Controlling Mishima's body, Gu Yanzhi immediately charged with his sword, glancing up at the sky.
Several black dots in the distance were rapidly growing larger-other pterosaur Shikigami, converging on the space beneath the bridge from different directions.
His heart sank. This was now the worst-case scenario. Dhruv Lakdawalla's Shikigami had locked onto him, and this fight was unavoidable.
I can't let them join up. Gu Yanzhi's mind raced.
Dhruv Lakdawalla's Cursed Technique controlled two powerful types of Shikigami-flying pterosaurs and giant ground-dwelling rodents. Their movement paths formed extensions of his domain, damaging anything that entered their range. It was the perfect counter to Kurourushi's attack style, which relied on vast swarms of insects to blanket a wide area.
His opponent's Cursed Technique could effectively clear out swarms over a vast area. Once two Shikigami spread out and established an encirclement, Gu Yanzhi's advantage would be completely suppressed.
He had to separate them and kill them one by one, ending the fight before they surrounded him. Otherwise, his chances of winning were slim.
He stopped suppressing his Cursed Energy and instantly pushed his output to the maximum. Cockroaches poured out from beneath the bridge, a black mass blotting out the sky overhead.
Gu Yanzhi stood amid the swarm as countless cockroaches crawled up from his ankles. A pair of black wings sprouted from the external armor they had already formed.
The cockroaches spread their wings in unison, carrying him straight toward the nearest pterosaur Shikigami. Seeing him charge, it immediately beat its wings to put some distance between them.
But before it could get far, the airborne swarm lunged at it, closing in from every direction. A cluster of cockroaches latched onto the bases of its wings, their shells scraping against the wing membranes with an ear-piercing screech.
The pterosaur Shikigami instantly lost control, its body tilting in midair for a moment.
In that instant, Gu Yanzhi closed in. The Festering Life Sword traced a pitch-black arc through the air and cleaved straight into the pterosaur Shikigami's flank.
More than half the blade sank in. Dark purple Cursed Energy erupted from its edge, spreading outward from the wound.
He did not strike again. There was no need, and no time. The Festering Life Sword had injected eggs into the wound upon contact. They would hatch within seconds and begin devouring their host from within, inflicting a second round of damage. The attack practically came with its own finishing blow.
As he had expected, the pterosaur Shikigami behind him struggled a few times before falling still.
Seconds later, horrifying larvae burrowed out of its wound, squeaking as they began devouring the Shikigami's body.
Gu Yanzhi quickly reviewed that exchange in his head.
He had found his advantage.
Mobility-the pterosaur Shikigami had been completely unable to keep up with the swarm's attacks. Less than three seconds had passed between its wings being caught and his blade striking. As long as he avoided Dhruv Lakdawalla's encirclement, he could use his mobility to wipe them out one by one.
He immediately adjusted his strategy, ordering the cockroaches to form a massive wall in the air, separating another pterosaur Shikigami from its companions.
The black wall of insects stretched across the sky, temporarily cutting off their support for one another. Then he lunged at the isolated pterosaur Shikigami, bringing the Festering Life Sword down again.
But-
He hit nothing.
The blade sliced through empty air. The pterosaur Shikigami slipped sideways at tremendous speed, avoiding the strike. Its body rolled halfway over in midair before it turned and dived at Gu Yanzhi.
Gu Yanzhi barely twisted aside, but they were too close. Its wingtip still sliced across his right shoulder, shearing away an entire section of cockroach armor and exposing Mishima's flesh beneath.
He clicked his tongue and rapidly retreated to create some distance. Dhruv Lakdawalla was one crafty bastard. He had been completely fooled.
The pterosaur Shikigami had exceptional mobility to begin with-the first one had only let him close in so easily because it had deliberately slowed down, putting on an act.
Now these Shikigami had dropped the pretense. Their flight speed was a whole tier above his estimate. At least while controlling Mishima's body, he could not keep up with them at all.
Dhruv Lakdawalla's Shikigami had barely appeared in the original story, with only a few panels from start to finish. He had made too many assumptions.
Dhruv Lakdawalla seized the opportunity. The Shikigami that had wounded Gu Yanzhi stopped attacking and joined the other pterosaur Shikigami that had broken through the cockroach wall.
Several flying Shikigami moved at high speed, forming a ring in the air that slowly closed in. Meanwhile, a giant rodent Shikigami on the ground nearby was accelerating toward them.
The encirclement was tightening. The pterosaurs overhead blocked his retreat, while the giant rodent approached below. Once the two types of Shikigami met up, the domain would cover this entire stretch of airspace.
Gu Yanzhi gave a bitter smile. This old man had chosen the safest approach from beginning to end. Despite having superior strength and mobility, he had still feigned weakness to lure Gu Yanzhi deeper in before tightening the noose.
What a crafty bastard. At least give me an opening.
If I can't beat him in combat experience, I'll just have to beat him with stats.
He exhaled. The cursed aura around him thickened further, and the corners of his mouth lifted as he teased the Shikigami overhead.
"You know, old man."
"My template is Yuta Okkotsu."
As his words fell, two enormous hands emerged from the shadow behind Mishima's body. They were a partial manifestation of Kurourushi's body-arms as thick as tree trunks, covered in dark brown carapace. Their five fingers spread wide, each radiating a heavy aura of death.
The enormous hands shielded the front of Mishima's body. Then huge cockroach wings unfolded behind him, layer upon overlapping layer.
His speed increased again.
He became a black afterimage, hurtling toward one corner of the encirclement.
The pterosaur Shikigami reacted immediately. Several swept in from both sides to plug the gap, the wind pressure from their wingtips cutting through the air with piercing shrieks.
But they only managed to inflict minor damage on the two enormous cockroach hands-slashing through the carapace and leaving several cracks across their surfaces-before the black afterimage shot through the gap and escaped the encirclement.
The enormous hands slowly opened in midair, revealing Mishima's body within.
Gu Yanzhi dispelled part of his Cursed Spirit manifestation, retracting the enormous hands behind his back.
But instead of attacking the Shikigami again, he flew backward.
Several pterosaur Shikigami tried to pursue him. They had barely beaten their wings a few times when they all abruptly froze in midair, as though their connection had been severed.
Their heads tilted, and the vicious gleam in their slit pupils grew unfocused. It was as if something had distracted the person controlling them, causing him to briefly freeze up.
As Gu Yanzhi retreated, he finished what he had been saying.
"-And this guy is Yuta Okkotsu."
An immense surge of Cursed Energy descended from the sky. The sheer quantity was absurd. Even from this far away, Gu Yanzhi could feel the air trembling.
A deafening explosion erupted where the giant rodent Shikigami stood nearby, sending dust billowing into the sky.
As the dust cleared, a boy in white appeared atop the dissolving remains of the Shikigami-black hair, white clothes, a katana in his hand, its tip embedded in the giant Shikigami's head.
The Shikigami's enormous body slowly dissolved into countless tiny motes of light.
Immense Cursed Energy poured unabashedly from the boy, pink energy rising like a pillar of light.
The boy in white straightened and pulled his katana from the Shikigami's remains, holding it in a reverse grip at his side.
He stared at the Sendai Gymnasium nearby and spoke quietly.
"Let's do this together,"
"-Rika."
November 12, 11:03 a.m.
Yuta Okkotsu
Arrived in the Sendai Colony.
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