Challenge: The Fool with the Surname Okayamine

Chapter 201 Neighborhood Arc: Gladiator Battle

"Hmm? It seems this young lady doesn't pay much attention to etiquette."

Although Kurumi said this on the surface, her eyes never left her slightly silent expression.

"Oh? Miss, are you alright?"

"Don't move, Empty! If you don't want to be smashed into a wafer by this lady with a gun and axe."

Just as Kurumi was about to run forward to help Rion, she suddenly had her collar pulled back by Kurumi, until she was dragged back behind her.

Then, Cang and Kongwu looked at each other and for some reason recalled what they had just said, feeling a chill run down their spines. More importantly, "How did she hear the faint sound of water droplets!" This was even more crucial.

"Oh my, it seems you have excellent hearing!"

Upon hearing this, Cang Moming nodded. Perhaps embarrassed by Kurumi's praise, a blush appeared on her originally fair face.

...Although the person I initially wanted to find by using sound tracking was probably Wuming.

"So... um, your purpose really was..."

"It doesn't matter. Almost no one has died yet. I originally wanted to find strong opponents to fight, but it was difficult to find any. But at least now I've found you, who calls yourself an elf."

Cang glared at Kurumi, then glanced at Rion, who was hiding behind him, and said calmly.

"Oh, I see. That guy really slowed things down, which could have been resolved quickly. It's giving me a real headache. I really hope we can get to you guys out of here soon."

"I see, but you don't seem to be in a hurry."

Cang continued her analysis calmly. Although it was unclear what she meant, it was obvious that she seemed to know some inside information.

"Um... Miss Cang."

"...?"

Cang glared at Kong Wu. Her eyes were filled with murderous intent, clearly different from when she was talking to Kurumi.

"Eek! Why...why are you glaring at me?"

Kong Wu trembled with fear, and Cang immediately put on an apologetic expression.

"I'm sorry. It just happened naturally... So, what do you want?"

"So Miss Cang is this polite!"

Rion clapped her hands with her fist, muttering to herself unconsciously. But no one paid any attention to her.

"No, I just wanted to ask if you could help. —Couldn't you join us in fighting the Dominator?"

"impossible."

Cang rejected Kong Wu's suggestion without saying a word. Then, pointing at Kurumi, he said with absolute certainty:

"This person will stab me in the back."

Empty and angry, he shouted:

"That won't happen! You'd be right! I can vouch for it, but I can't guarantee it!"

"Explain yourself clearly."

Kurumi couldn't help but complain.

In fact, Sora believed that Kurumi would stab him in the back one hundred percent, and Kurumi understood this as well.

Cang also believed without a doubt that Kurumi would do that.

"It seems everyone knows what's going on, that's great!"

"That's exactly what I meant."

Where is the location?

In other words, she seems to be asking where to choose for the duel.

"It's better to get away from here..."

Cang nodded vigorously.

After a period of time~

The blinding morning light made Sora squint. Kurumi walked in front, followed by Ao, while Sora and Rion, who had no role in the story, walked at the very back.

Kurumi suddenly stopped. Was she really going to duel in the middle of this residential area? Kurumi decided to hide behind a telephone pole.

"...What brings you here?"

Kurumi stared at the empty telephone pole above. Kurumi followed suit, looking up at the sky, and saw the puppeteer's doll clinging tightly to the pole.

(It's nothing, it's nothing~~ I'm just here to watch the fun, don't mind me.)

Without turning his head, Cang grabbed the axe-spear behind his back and swung it vertically into the air.

The telephone pole and the doll were reduced to dust. Literally, they shattered into powder. The shattered doll landed on Empty's head, and Empty let out a mournful "Whoa!"

"An eyesore."

Cang stared into the void, probably using some kind of optical camouflage technique. Suddenly, several puppets appeared in fear and hurriedly fled.

"Well done."

"Yeah. Anyway, they'll still get close while we're fighting..."

Upon hearing Kurumi's words of praise, Ao was about to respond but fell silent.

Kurumi has disappeared without a trace.

"What's wrong...?"

In the blink of an eye, Kurumi vanished from the sight of Ao, Kumo, and Rion.

"Where did it go...!"

Cang frantically searched around. Disappearing near the central intersection of the residential area was a very unwise move.

However, nothing knew how she disappeared.

(It's just a shadow...)

Kurumi Tokisaki slipped into the shadows. Even for a moment, if one were to look away from Kurumi, she could likely activate her shadow technique and conceal her presence immediately.

Cang stared blankly into the void.

"Alas! I... I know nothing, I know nothing!"

Kongwu quickly waved her hand in denial. Cang couldn't tell whether she was afraid because she was lying, or simply because she was afraid of him.

Cang Ling leaped into the air, stabilizing himself mid-air. He surveyed his surroundings—no one could see him, and no sound could be heard.

But she also has a remarkable extrasensory ability—her sense of smell.

A faint body odor tickled Cang's nostrils.

With the keen sense of smell of a hunting dog, she searched for Kurumi's scent that she had just caught at close range. Kurumi probed the location—detected the distance—and calculated the correct coordinates.

(Found it!)

He projected a murderous aura there, an aura as cold as ice that instantly silenced ordinary people.

