The rushing river transformed into a vast primeval forest, a desolate atmosphere washing over him.
Aoki stepped onto a withered branch, his brow furrowing slightly.
This wasn't his destination.
Just before activating "Spatial Travel," he sensed an unfamiliar spatial fluctuation and changed his destination.
Nearby, there was another being who wielded spatial power, and their use of it was far more skillful and powerful than his own.
Aoki silently sensed for a moment, then shook his head inwardly.
"As expected, this won't work."
There were complex and powerful spatial fluctuations here.
It was like a sudden downpour on a calm lake, the raindrops creating ripples.
Forcibly using "Spatial Travel" would inevitably be affected by these spatial fluctuations, its weaknesses completely uncontrollable.
If he were just flying around on the "lake's" surface, it wouldn't be a problem.
But if he were swept into the "lake's water," that is, lost in the spatial turbulence, then it would be truly troublesome.
Easily affected by interference, this was also the drawback of "Spatial Travel."
However, no one in the Demon world had ever achieved this, so it had never been manifested.
"I was careless!"
Aoki sighed, reminding himself again that this was no longer the Demon world. Immortality and "space travel," while greatly enhancing his survival abilities, didn't mean he was immune to danger.
"Do you know what happened?"
a voice sounded beside him. Aoki turned to look.
Kurome stood not far away, clutching Yatsufusa, warily surveying his surroundings.
"It must be some kind of super-dangerous creature capable of manipulating space that transported us here," Aoki said.
Kurome was probably implicated because of him.
Although he didn't know exactly how, the cause was likely his use of "space travel."
This wasn't a bad thing for him.
Kurohime was quite strong, and in this situation, she probably wouldn't fight him, essentially gaining a powerful ally.
"A Super Dangerous Species?" Kurohime looked at him. "What should we do now?"
"What's your opinion?"
Kurohime shook her head.
"Let's explore the surroundings first!" Aoki said.
He didn't have any better ideas either.
Kurohime walked to his side, making her stance clear.
The two randomly chose a direction and headed forward.
Aoki didn't fly rashly.
The sky was obscured by dense tree canopies; who knew what was in the sky?
Now that "space travel" was unusable, he had to be even more cautious.
Kurohime pulled out a snack bag from somewhere, took out a piece of candy, and popped it into her mouth.
Aoki couldn't help but glance at it.
Kurohime hugged the snack bag tightly: "I won't share this with you!"
"I wasn't planning on eating it anyway!"
Aoki said, then paused for a moment: "Your body is already nearing its limit; if you eat any more, you won't last much longer."
Kurohime's experiences were quite complicated.
As a child, she and her sister Akame were sold to the Imperial Agency and trained as assassins.
They passed the selection for the Elite Seven, but because the Seven couldn't have sisters or relatives, she was forcibly taken away and trained through drug injections.
The drugs unleashed her potential, granting Kurohime immense power.
However, this also created a severe dependence on the drugs.
The continuous drug use destroyed Kurohime's body; she was only fifteen or sixteen at the time, but her body was already nearing its limit.
The drugs also twisted her mind; out of loyalty to her comrades, she used Yatsufusa to turn their dead companions into dolls to keep them by her side.
When Akame betrayed the Empire and joined the Revolutionary Army, she tried to persuade Kurohime to go with her, but Kurohime considered it a betrayal of her comrades and refused to leave.
The two sisters still loved each other, yet each wished to kill the other, creating a twisted and complex relationship.
Kurohime stared at Aoki for a moment, then continued eating her snacks as if nothing had happened.
She knew the dangers of the drugs and had tried to quit.
However, her body had become severely dependent on them, and stopping would cause her to collapse even faster.
Moreover, she needed the power the drugs provided.
Without that power, she would be worthless and abandoned.
She absolutely did not want to end up like that!
However,
the drugs were running low.
And she had to go back to report; she needed to leave this place as soon as possible.
Aoki didn't say anything more.
The two continued forward.
Unexpectedly, they soon emerged from the jungle, but the scene before them made them both stop in their tracks.
The grayish-white ground was barren, littered with countless skeletons.
Some skeletons were over ten meters tall, like a building, with a single bone thicker than a human waist, while others were only a few centimeters long and smaller than a palm.
Their shapes were also varied, clearly belonging to different creatures.
A thin mist drifted in the air, blurring the world.
"Something's appeared," Kurohime said.
Aoki nodded.
He'd noticed it too.
The mist churned, and one after another, Dangerous Beasts emerged. They had thick legs and tails, their upper bodies resembling upright lizards, looking utterly ferocious.
"Do you recognize them?" Aoki asked.
Kurohime shook her head: "No."
Without giving them time to exchange words, the Dangerous Beasts pounced.
"Leave it to me!"
Aoki stepped forward, blocking Kurohime's path.
He was full of energy and didn't mind the strain.
These monsters seemed to be only Level 1 Dangerous Beasts; he could handle them on his own.
Not knowing the situation here, Kurohime wanted to conserve her energy, just in case.
While Imperial Arms were powerful, they placed a heavy burden on the body, and the drain on mental and physical strength was terrifying.
Hearing Aoki's words, Kurohime stopped drawing her sword.
As a skilled assassin, she had realized from the beginning that this man was no ordinary person.
Whoosh!
A Dangerous Species charged forward, lunging at Aoki.
In the transparent world, its every movement was clearly visible. Aoki twisted his body slightly, narrowly dodging the Dangerous Species' claws, and with a flick of his wrist, he thrust out a
blade. Thud.
His hand, like a real blade, easily pierced the Dangerous Species' neck, causing a large amount of blood to spurt out.
Attacks from other Dangerous Species followed.
Aoki dodged and weaved, his fists flying, none of the Dangerous Species able to touch him.
Thump thump thump!
Moments later, all the Dangerous Species lay fallen.
Kurohime stared blankly at Aoki.
This person's strength was greater than she had anticipated, and he didn't seem to be a Teigu user. Who was he?
Could he be a master from the Imperial Fist Temple?
But she had interacted with the people from the Imperial Fist Temple before, and their fighting style wasn't like this.
Having defeated the Dangerous Species, Aoki's expression didn't improve at all, his gaze fixed on the depths of the mist.
Suddenly, his expression changed, he grabbed Kurohime, and quickly retreated into the forest.
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