Volume Six: What She Lost, What I Gained - Beautiful Mind

A construction site some distance from the racetrack

"Whoosh!"

The half of her body, which had been shattered into pieces, suddenly healed. From organ regeneration to the restoration of the covering skin, it only took two or three seconds. Her whole body was full of vitality, and her self-healing speed had obviously increased a lot.

"This feeling..."

Xiao Wu punched the air to her side, and the violent force of the punch instantly leveled all the building materials scattered on the construction site.

This power was something she didn't possess just seconds before.

"His strength has increased... no, it's returned to the level he was at when he first arrived in the West Saint Continent?"

Could it be that the accumulation of funds has finally reached a certain threshold, thus causing a significant recovery of strength?

"... Oh."

Xiao Wu couldn't help but chuckle softly.

How liberating! She had been holding back for far too long. Time and again, she had been constrained by her limited strength, and that feeling of powerlessness had driven her to the brink of madness each time. Now, finally—

"Finally, I can give you bastards a good beating!"

Ryūhachi-shiki: Rising Sun!!

Xiao Wu unleashed her Demonic Power, transforming into a blurry purple shadow, purple lightning flashing between her clenched fists—

Rumble rumble rumble!!!!

It was a simple, unadorned uppercut, yet the sound of its impact was like thunder! The overflowing CD player dispelled the darkness and illuminated Fisher's face!

"Wow, that's terrifying punching power, but..."

He tilted his head slightly.

His expression was three parts pity and seven parts mockery.

"... Sorry, I still don't feel anything."

"!!" Completely unharmed.

Xiao Wu retreated as if electrocuted, creating some distance before reassessing the robust old man in front of her.

Even though all the buildings behind him were in ruins, and the ground he was standing on was reduced to sand, he still couldn't even—

Surprisingly... huh?

Xiao Wu blinked, carefully observing Fisher, his clothes, and his exposed skin.

They were not completely unharmed.

His hair and beard were a bit messy, there seemed to be a slight scratch on his chin where he had been hit head-on, and his collar was not very neat either; he wasn't "completely" unharmed.

But... can this be called an injury? It certainly doesn't. The injury he suffered was at most similar to sleeping on a table and hurting his chin.

What exactly is his superpower? Does it reduce the damage he receives? Or is it simply that he's incredibly durable?

Something's not right...

Having calmed down from her earlier excitement at regaining a significant amount of strength, Xiao Wu once again kept her distance from Fisher, watching his every move warily.

At least one thing is certain now—this Fisher is definitely not someone who can be dealt with by brute force.

Not to mention that Xiao Wu still doesn't understand how she was injured in the first place. Fisher's ability is not just "reducing the damage he receives"; he also has offensive methods, very bizarre ones. Trister called him "the most invincible person among the Extra Weapon," and that was no exaggeration.

"Contrary to your usual style of speaking and acting, you are quite cautious when facing your opponents, Urahara Sakura Dance."

Fisher took kernels of corn out of his pocket and tossed them to Dastan, the parrot on his shoulder, looking quite relaxed. But beneath that relaxed demeanor lay a deep sense of vigilance. Clearly, he was not a fool who let his guard down just because he had the upper hand, but a formidable opponent with both strength and intelligence.

But his next words surprised Xiao Wu.

"Sure."

"... What?"

"I said sure," Fisher said, stuffing the last kernel of corn into the parrot's beak and wiping the crumbs off his hands. "Judging from your questioning and wary look, you must be curious about what abilities I have, right? If you really want to know, fine, I can tell you."

"..."

What's this guy up to? Is he messing with me? Or is he playing mind games? Xiao Wu hates mind games the most; just thinking about them is such a hassle.

"How do I know you're not deliberately lying to me? Even if you're not, what benefit would it give you to tell me about your abilities?"

"I won't lie to you, but as for 'what's in it for me'... well, what do you think?"

Fisher revealed a sinister smile, and Xiao Wu's brows furrowed even more.

"You're so annoying..."

"How about this?"

Trister, who had been standing behind Fisher, suddenly spoke up.

"How about this, Fisher, why don't you just tell Miss Xiao Wu 'how to kill you'?"

Fisher raised his eyebrows dramatically.

"Oh! You can do that? That's a great idea!"

"Your back-and-forth is really boring..."

Ignoring Xiao Wu's grumbling, Fisher strode toward her until he stopped just two steps away.

"Try attacking me."

"... Huh?"

"Didn't I tell you 'how to kill me'? Don't you want to hear it?"

"Tell me about it?"

"All you have to do is punch me with all your might."

"..."

Is this guy messing with people?

"I don't quite understand what you mean..."

"Wasn't I clear enough? Just use all the strength you have right now, aim for my vital points—" He pointed to his head and heart, "—and punch me hard. Remember, you have to use all your strength. I'm not lying to you."

"..."

What the heck is going on?!

