Not far away.
The battle between Pakura and Hiruko had reached a fever pitch.
Already injured, Hiruko was still at a disadvantage even after using the Summoning Technique to summon his Fusion Beast.
Hiruko now had a new appreciation for a village's top fighters, and realized the gulf between them.
After scrambling out of a fireball's path, Hiruko also spotted the signal flare rising high into the sky, but he had no strength to spare to go help.
Watching Hiruko's desperate struggles with disdain, Pakura continued advancing with Scorch Release.
As Pakura rapidly closed in, Hiruko gritted his teeth, moved beside his Fusion Beast, and pulled out a syringe, driving it hard into his arm.
The emerald-green solution quickly entered Hiruko's body, bringing excruciating pain.
Struggling to open his eyes, Hiruko stared at Pakura with a contorted face. His body was gradually merging with the Summoning Beast beside him. Before long, they would become one.
He had never intended to do this. With the technology still immature, merging with a Summoning Beast was extremely dangerous. His consciousness might well merge with the beast's and become muddled.
But in such a desperate situation, he could no longer worry about that.
Pakura's expression changed as she noticed something amiss. She sensed the chaotic chakra within Hiruko. Though chaotic, it was powerful enough.
"Scorch Release: Steam Murder!"
Fireballs floated around Hiruko and burst one after another.
As white steam rose, the surfaces of Hiruko's and the Summoning Beast's bodies dried out, their skin gradually cracking.
After striking Hiruko, Pakura frowned at the figure emerging from the white steam. He had successfully completed the fusion, becoming a monster that was neither human nor anything else recognizable.
"I've become even stronger!"
Hiruko, whose face was all that remained of him, growled. Then he fixed his