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Chapter - 6: Broken Seal
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I started the battle in the simplest way possible, without resorting to flashy moves, because I wanted to end the fight quickly; I had other things to do and no intention of wasting time with her.
However, from the very first moment, it was clear to me that she was very different from that idiot of her step-brother. A clear and unequivocal sense of danger emanated from her, something that prevented me from underestimating her for even a single second.
That is why I had chosen a cautious approach an opening move designed only to measure her and see how far she could go. But I was probably overthinking it, given that she remained motionless in front of me, completely relaxed, without even activating her monstrous form.
It was quite evident that she was absolutely convinced she didn't need it to face me. And, to be honest, she would most likely have been right if the blood flowing through my veins didn't belong to an S-rank monster.
In her eyes, I was nothing more than an insignificant insect to be crushed without the slightest effort, someone not even worth taking seriously. And the most ironic thing was that she still hadn't the slightest idea of what I was truly capable of, both in terms of physical characteristics and, naturally, the innate abilities that derived from them.
In that moment, I couldn't help but wonder: what could Saizou have told her about me? However, considering the little I had managed to understand of his personality in that brief span of time, it wouldn't have surprised me at all if he had told her something to make me seem weak or easy to handle.
Not that it really mattered in the end, since most monsters were arrogant by nature. It was simply part of their instincts to underestimate others, to look down on those they considered inferior, never realizing that, in most stories, it was the humans who ended up coming out on top.
It was definitely time to wake her from that sweet dream of hers, if she truly believed this encounter would be that simple. After all, the blood of that bastard werewolf flowed in my veins, which automatically placed me among the strongest monsters, whether I wanted it or not.
I took a step forward without any warning, closing the distance in an instant. For a fraction of a second, I saw her eyes widen since she didn't expect my speed to be so overwhelming compared to hers.
To be honest, there was nothing that impressive about it, at least if compared to what Mikogami was capable of showing when he took my training seriously. My true talent didn't lie in the precision of movements or refined technique, but in something much simpler.
My absolute physical strength.
Nothing more, nothing less.
My punch snapped out dry and compact, aimed at the stomach, right against the abdominals. It was a blow designed to break her breath, to force the body to fold in on itself—an attack studied to end the clash before it could even truly begin.
The punch hit her in the abdomen with a dull, unnatural sound, and I clearly felt her bones give way under my strength as she fell to her knees, spitting out a good deal of blood.
My gaze shifted for a moment to Saizou, who stood there incredibly calm, with his usual arrogant expression painted on his face, as if he weren't the least bit worried about the idea that, once I was finished with her, I would go directly for him.
Was he not worried about her at all?
To tell the truth, I hadn't the slightest idea how family dynamics really worked among monsters, given all the races and cultures that existed in the world—many more than human ones—it certainly wasn't something I could easily understand or interpret.
Not that I sincerely cared much, at least not regarding them; given their intentions toward me, and especially thinking of Moka, I had no doubt that if I lost this battle, a miserable end would await me.
"That hurts like hell!" My gaze immediately snapped back to her, just in time to see her stand back up without much trouble, while a smile spread across her lips and her eyes shone with excitement as they fixed on mine.
"You're tougher than I initially thought," I couldn't help but comment, seeing as, despite having held back most of my strength, that blow certainly wasn't easy for anyone to withstand.
"Oh, you're damn right I am!" she muttered. "After all, I can't collapse that easily, especially now that things are starting to get really interesting." She leaned forward slightly, without the slightest trace of modesty, offering me all too clear a view of her generous chest which clearly displayed her cleavage.
"Interesting?" I couldn't help but ask as my contempt for her grew second by second. "And is that really the only reason you're trying to do something like this, like raping Moka and using me however you please?"
"Why does there have to be a grand reason?" Her eyes sparkled with an almost feverish excitement as she licked her lips in an overtly provocative way. "I wouldn't mind having you as my personal heater and, while we're at it, why not leave that bitch to my step-brother since I'm clearly better than her...?"
I pulled my fist back calmly. "Thanks, but I refuse," I replied quietly. "And above all, I'm not finished yet." I shifted my weight forward, planted my foot on the ground, and let all the strength from my legs surge up through my body in a single fluid motion, then struck from below with a sharp kick aimed at her chin.
Usually, I avoided using that part of my body, because when I struck with my legs, there were never any half-measures; I knew very well they were my true strength. The leg muscles are among the most powerful in the human body, designed to support weight, generate thrust, and absorb impact, capable of unleashing a devastating blow if let go without restraint.
She reacted instinctively, crossing both arms in an attempt to block the blow, and I couldn't help but smile at her move a clear mistake. When my kick hit her arms, an explosive force was released, so intense it made the air around us tremble.
