Don't Let Boss Duan Mu's Sacrifice Be in Vain

"Watch out!!"

Without any warning, a figure suddenly appeared behind Duan Mu. A blue blade light cut through the night sky, slashing directly at Duan Mu, who was in mid-air and unable to adjust his position.

Jiu Su grinned maliciously. Although the loss of his elites in one fell swoop pained him, if he could kill this black-haired youth before him, their deaths would be entirely worthwhile.

"Die!"

He poured all his strength into this strike. As long as it hit, no matter how powerful the black-haired youth's Kido was, he would surely die!!

Before the blade light even reached him, Duan Mu's black work uniform was torn, revealing a strong, well-built upper body that was completely imperceptible from the outside.

Duan Mu had anticipated Jiu Su's appearance. He had even foreseen the current situation before this series of actions. It wasn't hard to guess, as anyone who wasn't an idiot wouldn't miss such an opportunity.

But he hadn't expected...

Jiu Su's timing and reaction speed were so precise. He hadn't left him much time to prepare, forcing him to react hastily.

"Binding Kido #30: Piercing Fang!"

With his left hand open, Duan Mu, his back to Jiu Su, summoned three pointed, mouth-like beams of light around his palm. The three beams rapidly expanded the moment they left his hand, striking directly at Jiu Su.

"What?"

The sudden appearance of the pointed, mouth-like beams caught Jiu Su completely off guard. Before he could even understand what was happening, the three beams had already restrained his neck and hands.

This is troublesome!!

Jiu Su gritted his teeth. Battles in District 80 were primarily fought with swords, with a focus on slashing. He had very little experience dealing with Kido, but...

"This kind of thing!!"

Jiu Su's Spiritual Pressure surged wildly. The moment he was bound, cracks appeared on the three pointed, mouth-like beams. Then, with a bang, they shattered into fragments and scattered.

He swung his long sword down again. Even though he had paused for a moment, significantly reducing the strike's power, it was still enough to heavily injure the opponent. Jiu Su would absolutely not let go of this opportunity, which he had earned with his "elite subordinates."

"Binding Kido #61: Six Rods of Light!"

However, in that brief moment, Duan Mu, still in mid-air, had adjusted his body. He drew a line in the air with his fingertip, and six light fragments materialized around Jiu Su.

Having learned from the previous encounter, Jiu Su released all his Spiritual Pressure the instant the light fragments approached him, intending to shatter the bindings.

As expected, cracks quickly appeared on the light fragments.

As expected...

Duan Mu sighed inwardly. Using an advanced Kido with the intermediate-level "Sake Chant" was insufficient to create a binding force.

"The carriage of thunder, the crevice of the spinning wheel..."

Gritting his teeth slightly, Duan Mu unhesitatingly began to chant again, intending to reinforce the binding of the Six Rods of Light with a post-chant. However...

Before he could finish chanting, he heard a crisp "snap." The six light fragments were directly broken by Jiu Su's own Spiritual Pressure.

No time.

With almost no hesitation, the moment the six light fragments shattered, a fierce look flashed across Duan Mu's face, and he concentrated all his Spiritual Pressure on his chest.

The two consecutive obstructions had weakened Jiu Su's strike to a certain extent. Since he couldn't dodge it, he would simply endure it head-on with pure Spiritual Pressure.

Squelch—!

The sound of splashing blood coincided almost perfectly with the sound of the light fragments breaking. Duan Mu's body plummeted like a meteor.

On the outskirts of the battlefield, Habutae's expression changed. However, heavily wounded and having fled for so long, she was powerless to help, even if she wanted to. She could only watch helplessly as Duan Mu crashed down, creating a massive crater in the ground.

Jiu Su landed on the ground, his face filled with elation.

Success!

Having taken his strike head-on, the opponent, no matter how powerful his Kido abilities, must be heavily injured.

And...

"If you hadn't turned to face me, you might not have been so badly injured."

Jiu Su sneered. Originally, his strike would have hit Duan Mu's back, which was not a vital spot. But this brat had used the moment of restraint to turn and expose his chest to his blade.

