Chapter 127: Bad Kid's Ability
Kaito Shirogane looked at the small, boyish figure, whose eyes radiated a pure, unadulterated malice. He had just massacred over fifty people.
Kaito began to clap, laughing. "Looks like you just did something you really enjoyed."
He glanced at the surrounding carnage, "tsking" under his breath as he began to walk toward him.
Bad Kid didn't seem to notice Kaito's deliberate approach. His lips curled into a grin, his eyes narrowing. Though he looked like a handsome young boy, his body was trembling slightly—a sign of his extreme excitement.
"Ha. Mercenary Tao. You and I are the same kind of people. It's just that you're not pure enough yet. You're still bound by rules. I..." he giggled, "...am superior to you."
BANG!
A silver revolver suddenly appeared in Kaito's hand. He fired a casual shot. The bullet, as if it had a mind of its own, flew straight for the center of Bad Kid's forehead. Kaito felt it in his gut: [Misfortune's Knock] had triggered.
Bad Kid's body twisted in a bizarre way. The movement didn't seem to be his own. It was as if some external force had jerked his body aside the instant the bullet had appeared.
Kaito's shot missed. Bad Kid tapped his foot, and his figure once again shot forward with an uncanny, ground-skimming speed.
Kaito's breathing pattern shifted. A white, misty air was sucked into his mouth. The next moment, a sound like a thunderclap exploded.
CRACKLE!
Bad Kid watched as "Mercenary Tao," who should have been frozen in place by his [Trickster's Divine Protection], suddenly twisted his body with the speed of a lightning bolt.
[Trickster's Divine Protection: When targeted by a ranged attack, automatically evade that one attack and instantly counter-attack the target. This effect can only trigger once on the same target within a short period.]
The most powerful part of this divine protection wasn't the auto-dodge. It was the "instantly counter-attack the target" part. Bad Kid had experimented with it. If he was holding a gun, he would dodge and fire back in the same instant. But that kind of gunfight wasn't powerful enough. So, he had slowly changed his combat style to pure close-quarters, using a claw-knife. The effect was what Kaito had just seen: the moment he was attacked, he would twist to dodge and then instantly close the distance to his target at an unbelievable speed. A single ability that combined evasion, target acquisition, and approach.
The instant after you fired your gun, you would be stabbed. A normal Reincarnator would have no time to react.
It felt as if lightning had just exploded over Kaito's body. As he forcibly twisted his own momentum, his opponent had already torn through the air and was right in front of him. Kaito's pupils trembled. The claw-knife was already stabbing at his neck.
He thrust his hand up, slamming it into Bad Kid's chin. The moment the claw-knife pierced his neck, Kaito unleashed his own power. A massive force exploded from his palm.
BAM!
Bad Kid was sent flying upwards, biting his own tongue in the process. The impact on his jaw rattled his brain, and for a brief moment, his mind went blank, preventing him from twisting the blade. Kaito, meanwhile, had consciously twisted his own body with the upward momentum, perfectly following the trajectory of the claw-knife, preventing it from slicing open his artery.
Kaito landed. He wiped his hand, which was glowing with golden Hamon, over the shallow cut on his neck, and it instantly healed.
Bad Kid stumbled as he landed, staggering back a few steps. They both now realized the other was something special.
Meanwhile, Stormfront, who had been knocked out of the sky by the Dodon Ray, clutched her chest and stood up. Her body was incredibly durable; a normal-intensity blast from Homelander's heat-vision wouldn't even do much damage to her. Still, she had rarely been hit like that. Her face was dark as she clapped her hands together. The atmosphere roiled, and a howling wind lifted her into the air as purple lightning began to crackle around her.
Kaito had noticed her the moment she'd gotten up. He immediately lunged for Bad Kid. The lightning strike missed. Stormfront continued to summon the storm, but a black shadow shot out from the side and slammed into her in mid-air, knocking her out of the sky.
Black Noir rained a flurry of punches on her face as they fell, then slammed her into the ground.
CRASH!
The violent impact made Stormfront cry out in pain. Black Noir's right hand pulled a blade from his back and, with a flick of his wrist, he stabbed down.
GRAB!
Stormfront caught the blade with her bare hand. The two powerhouses were now locked in a contest of strength.
