Chapter 117.3

Chapter 117.3

[Part 3/4]

Still, she didn't drop the dagger (tantō). She glared at 'Mayoiga' with determination, gazing at them desperation.

'You've avoided it, huh? Do you still intend to resist? You're a foolish girl, even when I'm holding back!!'

On the other hand, 'Mayoiga' looked at Tamaki with exasperation. Even though there was no chance of winning, she still wouldn't give up. Did she understand that they were holding back? If they intended to kill her, they would have spewed flames instead of steam earlier... Despite hearing those words, Tamaki's hostility didn't waver. On the contrary, she was offended by the insult.

"Don't mess with me!! Holding back, you say!? Don't underestimate me...!!"

'...Hmph, you leave me no choice. I suppose I'll have to teach you the pain of understanding your position.'

They shrugged as if they had no choice and intensified the flames around them. They enlarged their appearance by about two sizes, and the heat emitted from them became even more intense, as if boiling.

"Ugh...!!?"

Intense heat hit her body, and beads of sweat gushed from Tamaki's forehead. While suppressing her fear of the emerging pain, she directed the blade of the dagger (tantō) towards the enemy with a determined expression. 'Mayoiga' sneered at her. It was truly a valiant effort, but also a meaningless one. This girl still hasn't realized the mistake of her actions. Just facing each other like this is already a blunder in itself...

'Ngh!?'

The foolishness of the girl made 'Mayoiga' smirk with contempt, but immediately afterwards, they sensed something amiss and their fiery form distorted in surprise. Something fell at high speed, blocking the space between Tamaki and 'Mayoiga'. No, it wasn't just falling; it was more like a collision, an impact, a crash landing. With a deafening roar, the ground was torn open, collapsing and sending dust swirling around. The dismembered and bloodied corpse of the weasel youkai that had been crushed and pulverized lay before them.

'Gghh... this is troublesome. Even with partial transformation, you seem stronger than before.'

While spitting blood, the weasel youkai asked a question, only to receive a punch in response. The servant rushed in from above at a speed even greater than before, colliding with a force that left sound trailing in its wake. The impact created a deafening explosion, and it wasn't just building materials and dust that were blown away. The shattered, or rather, dispersed remains of the weasel's flesh were spectacularly scattered around the surroundings.

In the center of the collision site, the servant, who had partially deviated from their human form, gasped for breath, blood dripping from the numerous cuts.

'Ggh... huff, huff, not a complete kill! But finally got you... Gah!!?"

"Tomobe-kun...!!?"

Struggling to suppress his youkai instincts, the servant tried to berate the crushed monster, but he was immediately struck in the abdomen and sent flying. There was no need to ask who the attacker was. It was a blow from the fiery, scorching arm of a youkai, condensed into a powerful force. The servant spun comically and was repeatedly slammed into the floor, bouncing back up each time. The sound of the air being sliced was so intense that he crashed into the earthen wall with a horrifying bone-breaking sound, prompting Tamaki to scream in terror.

“No way...!!? Kuh...!!"

The girl exorcist tries to run to her benefactor, but is unable to ignore the approaching 'Mayoiga,' who had cleared the obstruction and was slowly advancing. The girl wielded her dagger (tantō) despite the burnt arm, showing her determination to resist. Summoning her courage, she took a step forward, preparing to charge into the inferno.

'Hmph!!'The origin of this chapter's debut can be traced to N0v3l--B1n.

But in an instant, Tamaki's body was ensnared by numerous vines that had shot up from the ground. She heard growls and, when she looked around, she saw several other medium youkai and great youkai approaching her, closing in step by step.

"What!?"

* * *

Honestly, I was in serious danger. I had finally killed the weasel and let my guard down. Just as I released my youkai transformation to ease the strain on my body, the flame uppercut came. Thankfully, the 'Wooden Chick' was in the perfect spot; otherwise, my organs would have ruptured. Well, in that moment, my youkai transformation might have saved me, or it could have triggered a rampage. Maybe I would have run out of time.

"Huff, huff... Anyway, I won't let you escape!!"

'Roar!!?'

As I issued the command, the dragon made of debris and the majority of the surrounding youkai rushed towards 'Mayoiga's' inferno. While they were entangled, I quickly unleashed one of the talismans I received from Gorilla-sama. It was a spare pill. I swallowed the foul-tasting pill and, at the same time, stimulated the Youbo (youkai mother) blood within me to slightly heal my wounds and burns.

...It was forced regeneration, so the potential strain on my body, especially my heart, was probably immense. But at this point, I couldn't afford to be picky. I had to focus on the present.

"Go!! 'Houzan Jakuryuu'!! You too, stupid spider, do it...!!"

'(* ́,_ゝ`)I'm on it!!'

The temporary dragon that had slaughtered most of the youkai swarming around Tamaki now turned its target towards 'Mayoiga's' inferno, following my command. I warned the spider-like creature clinging to my neck about the final sprint. Even with the pill from earlier and the partial youkai transformation, I only had thirty seconds at most. In the last moments, I would have to give it my all. There was no other choice...!!

"And so, you all better bear with this!!"

Before charging towards 'Mayoiga,' I swiftly delivered a roundhouse kick to the small youkai beast that was ambushing from behind. An ambush from behind was a basic youkai tactic, and it was a common sense written in ancient texts. I reinforced my joints partially with spiritual energy, using centrifugal force to break its neck.

"You're a punchline!!"

'ψ(`∇ ́)ψ Exciting!!'

I would return the favor by giving the second one, which emerged from the first's shadow, a direct hit to the face. Its jaws were open, exposing its fangs, so I delivered an uppercut-like strike from the chin. And then, I kicked the small youkai towards 'Mayoiga,' who was spewing flames.

'Gya...'

"Whoa!!"

'(゚ロ゚ノ)ノ Ouch!?'

In an instant, the beastly youkai creature turned into ashes. Seizing that brief moment, I successfully evaded the flames' trajectory. I even managed to use the flames as cover and swiftly approach 'Mayoiga' from directly below.

'Nnnu!? Tch, tricky little...!'

"Go!! Knock it away!!"

'Roarrrrr!!'

'Vwoh!!?'

'Mayoiga,' who was late to notice my approach from the blind spot of their survival, attempted to sweep me away with the continuous flames they spewed. However, in doing so, they created an opening. 'Houzan Jakuryuu,' charging in from the side, toppled and crushed it. Although ordinary flames would have slipped through, this dragon, constructed with compressed and condensed youkai energy, possessed mass. It was as if it had become its foe.

'You... you insolent...!!?'