A sharp, unnatural sound reached me immediately, with bones snapping with repeated cracks like branches crushed under a press, as her arms bent backward and her body was hurled away with devastating force, digging deep furrows in the ground as she was dragged for several meters.
She landed on her feet without any effort. «Now I'm starting to understand how you beat my step-brother!» she exclaimed, swaying slightly as she stared at me with a look that, in more ways than one, I didn't like. «You really are the best, different from all the other soy boys in this fucking school.»
I ignored her words, because my senses caught something I hadn't expected at all: the bones that had broken moments before were beginning to mend themselves with a wet, unsettling sound.
Her muscles realigned, joints returned to their places, nerves closed up as if the damage had never existed. In a few seconds, her arms were perfect again, ready to fight as if nothing had ever happened.
Rapid regeneration.
Now I understood why she was so self-assured...
I didn't give her time to talk, because what I had seen moments before had convinced me to take her seriously. I launched myself at her with a flurry of close-range strikes: a sharp punch to the chest, one to the ribs, and then a lateral hook to the flank.
I felt her ribs give way under the impact, one after another, like thin glass, while her torso bent unnaturally, her body trying to compensate for the displacement as she was dragged backward.
She growled, grabbing my arm with superhuman strength, and counterattacked with a knee to the stomach. The impact was heavy, but not enough to push me back, so I responded with a direct headbutt to her face.
The sound of her nasal bones shattering was unmistakable as she took a step back, her face distorted. Blood just began to flow before stopping almost immediately as, before my eyes, her nose reshaped: the flesh realigned, the bones returned to their place.
And she laughed.
She actually laughed.
"Ah... fantastic!" she said, stretching her neck as her body completed the regeneration. "It's been a long time since someone managed to hurt me. I guess I'll have to take things more seriously if I really want to win this battle and be able to enjoy your face while you're coming under me."
When she finished speaking, her body began to mutate radically, swelling and growing, as the school uniform tore under the new muscular mass, leaving exposed a powerful body covered only by a skin-tight suit.
Her skin was green, her arms multiplied, and some parts of her body were covered in scales similar to those of a Lizardman—or at least they resembled them. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that every muscle, every detail, now emanated a monstrous strength, perfectly suited to the form before my eyes.
I couldn't help but observe the girl carefully, letting time slow down just enough for my mind to scan through all the new possibilities the fight might offer.
The extra arms represented the first problem: she now had more attack angles, more grips, and more ways to trap me if I got too close. And the tail was certainly no less dangerous—a constant threat ready to unbalance or immobilize me at any moment.
Her body was clearly enhanced: dense muscles, solid posture, and a low center of gravity that screamed pure power. She seemed built more for smashing than for chasing, but I wasn't so foolish as to underestimate her just because I felt confident in my abilities.
Yes, I still had to watch out for sudden bursts of speed, but the real problem was another: her regeneration. Until I overcame that, the fight wouldn't end. Fortunately, I had the right technique.
I used the time she needed to return to her true form to channel my Yōki into my fingernails, increasing their cutting power far beyond the normal—enough to sever what would normally be untouchable—and I was always ready to use it as a ranged energy attack if the situation required it.
It was a simple technique, almost crude, as Mikogami called it, but for that very reason, it was extremely effective—practically my trump card to use when I wanted to fight seriously.
In the meantime, I met her gaze and asked without much interest, "Let me guess... Oni? Lizardman?"
She tilted her head and burst out laughing. "No, nothing that simple, but you're close to the answer. Not that it's hard to figure out if you look at my features."
I studied her for another moment and nodded. "A hybrid."
Her smile widened, amused and almost smug, and with some of the extra arms clapping theatrically, she said, "Ding ding, correct answer for my charming new boyfriend. My step-brother and I are Monstrels, in case it wasn't clear... Though, if you want, I can tell you our species; it might be useful for defeating me." She winked at me maliciously.
I shrugged, responding, «I was just confirming.»
From what I remembered from the bestiary, the term literally indicated an Ayashi or a hybrid Yōkai, and probably derived from the fusion of the English words monster and mongrel, the latter used to describe "mixed race" or something composed of different parts. In this context, Monstrel indicated monsters born from the union of two different races—hybrids or fusions that combined the characteristics of both species, making them unique and dangerous creatures.
She laughed even louder, leaning slightly forward. «Really, I like you more and more!» I didn't answer—there was no need—as my Yōki began to condense in my hands, vibrating under my skin like a beast ready to be unleashed.
It was at that moment she attacked, and it wasn't a simple run, but a full charge. I saw her advancing like a damn truck, making the ground shake under her feet, cracking and crumbling with every step, and despite her enormous size, she was upon me in an instant.
