11 Chapter 12

Toji stared with sharp eyes, witnessing how thousands of Shuuki freed themselves in bloodthirst, running at a terrifying speed towards their direction. Everyone, including Toji, who caught his attention by the wave of Shuuki, was focused on that moment. Tenka, with her sharp instincts, realized the opportunity to explode one of the black tentacles coiling around Toji, using her ability to manipulate space.

Toji, who managed to free himself, did not waste time. With sharp instincts, he reached for the katana hanging at his waist and quickly slashed several parts of the tentacle that still coiled around him. The swing of the katana looked like a slow-motion directed toward the intruder's neck.

However, right before the samurai succeeded, the sharp knife was only an inch away from the intruder's neck. The woman promptly retreated, sinking into the darkness that accompanied her.

Toji stared with still-focused eyes, ready to face the next threat. Sweat dripped from his tense face, and his sharp weapon gleamed in the dim light. The entire atmosphere was filled with tension, and Toji was ready to continue his fight in the supernatural world full of danger.

"Almost, but..." His eyes searched for the presence of the woman, but it seemed she had submerged into the darkness. "Damn..."

"Toji!" Tenka's shout broke the silence as she approached Toji while carefully inspecting his body.

"Chief!" Toji's body tensed, feeling a bit embarrassed for being caught so easily without resistance.

"Toji, this is an emergency! Protect Camp 7 and those who are non-combatants!" The woman gave orders while opening a teleportation portal for Toji.

"B-but!" The big man hesitated a bit, but seeing the cold gaze from Tenka, he immediately became obedient. "I-understand... Be careful."

Toji confidently stepped towards the portal, his weapon ready for battle. The dimensional door opened in front of him, emitting a blue light that cut through the darkness. With one step, Toji entered the portal, leaving Tenka with a few members ready to face the wave of Shuuki and the monster that destroyed the barrier earlier.

The battle intensified as the anti-demon members unleashed all the power they had, supported by the strength gained from the peach fruit. Toji, standing in front of the camp, could only watch in awe as the members of Corps-7 suddenly grew to a height of 10 meters or more, with Wakasa perched on their shoulders. They rampaged, disrupting the formation of Shuuki with incredible power.

Toji, meanwhile, felt tense and a tingling sensation in his hands. The teachings from his grandfather awakened his unique personality: in critical situations, adrenaline surged through his body.

'Hold on, hold on... I have to keep this to ensure the safety of the people in this camp,' Toji thought, his eyes and ears focused on the ongoing battle.

However, something surprising happened when a deafening lightning strike echoed on the battlefield. At that moment, Himari was almost hit by a fatal blow from the monster. However, Yachiho quickly appeared, saving her younger sister.

On the other side, Tenka stood in the midst of the Shuuki, utilizing her large-scale attack ability. With courage, she created a mini black hole above her head, sucking all the Shuuki into it and violently crushing them in the terrifying vacuum.

Meanwhile, Kyouka rode on Yuuki, who had transformed into a Shuuki due to Kyouka's ability. They charged like a traditional cavalry, creating a unique combination of Kyouka's rider speed and agility with the ferocity and power of the unstoppable Yuuki. The combination of Kyouka's swordplay and Yuuki's brutality created an impressive battle scene.

'They are all fighting...' thought Toji, clenching his fists tighter. In this dangerous situation, the extraordinary strength and skills of each member of Corps-6 and Corps-7 became the key to overcoming the attacking wave of Shuuki.

However, despite the seemingly smooth progress of the battle, fate had other plans. The monster Yachiho faced suddenly released high-voltage electricity from its body, creating an effect like a running reactor. Yachiho, already exhausted from the previous fight, collapsed on the ground with clear burn marks on her body.

Just before the monster could finish off Yachiho completely, cruel laughter echoed on the battlefield. The monster enjoyed the satisfaction of seeing how helpless its enemies were due to its attack.

"GYAHAHAHAHA! Shameful! None of you are worthy opponents!"

Toji's body heated up, unable to bear seeing the condition of his teammates. Although warned by Tenka not to act recklessly earlier, the unstoppable urge to fight prevailed. With astonishing speed and toughness, Toji rushed towards the monster, disregarding the given orders.

Toji's decision changed the dynamics of the battle, creating even greater tension. The fight against the electrically charged monster became more dramatic, with Toji's personal decision bringing an unexpected element that intensified the suspense.

Perhaps due to adrenaline, Toji's speed became unreasonable for an ordinary human body. No, more precisely, he suddenly became a superhuman. As if teleporting, he was already behind the monster about to execute Yachiho, and without hesitation, Toji swung his sword towards its head.

