At the rear of the battlefield, seeing Duan Mu taking on a hundred enemies alone and holding the absolute advantage, Diao Ao's subordinates no longer knew whether they should go forward and help.
Now was undoubtedly the best time to strike, but Boss Duan Mu seemed completely unable to tell the residents of District 79 from those of District 80. Just now, several brothers who couldn't contain their excitement and bloodlust had charged forward with loud cries, only to be killed by Boss Duan Mu with one punch each before the enemies could even take them out...
.
To avoid following in those brothers' footsteps, they could only stand in the distance with longing looks, watching Duan Mu slaughter his way through the crowd alone.
"I'll bet you five thousand rings that Boss Duan Mu probably had something wrong with his brain when he was alive."
"Is that even worth betting on? I can even name the illness. It has to be split personality disorder. Otherwise, how could one person change so drastically?"
"Should we retreat a little farther? Even though we're on the same side, standing here still feels like he might kill us."
"Don't panic. It's not a big deal—and panicking won't help anyway. He kills those District 80 bastards like chickens. Killing us would be even easier."
"..."
At that moment, Duan Mu felt nothing but exhilaration. Even though he was unwilling to admit it, the boiling blood in his veins and the battle intent surging into his mind both made it clear to him that he liked this feeling of slaughter and enjoyed the thrill of being on the brink of death.
It was the same feeling he had experienced in the battle a month ago.
This left Duan Mu extremely puzzled. All this time, he had worked hard to live a stable life and had never once wanted to fight anyone to the death. Yet this mood seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, suddenly giving Duan Mu the urge to head to District 80 after the battle ended.
Of course, Duan Mu extinguished that thought the instant it appeared.
Compared with that, Duan Mu also liked his current busy life. If he had to choose, he preferred the life he was living now.
However...
Duan Mu shifted slightly to dodge the incoming blade, and a strange curve tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Thinking about it carefully, this feeling didn't seem to have appeared out of nowhere.
After coming to the Soul Society, he had not gone a single moment without wanting to become stronger. Duan Mu had always believed that he merely wanted to gain the ability to protect himself, but now it seemed... that might not be the case.
As the battle continued, Duan Mu's movements became simpler and more precise. He discarded flashy, useless actions, making every punch and kick land on his enemies as quickly as possible. The blood boiling from the slaughter even weakened the sinister aura surrounding him somewhat.
The number of enemies dwindled as the battle went on, and Habutae had disappeared at some point.
Duan Mu was not surprised. After discovering that her subordinates could not withstand his attacks at all, Habutae had already retreated.
Although his mind was somewhat feverish at that moment, Duan Mu had not forgotten why he had come here.
The main reason District 79 had been targeted was that Daimaru had died. His death had left the people of District 79 without a powerful leader. If someone with strength comparable to Daimaru's took over West District 79, the followers of the Great Villain of West District 80 would no longer come here.
It was not that they lacked the ability. There was simply no need.
After all, the Great Villains they followed had no interest in expanding their forces or increasing the number of their subordinates. Those matters were basically handled by the followers who admired them and followed them. Compared with reclaiming areas outside District 80 at the cost of losses, it was better to simply reclaim the people of District 80.
The reason Habutae had targeted Diao Ao and the others was certainly partly because reclaiming them would incur virtually no losses, but she had also wanted to settle some personal grudges.
Unless she could persuade the person she followed to take action, or her strength improved to the point where she could contend with Duan Mu, Habutae probably would not return to West District 79.
Although she might hold a grudge against him, compared with killing Habutae, it was better to let her take the news back. That would prevent people from continually coming to reclaim Diao Ao and the others, forcing Duan Mu to keep coming here to provide after-sales service...
Running a shop was all about reputation.
Duan Mu did not want to end up like that silver-haired natural perm whose shop name he had plagiarized, running a business so poorly that he could not even afford food. Although the main reason that silver-haired natural perm lived in such poverty was that he kept a rabbit, Duan Mu himself had also taken in Uzuki, who thought about doing nothing but freeloading and waiting to die every day.
The battle ended before anyone realized it.
After discovering that Habutae had vanished, some of her subordinates fled while others died. The entire town gradually returned to peace.