Jiu Su looked at the motionless Duan Mu, then strode forward, saying as he walked, "Do you still believe in things like 'being stabbed in the back is shameful'?"

"Cough... cough..."

As if sensing Jiu Su's approach, the previously motionless Duan Mu suddenly clutched his abdomen and staggered to his feet.

A gruesome wound stretched from Duan Mu's shoulder to his waist, revealing bone. His abdomen, under his hand, was directly split open, and the movement of his intestines could even be seen.

Seeing this, Jiu Su did not press his attack. Instead, he stopped warily. Such an injury, without treatment, would be fatal.

But Jiu Su knew very well that his victory was not due to being stronger than the opponent, but a lucky grasp of the opponent's weakness. If he hadn't seized this opening, after the black-haired youth dealt with his carefully cultivated elites, he himself would have been next.

In other words...

This black-haired youth was fully capable of killing him.

Advancing rashly now could lead to a desperate counter-attack, pulling him into a mutual destruction.

"Huh?"

But the next second, Jiu Su sensed something was wrong, his face showing disbelief. "What are you doing!?"

"Tch—so cautious."

Duan Mu let out a huff, releasing the Spiritual Pressure from his palm, which had been covering his abdomen, and unleashing it with full force. The large wound on his stomach began to grow flesh buds at a visible rate. Watching his rapidly healing abdomen, Duan Mu's face showed a pained expression.

Kido (Healing): Intermediate (7970/10000)

The moment he determined he could only tank the hit, Duan Mu directly poured the remaining 8270 experience points into his Kido (Healing).

This included the 2800 experience points Duan Mu had saved for over a month, as well as the 2590 experience gained from Habutae's increased affection after accepting her request.

The surplus came from the experience points he had gradually acquired during the recent battle, especially after defeating those villains comparable to low-ranking officers. Habutae's affection for him had then surged to 39, bringing Duan Mu a whopping 2880 experience points.

Now, such a massive amount of experience points had been squandered in an instant by Duan Mu, only to be exchanged for a Kido (Healing) at the level of a Fourth Division Lieutenant Captain. How could this not make Duan Mu's heart ache?!

Seeing this, Jiu Su's expression changed, and he charged towards Duan Mu without hesitation.

Duan Mu, seeing this, didn't stop his Kido (Healing). Instead, he endured the intense pain and activated Shunpo, using his speed advantage to constantly create distance between them.

The two chased and fled, circling the area, leaving Habutae, who was slumped far away, utterly dumbfounded.

It was her first time seeing someone heal themselves while fleeing in the middle of a battle…

With Shunpo, Duan Mu held a speed advantage even while heavily injured. Although he couldn't completely shake off Jiu Su, he wasn't immediately caught.

As his injuries continued to heal, this advantage would only grow.

Jiu Su naturally understood this, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get close to Duan Mu. He could only resort to constant harassment to slow down Duan Mu's healing.

He hadn't considered killing Habutae and the other person while he had the chance, but judging by Duan Mu's healing speed, if he didn't harass him, even if he killed Habutae and the other person, Duan Mu's injuries would be healed enough for him to fight back, and Jiu Su would surely die.

As for using Habutae and the others to force Duan Mu to rescue them, that was even more impossible. In a situation where he could barely protect himself, no one would risk their own safety to save someone else!

"Die for me!!"

With this thought, Jiu Su's Spiritual Pressure erupted, and his blade shot out tangible Spiritual Pressure. He actually threw his great sword like a throwing knife at Duan Mu!

Duan Mu's expression sharpened, and he quickly activated Shunpo to dodge.

Immediately after dodging the great sword, Duan Mu tried to lock onto Jiu Su's position, but… what greeted his eyes was Jiu Su's rapidly retreating back.

"Huh?"

He… ran away?

Duan Mu was momentarily stunned by such decisive action.

Jiu Su fled at full speed, gritting his teeth, his frustration reaching an extreme. Not only had his elite subordinates, whom he had followed for hundreds of years, suffered heavy casualties, but he had also provoked Nishijin-ori, a Great Villain.