On the other side, Kaito lunged for Bad Kid, his hand a blade. But Bad Kid, though small, was incredibly agile. He moved on the balls of his feet, his center of gravity shifting, and instantly leaped backward, bouncing from side to side like a phantom.
Kaito's attack missed, but his momentum didn't falter. A sound like thunder once again exploded from his mouth and nose.
CRACKLE!
His speed skyrocketed, and his hand-blade swung in a vicious horizontal arc. The attack shrieked through the air. Bad Kid held his claw-knife vertically to block. Kaito roared and, ignoring the blade entirely, slammed his hand-blade directly into Bad Kid's grip.
Bad Kid's pupils contracted. A terrifying force exploded from the point of impact. His own hand was smashed back into his chest. With a sickening crack of his sternum, he was sent sliding back a dozen meters.
BANG!
Another gunshot. Kaito froze. The bullet grazed his ear and hit the ground. A Reincarnator in a trench coat was on a nearby car roof, taking aim. Before he could fire again, Kaito had already raised his own finger and pointed. A golden light appeared. The sniper's heart leaped. He immediately abandoned his position and jumped from the car.
*VMMMM-BOOM!
The Dodon Ray instantly vaporized the vehicle.
Kaito immediately turned back, his finger glowing as he charged another Dodon Ray, aimed at Bad Kid. He seemed to be able to wield his ki without any sign of exhaustion.
Bad Kid, seeing the light, and connecting it with the iconic pink robe and codename, finally knew the origin of his opponent's power. "Damn it! Is that an ability a low-tier Reincarnator should even have?!"
But in the next moment, a contradictory, cruel smile spread across his face. "But… the rewards for killing someone like you will be even greater. Heh."
He faced the incoming Dodon Ray. He didn't run. He licked his blade, then tapped his foot, and instantly appeared at Kaito's side.
Kaito suddenly found that he couldn't move.
[Based on the gap in Spirit, you have obtained the following information:]
[You have been affected by Reincarnator EB44668741's ability: Blood Coagulation. Your physical movement is restricted.]
Blood Coagulation?
Kaito stood, frozen. Bad Kid "tsked" with amusement, looking at him as if he were a rare beast. "To learn such a powerful ability so early… you really are lucky, aren't you?"
Stab!
As he spoke, he plunged his claw-knife into Kaito's neck.
The icy feeling of the blade piercing his flesh instantly made Kaito's heart pound like a war drum. His blood began to pump at a terrifying rate. His skin flushed red, and hot steam began to rise from his body as his frame swelled by several dozen centimeters.
Bad Kid was shocked. He instantly ripped the claw-knife downward, slicing open Kaito's artery, and then flipped backward to retreat as blood sprayed everywhere.
Kaito exhaled a ragged breath. He clamped his left hand over the wound, his muscles tensing. A Hashira in a state of Total Concentration: Constant could use their breathing to control their muscles and stop bleeding. For Kaito, who was now in the [Transparent World], it was even easier. With a single touch, the gushing blood stopped, and golden ripples of Hamon began to knit the terrifying wound shut.
Bad Kid frowned. He couldn't believe that even slicing open his neck wasn't enough to kill him. He quickly licked the fresh blood from his claw-knife. Kaito's body froze again.
Bad Kid instantly closed the distance, his hands a blur as he unleashed a storm of slashes. The claw-knife was a vicious weapon in close combat, lighter and faster than a dagger, perfect for shredding muscle and severing tendons. In a breath, flesh was flying. Bad Kid grinned, the smell of blood filling him with satisfaction.
But suddenly, a hand shot through his frantic flurry of slashes and clamped down on his throat.
"Hey," Kaito's voice was a low growl. "How long are you going to keep up this light scratching? You've had your fun. Isn't it my turn now?"
Kaito was covered in blood. There were several deep gashes on his face. But he seemed to feel no pain. On the contrary, he was smiling.
Sometimes, pain can be a pleasure. Ordinary people will sometimes press on a sore muscle, and the pain brings a strange sort of comfort. Kaito had taken this a step further. This pain, this blood… it made his heart pound, it made him feel excited.
He squeezed. He spun, lifting Bad Kid by the throat and slamming his body into the ground.
CRACK!
With the sound of shattering bone and concrete, a web of cracks spread out, and the floor collapsed.