I lunged forward and unleashed my energy claw with a violent slash, but she didn't slow down at all, crossing her extra arms in front of her body and continuing the charge like a furious bull.
My attack hit, and the screeching sound that followed was reminiscent of saws cutting through meat, as deep furrows opened on her arms—so deep that for a moment I could glimpse the bones beneath the cuts.
She looked at the wounds and then smiled. "Oh?" she said, amused. "Is that all?!" She was on me moments later, as the fight degenerated since I found myself defending against multiple punches from multiple directions, missed grabs, and brutal blows designed to crush me.
I dodged them one by one, reading her movements without difficulty. Then I felt the sudden grip around my leg: her tail wrapped around me, tightening like a steel cable.
She showed her teeth, eyes glowing with excitement. "Caught you. Time to return the favor; after all, I'm no fucking masochist!" Her fist launched toward my face, loaded with all her monstrous strength.
My expression didn't change at all because, like her, strength had always been my best quality. For that very reason, I simultaneously channeled much more Yōki than usual into my attack and struck.
The impact was devastating.
A violent explosion tore through the air, followed by a deafening roar, and the shockwave hurled us both backward, kicking up debris and dust. When I managed to refocus, I saw her condition: one arm was completely gone, and she was clutching it tightly to stop the blood dripping between her fingers.
I looked down at my own arm: injured, yes, but only superficially, because I had used Yōki and the damage was minimal.
"Honestly,» I admitted, pointing to my Yōki-charged hand, "I thought that with my close-range attack you would have lost more than one arm, given that my Sankon Tessō isn't exactly forgiving."
"Yeah, I noticed," she replied with a surprisingly calm tone, without her usual delinquent attitude, as she looked at the missing arm. "I have to thank my Lizard side for giving me tough scales, but if you think I'll give up just because of this, you're dead wrong."
I didn't have time to respond before hearing Moka scream "Sieg!" and I turned just in time to see her kick Saizou in the balls, making him collapse to the ground doubled over in pain, moaning and crying pathetically.
I didn't immediately notice his sister's reaction, but the flush rising to her face, even under the greenish skin, did not escape me. "S-sorry you had to see how pathetic he is..." she murmured, visibly embarrassed.
"It's fine, not a problem," I replied, almost feeling pity for her for having such a damn pathetic step-brother...
"Don't you dare make fun of me!" Saizou growled and, immediately, his body began to swell, growing impressively.
The school uniform tore, revealing an enormous mass of muscle, his torso covered in spines, his tongue lengthening disgustingly as he stared at Moka with a hungry gaze, ready to strike.
I certainly couldn't just stand by and watch, and in an instant, I was beside him, kicking him so hard I sent him flying toward his sister, who caught him with one of her extra arms without any difficulty.
I watched her as she looked at him with pure anger, eyes full of raw rage. "What the fuck did you think you were doing, idiot!? You're getting in the middle of my fucking battle!" she screamed, her voice vibrating with frustration and fury.
"I-I'm sorry, sister..." he stammered, bent under the weight of pain and shame. It was almost comical to see him like that—pathetic even in his monster form and yet for a moment, I felt a glimmer of pity.
I watched them bickering, a sense of frustration growing inside me. I had to focus on the fight, yes, but I couldn't neglect Moka. I had no doubt I could defeat them both, but I didn't want to risk her safety.
I didn't like situations like this that prevented me from fully exploiting my power, since I was still hesitating to kill, while my instinct told me that a single false step could make everything worse.
At that moment, a clear and pragmatic idea crossed my mind, and for that reason, I approached her, leaning slightly to look at her almost upside down. "If I removed that seal, could you protect yourself?" I asked in a calm but firm voice, since I absolutely needed to know.
Moka blinked, confused and uncertain. "...I don't kn-know... I only remember fragments of before getting the rosary, and besides, no one can remove it from my neck, it's always been that way..."
She didn't even remember how powerful she was?
This made me realize that her situation was complicated in ways that went far beyond the normal. My senses clearly indicated there was something behind it—something linked to Mikogami and his plans.
As for the fact that no one could take the rosary from her neck, I knew from the start that wasn't entirely true: nothing "convenient" truly exists. Even my Holy Lock had limits, and attempting to exceed them in the past would have meant becoming a Ghoul, losing control, and risking self-destruction.
There had to be a special condition, a precise way to bypass the bond without getting hurt, and reflecting carefully, a crucial detail struck me: the Mikogami preferred humans.
If indeed that artifact had been created using their Black Arts and designed according to their criteria, then the answer became surprisingly clear: only a human could remove it.
"Sieg?" She said, raising her eyebrows as I approached, while her face turned red as I delicately brushed the chain around her neck and carefully slid the rosary from under her shirt into the palm of my hand.
Tek.
The rosary detached from her neck without resistance
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