KLACK! The sound of metal clashing echoed, widening Toji's eyes as the swing of his sword was stopped by the monster's hand.

"What are you doing!? You annoying pest!" The monster's body released a high-voltage electric explosion, forcing Toji to release his sword, avoiding the deadly high-voltage shock.

Toji took a safe distance while checking Yachiho's helpless condition. 'Her condition is bad, just hit by a powerful electric shock. It will take quite some time to recover from an attack like this,' he quickly thought. Then his eyes focused forward again.

Reiren, who had taken Toji's katana, glanced at the sharp blade for a moment, then crushed it by squeezing the sword blade until it broke in front of Toji. "How dare you try to hurt me with a toothpick!" he said arrogantly, his facial expression reflecting arrogance and anger.

Toji, although surprised by Reiren's actions, showed a tense and determined expression. He knew that this battle had reached a critical point, and every action and word had a profound impact.

He was slightly panicking because the only weapon he had brought was destroyed. In his mind, Toji thought a lot about how to fight this creature with bare hands. However, in battle, thinking too much initially could backfire.

ZRAASH!

Toji dodged Reiren's lightning shot with agile movements while carrying the unconscious Yachiho. However, even so, he was still affected by it. One of his legs became numb due to the electric shock. However, in the midst of the tension, Toji suddenly had a vision. He saw a spinning wheel, and his ears heard a familiar sound.

KLACK! 

In an instant, the vision disappeared, and Toji returned to reality. Suddenly, he felt his numb leg return to normal, as if Reiren's attack just now had never hit him.

'Strange... What happened!' Toji suddenly became confused, but the confusion was only momentary because Reiren not only used lightning as his attack. He opened his mouth wide and breathed fire towards Toji.

Seeing Toji engulfed in flames certainly panicked his teammates, and they couldn't believe he was still alive after that. However, Yachiho, half-conscious in the midst of the fire whirlwind, used her time manipulation ability. She reversed time by 5 seconds before the fire engulfed both of them.

After using her ability, Yachiho immediately lost consciousness. Meanwhile, Toji saw the vision again with the spinning wheel.

Reiren, who was previously confident in the success of his attack, fell silent as he saw Toji still standing tall, unharmed by the fire that should have consumed him completely. Surprise and confusion were clearly depicted on his face. An aura of disbelief emerged in the increasingly complicated battle, making the fight more unpredictable.

"You!... What did you do!" A loud roar came from Reiren's mouth, his expression of disbelief vivid on his face.

Toji didn't know what to answer, but for now, he could be arrogant in front of his arrogant enemy. "Heh... Guess, besides, why should I tell my enemy!"

Reiren's pulse surged in his head, creating an ugly expression. "I'll finish you! No matter what. I will finish you!" In anger, he attacked again, combining lightning and fire attacks.

However, before the attack could land, Tenka from a distance aided Toji in the fight. Reiren's attack disappeared as if swallowed by the air.

"After this, you have to explain to me, Toji," Tenka's eyes said that as Toji looked back at him to express his gratitude.

Toji's back instantly shivered, smiling awkwardly for a moment before refocusing on the battle. Tenka opened a portal and put Yachiho inside, ensuring the safety of their comrade.

Meanwhile, the others were still battling the continuous waves of Shuuki, including Himari, who had joined Kyouka on Yuuki's back. This combination gave Yuuki a new, stronger form, creating a more challenging and epic fight.

Toji, after evacuating Yachiho into the portal, suddenly felt his hand gripping a long staff with a red and black painted body at the end. Playful Cloud.

The sturdy man recognized this staff. A weapon that could transform into nunchucks, it was his grandfather's heirloom. Toji was familiar with this weapon as he had used it before.

'What happened? Since when did this object appear in my hand? Wait, because for a moment my hand came out of Tenka's portal, does that mean this is from her? Did my grandfather give it to her without my knowledge?' Many questions arose in Toji's mind. Then, he briefly glanced at Tenka from a distance, realizing her green-haired short girl look was giving him a thumbs up with a meaningful face.

That made Toji sigh, then with confidence, he faced Reiren again. A new chapter was starting now.

Toji lifted Playful Cloud with confidence, accepting his grandfather's heirloom with a heart full of determination. The weapon gave him new strength and spirit to continue the increasingly complex and challenging battle.

//Author's Note//

Hey there! I'm currently diving into my second fanfic project—exciting times ahead! I've got 7 exclusive chapters waiting for you over on [Patreon], so if you're curious, come join us.

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