himura's subordinates, who were retreating towards the town center, carrying roaring heat waves.
It was then that Oyama realized…
The people surging from the rear of the town had faces not of bloodthirsty sneers, but of terror and despair.
This was not an encirclement being completed at all; they were simply fleeing in disarray towards the town center!
Boom~~
The fireball exploded, and the flames contained within it erupted with a roar. For a moment, the entire town seemed to be illuminated by the blaze.
Screams echoed across the entire battlefield.
All the buildings in the rear of the town were burned down, and the flames rapidly spread, turning figures into charred remains.
Amidst the flames…
Ishikawa Katori's figure slowly emerged from within. As he walked, the flames around him receded to both sides, forming a path for him to pass through.
On his body…
A completely different aura reappeared, eerie and cold, permeated with death energy. His expression was utterly indifferent, a stark contrast to the scorching flames around him, as if the ground he trod upon were not charred corpses but merely a flat road.
Shinigami!
Both Oyama's side and Himura's side couldn't help but think of these two words.
But not the Shinigami familiar to the Soul Society, but Shinigami who emerged from hell, whose sole purpose was to harvest the lives of living beings!
Oyama was no longer curious about what Ishikawa Katori did in his past life. Anyway, judging by the eerie aura that emanated from the depths of this guy's soul, he was definitely a super dangerous human in his past life.
He was only curious now…
How did Ishikawa Katori die!?
How could a person like this, so young, have been eliminated by someone upholding justice?
…
Happy New Year! I went back to my hometown for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, so I couldn't write without a computer, and… I was just too busy.
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