Continuous Accidents

"What?!"

Seeing that Tanimura Wataru was about to be captured, the sudden emergence of the Rain Woman left Iori Ichika both shocked and furious.

"What is that thing doing here?"

Right, the Rain Woman was hunting supernaturals to seize the Sessho-seki they carried.

After learning the inside story from the Inari God, the government had naturally unraveled all the mysteries: with the resurgence of spiritual energy, various minor demons and monsters had reappeared in the human world. For these low-level supernaturals, the Sessho-seki left behind by the nine-tailed Tamamo-no-Mae was a treasure they would inevitably fight for with all their might.

It wasn't just these supernatural beings; humans were competing for them as well. Wasn't Tanimura Wataru only transformed into a supernatural after having a Sessho-seki implanted into him?

"Seiko, come here!"

The mist spread at a terrifying speed, rapidly shrouding several nearby streets.

In this situation, Iori Ichika activated the infrared thermal imager on her helmet while calling for her teammate.

Swish.

Clad in hundreds of pounds of gear, Fuji Seiko leaped down from the rooftop and moved toward her superior.

The infrared thermal imagers on both their helmets scanned the surroundings, quickly locking onto a figure crouching on the ground in the distance.

It was Tanimura Wataru!

The next second, the heat source representing Tanimura Wataru darted off to the side.

Boom!

A torrent of water surged past, carving massive holes through the courtyards and houses in its path.

Riding atop the current like a surfer, Kishida Jun, holding an umbrella, sped forward. He raised his other hand and pointed it toward Tanimura Wataru.

From the water beneath his feet, a barrage of water cannonballs, each the size of a human head, was instantly "spat" out!

Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!

This was an upgraded version of the D-rank Water Gun Technique: a Water Gun Technique: Barrage, which utilized more powerful and densely packed water projectiles to attack.

?!

Amidst the rolling mist, the human-head-sized "cannonballs" whistled through the air.

Tanimura Wataru's pupils constricted as he sprinted, using both hands and feet, but he still couldn't outrun the water.

He was forced to twist his waist to dodge, but—

Bang!

The attack was too dense; although he dodged most of them, a mass of water still slammed into his arm.

"Aaaahhh!"

A scream echoed through the mist.

Iori Ichika and Fuji Seiko turned their heads toward the sound; on their infrared thermal imagers, the figure rolling in agony was clearly already at a disadvantage.

So fast?

Don't let the fact that they had suppressed him earlier fool you—that was only because Iori Ichika was a karate champion, and their combined coordination had left Tanimura Wataru with nowhere to run. Now, this Rain Woman had wounded Tanimura Wataru the moment she appeared. If she were to go for the kill in this mist, wouldn't the Metropolitan Police Department's long-standing plans go to waste?

"Seiko, attack that Rain Woman!"

Their vision was obstructed by the mist, but the infrared thermal imagers could still outline the human-shaped silhouettes.

Hearing her superior's order, Fuji Seiko did not hesitate to raise her sniper rifle, aiming at the other rolling heat source.

Bang!

Government agents?

A spherical mass of water enveloped Kishida Jun, blocking the high-velocity rotating bullet.

Water Prison Technique.

By using water to form a spherical cage, it could serve as a shield to protect oneself from harm or as a means to imprison an opponent.

Under the constant swirling and washing of the mana-infused water, the bullet fired from the sniper rifle quickly lost its kinetic energy. Although it didn't injure Kishida Jun, it gave Tanimura Wataru a chance to catch his breath on the other side.

How could this be?!

Tanimura Wataru was not surprised that this guy with the umbrella was attacking him; after all, this fellow had come for the Sessho-seki on his forehead before.

However, what surprised him was that his opponent had become much stronger! An adversary he could once trade blows with was now wounding him with a mere flick of a hand.

This was unscientific.

Well, he himself wasn't exactly a scientific existence either.

As Tanimura Wataru scrambled to his feet, intending to flee, he felt himself locked in the opponent's gaze!

