Chapter 159 - Filt

Narukami narrowed his eyes as soon as he felt a fluctuation of spiritual energy coming at him.

Seriously?! Narukami was shocked. There were a lot of people here and that person was planning to attack him? Won't the innocent people involved and possibly getting killed?

They were fragile after all. Like sticks if not.

Thus, Narukami raised his hand as he opened his palm. Spiritual energy shot out and spread as it protected everyone in the radius of five hundred meters.

Bam!

Not long after Narukami formed an energy barrier. The attack hit him and the barrier ripple as though water.

"Impressive, you protect the people around you instead of yourself. You're eligible to be called a Sorcerer. Though, I thought a Sorcerer put on a lease with their owners. Yet why would a dog like you be here, on someone else's territory?" The voice asked, clearly displeased.

'Owner' referred to the organization they belong in. Although Narukami was ok being called 'dog', it was, nevertheless, unpleasant to the ears.

"What do you want?" Narukami asked as he snapped his fingers and immediately afterward, everything around him changed to gray and the people in the subway disappeared.

It was not that the people vanished but instead, it was him. From an outsider 's point, Narukami vanished on the spot yet no one noticed this as it was in New York.

Narukami make a small dimension which separate the reality to a place between time and space.

The small dimension stopped expanding after it revealed a person not far away from him.

"World Separation, huh?" Said the person as he was a bit shocked.

Narukami sized up this person from top to toe. Blond hair, sharp eyes like a sword, mature face and have a great build but not macho. Upon closer look, his eyes looked tired as though he had seen many things in life and seem have enough of it.

"Who are you?" The person added and it snapped Narukami from his wandering mind.

"Aitsu," replied Narukami with a fake name. He had no intention of telling his true name in front of a stranger. Furthermore, they were also Sorcerers.

Things might become more troublesome should he do so.

"You…" he squinted his eyes as though he noticed something. He then lightly shrugged his shoulders, "Whatever, as long as I can call you. It's fine, my name is Jericho," said Jericho with a smile as he approached Narukami at a slow pace.

"Why are you attacking me? Don't you care about the safety of the innocent?" Narukami pondered.

"I was planning to stop my attack before it hit you so I could see your reaction. I have to say it's a good one."

"I don't believe you," said Narukami.

"Bet," said Jericho casually. He had no problem with Narukami not trusting him.

"So, why are you putting an illusion on everyone? I can tell you're a good person but depending on your answer, I might have to bring you to my organization, Headless Crickets."

Headless Crickets. If putting it on the ranking system of the best organization for killing Anomaly, probably around twenty.

On the surface though, they were made up of merchants and businessmen. It would not be an exaggeration if their resources could be matched to the five major organizations.

Aside from the strange name, their members were mostly filled with important figures in politics and military. As well as important figures in the underworld.

"Jericho, that name rings a bell," said Narukami abruptly.

"Trying to change the topic? That's not going to work. Answer me, why are you putting everyone in Illusion? You don't seem to have ill will towards them. Perhaps you conceal it with some kind of item?"

After a short pause, Narukami chose to call out clean without a single fabrication, "I follow someone secretly but then something unexpected happens which causes that person to realize my presence. Having no choice, I decided to put everyone in Illusion. Which is to make me invisible in their eyes."

"Is that all?" Jericho asked doubtfully as he squinted his eyes.

Narukami nodded as he did not bother to explain anything.

After a long pause, "I still can't trust you, what are you going to do about it?"

"Are you joking with me?" Narukami pondered.

"No, no. I'm serious. How about this, you beat me and I'll believe what you said. I beat you, you have to become my slave."

"And what if I refuse?" Sajd Narukami.

"You can't. Should I also add that it is impossible?" Jericho said tauntingly.

"Why is that?" Narukami assumed a fighting stance. It seems mere words were not enough to get out of here. He had to leave this dimension before lost track of Jim.

"Because we rule this city," smiled Jericho.

After that, Narukami's figure vanished on the spot as if he had teleported but in honesty, he was not. He merely ran but it was particularly fast that to the eyes of ordinary, it looked like he had teleported.

Rushing to Jericho's left, Narukami pinched his weak spot. Jericho simply tilted his body to the side, avoiding Narukami's punch, which was making a whistling sound.

Swoosh!

"Nice, nice! That is a good punch but not enough to hurt me!" Yelled Jericho as his smile just widened.

"Take this, Earth Fist!" Jericho clenched his hand and it was covered with earth. In the next moment, he thrust it forward at Narukami like a spear.

Dodging it by bending his legs and the punch went above his head or so Narukami thought when suddenly the punching course changed!

Narukami could hear bones breaking as Jericho's arm twisted in a way it should not be.

Narukami's eyes dilated to the size of the tip of a pen as the punch was before his eyes without realizing it.

Narukami groaned in pain as he got punched and the ground formed a two meters deep crater because of the powerful impact of that hit.

Luckily, he blocked the punch from hitting his handsome face with his arms as the latter was crossed like an x.

So hard and powerful! Narukami said to himself as he was alarmed. His arms were aching as they sent electric sensation to his mind. They also turned a bit numb and a sense of weakness but it recovered instantly.

With Jericho above Narukami with a smirk, Narukami looked at him with a calm look. This results in Jericho lost his smile.

"Tough nut to crack, huh?" Jericho said rather coldly as he looked down on Narukami. After that, he retracted his punch and following that was a powerful kick coming at Narukami's right.

Narukami was forced to put in defense as he blocked the attack with his arms. The kick pierced through the air before crashing Narukami's hand.

Shockwave was spread with Narukami and Jericho as the center. In a normal scenario, this kick should be enough to send Narukami flying but he held his position with his legs.

The outcome was Narukami sliding on the ground as it formed a narrow yet long ditch and trail of dust.

His legs were hot but not to the point of being too high temperature that he could not stand it.

After his kick failed, Jericho landed on the air and looked at Narukami as he was enraged. His enemy usually down after two kicks yet here this guy was.

Still on his two feet and had a calm expression. Regarding the latter, Jericho hated it the most.

What's the deal with this guy, those two attacks are enough to kill even those at the peak of Level 7! Thought Jericho to himself.

Bad for him, Narukami was two levels away.

On the other hand, Narukami was amazed that the guy's attack was able to make him feel injured. Fortunately, it was not enough to damage him.

"I should end it quickly," Narukami softly muttered. This was on purpose, by the way.

"Aren't you getting ahead of yourself just because you could withstand my attacks?" Jericho said as he was displeased.

Narukami did not reply as he stayed silent. Jericho felt something was odd and at the same time, danger slowly but surely getting closer to him.

His instinct was calm but right now, it was begging him to run away from here.

Jericho felt unsettled as time passed. His expression changed from unsatisfied to nervous mixed with fear.

In the next moment, it may be his feeling but he saw a faint soul with hollow eyes and agape mouth coming out of Narukami.

Not one or two, but a bunch of them!

Then, they burst out of Narukami's body and exploded into a mushroom cloud.

Strong wind filled the entire area as Jericho's hair crazily fluttered. His mind went blank for a short moment as he was filled with true despair and fear.

"What is this?" Jericho asked himself.

Just to inform you, it was not on purpose these souls appeared. It happened every time Narukami wanted to execute a move which was accidentally filled with killing intent.

He tried okay? But his past lives, which were fighting to the death every time he discovered an enemy, remain strongly in his soul.

It was like a habit at this point.. There were times when his killing intent did not spill.