The man in the white robe sneered. "Take me down? With you? What a delusion! Today, both of you will die here!"
With that, the man in the white robe rapidly formed hand seals and muttered, "Forbidden Technique: Puppet Manipulation Technique!"
As his words fell, the Chakra within all five puppets—including the one with its arm severed—surged rapidly. Their eyes became even more vacant, and their movements grew swifter as they lunged at Kawaki Aoba and Yuhi Shinku.
Four of the puppets continued to keep Yuhi Shinku occupied, while the remaining one lunged at Kawaki Aoba, joining the man in the white robe in a pincer attack against him.
Kawaki Aoba was caught in a difficult position. He had to fend off the white-robed man's attacks while dealing with the puppet's assault. Before long, his stamina began to fail him, and several more wounds appeared on his body, blood staining his clothes red.
"Aoba, retreat now! If this keeps up, your life will be in danger!"
Seeing Kawaki Aoba's condition, Yuhi Shinku grew increasingly anxious. She used all her strength to try to break free from the four puppets holding her back, but she simply could not do it. All she could do was watch helplessly as Kawaki Aoba was attacked from both sides.
Gritting his teeth, Kawaki Aoba endured the pain wracking his body as Chakra and magic power gathered within him once more. He could not give up like this. He had to protect Yuhi Shinku. He had to stop the man in the white robe from picking the Azure Sky Flower.
He took a deep breath, and his gaze sharpened immensely. The short blade in his hand radiated a dazzling blue light—the entirety of his strength.
"Since you insist on pushing me, don't blame me for showing