However, the place was deserted, with only utility poles and piles of garbage bags in their shadows.

"...!"

Strange things kept happening, leaving Cang in a state of severe confusion.

The quasi-elf who taught Cang how to fight once told her to be more straightforward.

—You will become smarter and gain greater power someday.

—But before that, we must fight relentlessly without distraction.

—Because you become weaker by thinking about unnecessary things. Because that's how your body is constructed.

—You can kill enemies simply by relying on your instincts, and even rise above the rulers.

—If an enemy appears that cannot use this method.

—If you encounter the type that you find most repulsive, difficult to deal with, and should avoid the most.

There is only one way.

—A pale arm slipped out from the shadow of the garbage bag.

(This really has the style of that Fifth Realm Ruler—Gokharaka~)

Rion Yume sighed.

"!!!"

Fire the bullet. The jet-black bullet pierced through the wall of air with a deafening roar, striking simultaneously.

The distance between her and her opponent was about 200 meters. Hitting her with a pistol at that distance would probably require a miracle, but for Kurumi, it was a piece of cake.

The result of being 200 meters away gave Cang room to adapt, which annoyed Cang somewhat, but also pleased him.

Is Kurumi really that afraid of herself? She even abandoned her friends.

Cang felt indignant about this, which could be considered a form of misplaced anger. However, he was also somewhat happy that the other party acknowledged his strength.

Cang naturally deflected the bullet.

Since her [Zafkiel] is a pistol, she can defend against it. Of course, she already knew about Kurumi's bullet abilities.

We must be constantly on guard against Kurumi shooting herself, or using [First Bullet] to boost her stamina and launch a surprise attack.

Cang decided to push forward the spirit dress with all his might, arriving at Kurumi's side two hundred meters away in an instant.

In one second, he dragged Kurumi out of the shadows; in another second, he headbutted her until she lost consciousness; and in yet another second, he used...

The Celestial Wolf shattered her.

Total of four seconds.

That's enough time to kill Kurumi. She's not afraid of getting hurt, she's only afraid of losing—no, it's not that she's afraid of losing.

Cang felt that he was afraid of something.

Although she didn't know exactly what it was, she was certain of one thing.

The source of her fear undoubtedly came from Tokisaki Kurumi.

So she roared. Her shouts, threats, and glares conveyed her murderous intent.

—Charge! Charge! Charge!

She commanded herself. Her [Ultimate Necromancer's Armor - Number 15] greedily devoured spiritual power, "shooting" out of the sky at a frenzied speed.

If Kurumi releases bullets, then she chooses to transform herself into a bullet and launch a special attack.

He was fearless and resolute. If the price was successfully killing the spirit Kurumi Tokisaki, then Ao felt it was well worth it.

In a second, the shadow arrives.

In a second, he dragged her out of the shadows.

In a second, he struck her with a violent headbutt. That's how it should have been, but—a gunshot rang out.

However, the spirit armor was only slightly damaged. It's alright to ignore it, but I can't unleash my headbutt attack.

Slow, heavy, painful.

My body felt as heavy as if it were sinking into mud. My movements were as slow as a tortoise's, but my thought process remained constant, making me acutely aware of my sluggishness.

[Zfkfk - Part 2!]

Kurumi Tokisaki's other ultimate technique is to slow down the flow of time. This slows down high speeds, and slows down to the point of near-stopping, creating a terrifying fairy tale where rabbits turn into tortoises.

Kurumi gave a wicked smile.

It creaked and began to crack.

Faced with the relentless barrage of fire, Cang was helpless. His spirit armor was pierced by bullets one after another, turning him from the one who was crushing others into the one being crushed.

Bai Cang also understood that he had to kill Cang to stop the battle with her.

Kurumi Tokisaki was serious after all. She understood that if she missed this opportunity, she wouldn't be able to interrupt, which was her approach.

The victor is a bandit, the loser is also a bandit; what do justice and evil have to do with me? Since that's the case, I might as well fight to the death. Kurumi thought to herself with self-deprecation.

The purpose of trampling on countless dreams and countless near-elves must seem utterly pointless to others.

even so.

Even so... my mind and body were still driven by some uncontrollable emotion.

The bullet finally shattered Cang's spirit armor and struck Cang himself. All that remains is to keep firing until the [Second Bullet] loses its effect.

"shooting."

Keep shooting until she dies. Keep harming her until she dies.

"shooting."

The bullet pierced through the shattered spirit armor and finally lodged in the body.

shooting--!"

Kurumi suddenly remembered Ao's spirit dress.

Her spirit dress is different from other quasi-elves, making her one of the few heretics (except, of course, for the divine spirit dress possessed by elves).

The so-called heresy refers to deceit and trickery.

The so-called cunning refers to power.

According to the rumors of the quasi-spirits, the power of a spirit dress is closely related to how strong the wearer's will is.

Cang's spirit attire makes one believe that the rumors are true.

Its durability is exceptional, its speed extraordinary, and its precision maneuverability superb. But its cunning lies not in these aspects.

The essence of the [Ultimate Necromancer's Gear - Number 15] is death. Simply getting close to an enemy is enough to kill them.