A Nagging Feeling...

Boom!

The thunderous explosion rumbled outward, its violent blast wave mixed with moisture and scorched grass whistling toward him. It slammed directly into Chiba, who was half-crouched on the ground, like an invisible wall of air.

Hmph!

The instant the blast wave struck him, Chiba's entire body tilted back. He instinctively raised both hands before his face to block, yet he was still sent sliding backward. Only when he planted himself in a lunge did he stabilize, leaving two distinct trails of flattened grass before barely coming to a stop.

So this was the powerful version of the Exploding Tag Hirohiko had mentioned? Dead grass and dirt clods rode the blast wave, pelting his body like bullets. Chiba clenched his teeth tightly as his crossed arms began to tremble.

The blast wave alone was this ferocious. It was nearly as strong as the three relatively powerful Exploding Tags I used just now! My hands are numb!

This was completely beyond the scope of the "powerful Exploding Tags" he had described! It had utterly surpassed that category! Chiba struggled to raise his head and cautiously looked ahead. Amid the raging wind and flying dirt, the ring-shaped water curtain barrier before him hissed with white steam. Strands of water were constantly torn away by the blast wave, and after being swept off, they were scattered by the gale generated by the explosion, turning into droplets that whistled away with the blast wave, mingling with the dead grass and dirt.

Fortunately, although the water curtain barrier was growing thinner as streams of water were ripped away, it continued to rotate steadily. It should have no problem holding until the explosion subsided. And with the Water Wall buying them time, Hirohiko and Yukina would have ways to escape. They would not be stuck inside