Chapter 165: Miko Priestess?

Chapter 165: Miko Priestess?

Anika felt her lungs burn as she evaded the fleshy arrow projectiles with a leap. However, another flying demon shot a drill-like beak at her mid-air.

Using her strings, she grabbed onto the clouds to maneuver out of harm's way.

The battlefield was chaotic, with attacks coming from all sides. Anika knew she had it better than others who lacked a Blaster affinity to sense their surroundings. How could other affinities even survive in a war without sensing others presences?

Flying demons clustered around her, grotesque in appearancesome with two faces, some with two heads, and some headless. Most were disgusting hybrids of birds and humans.

Her strings moved with precision and purpose, each slash leading to the next. They moved like razor-sharp whips, each with the power of a skilled swordsman.

While her teammates excelled in raw power and high attack strength, Anika's strength lay in handling multiple enemies simultaneously. She effortlessly shredded through them, even high-class demons posed little challenge.

Despite her powers, occasionally a demon would be fast or sneaky enough to strike her, causing injuries to accumulate as the battle dragged on.

Anika vividly recalled the words of the woman from Red Tails, explaining how Ord was not bound by physicality and could defy the laws of physics. She realized that the only thing holding her back was herself and her mindset.

She was one of the most talented exorcists of her generation!

She wrapped her body in silvery-white strings, forming an elegant dress, fancy hat, gloves, and heels. The silver strings provided complete protection, allowing her to withstand the attacks of the demons without any harm, except for the shockwaves.

{White Widow}

Unsatisfied, she continued adding more Ord, nearly depleting her reserves as her strings moved at supersonic speeds, causing the air to crack louder.

Yet, this was still not enough for Anika!

She craved moregreater speed, strength, and skill!

Fwish!... In an instant, all sound from her attacks vanished, leaving the flying monsters momentarily bewildered. Then, suddenly, they were sliced into minuscule pieces without even comprehending how.

Anika couldn't sense her own attacks, only catching glimpses of them after they had already happened. She realized that her strings hadn't exceeded the speed of her thoughts. As soon as she contemplated killing the demons, her strings moved instinctively and eliminated everything around her in less than a second.

Amidst the chaos, The Tower Exorcist remained surprisingly composed, perched upon a mass of shadow. He employed a cautious strategy of evasion and self-preservation, seldom launching direct attacks.

However, despite the whirlwind of thoughts racing through Anika's mind, she sensed Shuten Doji closing in on Agon.

No! Agon was about to be killed too!

Though Anika often treated Agon with disdain and exploited his naivety for her own gain, she didn't wish for her simple-minded teammate to meet his demise.

Helplessly watching, Shuten Doji materialized beside Agon, swinging his bat downwards at his victim's head. An enormous explosion resounded as the bat connected, and when the dust settled, Anika couldn't believe her eyes.

A teenage girl, clad in miko priestess attire, had intercepted Shuten Doji's spiked bat with her bare palm. Her long, dark hair cascaded behind her as she wore a gentle smile. Glancing at Agon, she remarked, "You're one lucky kid. I just leaped across from the neighboring country but nearly ended up in the atmosphere by accident. Can you imagine? The Saint meeting her end because she jumped too high? That would be a foolish way to go out."

Shuten Doji narrowed his eyes, and his lip was tilted upward into something that could be mistaken for a smile, with his fangs in full view. "Xylia, I almost didn't recognize you. It seems you're growing younger every time we meet."

"Last time we met, you were about to start a war but was scared off by that bastard, The Magician," she snorted. Shuten Doji pushed his spiked bat, his Ord explosively pushing away everything around him as he powered up and enhanced his body. But the most surprising part wasn't his power; it was the teenage priestess who held her ground. Suddenly, her Ord burst out as well, and they reached a stalemate.

"You've grown stronger too, it seems," Shuten Doji pulled back his spiked bat and swung it again. Despite Xylia concentrating all her Ord on her arms in a split second, the attack still sent her flying, bouncing off the ground over a dozen times before crashing into a tree.

"Well, I cant say the same thing for you. You haven't grown stronger at all," the woman emerged from the wreckage, brushing off tree splinters from her uniform's shoulders. She wore a small smile that quickly soured when she noticed a body on the battlefield. "Meleo... I thought he was the kind of old guy who would survive anything. It seems I should have pushed you harder to train when you were younger. Rest in peace, my student."

As she spoke, her Ord exploded. Though her words were few, the erratic sensation of her Ord made it clear that she was furious. She vanished, and the next time Anika sensed her presence was when she appeared behind Shuten Doji, delivering a powerful punch to the back of his head, and forcing his face into the ground.

But she wasn't finished. With one arm, she uprooted a tree and slammed it onto the downed Shuten Doji. Then, she kicked him in the back of his head. Despite the barrage of attacks, she had to step back as Shuten Doji rose, a small trickle of blood from his nose.

"You're quite the monster. If I were human, I doubt I'd be much of a match for you," his long tongue licked the blood from his nose as he smirked. While it was evident that the attacks had hurt him, it wasn't by much. "But then again, I'm not human, and you're not really a match for me. Let me show you how to throw a real punch."

An unimaginable amount of Ord gathered on the soles of Shuten Doji's feet. When he kicked off the ground, the rocks shattered and shifted beneath him. In the blink of an eye, he stood in front of the Saint, his fist connecting with her stomach, sending her flying like a firework, crashing into a distant mountain, causing a massive explosion and the clouds in the sky to shift away.

Anika's heart trembled, and cold sweat covered her body. No matter how much I grow on this battlefield Im nothing compared to them!

Against all odds, the Saint rose with a triumphant smile on her face. Blood trickled from her head and mouth, suggesting internal injuries. "Good punch, but I barely felt it. Try harder next time!"