Eliminate the government agents first.

Kishida Jun, holding his umbrella, was at the prime age for "chuunibyou." Originally, he had no desire to oppose the government, but if they stood in his way, then—

Kill!

Swish! Swish! Swish!

"Watch out!"

The whistling sound of air being torn apart and the trajectory of the disturbed mist surged toward them simultaneously.

Iori Ichika lunged forward, tackling Fuji Seiko, and the two rolled into a heap.

Bang! Bang!

With two dull thuds, the ground where they had been standing was blasted into two craters by projectiles of water.

If those had hit their bodies, even with armor, they would have...

"Cough, cough, cough."

"Chief, you—"

Pinned beneath her, Fuji Seiko saw the large dent in the back armor of the superior who had shielded her, and her expression shifted.

"What are you panicking for? I'm not dead yet!"

Coughing up a mouthful of blood, Iori Ichika climbed to her feet and issued an order.

"Continue the attack!"

?

"Ichika, it's me."

The voice of Director Takeya came through the earpiece.

"Don't push yourself. Tanimura Wataru's corpse is a victory for us in itself."

This wasn't Director Takeya being "considerate" of his subordinates; rather, compared to "wild" supernaturals he couldn't control, the two policewomen from the Metropolitan Police Department were the loyalists he could actually trust.

"Heh, it's not over yet, Director."

Standing in front of Fuji Seiko, Iori Ichika flashed a wild grin.

"I am the commander here!"

"You—"

Far away at the Metropolitan Police Department, Director Takeya nearly couldn't resist smashing his control console again.

What was that?

As the one overseeing the entire battlefield, he noticed something else.

A crate was pushed into the fray by several Public Security Bureau agents, who then retreated at high speed after opening it.

"Woof?"

A Shiba Inu stepped out of the cage, looking at the thick fog surrounding it with a human-like expression of confusion.

What were those two-legged creatures trying to do?

"Cough, this voice. Come here!"

A voice drifted from the mist, causing the Shiba Inu to freeze, before it immediately scrambled on its short legs toward the sound.

"Woof!!"

It was its master—

?

Man and dog converged.

The Shiba Inu suddenly stood on its hind legs, rapidly transforming into another Tanimura Wataru, half-man and half-dog.

Beastman Clone Technique.

"Let's go!"

The "Tanimura Wataru" transformed from the Shiba Inu followed the real Tanimura Wataru, pouncing on Kishida Jun, who held the umbrella, from the left and right!

Both possessed an excellent sense of smell, making it easy to lock onto their enemy even within the dense fog.

Bang!

On the other side, Fuji Seiko pulled the trigger once more.

The M95 in her hands roared once more, sending 12.7mm bullets screaming toward the Rain Woman.

Tsk, what a nuisance.

Kishida Jun, whose demonic power had surged, had initially thought this would be an easy capture once he realized his target was an "old acquaintance," the Dog Demon.

Who could have guessed that the moment he appeared, the Dog Demon and the government supernaturalists, who had been locked in a fierce battle, would actually join forces against him!

The firepower of the government supernaturalists' firearms was staggering; even with his newfound strength, Kishida Jun had to defend himself carefully. To make matters worse, the Dog Demon and the Shiba Inu had become incredibly troublesome once they started coordinating. Attacking from both left and right, they forced Kishida Jun into a defensive posture, leaving him with few opportunities to strike back.

Effective! X2

Seeing this scene, Tanimura Wataru and Iori Ichika felt a surge of secret joy.

It was truly ironic how the two sides, who had been at each other's throats just moments ago, were now fighting side-by-side under the pressure of a common enemy.

"Don't get too happy yet."

Growing impatient, Kishida Jun suddenly tossed his umbrella into the sky.

At the same time, a stream of water swirled around his body, forming a sphere to tank the sharp claws of the two "Dog Demons."

?!

Retreat—

The way the opponent was posturing clearly signaled he was about to unleash a "major move," and Tanimura Wataru pulled back and retreated at once.

