With a shrill sound like fingernails scraping across glass, Gotou launched his attack!
He didn't charge straight in. Instead, he kicked off with both legs and propelled himself toward the ceiling.
Then—
The ventilation duct already broken overhead, the gaps between the plants, almost impossible to see in the darkness...
Countless razor-sharp bone-blade tentacles burst out like exploding thorns, attacking from every direction!
"Spread out!!"
With the Black Gun, Dragon Radar, and X-ray guidance, Ryuen Kakeru and the others had stayed on high alert. They weren't caught completely unaware.
They roared and opened fire, trying to hold it back.
But they didn't have Combat Suits to protect them. Unlike Ichinose, they couldn't rely on enhanced physical abilities to force their way through the dense barrage.
"Splurt!"
"Ah!"
In an instant, everyone who was still an ordinary human was wounded.
A deep gash, almost to the bone, opened in Katsuragi Kohei's arm, while Kanzaki Ryuji was sent flying and slammed hard into the wall.
"Everyone, fall back!!"
As Ichinose dodged, the X-GUN in her hands finally finished charging. A shot of gravity waves blew apart the ventilation duct, and she hurriedly shouted:
"Get to a safe distance! We'll look for another opening!"
As the group retreated in disarray, they were able to concentrate their previously scattered firepower.
All the tentacles that were free turned toward Su Wei, the only one who had managed to land a real blow so far, and poured down on him like a torrential storm.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Sparks flew in the darkness, and the clash of metal rang without pause.
Su Wei's Combat Knife flashed through the air. He seemed barely able to keep up, forced to take the blows passively.
"Su Wei! Hold on for two more seconds..."
Ichinose flipped over to dodge two tentacles sneaking up on her, and her gun barrel lit up again:
"I've got it lined up. Just a moment!"
"It won't work."
Gotou's emotionless voice came from the shadows:
"Looks like these high-powered weapons of yours need about three seconds to charge, unlike that net launcher."
"And as long as I keep moving at high speed, your targeting system is useless."
Had it seen through them?
Ichinose was startled.
"So what?"
Su Wei sneered.
Before Gotou could react, the Reinforcement Suit on his body suddenly tightened!
Drawing on the explosive strength the Combat Suit gave him, Su Wei advanced instead of retreating, growing more ferocious as he fought.
"Wh...?!"
Gotou's pupils shrank.
It swiftly withdrew all its damaged tentacles, then used the ceiling to leap forward, dodging Ichinose's targeting lock by a hair's breadth.
Its gaze burned as it fixed on the black leather exposed on Su Wei's body:
"Your equipment is unusual... That's not power a human should have."
"Want it?"
Su Wei's lips curled slightly.
"You know the rules. If you want it, come take it yourself."
Gotou changed its mind and stopped wasting words.
Gathering every cell it could still control, aside from those needed to keep its legs moving, into its left arm, it formed a massive blade of bone.
"Die!"
Gotou roared and charged, moving at incredible speed.
Su Wei could only raise his blade to block.
"Clang—!!"
The immense impact shattered the tiles beneath Su Wei's feet.
He was like a blacksmith hammering away, grunting as he fended off Gotou's relentless flurry of slashes. He looked ready to collapse at any moment, yet somehow held on by the last thread of his strength.
"Ryuen! Katsuragi!"
Seeing what was happening, Ichinose remembered Su Wei's warning and shouted:
"Get the Capture Guns and help him! Gotou can't take on all of us at once anymore! This is our chance!"
At her words, Gotou's heart sank.
It couldn't afford to drag this out any longer!
It had to finish the fight quickly!
It stopped holding back and even mobilized the Parasites in its lower body, ready to butcher Su Wei on the spot!
As for Su Wei... his Trap Cards were lit up.
[Magic Cylinder] and [Water Barrier] seemed to say: Go ahead!
Honestly, he was curious to see how Trap Cards would work in the real world.
But he was also worried that a typical high-attack, low-defense Parasite might get reflected to death in a single hit...
Gotou was tougher than an ordinary Parasite, but it didn't seem to be on some entirely different level.
After thinking it over, Su Wei decided to use the Magic Glove.
His fingertips twitched.
Gotou felt a repulsive force appear out of nowhere. It was as if he'd been tripped hard, throwing his attack off course.
"Wh...?!"
Before it could figure out what had happened,
Su Wei slashed three times in quick succession.
This time, he didn't use the Time Pause Watch. Instead, he relied on another of Doraemon's gadgets, the Acceleration Watch.
With the Reinforcement Suit's help, he pulled off something like Kojirou's Noble Phantasm with hardly any effort.
So, from Ichinose, Ryuen Kakeru, and the others' point of view,
they saw only Su Wei's figure blur.
Three pitch-black slashes appeared on Gotou almost simultaneously!
There was no technique involved, just pure stats.
"Swallow Reversal!"
"Splurt—!!!"
Blood sprayed everywhere.
Most of the tentacles Gotou had been so proud of were severed, and a horrifying slash appeared across its chest.
"Eee! Eee! Eee!!!"
Every Parasite inside its body protested at that moment:
'We can't beat him! We can't beat him!'
'That guy's a monster! He was holding back before!'
'Run! Run! There's no point fighting an enemy we can't take down!'
Hearing footsteps rapidly approaching behind it and the ominous sound of Ichinose's weapon charging at her gun barrel, even Gotou itself began to think about running.
But...
It had already scouted the area. The entire floor was blocked off by those damned walls of air, leaving no way out!
That meant there was only one escape route left!
Taking advantage of the brief opening after being knocked back, Gotou decisively tore off Miki, barely alive in its left arm, and hurled him at Su Wei like a grenade.
Then it discarded the Parasite in its right arm and flung it precisely into the line of fire of Ichinose's gun.
"Sacrifices are necessary for survival!"
"Boom!"
The Gravity Wave Bullet exploded, blasting the sacrificial Parasite to pulp.
Su Wei swung his blade in turn, cutting the flying Miki in half.
Using the brief obstruction,
Gotou darted toward the unguarded rear line at astonishing speed, like a gecko shedding its tail to escape!
"It's coming this way!!"
Kamuro Masumi screamed in terror.
Ryuen Kakeru and the others had no time to aim.
"Hmph! Trying to run?"
Su Wei's eyes turned cold.
He didn't chase after it.
Instead, he pointed the tip of his blade at Gotou's fleeing back.
"Pierce him... God Spear!"
The Tachi in his hand instantly extended, spanning dozens of meters!
"Thud!"
A muffled sound.
Gotou had just passed Ryuen Kakeru and the others when the extended blade pierced through its chest, leaving it unable to move!
"Cough..."
Blood welled from Gotou's mouth as it struggled to escape.
"Now's my chance!"
Ken Sudō, who hadn't gotten far because of his bad leg, brightened at the sight.
He bent down and reached for the Capture Gun Sakayanagi had dropped on the ground earlier.
"Fool."
Watching from a distance, Sakayanagi Arisu sneered. As Kamuro Masumi looked on in confusion, she pulled her down and lay prone in a blind spot shielded by the wall.
Seeing it had no hope of breaking free, Gotou decisively abandoned its body.
Three Parasites fled in different directions as disaster loomed.
"Sudo! Run!"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka frowned and warned him as he retreated.
But Ken Sudō, already blinded by thoughts of revenge, wasn't listening.
He turned and raised his gun, ready to savor this moment of glory.
Before you continue