Chapter 188

"Leave it to me, something interesting might happen there."

A smile played on his lips as he spoke, and he darted to stand in front of Yurikawa Hana.

Ah~!

A finger touched the girl's forehead, and a strange memory flooded her mind, causing her to let out a groan.

"Sorry, I was in a rush this time, so the technique was a bit rough, but it will only cause a momentary dizziness..."

He loosened his grip.

"Is Xiaohua alright?"

Yotsuya Miko immediately caught her best friend who was about to collapse.

"Yotsuya, since you have so many bonds, make good use of them. I look forward to your growth... Also, this is for you."

The girl reached out and caught the "Teru Teru Bozu" that had fallen out of nowhere, instantly understanding its purpose.

Then, under the watchful eyes of the two girls, he leaped up, stepped onto the water, and in a few quick movements, crossed to the other side until he disappeared from sight.

"Disappeared?"

Yuria opened her mouth wide, unable to close it for a long time.

"So the leader thinks highly of me?"

Yotsuya Miko was deeply moved and smiled.

Just a few minutes ago.

"I'm so sorry to trouble you again Miss Isayama! We've already gathered enough talented people who are 'visible,' but they're still not of any use."

"Miss Ayame, don't delude yourself into thinking I can teach them. I'm just feeling my way across the river by touching the stones. If it weren't for the Ran Guren, I wouldn't be able to use spiritual power either."

Isayama Yomichi walked down the street, talking on her phone with her superior, Jinguji Ayame, the head of the Strategy Room.

During this period, the research lab has conducted some analysis on supernatural phenomena and powers, but its understanding of spiritual power is only basic.

Those who awaken powerful abilities wield spiritual power as easily as breathing.

However, some weaker Awakened One, such as those with the most common psychic constitutions, like lower-level Onmyo Eyes, cannot freely use spiritual power and are not significantly different from ordinary people.

That's a real shame.

"I've arrived, I'm about to hang up."

"Huang Quan, be careful, this time it's not an evil spirit at work, it's completely different from the evil spirits you encountered before."

"Yes, I'll be careful."

Isayama Yomichi hung up the phone, glanced at a detached house to the side, and felt the knife at his waist emit a faint hum, as if it were a warning sign of a dangerous figure.

"Miss Isayama!"

A man and a woman in suits jogged over from the side and explained the current situation to her.

"In recent times, there have been more than ten deaths in this area. The victims all looked as if they had been eaten by some kind of animal. By reviewing the security camera footage, we finally identified the target: it wasn't an evil spirit, but a much rarer 'Yokai' —a fox..."

"After multiple confirmations, we've determined that the 'fox spirit' that's been causing trouble in the area is hiding inside. However, according to our data analysis, it's extremely fast, and with our current reaction capabilities, it would be very difficult to target. That's why we've asked you Miss Isayama, to come here, hoping you can help keep it occupied..."

Upon hearing this, Isayama Yomichi's usually calm and pretty face showed a hint of anger, and the veins on her forehead bulged out.

"I haven't slain Yokai yet, have I? Ran Guren."

She used her right thumb to pull the hilt forward, revealing the sharp blade, and asked herself a question with a cold look in her eyes.

I can even hold a 77mm bullet.

The street where the building is located has been firmly sealed off by ordinary government personnel, and residents who were originally staying nearby have also been evacuated.

Judging from the scene, passersby knew that this was clearly not an ordinary criminal case, and that someone was probably carrying a deadly weapon, so no one stopped out of curiosity.

"Make sure civilians don't get through. We need to keep the existence of those things out of the public eye as much as possible. Also, be on the lookout for monsters that might appear; don't let your guard down!"

"Receive!"

After the order was given via walkie-talkie, the personnel in the Strategy Room inside began preparing to break into the ordinary detached house.

"Should we storm in directly, or sneak in?"

Instead of acting impulsively out of anger, Isayama Yomichi sought the opinions of others.

"That fox spirit entered here a day ago, and since then, the homeowner who lives alone has never come out, so if nothing unexpected happens, the homeowner should be dead."

"It's Izumi Asami, a girl with short, striking brown hair who looks quite dashing," she said.

Another boy, Kanze Toru, narrowed his eyes and said, "Let's not alert them. If we can successfully launch a surprise attack, our chances of winning will be much higher."

"Good."

Isayama Yomichi lightly touched his forehead.

The three of them walked quietly and slowly approached the gate.

Outside the building, there was another team of ordinary members, fully armed and carrying automatic rifles, waiting for their orders.

"Snap."

Kanze Toru took out his key and opened the door as quietly as possible.

Then, a foul, bloody stench wafted through the air, enough to make any ordinary person turn pale.

