'These low-class and mid-class yokai were getting annoying, ' Kenji thought, a flicker of irritation crossing his otherwise calm features. He grunted as he twisted his body, sidestepping a lunging beast with razor claws before slicing through it in a clean arc, the Blightbreaker humming faintly as it cut through flesh and bone with effortless precision.
Another ca from his right, teeth bared and eyes glinting with feral malice under the moonlight, its guttural snarl a promise of violence, but he barely blinked as his sword reversed direction mid-swing, a blur of silver, and ended it in a blink, its grotesque form collapsing into dust, its life force extinguished.
He wasn't even focusing on them anymore, they were re background noise, a persistent static in his enhanced senses, their movents predictable, their attacks easily parried or dodged. Yet, they kept coming, a relentless tide, like roaches drawn to carnage, their numbers rapidly decreasing as he culled, but that didn't seem to stop them, a testant to their sheer anger, fear, desperation, and the leader's command.
But that didn't an they couldn't be dangerous. Even insignificant threats, if ignored, could lead to critical errors. Just as the thought crossed his mind, a massive serpentine tail, thick as a tree trunk and scaled like armor, whipped out from the tree line behind him, a blur of dark green and brown.
He ducked instinctively, his Danger Sense screaming a split second before the impact, a searing warning that sent adrenaline coursing through him. The tail whistled inches above his head, creating a powerful gust of wind, and smashed through half a dozen trees like matchsticks, sending splinters, leaves, and chunks of bark exploding into the air, tearing a path of destruction. This was the last of the able generals.
Kenji used the rebound force from his duck to flip backward, one foot pressing off the back of a mid-class yokai who barely had ti to register what was happening before being propelled forward, its eyes wide with surprise.
Gaining space had beco a desperate dance at this point, a constant, fluid motion to avoid being overwheld by the sheer numbers and coordinated attacks. He had to keep moving, never allowing them to pin him down, never allowing them to surround him.
They wanted to box him in, cut off his escape routes, force him into close quarters where the generals could pin him down and overwhelm him with their combined might, a classic tactical maneuver.
His eyes darted around as he landed, his Gar's Mind processing the battlefield. He barely raised his arms in ti to activate both Mana Shield and Gravity Shield, layering the shimring blue energy with a dense, invisible field of compressed space, a dual layer of defense.
The mont after he activated them, a thunderous impact smashed down on him from directly above. Shuten-dōji's massive kanabo, wreathed in dark energy and malicious intent, descended like a teor, a black blur against the moonlight, forcing him to his knees.
The ground beneath his feet cracked, spiderwebbing under the imnse pressure, the earth groaning in protest as dust and small stones erupted around him. His shields held—but only barely, the combined magical and physical force pushing them to their absolute limits, threatening to shatter, a visible strain on his aura.
He gritted his teeth, a vein throbbing in his temple, his muscles screaming under the strain. This wasn't sustainable. He couldn't keep taking direct hits from a Peak High-Class yokai, especially one fueled by such primal rage.
A cloud of black mist exploded outward as Shuten-dōji vanished from sight, Kenji's Danger Sense shrieked in his mind, a piercing alarm that felt like a physical blow, and he spun just in ti to et a devastating strike from the side. The blow, delivered with surprising speed and power, a blur of raw force, launched him through several trees, snapping their trunks like twigs, before he tumbled across the earth and ca to a sliding stop, breath ragged, a trail of broken branches and churned earth marking his trajectory.
Despite his Physical resistance mitigating most of the damage, the sheer concussive force left him montarily winded, a dull ache spreading through his ribs.
'Maybe fighting them all at once was a mistake,' he mused internally, shaking his head to clear the slight dizziness, the strategic part of his mind analyzing the situation.
He had done well so far, managing to hold his own against overwhelming numbers, but their coordination was improving. Most of the cannon fodder was dead—less than fifteen remained, their numbers drastically reduced from the initial dozens, a testant to his own power and improved skill.
He'd managed to keep the generals from triple-teaming him and kept Shuten-dōji from killing him outright, engaging only two at a ti at most, preventing them from coordinating their most devastating attacks.
That strategy had worked, effectively culling their ranks and buying him ti. Until now, when Shuten-dōji decided to get serious, throwing his full weight into the battle.
He thrust his palm forward and launched a focused gravity burst, a concentrated wave of force, sending the ox yokai soaring dozens of feet into the air, its roar of surprise echoing briefly before it beca a distant thud as it slamd into the mountainside.
The mont he turned, the serpentine general was already on him, its chained blade whistling towards his neck, a blur of glinting tal. Kenji lit his hands with fire magic, the flas dancing on his fingertips, and hurled a concentrated blast, a miniature inferno that erupted from his palms.