The "Tanimura Wataru" transformed into a Shiba Inu was a beat slower in his reaction.

The next second, steel needles poured down like rain from the umbrella opened in the sky.

"Defend from above!"

The strange sound from above made Iori Ichika raise her arms, crossing them over her head, while Fuji Seiko curled up into a half-crouch, hiding behind her superior.

It wasn't that she was throwing her teammate under the bus, but rather that Iori Ichika's armor was a "thickened" melee-type.

Their roles were divided: one responsible for close combat, the other for long-range support.

Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft!!!!

Thousands of steel needles fell like rain, sweeping across the entire battlefield with enough force to penetrate 5mm steel plates.

This power was on par with standard rifle bullets; to flesh and blood, it was nothing short of a lethal metal storm! Tanimura Wataru, who had retreated, was stuck with several needles, while the Shiba Inu, having been a beat too slow, was turned into a pincushion!

After the wide-range attack of "Thousand Needles of Rain and Dew," the umbrella drifted slowly downward and landed back in Kishida Jun's hand.

Having obtained the demonic power of the Sessho-seki, his strength was completely superior to these people.

"It's over."

"Cough, hahaha~~ Yes, it should be over."

On the other side, Iori Ichika lowered her arms, which were bristling with steel needles, but showed no signs of defeat.

"Show your true face, Rain Woman—"

?!

A rustling sound came from above, causing Kishida Jun to look up instinctively.

Peering from beneath the tilted umbrella, he saw drones scattering something into the air, and the fog he had created was vanishing rapidly.

This is...

His pupils constricted. As a top-tier student, Kishida Jun was well aware of the terrifying nature of the government.

This was precisely why he shrouded his actions in thick fog every time.

"These are hygroscopic particles acting as catalysts."

Iori Ichika, her exoskeleton armor still stuck with needles, explained.

"These catalysts create a massive number of condensation nuclei. Water vapor condenses on these nuclei into large droplets, thereby achieving—"

Artificial fog dispersal!

"As a human,"

"You should know very well what you are about to face."

Iori Ichika's words felt like blades piercing Kishida Jun's limbs, causing him to falter.

The fog was dissipating, the policewoman with the sniper rifle was aiming again, and the sounds of commotion were rising all around them.

Of course, Kishida Jun could continue to generate "fog," but if he dragged this out, the probability of his exposure would only continue to climb.

"Hmph."

Wrapped in a stream of water, Kishida Jun fled at high speed.

He had no desire to face the government head-on.

Whoosh~~

Seeing the opponent retreat, Iori Ichika let out a long sigh, her entire body collapsing backward onto the ground.

Damn it, the original plan was a complete mess.

Just then, the figure of a young girl burst into the devastated battlefield and helped Tanimura Wataru up.

"Get up quickly!"

The girl's voice gave the heavily injured Tanimura Wataru a jolt of energy, and he squeezed out the last of the 'yōriki' within his body to struggle to his feet.

?!

"Stop right there—"

"Where do you think you're going?"

Amidst Iori Ichika's shout of shock and fury, the two of them crashed through the back door of the restaurant.

Immediately after, the sound of an engine starting and more shouting drifted from the other side of the restaurant; however, the roar of the engine quickly faded into the distance, proving that the pair had successfully escaped.

"Bastards!!"

Slamming a fist into the ground, Iori Ichika roared with her head bowed, yet the corners of her mouth curled upward ever so slightly.

The script had finally returned to the right track.

Brilliant~~

The crow in the sky took in everything.

Whether it was the method used to break the Mist Shadow Technique or that clearly abnormal escape, it all proved that the island nation's government was not just capable of bowing and performing dogeza.

It seemed that Tanimura Wataru being recruited by the government was now a certainty.

I wonder who the person behind all this planning is?

They are worth meeting.

Even Akihi Yu had not expected that the mastermind behind all of this was none other than the "berserker-like" armored woman down below.