Tiger Enters a Flock of Sheep

"I knew it!!"

Diao Ao shouted excitedly, retreating quickly towards the rear while Habutae's attention was focused on Duan Mu. "With your character, Brother Duan Mu, you wouldn't abandon us and run away!!"

Diao Ao said this with absolute certainty, as if the person who had been cursing 'bastard' in a rage just moments ago wasn't him.

Duan Mu glanced at him, and the cold look sent a shiver down Diao Ao's spine. He quickly said, "You go, you go... I won't bother you."

"..."

Watching Diao Ao suddenly move away after meeting his gaze for some reason, Duan Mu opened his mouth and abandoned his idea of explaining to the customer.

Since a fight was inevitable, he had to ensure his escape route.

Although Duan Mu didn't believe he would be defeated by a follower of a great villain with his current strength, being cautious never hurt.

After all, this time was different from the last; Shiba Kūkaku was not secretly following him.

Before the battle, he had to ensure he could retreat safely at any time. Diao Ao and the others understood this clearly, but due to the enemy's overwhelming strength, they were unable to secure their escape route.

Therefore, when he discovered Habutae had split her forces to cut off their retreat, Duan Mu immediately used Refraction to conceal his figure and silently moved towards the personnel blocking their escape route.

"Destruction Kido!?"

Habutae, having lived for nearly 600 years, had seen members of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads use Destruction Kido before. However, the power displayed by those members when using Kido in her memory couldn't compare to this black-haired youth at all; they were on completely different levels.

So strong!!

Habutae made an instant judgment, made a gesture behind her, and shouted, "Gather!!"

Immediately, her subordinates, who were scattered throughout the town, forced their opponents back and began to converge on Habutae's location.

This gave Diao Ao's subordinates, who were struggling to cope, a moment of respite. Although a few bloodthirsty villains erupted with ferocity, most were cut down by indiscriminate attacks after pursuing.

With Duan Mu's appearance, the battlefield, which had been filled with shouts and killing intent, suddenly became somewhat eerie. Both sides of the engagement retreated.

Diao Ao, meanwhile, gathered a few of his stronger subordinates and positioned them on the flanks of the town, preventing Habutae from outflanking them as she had before.

"A Soul Reaper not doing their primary job of killing, and having the leisure to meddle in our affairs?" Habutae said to Duan Mu with a mocking tone.

Upon hearing this, a flicker of surprise flashed in Duan Mu's eyes. He had heard similar words from Diao Ao.

For some reason, there seemed to be a common consensus in the later-numbered districts; in their eyes, 'Soul Reaper' and 'assassin' were equated.

Duan Mu flashed his signature smile at Habutae. However, this smile, under the sinister aura that uncontrollably leaked out as his killing intent surged, became cold and terrifying:

"I'm not a Soul Reaper, just a small shop owner who takes people's money to solve their problems."

Habutae snorted. She didn't believe that after spending decades in West District 80, the Rukongai had reached a point where even shop owners could casually wield Kido.

However, she didn't doubt that the person in front of her wasn't a Soul Reaper.

Because the feeling he gave off was nothing like a Soul Reaper; instead, he was more like the great villains of West District 80. The familiar aura made Habutae's vigilance soar.

"Kill!!"

Having confirmed that the opponent was not a Soul Reaper, Habutae directly waved her hand at her subordinates behind her, and over a hundred people simultaneously charged at Duan Mu.

Duan Mu no longer wanted to investigate whether these villains' dictionaries contained the word 'communication.' A killing intent flashed in his eyes, and he charged towards the vast crowd.

Habutae did not advance this time, but stood behind her subordinates, carefully observing Duan Mu.

The opponent was very similar to the terrifying great villains of West District 80. Rather than waiting to be attacked, it was better to strike first!

With over a hundred people surrounding one person, the fact that the opponent didn't flee didn't give Habutae a sense of 'advantage is ours.' Instead, she became more vigilant. The fact that he dared to charge forward like this clearly indicated he wasn't limited to Kido that required a long incantation.

Just as Habutae was secretly vigilant, Duan Mu, who was approaching, suddenly raised his right hand and brought it down, just as he had when releasing the large fireball earlier.

As the distance between them closed, the tension in everyone's hearts tightened. Faced with Duan Mu's sudden movement, some of the tense villains instinctively reacted.

Habutae's expression changed, and she tried to shout a warning, but it was too late.

Spiritual Pressure surged from many people, being channeled into their blades. Instantly, azure spiritual power permeated the entire battlefield.

"Attack together, don't let him use that fireball again!!"

Someone shouted, and various weapons filled with Spiritual Pressure smashed towards Duan Mu. The scene of over a hundred people releasing Spiritual Pressure was magnificent, with azure spiritual power converging like a surging tide, rushing towards Duan Mu.

This is bad!

Habutae's expression was grave. Having faced powerful individuals who would go on a killing spree whenever they were in a bad mood in District 80 for years, they, the 'weak,' had to cooperate to survive.

Although her subordinates weren't exactly elites, they had unspoken understanding and could exert considerable strength when cooperating.

The opponent seemed to have seen through this. His sudden raised hand was timed perfectly. It not only interrupted their charging momentum but also caused some impatient individuals to attack first, disrupting the entire team's attack rhythm.

This was partly due to her subordinates' lack of experience fighting Soul Reapers and their ignorance of the reason Soul Reapers needed incantations to use Kido, but the fact that the opponent could think of this immediately and utilize it indicated that the black-haired youth possessed extremely rich combat experience.

An ordinary action had produced an extraordinary effect.

The attack was coming!

As expected, Duan Mu, who had raised his hand, suddenly vanished. When he reappeared, he was on the flank of the crowd, catching everyone who was preparing to directly confront Duan Mu's Kido off guard.

As soon as he appeared, Duan Mu stepped forward and lunged with a straight punch at the nearest person.

Bang!

A plain punch, yet it sent the struck individual flying backward. After crashing into several others, their body exploded under the impact.

Beneath the blood mist.

Duan Mu moved like a phantom, swaying and shifting rapidly, using both fists and feet to kill person after person on the spot.

The constant deaths of his companions put immense pressure on everyone. No one knew if they would be next, so they could only instinctively attack wildly, trying to stop him.

Intense fear caused them to lose all coordination. They fought individually, their attacks becoming exceptionally chaotic.

"Artery Sever~"

"Tendon Break~"

"Hanging Persimmon~"

"Windmill~"

All sorts of Hakuda techniques were unleashed like a storm. It felt less like a battle and more like he was honing his moves using the enemies before him.

And that was indeed the case.

Although Habutae perceived Duan Mu as having extremely rich combat experience, in reality, Duan Mu's practical combat experience was pitifully scarce, this being only his second time.

It was just that after the last battle, he had grown accustomed to fighting opponents who utilized Spiritual Pressure. Combined with the difference in strength, this gave him such a massive advantage!

A tiger entering a flock of sheep!

These four words were undoubtedly the most fitting description for the current situation.