The serpent shrieked, a high-pitched, pained sound that grated on the ears, and rolled away, scales sizzling from the intense heat, montarily disengaging, its attack disrupted.
Kenji panted, his breath coming in ragged gasps, 'mana reserves depleting steadily. I need more offensive skills, he thought, more versatility, more ways to deal with multiple powerful threats.
He was becoming too reliant on gravity, and while it gave him the upper hand often, it wasn't sustainable for adept and powerful enemies, or if he faced opponents immune to its effects or can just brute force throught it, after all having the power of gravity didn't make you unstoppable when they are other monsters roaming around, just ask gravaton in marvel comics.
He barely had attacks other than gravity, a few offensive attacks, and his sword strikes, and over-reliance on a single power could beco fatal, a weakness to be exploited. But that should be for after the fight, because if he lost focus now, even for a second, he would lose his life.
Just as he thought that, chains erupted from the ground beneath him, sharp, tallic links bursting from the earth with surprising speed, snaking upwards like predatory vines.
"Shit!" he cursed, his eyes widening.
They wrapped around him fast, coiling around his limbs and locking him in place, binding him tightly, the cold tal biting into his skin. He fought them, struggled to break free, muscles flexing and straining, but the energy binding them pulsed with imnse strength, reinforced by the serpentine general's magic, making them almost unbreakable to his current strength.
A massive pressure surged in the air, a palpable sense of impending doom. The ox yokai, having recovered from the gravity blast, and the Oni general roared in unison, their voices a synchronized bellow of triumph, launching their attacks in perfect synchronicity as he was held down by the serpent yokai, a coordinated strike aid at his immobilized form.
Their attacks ripped everything in their paths as they flew straight towards the chained human, a whirlwind of stone and steel, a crushing blow designed to end the fight.
Kenji raised his aura, a desperate surge of power, wrapping himself in layers of defense, his eyes blazing with defiance—and then ca the explosion. The combined force of their attacks detonated upon him.
A brilliant shockwave rocked the battlefield, tearing apart what little remained of the surrounding forest, pulverizing trees into splinters, and turning rock into dust. Smoke and dust swallowed everything, creating a blinding, choking cloud that obscured the devastation. No one moved, the remaining yokai holding their breath, waiting for the outco, a tense silence descending upon the ravaged landscape.
The yokai stood silent, uncertain, their forms barely visible in the swirling dust, waiting for a sign, for the confirmation of their victory.
Then a hum. A low, resonant thrumming that vibrated through the earth, a sound that spoke of imnse, controlled power.
Gravity shifted.
A mont later, Kenji stood in the heart of the destruction, but not completely unhard, his figure in tatters and covered in blood, but he survived, his form now glowing faintly with a powerful, internal light.
His body glowed faintly from recently applied stat upgrades. In that split second, knowing the gravity of his situation, he had dumped a significant portion of his free points into his Strength, Vitality, and Endurance, bringing them to High-Mid Class, a tier that now allowed him to contend with the generals on more even footing, his power surging.
The look in his eyes was different now, completely devoid of the earlier frustration, replaced by cold, unwavering resolve and underlying fury.
The air bent inward around him, responding to his will, a visible distortion in the very space he occupied.
Gravity seed to shift as it changed, and everything seed to have a new center. HIM.
He pulled everything toward himself. Dozens of yokai, still disoriented by the blast, stumbled forward, caught off guard by the sudden, invisible force, their forms lurching uncontrollably. The generals, despite their efforts to brace themselves, were yanked toward him, their powerful forms sliding uncontrollably across the ground, their roars turning into shouts of surprise.
Kenji didn't hesitate. With a burst of speed, amplified by his reduced personal gravity, he surged forward, White-masked blur, and unleashed Spirit Slash. The glowing blade arced outward, shimring with purified spiritual energy, a brilliant silver arc against the dark night, slicing toward the two generals, a deadly arc of light aid at their very essence.
The serpent, quick and flexible, dodged, its tail flicking fast enough to blur, narrowly avoiding the attack, a hiss of defiance escaping its lips.
The ox and Oni weren't so lucky. The ox had raised its massive, stone greatsword, raised in a desperate defense, but it was utterly useless as the light cut tore, and the oni hardly even reacted before both were cut into pieces.
Level up Sword Mastery (LV 8)
Level up Gravity Manipulation (LV 8)
The resulting blast from the spiritual energy of the Spirit Slash sliced through the space between them, a shock wave of pure energy, forcing Kenji to leap back as the pressure exploded outward, creating a temporary zone of chaotic energy that dispersed the remaining yokai. As the dust settled, the battlefield fell into a sudden, chilling hush, broken only by the crackle of residual magic.