Only the corpses scattered everywhere proved that a brutal battle had just taken place.
Duan Mu stood amid the corpses, his expression having returned to normal. But he did not leave immediately. Instead, he remained where he was and carefully reviewed the battle that had just taken place.
Compared with training alone, this kind of slaughter allowed him to improve more effectively.
He checked his status panel and discovered that Shunpo, Hakuda, and even his spiritual pressure had all improved to some extent after the battle.
Traveling a hundred miles was better than studying behind closed doors.
Relying solely on experience points to grow stronger would only leave him lacking practical combat experience. After carefully reviewing the previous battle, Duan Mu himself could identify dozens of problematic areas. If his enemy had possessed strength equal to his own, any one of those mistakes might have gotten him killed.
By comparison, those villains who had fought continuously for centuries had instincts in this regard that far surpassed Duan Mu's, even when their strength was far inferior to his.
"..."
Watching the figure standing atop the remains and severed limbs, his expression constantly changing, Diao Ao felt his heart rise into his throat. He swallowed the words of thanks he had been about to say and did not dare approach rashly. Instead, he began backing away.
It was confirmed. Boss Duan Mu definitely wasn't normal!
What normal person would stare at a field of corpses, ponder and fret over it, and occasionally even show signs of excitement?
Carefully lowering his footsteps as he moved backward, Diao Ao swallowed. He had always thought that his group was crazy enough, but now he realized that true monsters were the kind who wore smiles, usually had gentle dispositions, and put on the appearance of agreeable good people.
This Boss Duan Mu had shown him through his actions that a madman was not frightening. What was truly frightening was a madman pretending to be a good person!!
After a while, Duan Mu finally came to his senses and turned to look at Diao Ao and the others. His trademark gentle smile once again appeared on his face. "Customer, the commission should be considered complete now, right?"
"Huh?"
Diao Ao immediately stopped retreating. His body straightened rigidly, and his head bobbed up and down. "C-complete..." After saying that, as if afraid Duan Mu would not believe him, he hurriedly added, "It really is complete. Boss Duan Mu, you killed... Ahem, you worked so hard. If you think the payment isn't enough, we can pool together a little more."
Diao Ao dared say that no matter who stood in his current position, none of them would dare tell Boss Duan Mu that he had failed to complete the commission.
His temperament was gentle, yes. His smile was radiant, yes.
But...
Combined with the scene around them, it was utterly terrifying!!
At the same time.
In the area between West District 79 and West District 80, Habutae was fleeing rapidly toward West District 80. She never would have imagined that one day she would consider West District 80 safer than West District 79.
The black-haired young man had made her experience that same terror she had felt in the past.
Although he was somewhat different from the Great Villains she had encountered, he had truly given her the feeling of facing a Great Villain of District 80.
One had to understand...
No matter which region—east, south, west, or north—a person who could be called a Great Villain in District 80 was a monster that had survived for more than a thousand years.
The black-haired young man had not initially given her such a strong feeling, but as the battle progressed, it was as if some switch within him had been activated. That sensation grew increasingly intense, ultimately shattering her desire to oppose him and making her choose to flee!
Unease, fear...
Powerful negative emotions filled Habutae's mind. It was only after she entered West District 80 that she managed to gain a sliver of security.
Although she was extremely afraid of the black-haired young man, she had equal confidence in District 80.
As she had said earlier, the people who could become Great Villains in West District 80 were all monsters. The strongest among these monsters had either been recruited by the assassin organization known as the Thirteen Court Guard Squads or purged because they refused recruitment. Even so, some had escaped the purge and survived to the present.
Even that terrifying black-haired young man would have a very difficult time establishing himself in West District 80.
Of course, Habutae did not deny that he had the qualifications!
If he really came here...
That might not be bad.
After all, compared with those ferocious Great Villains, the black-haired young man was much more handsome.
It seemed she really did need to investigate him thoroughly.
"Hm?"
Duan Mu had obtained a set of clothes from Diao Ao and was changing when he suddenly froze.
Habutae's favorability +5, obtained 200 experience points
Duan Mu stared blankly at the information on the system interface for a long while before the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
"Hm. As expected, this bunch of villains have very strange ways of thinking."
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