The Blameless One

Whoosh—

Mo Bai glanced at the Reckless One dissolving before him, then at the holographic display beside him.

He had cleared every difficulty from Hologram One through Hologram Four.

At those levels, the Reckless One had not been too hard to fight. Her attacks had been fairly predictable.

But beside Hologram Five and Hologram Six, the final two challenges, Mo Bai saw two red exclamation marks.

They probably meant high danger.

He checked the hologram leaderboard again. So far, only three people at the academy had cleared Hologram Five.

Moqu, Lynae, and an unfamiliar student named Siglica.

As for Rover, she could probably handle this old foe with ease. But she had been roaming outside the academy lately and likely had no time to challenge it.

Mo Bai and Lynae had envied her permission to skip classes whenever she liked. But whenever Mo Bai remembered that Rover might be carrying out some dangerous mission, that envy vanished.

Bzzzz!

While Mo Bai was thinking, electronic data took shape and formed a new Reckless One.

Facing the Hologram Five enemy, Mo Bai did not rush in for close combat this time. Instead, he formed the hand sign to summon his Shikigami.

Rustle.

His abilities still worked inside the hologram. That made things easier.

"Toad from the Bottomless Well. Divine Dogs."

The plan was simple: several fused Toads from the Bottomless Well would support him from the sidelines, while the Divine Dogs attacked alongside him.

Thud!

To be safe, Mo Bai charged toward the Reckless One before she could move.

Bang! Crack!

So tough.

Neither his Cursed Energy-infused fist nor the fangs of the black and white Divine Dogs managed to hurt the Reckless One.

I don't have enough firepower. Maybe I should've tamed Max Elephant before coming back...

Fwoosh!

The Reckless One paid no mind to Mo Bai's thoughts. Sensing a threat, she fired the flames gathered on the wings behind her at her enemies.

"Ribbit! Ribbit!"

Fortunately, the Toads from the Bottomless Well that Mo Bai had summoned earlier sprang into action.

Snap!

They wrapped their tongues around Mo Bai and the Divine Dogs, then yanked them out of danger.

After retreating, Mo Bai reconsidered his strategy.

He lacked a powerful means of attack.

Both jujutsu sorcerers and Resonators generally carried weapons suited to their abilities.

Resonators' weapons fell into two categories: those that enhanced their abilities, and those used directly in combat, like Rover's Blood Pact.

Jujutsu sorcerers' cursed tools were much the same, though some came with special abilities.

Mo Bai's problem was that he had neither...

Bzz!

While Mo Bai was thinking, the Reckless One stirred again.

Rather than attack immediately, she gathered purple energy in her hand.

Swish!

In an instant, she swept her arm out, and a sharp scythe appeared in her grasp.

It was almost an exact enlarged copy of the one Rover had wielded earlier.

Having experienced Rover's strength, Mo Bai did not dare let his guard down.

Rustle.

The Toads from the Bottomless Well around him dissolved into pools of shadow and vanished. Mo Bai had dismissed them himself.

In a one-on-one fight, that Shikigami was no longer much use.

There was no doubt which Shikigami in his arsenal hit the hardest now.

"Nue, Great Serpent, Feathered Serpent."

"Hiss!"

As Mo Bai completed the hand signs, a massive figure appeared in the Holographic Strategy.

It was a giant serpent whose body occupied a quarter of the field.

With the summoning complete, Mo Bai patted the heads of the two Divine Dogs beside him.

Whoosh.

As Mo Bai channeled Cursed Energy into them, they grew considerably larger.

Thud!

Preparations complete, Mo Bai charged at the Reckless One again.

Swish!

Fwoosh!

The Reckless One swung her giant scythe as Mo Bai threw his punch. When they collided, neither side gave an inch.

She's so strong!

Mo Bai had concentrated all his Cursed Energy into his fist, yet he could only match her.

Was the gap between Hologram Four and Five really this huge?!

"Arrooo!"

While the Reckless One was locked in place, the black and white Divine Dogs lunged at her from behind.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

But her huge, twisted wings blocked their attack.

Fortunately, Mo Bai had one more Shikigami.

"Roaaar!"

The Feathered Serpent, which had been circling outside the fight, seized its chance and lashed its enormous tail at the Reckless One.

"Heh."

As the tail's shadow grew across the ground, Mo Bai did not panic. He laughed.

Boom!

When the Feathered Serpent's massive tail came down, only the Reckless One remained where she had stood, straining to hold it off with her giant scythe. Mo Bai and the Divine Dogs were nowhere to be seen.

But the Feathered Serpent was still there, which meant Mo Bai had not been eliminated.

Plop.

Beneath the shadow of the Feathered Serpent's tail, a few patches of darkness stood out.

Mo Bai had used the shadows to evade the Feathered Serpent's attack.

That was why he had chosen to dismiss the Toads from the Bottomless Well in this one-on-one fight.

Compared with being pulled away by a Toad's tongue, slipping into the shadows was faster and much safer.

Clang!

When her targets vanished, the Reckless One immediately gathered her strength and swung her scythe, knocking the Feathered Serpent's tail aside.

Bzzzz!

Then she gathered energy along the giant scythe and sent a blade of energy toward the Feathered Serpent's massive body.

Its immense size and strength had to come with a drawback, so she was certain her attack would hit.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

But the Feathered Serpent did not take the blow head-on. It shifted its body and used the multiple pairs of wings on its back to dodge with ease.

[Feathered Serpent]

A fused Shikigami with the Great Serpent's enormous body and Nue's agility and ability to fly.

Fused Shikigami could usually be summoned in numbers and could not be permanently destroyed, so they were much weaker than the original Shikigami.

This time, however, Mo Bai had spent a great deal of Cursed Energy to summon the Feathered Serpent alone. Its strength was not to be underestimated.

In the opening after the Reckless One swung her scythe, Mo Bai and the Divine Dogs emerged from the shadows again.

Crunch!

This time, the Divine Dogs bit into the Reckless One's legs, pinning her firmly to the ground.

That gave Mo Bai his chance.

Fwoosh! Bang!

His Cursed Energy-coated fist struck the hollow in the Reckless One's chest.

That was her weak point.

"Aaagh!!"

For the first time, Mo Bai heard her let out a shrill Lament of pain.

Boom!

His punch had hurt her. The force of the blow sent the Reckless One flying backward.