Then ca the scream. A primal, guttural roar of pure, unadulterated fury, a sound that tore through the night, shaking the very foundations of the mountain.
Shuten-dōji's eyes burned with an infernal light, his single, malevolent orb radiating hatred, a terrifying inferno of rage. His aura exploded outward like wildfire, a storm of raw, uncontrolled power, his rage igniting into a terrifying tempest that sent tremors through the ground.
He stomped forward, scattering the remaining yokai who dared to stand in his path with casual brutality, swatting them aside like flies.
His eyes were locked on Kenji, burning, savage, promising a slow, agonizing death, a vengeance that would be etched into Kenji's very soul.
He charged, a mountain of muscle and malice, his massive kanabo raised high, wreathed in dark, destructive energy.
Kenji braced himself. Shuten-dōji wasn't soone to take lightly, especially not when enraged and fighting with such ferocity. The Yoaki had seed to have lost all reason and now just seed to focus on killing him.
He rushed at Kenji, nearly a blur to the senses.
This ti, Kenji erected a new gravity field, dense and layered, to subtly dampen Shuten-dōji's movents, to make his every step heavier, his every swing slower, a constant, invisible resistance. The mont Shuten-dōji appeared, a blur of destructive intent, his massive weapon swung down with terrifying force, aiming to pulverize Kenji into the earth.
Kenji's Danger Sense flared again, a searing warning that felt like a physical blow, and he threw himself to the side, a blur of motion, barely avoiding the incoming strike, the wind of its passage whipping at his mask.
The kanabo cleaved through the forest, uprooting trees, splintering rock, and leaving a gouge in the earth the size of a football field, a testant to its raw, destructive power, a horrifying display of force.
Kenji stared for a brief mont, Mind analyzing the sheer force.
'So this is High-Class power... 'he thought, a grim expression, it was sothing to see, yet he also knew that wasn't all, he knew this beast could still increase his output and do more damage. Ani did not do justice to beings like this. The scale is completely different, far more terrifying in reality.
In the ani it was said that soone like Serafall leviathan could twirl her wand and freeze japan, he could only imagine, it seed cool on Tv but here, now know that beings like that existed frighten him, if a re high class could do this with a re swing of a club and not even unleashing everything he didn't want to see what the higher levels could do.
He sent a few spirit slashes at Shuten-dōji, but he just shrugged them off and continued his charge. Every strike seed to increase in power, and he was getting faster and stronger.
'This is bad, If he keep going like this...' he grid at the thought and slamd the ground with his left foot, using gravity to shatter the ground, unbalancing the beast and used those few seconds before he righted himself to compress gravity into a small orb in his hand and blast the hulking yokai away into a mountainside, from him to give him space and a breather.
He nearly dropped down to his knees but held firm. He was trying to think of a plan to deal with the boss, but he felt danger sense again, but it was too late to react, and he was stabbed through the stomach by a blade, the chain user.
The serpent had used his lack of focus on him to ambush him. he tore out the blade and blasted gravity all around him, sending everything flying. He caught sight of the serpent rushing back at him.
He responded with a few well-placed fireballs, aiming for the serpent's tail, forcing it to move and break its concentration. The attacks forced evasive maneuvers, causing the serpent to hiss and spin, its chained blade whipping wildly, disrupting its rhythm.
But that's when the chains ca again. The serpentine yokai, despite the fire, was fast, incredibly fast, its movents blurring. Kenji barely had ti to react as the ground beneath him exploded, chains bursting forth with surprising speed, wrapping tightly around his limbs, binding him.
He unleashed a gravity blast again, but this ti the chains rapped around him didn't release him, they coiled around him to prevent him from escaping.
The serpent closed in, its coils whipping around him, restricting his movents further, its fangs dripping venom, its eyes gleaming with malicious triumph.
Then an explosion resounded as Shuten-dōji launched himself back into the fight, crashing down in front of them.
Kenji glared as Shuten-dōji approached, his massive form casting a terrifying shadow over him, raising his weapon again, a triumphant snarl on his face, ready to deliver the killing blow.
He raised the Kenbon, and it crackled with lightning and power.
He knew what was coming. And it seed even the serpent realized what was coming, as it didn't look like Shuten-dōji was going to give it a chance to let go of Kenji and had decided to kill them both.
He swung and a burst of lightning, magic, and raw force shot forth at Kenji and the snake that was panicking to let go of him, a final, devastating blow.
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