However, all three were well-trained and experienced in bloody battles, so they did not hesitate. They merely frowned and slowly stepped forward.

Upon entering the hall, the first thing they saw on the floor was the mangled blood and gore. Some of the bloody fragments looked quite gruesome, clearly identifiable as coming from a part of the body.

Judging from the number, it doesn't seem to be one person's.

Clearly, the fox demon had packed some of the food back with it and then shared it alone.

The three of them could easily imagine the scene of slowly tearing flesh apart with it.

'Over here.'

Isayama Yomichi quickly shifted her attention, her gaze sweeping across the ground at the footprints and bloodstains that resembled plum blossoms, leading all the way into a small room.

Clearly, that was where the fox spirit rested.

Kanze Toru Izumi Asami exchanged a glance, their eyes resolute as they followed her footsteps inside.

Right at the corner, Isayama Yomichi's right hand was already on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it. Then, he channeled his spiritual power into his legs, unleashing his maximum speed, and slashed in at an angle.

However...

Nothing at all?

A look of confusion flashed in her eyes.

"Wait! We've been discovered!"

She quickly realized this, and exhaled 'Ran Guren,' and a phantom-like Spirit Beast appeared beside her.

The reason she didn't immediately exhale "Ran Guren" was because although ordinary people couldn't sense its existence, anyone with Spirit Vision or a slightly stronger sense of perception could sense it.

Unsure if the fox spirit could sense her presence, she naturally had no intention of alerting it.

But given the current situation, it's clear that there's no way to address that now.

"Ran Guren, find the source of the demonic energy!"

Just as she gave the order, a beastly figure suddenly darted out from the shadows in the hall, moving with incredible speed, almost instantly leaping from the hall into the corridor.

When Izumi Asami and Kanze Toru saw that the room was empty, they also realized that they might be ambushed. They moved quickly, back to back, each facing one of the opposite directions.

It was precisely this action that saved their own lives.

"Smack!"

"Smack!"

"Smack!"

Kanze Toru the gun steadily and pulled the trigger, firing several shots forward. The muzzle flash briefly illuminated the image of the "fox demon".

Its appearance was not as ferocious as one might imagine. Its fiery red fur was bright and glossy, its cheeks were lean and shrewd, and its body was elegant and agile. However, its cunning eyes concealed a chilling bloodthirsty ferocity.

When the bullets came, the fox seemed to realize the danger. It slowed down slightly, then used all four legs to push off the wall. It then turned several times to avoid all the bullets.

'What an astonishing speed!'

Kanze Toru was shocked.

This is much higher than the data observed from the cameras.

Of course, this fox demon wasn't faster than a bullet; it simply shifted its position before the gun barrel could move.

A low, guttural 'whooshing' sound could be faintly heard in the air; this was usually the sound a fox made when it was attacking.

The two were now very close, and just as the fox demon was about to bite off his neck, a knife suddenly slashed down from the side.

"Whoosh!"

This strike was absolutely brilliant, perfectly timed to capitalize on the moment when the fox spirit was airborne and unable to evade the attack.

But the fox demon spun lightly in the air, its bushy tail like an iron rod firmly blocking the attack, and used the momentum to retreat.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

"Guan Shi, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but be careful, it's going faster than we anticipated."

Izumi Asami turned around and saw the scene unfolding before her teammate, who was sweating profusely. She asked him a worried question.

"Cover me."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Isayama Yomichi drew his treasured sword, Lion King, and gave chase.

The lobby was somewhat empty, and even darker with the lights off.

"Thud..."

"Thud..."

As she stepped into the center, she felt a sense of threat coming from all directions.

At this point, she could only rely on the power of the Ran Guren to discern the traces of demonic energy.

Then react to the opponent's attack.

"Call out!"

The beast's shadow tore through the air, its sharp claws and teeth carrying a strong, pungent smell of blood.

Isayama Yomichi blocked with his sword, barely managing to take the hit.

"Clang!"

A sound like metal clashing echoed continuously in the darkness.

Two figures, one tall and one short, kept crossing paths.

"Wow, so fast! I can't even see it!"

"What can we do? We can't help at all!"

Standing at the entrance of the corridor, the two men turned on the lights and kept their eyes fixed on the battle situation inside, intending to fire in support, but they hesitated to pull the trigger.

They couldn't guarantee who would be hit next.

Those outside the arena couldn't discern the situation, but those inside knew perfectly well.

'It's much faster than me!'

Isayama Yomichi gritted her teeth, barely managing to hold on and desperately resist the attacks, with no room for retaliation.

They didn't even have a chance to display their own sword techniques!

'No, I need to reach my limit sooner.'

The girl had already assessed her own enhanced state; she only needed a few minutes to sustain herself in a high-intensity battle before she was completely exhausted.