Chapter 48 48 – Vs The Boogeyman

The Boogeyman felt the danger of the man in front of it. That man could destroy it before it could make a move.

So it changed its body. The rag that covered its rocky body was blown by the wind and by its transformation. Having a big body wouldn't be able to defeat the man in front of it. Better prioritized speed over weight.

Such was a trait of the Boogeyman. Able to change in every kind of situation.

And it screamed once again. "KSaaaaa!!!"

***

Kai looked at the Boogeyman in interest. He wasn't foolish enough to jump into an unknown enemy without any preparation.

Even more so when the Boogeyman suddenly screamed loudly once again as its body changed.

"What is that?!"

"Woah! Can I fight it?"

While observing the changing Boogeyman, he felt two voices from behind that were silenced by Shuten Douji.

"Shut up, boys! Just sit here and watch that young man defeat the Boogeyman!"

Kai took his time to glance behind for a second, only to see Shuten Douji and Amber sitting on a big boulder while looking at him. Kirimaru and Ranga sat on the ground in seize as Shuten used their heads to put her legs on.

"You can do it, Kai!!" Amber even cheered for him. Then her expression suddenly morphed into horror as she shouted. "Watch out!"

[Master!] Ibaraki also shouted in his mind, causing him to duck without even looking back.

A sharp sound passed through above him. When he glanced up, he noticed a sharp, clawed hand passed to where his neck was.

He then turned around quickly and sent a roundhouse kick toward whoever attacked him. His speed and power were so great that the kick he sent made a loud boom sound as it made contact with something hard.

Crack!

A cracked sound followed next, and Kai was surprised as his kick was not effective. In front of him was the Boogeyman. However, its size had shrunk. It was now only as tall as him, but something was strange.

Even when it took Kai's full-powered kick, its body only cracked. Its mouth then curled into a grin as a pair of eerie golden eyes stared at him. He quickly retracted his leg, but it was too late.

Boogeyman had already caught him and spun its body, throwing him using the momentum it gained.

Kai flew in the air at a fast speed, splitting the wind.

"Shit!"

His head was a bit of a mess due to the sudden acceleration. He wanted to rest a little as he spun his body mid-air, regaining his balance.

But the Boogeyman didn't let him do that. It rushed toward him at a fast speed, instantly appearing in front of him and attacking him with a sharp thrust using its clawed tree hand. Dodging that was… impossible.

[Guard, Master! Use my Spirit Power to protect your arms!] Ibaraki instructed in his mind, and he quickly did that before the hand struck him, using Ibaraki's Spirit Power.

"On it!"

A black aura covered his entire arms as he raised them to block the thrust. They made contact with a thud sound, and Kai was blown away by the remaining force, rolling on the ground a few times before he stopped and looked up immediately.

His suit was destroyed, and his skin was bruised. The arms he used to block the thrust bleed with a nasty gnash. But a fire appeared around all his wounds, visibly healing him at a fast speed. He felt his Spirit Power decreased slightly when he used his Phoenix fire.

He now understood the rule of his power. Phoenix fire used his own Spirit Power, while the black Spirit Power belonged to Ibaraki Douji.

Currently he wasn't used to Ibaraki Douji's power yet. He didn't know how much strength he could use without destroying everything. Because of that, he unconsciously held himself back so the others wouldn't get involved.

"I was thrown far away, wasn't I?" He still had time to chuckle as he looked at the Boogeyman who ran toward him, screaming.

"KSHRAAAAA!!"

He was thrown outside the village to the clearing near a row of stalls and a rice field right outside the wall of Oni Village.

In this place, there was nothing holding him back.

His wounds were fully healed now, but that cost him 5% of his Spirit Power. His reverse was not under 50%, and he felt a bit sluggish.

Still, he would be fine. Ibaraki Douji had a massive reserve of Spirit Power, and it wouldn't get depleted anytime soon.

Punching his palm, he stood up straight and ready to greet the Boogeyman with full strength.

"Ibaraki, is your power only related to physical strength?" He asked Ibaraki curiously.

[Unfortunately, yes. I am only good at destroying something. Sorry, Master.]

"Nah, don't be sorry." He grinned. The Boogeyman was already in front of him, and he sent a punch toward the scarecrow creature right on its face.

His hand was covered in Phoenix fire that immediately engulfed the Boogeyman whole, burning its trees' limbs and the grass rag and hat.

"Graaa!!"

Bam!

The punch had crushed the Boogeyman into the ground like it was made from cardboard. The Boogeyman's body cracked as the fire kept burning it. However, the Boogeyman wasn't dead yet. It was squirming and its body morphed once again.

The rock in its body moved, replacing the limbs made from trees. Its limbs became arms that were made from rock.

The Boogeyman then screamed like it had before, showing its mouth filled with sharp teeth made from rock, but its voice sounded different now.

"Ksss…" It tried to stand up again, but Kai didn't give it time to move.

He quickly grabbed its head, without caring about the fire that still burned the rock scarecrow. The fire would never affect him as it was his.

Kai closed his eyes and focused on his connection with Ibaraki Douji. He pulled the strength he thought he never had and his body felt stronger once again.

With a swipe of his hand, he sent the Boogeyman flying. He wanted the creature to feel how it felt like to fly without any control of its body.

The Boogeyman hit the ground hard, cracking it open and creating a loud sound like glass breaking. It rolled down, making a large crater as it ended up on the ground at a corner of the village wall.