"Ugh… puh!"
Bad Kid choked on his own blood, and his consciousness faded to black.
A cloud of white steam, like a devil's breath, rose from Kaito. He stood over the unconscious Bad Kid, a cruel smile on his face. He raised his right hand, and the two silver rings on his fingers began to glow.
He brought his fist down. But just before it landed, a flash of green light appeared.
[Accompany]!
The Reincarnator in the trench coat gasped for breath. He was holding a card in his hand. A green light enveloped both him and the unconscious Bad Kid.
Bad Kid's body was instantly lifted into the air by the light.
BOOM!
Kaito's punch obliterated the entire section of the floor, shattering the planter and the greenery, even bursting a water pipe. He looked up and saw the green light carrying the two of them toward a car in the distance. He changed his breathing, and stomped his foot.
BOOM!
A massive sound. Black Noir and Stormfront, who were still locked in combat, both felt the building shake. They looked over and saw a blood-soaked beast charging toward them.
Choi Soo's heart was pounding. He hadn't expected that Bad Kid, who had seemed to have the advantage, would be so instantly and brutally defeated. That Mercenary Tao… what is his ability? Some kind of transformation?
He didn't understand. But his most precious [Accompany] card had been used. This card, though only blue-quality, had the ability to teleport up to 20 people to a target location. Because Choi Soo's own psychic power wasn't very strong, he could only teleport them about 200 meters. This special card from the Hunter x Hunter world had cost him a massive amount of resources, and now it was wasted. He hadn't even had time to feel the sting of the loss.
He could already hear the sound of Kaito charging after them.
Damn it!
He shoved a syringe into Bad Kid's arm, then threw him to the side. He had to save him, not because of any loyalty, but because they were a unit. If Bad Kid died, he knew he was no match for [Mercenary Tao] or [Kalpa]. And Bad Kid had another special ability, his talent. He had to at least get him to use that before he died.
"Get some guts, Bad Kid! To die like this… it's too pathetic…"
He himself turned and scrambled into the driver's seat of the car. He looked in the rearview mirror and saw the monstrous, swollen figure of his enemy had already appeared. He had crossed 200 meters in less than 10 seconds.
Kaito grabbed a taxi that had been destroyed by the Gatling gun, roared, and hurled it at the getaway car. He then turned and stalked toward the still-unconscious Bad Kid, raising his foot to stomp.
He would give him no more chances.
BAM!
The ground shook, but Kaito's foot hit empty air.
Bad Kid opened his eyes. They were glowing red. His entire aura had changed.
"Hah. That kid, Choi Si-kyung, is so useless. Getting beaten half-to-death again…"
He stood up. He and Kaito were less than a meter apart. His center of gravity was still perfectly stable.
Bad Kid looked up, meeting Kaito's eyes. His own, now-red eyes were filled with nothing but pure, brutal violence.
"Nice to meet you," he said, a new voice coming from his mouth. "I'm… Bad Kid. Hah."
Slice!
Kaito's pupils trembled. His opponent's speed had leaped to a new level. No, not his absolute speed. His movements had changed. He had used his small size, and the massive difference in their height, to instantly duck under Kaito's guard. He had used Kaito's own body as a screen to slash him across the thigh, and then had flowed to a position behind him.
Kaito let out a strange laugh. "A split personality. How amusing."
He instantly spun, his fist lashing out. The new Bad Kid's expression was calm. He took a single step to the left. But Kaito, with his [Transparent World] and [Pre-Initiative], had already seen his intent. He threw his punch, and at the same time, stepped forward with his right foot, ramming his entire body into him.
BAM!
The claw-knife in Bad Kid's hand vanished. He raised his palms to block, and was sent flying. But this time, he took no damage. His defensive maneuver was perfect. He used the momentum to create distance, and in mid-air, licked the fresh blood from his re-materialized claw.
The [Blood Coagulation] ability activated again. The ability, from some forgotten superpower world, could temporarily immobilize an opponent after tasting their blood, depending on their blood type.
He flickered forward, reappearing at Kaito's side, and thrust his knife at the vital point between his legs.
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Guys We cross the 1600 power stone goal and as promise here the bonus chapter
Next goal 1700 power stone,come on guys you'll can do it, good luck.
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