"Let's end this quickly!"
Cursed energy surged through Ino's body as a mysterious aura descended upon him. If he was going to fight, he had to go all out. He could not allow them even the slightest chance to harm Ijichi.
Otherwise, how could he still say things like, "I want Nanami-san to recommend me as a grade 1 sorcerer"? And how could he live up to that man's trust?
"Auspicious Beasts Summon, Number One: Kaichi!"
He stretched both hands forward as cursed energy gathered between his palms and condensed into a sharp conical spike covered in patterns.
That was the legendary horn that grew from the head of the auspicious beast Kaichi.
The next moment, the horn wrapped in Ino's cursed energy began spinning at high speed and shot toward Haruta and Ebina.
Zzzt!
But something unexpected happened. Ebina did not dodge. Instead, he reached out with both hands and grabbed the rapidly spinning horn midair.
The rotating horn scraped against the cursed energy in his palms, producing sparks and even a sizzling sound like food frying in oil.
"Not very impressive, sorcerer!"
When the horn finally stopped spinning, Ebina had been pushed several steps backward from his original position. Even so, he remained arrogant.
Holding the horn in his hand, he waved it around like a trophy.
"Looks like this will work nicely. Letting my precious sword drink the blood of a strong opponent once in a while sounds great."
Haruta lifted the strange katana in his hand, looking like a creepy fanatic.
However, he did not plan to join the fight directly. With his strength, interfering in this level of battle would be difficult. He was simply waiting for a chance to pick up the leftovers.
"You're celebrating already? We're only getting started."
Ino waved his hands, and the Kaichi horn instantly disappeared from the enemy's grip.
"Here I come."
Ebina paid it no mind. Lowering his stance and bending his knees, his legs exploded with force and cracked the ground beneath his feet.
His body shot forward like a sharp arrow aimed straight at Ino and Ijichi.
"Number Two: Reiki!"
Just before the enemy's hand strike landed on his shoulder, Ino switched abilities.
When he raised his arms to block the attack, his feet sank slightly downward as if he were standing on water. His body moved smoothly along the opponent's attack path, gliding across the ground like he was wearing skates while effortlessly dodging and deflecting each strike.
Boom!
After another clash, Ino redirected the attack using minimal force to counter great strength, sending Ebina flying away.
"What kind of ability is that..."
The hooded curse user sat up from the ground and wiped the blood from his mouth. A hint of caution appeared on his face.
Their strength levels did not seem to be the same.
"Ever heard of Auspicious Beasts Summon?"
That was Ino's technique. By covering his face and acting as a medium, he could summon the power of four legendary auspicious beasts and use their abilities.
Number One: Kaichi. Focuses power at a single point to create powerful piercing attacks.
Number Two: Reiki. Turns the ground beneath his feet into a surface like water. He can glide across it like a turtle floating on water, greatly improving defense and mobility.
Number Three: Kirin. Enhances self-healing and stamina recovery while increasing durability. It also dulls his sense of pain.
Number Four: Ryu. Temporarily raises his cursed energy level and allows him to release the concentrated energy from his fists like a dragon's roar.
The only drawback was that the mask covering his face could cause slight oxygen deprivation if the fight became too intense.
Ino kept sliding across the ground, ready to move instantly. But no matter what, he stayed within five meters of Ijichi.
There were two enemies, and they clearly targeted the assistant managers. If he focused on defeating them instead of protecting Ijichi, he might be distracted for a moment. That alone would be dangerous.
"I see. Then our abilities are kind of similar."
Ebina pointed at his frog-like headgear.
"My technique lets me jump like a frog. The longer I charge, the stronger the leap becomes!"
Knowing he was weaker, he openly revealed his ability. He had already noticed Ino's concern. That was the only reason he dared to continue fighting.
A beast chained down could still be killed by something slightly weaker.
Just imagining it excited him.
"Wait for it, sorcerer!"
About ten meters away, he lowered his stance again as all of his cursed energy gathered in his legs, growing stronger by the second.
"No chance! Number Four: Ryu!"
Seeing this, Ino immediately used his strongest move. He canceled the Reiki and switched to the Ryu.
Powerful cursed energy gathered in his fist, and he punched forward. A violent shockwave shot toward the curse user who was still charging his attack.
"Nope."
Speaking in his usual mocking tone, Haruta stepped forward and raised his sword, blocking the attack in front of Ebina.
Boom!
The shockwave exploded, filling the area with smoke and dust.
But…
"That's impossible!"
Once the smoke cleared, Haruta casually brushed dust off his body. Aside from a few scratches and a trembling hand, he looked mostly unharmed.
Ino stared in disbelief. That strike had absolutely reached grade 1 level power.
"Three times! After charging, I get three boosted jumps!"
Ebina raised three fingers. His charging was complete, and his aura had completely changed.
"First jump!"
With a shout, he pushed off the ground and appeared in front of Ino in the blink of an eye.
"Number Three: Kirin!"
Ino switched abilities again. Crossing his arms in front of his chest, he took the powerful punch head-on and was forced several steps backward.
"Ino-san!"
Behind him, Ijichi shouted anxiously. Being protected by someone risking his life felt like a needle piercing his heart. It was unbearable.
"It's fine. Only two jumps left!"
The attack indeed was stronger than before, but still within what he could handle.
Ino glanced at Haruta nearby. He already had a plan. When the enemy used the third jump, he would switch to Ryu and finish him instantly.
Vrrr!
Suddenly, a loud roaring sound came from the sky.
Everyone looked up. At some point, a helicopter had appeared above them.
"This area should be sealed..."
Ijichi waved frantically, trying to signal them to leave. But to his disbelief, the helicopter door opened more than twenty meters in the air.
A figure jumped out.
Boom!
When he landed, the ground beneath his feet cracked like a spiderweb, the impact spreading outward from his landing point.
Yet the man stood up as if nothing had happened.
"You are—"
"Not your turn to speak, trash."
Ebina had barely opened his mouth before the muscular man in a tight shirt cut him off.
His lazy face carried only one thing.
Absolute confidence.
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