The chase, which was supposed to be foolproof, had ended in such a disaster. Jiu Su bit his teeth so hard they bled. Even if he immediately hid by his boss's side after returning, Nishijin-ori would definitely hunt him down after he recovered.

But if he went to kill Nishijin-ori and Habutae, with that black-haired youth's speed, he wouldn't be able to escape once he recovered.

Rather than dwelling on it, it was best to escape now.

And so it was.

Watching Jiu Su's retreating figure, Duan Mu didn't pursue. Instead, he sat on the ground, his face pale.

Fleeing and healing, doing two things at once was not easy for him. Although he had a speed advantage, it was only just enough to use Shunpo to keep Jiu Su from getting close. It was extremely difficult to continue the pursuit!

Moreover…

There was the most crucial point: his Spiritual Pressure had been depleted far, far too much.

"I lost…"

Duan Mu mumbled. The battle had started inexplicably and ended just as inexplicably.

While the one million Ring was a major commission, risking his life was not worth it.

Originally, the large amount of experience points provided by Habutae could have somewhat balanced his feelings, but now… looking at the big fat zero on the system interface, Duan Mu winced in pain.

How many women would he have to befriend to earn that back?

Habutae, dragging the man, slowly moved closer. After reaching Duan Mu's side, she asked in a very gentle tone, "Are you alright?"

She genuinely admired Duan Mu from the bottom of her heart. This young man had pushed himself to such an extent to complete her request.

"..."

The hand performing the Kido (Healing) trembled, and Duan Mu said with a dark expression, "Stay away from me, and I'll probably be better."

Even though I know you're worried about me, please consider your own physique and voice. With that 'gentle' concern just now, I almost shoved my hand into my own intestines.

[Habutae Affection +1, Gained 640 Experience Points, Current Affection 40]

Duan Mu's cheek twitched slightly.

"...Don't misunderstand, it's not that I dislike you. It's just that you were too close just now, obstructing the Spirit Particle fluctuations in the air and affecting my healing."

"Oh, I see."

Habutae heard this and quickly moved aside.

"See, I told you that Spiritual Pressure fluctuation was Duan Mu's!!"

Just then, a familiar voice came from a distance, and the sound of footsteps approached.

Duan Mu turned his head and saw Iwao with four subordinates, followed by Diao Ao and others. They were all brandishing their swords, their faces filled with murderous intent as they charged towards them.

"Huh?"

Upon seeing Duan Mu slumped on the ground, Iwao's expression changed, and he rushed over, "What happened? Who did this to you?"

Duan Mu looked at the concerned Iwao, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, "Why the hell didn't you wait until I dissolved into Spirit Particles before coming?"

If this guy wasn't at the Yorozuya, which was only a two-minute walk away, it would be one thing. But since he was in his own shop... Duan Mu had been fighting someone on the outskirts of District 38, and this guy, after sensing his Spiritual Pressure, took so long to arrive.

"I wasn't sure..."

Iwao said somewhat awkwardly. He had been drinking with Diao Ao and the others at the Yorozuya tavern when he felt the Spiritual Pressure fluctuation... and at first, he didn't even realize it was Duan Mu's Spiritual Pressure.

Because...

It was simply too strong, completely different from the Duan Mu in his memory.

"We'll talk about this later," Iwao quickly changed the subject, placing a hand on Duan Mu's shoulder and saying earnestly, "Which bastard beat you up like this? I'll get revenge for you!!"

Duan Mu rolled his eyes. It would be more like it if you had your sister get revenge for me. Duan Mu shifted slightly, revealing the hand that was activating Kido (Healing), "Don't touch me yet, can't you see I'm healing?"

"Holy crap, Habutae!!"

"Habutae is here!"

"Quick, kill Habutae!"

"Don't let our boss Duan Mu's sacrifice be in vain!!"

"..."

At this moment, Diao Ao also arrived from behind. Upon seeing the situation, he acted decisively, drawing his sword and charging towards Habutae.

Duan Mu's face darkened. He glared fiercely at the guy who shouted, "Don't let our boss Duan Mu's sacrifice be in vain!", then said to Iwao beside him, "Stop them, she's not an enemy."