Less than a minute ago, Xiao Wu was thinking, "This Fisher is definitely not someone you can defeat with brute force," but now she's being told that the way to defeat him is pure brute force? Are you kidding me?

"Hey, aren't you going to give it a try? If you don't want to try..."

Fisher gave a malicious smile.

"... Then, I'll make my move, okay?"

"--Tsk!"

Xiao Wu's legs instantly crackled with purple lightning, and with a deafening roar, she was instantly thrown hundreds of meters back, but—

"How!?"

His entire body's skin instantly turned into charcoal.

Countless fine black flakes peeled off his entire body, revealing the muscles and veins underneath that were also severely burned.

He's injured again! And it's instantaneous, full-body burns! What did Fisher do? What is the range of his attack? He—

A sudden feeling of suffocation interrupted her thoughts. She felt a sharp, agonizing tightness in her chest and lungs, as if an invisible hand were simultaneously crushing both lungs into a pulp! Her brain felt as if it had been struck by a blunt instrument weighing several tons! The feeling was simply—

(It's like... suffocation? But this uncomfortable feeling is just...)

It was indeed the feeling of suffocation, but the "degree" far exceeded Xiao Wu's common sense. It was as if the "pain of ordinary suffocation" had been forcibly magnified hundreds or even thousands of times!

That's right... Think about it, the attacks you received for no reason before seem to be the result of amplifying "common injuries" a thousand times over!

So Fisher's ability is simply "amplifying ordinary damage"? But if that's the case, he should at least launch an attack first to amplify it, yet Fisher hasn't moved an inch since he appeared!

(Such amazing self-healing ability...)

Fisher squinted at Xiao Wu, who had instantly dodged hundreds of meters away. His eyesight was excellent, and he could clearly see that Xiao Wu's injuries were rapidly healing themselves.

(I guess I underestimated her before. Or maybe I just haven't met a good opponent? If it were Tartaglia or Si Nan Ying, they would have been dead countless times by now.)

We tried "simultaneously inflicting multiple serious injuries of different natures" at the beginning, and we just tried "continuously inflicting serious injuries of different natures." Although the effects were significant, neither was enough to truly threaten her life.

"Then, how about this?"

As he spoke, Fisher pressed a button on the remote control with his hand in his pocket.

(Let me see, your "ultimate physical enhancement" versus my "Beautiful Mind" and "savior," which one prevails?)

Thinking of this, Fisher couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth in a smile.

"Beautiful Mind" and "Savior"?

The names of these two superpowers actually suit the kind and selfless Urahara Sakura Dance quite well.

Fisher casually slipped his hand into his pocket and found a remote control that was just the right size to hold in one hand.

That was the product of Julia and Trister's collaboration; it was a cute and convenient little invention.

Fisher had thoroughly familiarized himself with it beforehand, so he could operate it even without looking at it; this was one of his pre-planned methods.

Although Trister initially carried out Long-Range Snipe of the city as planned, causing numerous casualties—which did indeed help Fisher a lot—he never managed to inflict any truly effective damage on Xiao Wu.

Therefore, he needs to resort to some extreme measures.

(Hmm... let's use numbers 1 through 2000 then, that's enough to kill tens of thousands of people)

The only problem is that as long as he uses this, Xiao Wu will definitely notice the commotion and thus discover the truth about his superpower.

(It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter at all. It's advantageous for me if my superpower isn't discovered, but even if it is, my advantage will only increase, not decrease!)

This was not unfounded confidence, but the result of Fisher's rigorous thinking. It was under such circumstances that he dared to tell Xiao Wu directly "how to kill him effectively".

Fisher was not lying; if Xiao Wu punch him with all her might, Fisher would definitely die.

However, once Xiao Wu finds out the true nature of his superpower, she probably won't even be able to launch the most basic attack.

(Should I say I'm lucky I was dealing with Urushihara? If it had been Ye or Tartaglia, they would have killed me without hesitation.)

Fisher is a bad man; he has always considered himself that way.

He did not fall into evil unknowingly, nor was it due to the pressures of life, nor was it by nature.

He made the choice to be a villain entirely of his own volition.

He despises kindness. Although there are a few exceptions, kind people are often at a disadvantage, while those who harbor evil in their hearts can reap more benefits, attract more members of the opposite sex, attain higher positions, and enjoy more glory.

"A beautiful soul" is something you must never possess; it's poison, a deadly poison that makes people willingly and laughingly die, a collective hypnosis that destroys the ability to make normal choices and leads to utter ruin, something you must abandon if you want to become a superior person.

(Perhaps this battle with Urushibara was fate's arrangement... Huff huff huff, Urushibara, the reason you're not attacking me now is out of caution, but once you know the truth about my ability, your reason for not attacking me will definitely change, and then... your kindness will destroy you!)

With a cold laugh, Fisher pressed the switch.

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Thanks to the generous Z-jun for the Monthly Votes! I was shocked to find out I was ranked fourth after lunch.