"It hurts!"
"I'm sorry! But if I don't cut you, you'll blow me up! I have no choice!"
Renji shouted his apology to Reze even as his movements continued without pause. He raised his blade again, preparing to strike.
Sparks flared between Reze's fingers. She glided rapidly through the air, drifting out of Renji's attack range.
Renji's swing cut empty air. Below him, the Shark Fiend was mid-charge and couldn't stop—she leaped straight into a floating fragment of the building on the opposite side.
But Beam reacted instantly. The moment she landed in the debris, she adjusted her posture and spun around.
Renji yanked the chains. The sudden pull launched Beam into another high leap, her gaping maw aimed directly at Reze.
Reze clung to a floating chunk of rubble, struggling to keep her balance.
Her severed left leg showed no signs of regeneration—clearly, she had pushed her abilities too far, depleting her blood. Not only that, she could no longer create the bombs she relied on. She couldn't even glide to evade.
"Reze-sama! I offer you all my blood!"
The Typhoon Devil bit off its own tongue without hesitation and opened its maw wide.
A torrent of crimson blood surged from its mouth like a tide, spraying accurately onto Reze's bomb-like head.
"Damn it! I ignore you, and you still get in my way?!"
Renji immediately wrenched the chains, twisting their direction. Beam plunged into another massive fragment, then used the impact to launch herself again—this time straight at the Typhoon Devil's main body.
She arced gracefully past the side of the Devil's enormous, grotesque infant head.
Renji struck. The Clothesline Pole carved deep into the nauseating brain-like "intestines," then sliced along their length.
Blood sprayed. The Typhoon Devil's agonized howls echoed through the sky.
Beam leaped into an adjacent fragment, twisted her body, and launched again. This time, her movements were even swifter—another clean pass beside the Typhoon Devil's head.
Renji didn't pause for an instant. His blade swept out, neatly severing another long section of the writhing "intestines."
"Ugh—AAAAAAHHHH! Wait! Stop! I surrender!!!"
The Typhoon Devil shrieked in terror, but it was too late.
"Only now do you regret it?! Too late! Beam! Faster! Push the speed to the absolute limit!!!"
Renji roared.
The Clothesline Pole blazed with golden magic, its edge gleaming with dazzling light. Sharpness maxed—ready for the final cut.
"Yes, Renji-sama!!!"
Beam's six huge eyeballs rolled wildly. Her speed abruptly soared to new heights.
So fast that she seemed to be spinning around the Typhoon Devil, forming a third layer—a pale-blue vortex—encircling the "intestines" and the "whirlwind."
And within that vortex, faint, thread-like golden lights flickered: the glow of the Clothesline Pole.
Gray, flesh-pink, blue, and gold—four colors interweaving and spiraling together—the scene was utterly spectacular.
The Typhoon Devil's massive body, dozens of meters tall, endured countless fierce, fatal slashes in an instant. Every single one landed precisely on its "intestines."
A series of chilling shink sounds rang out. Massive lengths of intestine spewed from its body, mercilessly carved into segments.
The severed coils flew wildly through the air, crimson blood splattering everywhere—a scene of nightmarish horror.
The relentless assault drove the Typhoon Devil to emit an ear-piercing, agonized scream. Even Hayakawa Aki and the others on the periphery shuddered at the sound.
The fierce winds the Typhoon Devil controlled faltered. Their force began to ebb, the violent gales slowly calming.
The wind could no longer support the intestines flying wildly; they all began to fall.
Gradually, the Typhoon Devil's chilling screams faded into silence. All the intestines wrapped around its body had been completely severed—not a single one remained intact.
The vortex of fierce winds that had surrounded it began to shrink rapidly, until it vanished altogether.
Then the Typhoon Devil's body started to soften and melt, eventually dissolving into piles of foul, rotting flesh and mud that rained down like thick drops, accumulating into a towering, putrid mound.
The wind stopped.
The sky-obscuring dust and sand disappeared without a trace. The surrounding scenery suddenly became clear.
Renji sat on the Shark Fiend's back, coming to a halt against the wall of the office building.
He raised his head and gazed into the distance.
He saw a crystalline, brilliant light—like the most dazzling star in the night sky.
It was the bright moon reflecting off the magnificent sea, casting a dreamlike, beautiful glow. Truly stunning.
Renji shouted into the surroundings.
"Reze! It's over! Give up!"
The Shark Fiend twitched her nose a few times, then suddenly cried out in alarm.
"Renji-sama! I smell bombs—behind the wall!"
Inside the wall beside Renji, a sharp crack sounded. A tiny fissure appeared in the center. Renji turned to look—and the entire wall collapsed with a roar.
A massive intercontinental missile, wreathed in fiery lines, flew directly toward Renji's face. It was Reze's leg, transformed.
Renji released one hand instantly, yanked the chains, and kicked the Shark Fiend away with all his strength.
Light blazed. The missile exploded. The sheer force distorted the air around it. The hundred-meter-tall, already shattered office building could no longer withstand the impact.
Countless bricks and steel beams sheared away. The entire structure began to break apart, disintegrating in midair.
Building fragments—some meters wide, others dozens of meters across—rained down like a storm. The scene was apocalyptic.
Amidst the pervasive smoke and dust, Renji was hurled into the air, crashing heavily onto the roof of a higher platform.
Coughing, he pulled the chains still in his hand and rose unsteadily. Reze was already standing opposite him.
"Renji, shouldn't you be the one to give up? You must be running on empty, right?"
"Yeah. I really can't hold on. My magic is at rock bottom."
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