The next day.
That day Naoki didn't go to school. After all, it was the last day of the three-day leave he had requested from school.
In his original plan, after he successfully copied Su Ling'er's Peach Blessing on the first day of his leave, he should have immediately left China and flown to the United States to target the next Peach Blessing, then returned to Japan on the third day.
Unfortunately, life often doesn't go according to plan.
Naoki was caught while infiltrating Su Ling'er's residential area in Zhongnanhai and was forced to flee. Although he managed to carry out his action the next day, it caused his carefully laid plans to fall apart.
Feeling his time wasn't sufficient to follow through with the trip to America, Naoki reluctantly canceled the mission and chose to return to Japan.
"It's time to test «Decimal Point» on other Peach Blessings." Naoki muttered while washing his breakfast dishes in the kitchen sink. "Let's see the impact of tenfold amplification."
He dried his hands, folded his apron, and went upstairs.
In his room, he opened the wardrobe. Naoki changed his clothes into an outfit that concealed his appearance including his face with a hood.
"«Pandemonium»"
His pupils changed. An inverted golden-blackish cross pattern appeared, glowing dimly behind the hood. The Qliphoth Tree diagram manifested briefly behind his back—the Thaumiel slot glowed, indicating «Ame-no-Mitori» was being accessed.
That phenomenon disappeared in an instant, leaving only the pattern in his pupils.
*BUZZ!*
A pitch-black portal opened with a soft humming sound, dropping several white bird feathers that vanished before touching the floor. Naoki stepped in without hesitation.
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
Mato.
The air here was never truly fresh; it felt heavy, carrying the aroma of dry earth that had been dead for centuries. Its sky was a permanent purple expanse that looked sickly, decorated by static cloud formations that were never blown by wind.
The Mato area was as large as Kyoto, but the number of Anti-Demon Corps personnel stationed within it didn't exceed double digits. Mathematically, the probability of Naoki accidentally encountering someone else was 0.0000114%—about 1 in 8.7 million.
Of course, that calculation didn't account for female agents sent by various countries to infiltrate Mato to steal Peaches. They were an unpredictable variable.
"This place is as deserted as usual. If someone with kenophobia came here, they'd probably go crazy."
To test his power, he needed targets. So, he walked aimlessly, letting his instincts guide him.
Mato was the most dangerous location in the world for civilians. But for Naoki, this was a personal training ground.
*RUMBLE!*
He didn't need to wait long, the ground around him shook violently. Terrifying creatures emerged one by one from the earth.
These creatures were taller than the average adult male with various shapes and builds, most had dark skin color and texture resembling raw muscle while their faces were pure white, deformed faces that looked like horrifying masks.
Humanity called them Shuuki.
Nearly a hundred Shuuki now surrounded him from all directions, but Naoki showed not the slightest fear.
Instead, he took a martial arts stance—low horse stance, hands open, breathing regular.
«Pandemonium» was still active. The Qliphoth Tree diagram didn't manifest visually, but he could feel it in his mind.
He focused his consciousness.
And for the first time, the Samael slot containing the Peach Blessing «Crazy Sheep» glowed!
«Crazy Sheep» was the Peach Blessing Naoki copied from Wakasa Sahara, a member of the Sixth Unit. Its ability was simple: Physical Enhancement.
Naoki and Sahara could drastically increase their physical strength for a duration they determined themselves, with a minimum range of 1 minute and maximum of 60 minutes.
The shorter the chosen time duration, the greater the burst of power they received.
The weakness was, after the duration expired, they had to wait for three minutes before being able to use «Crazy Sheep» again.
"Let's use full power! One-minute mode!" Naoki thought for a moment before making a decision.
As a Reincarnator, he understood the lower and upper limits of «Crazy Sheep».
60 minutes—Basic level: Physical Enhancement slightly above average ordinary humans. Enough to fight street thugs, but not monsters.
30 minutes—Intermediate level: Physical Enhancement equivalent to standard Anti-Demon Corps soldiers in facing ordinary Shuuki. Effective, but not spectacular.
10 minutes—High level: Physical Enhancement began showing speed and strength difficult for human eyes to follow.
5 minutes—Powerhouse level: Physical Enhancement capable of destroying concrete easily.
3 minutes—Superhuman level: Physical Enhancement possessed highly destructive power; capable of matching high-level Shuuki alone.
1 minute—Highest level: Physical Enhancement possessed peak power; lightning-fast speed and massive destructive power that could neutralize strong enemies in one attack.
In the original work, Sahara in one-minute mode was able to match Suruga Shushu who transformed with her Peach Blessing «Paradigm Shift» into a 20-meter-tall giant.
Sahara's attack power in one-minute duration reached small city destruction level, with one punch having massive kinetic energy. Her speed increased to Subsonic+ level and her body became as hard as steel.
And now, that power resided within Naoki.
*ZING!*
When Naoki activated «Crazy Sheep» through «Pandemonium», the atmosphere around him changed instantly.
A thick and blazing golden aura began seeping out from his skin pores, not merely enveloping, but wrapping his entire body in a glow of intimidating light. The golden color mixed with red, like an eternal fire.
His somewhat messy snow-white hair now lifted slowly, as if pulled by invisible gravity. Those strands of hair danced, blown by the aura of energy overflowing from his body, creating an almost mystical silhouette.
"It feels like a Super Saiyan transformation..." Naoki whispered, his golden-glowing eyes gazing at his own hands.
His muscles didn't physically enlarge, but he could feel extraordinary power flowing through every muscle fiber, every bone, every cell.
*WHOOSH!*
He jumped.
Not an ordinary jump. That leap brought him 20 meters high in an instant, passing over the heads of still-confused Shuuki. For a moment, he floated in Mato's purple air, a black shadow with blazing white hair.
Then, he fell.
*BRAK!*
His fist struck the first Shuuki's head with perfect accuracy.
Not just the head that was destroyed. The entire Shuuki's body exploded instantly, scattered in the air. The ground beneath it sank forming a two-meter-wide crater.
Naoki didn't stop.
*BOOM!*
A spinning kick swept three Shuuki at once. Their bodies broke in half like dry twigs, flung dozens of meters before exploding.
*BYUR!*
A high-speed jab punch—too fast to see, only its aftermath could be felt. A basketball-sized hole pierced through the fourth Shuuki's chest, exiting at its back.
*BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!*
Elbows, knees, head—every part of Naoki's body was a deadly weapon. He moved like a small storm in the middle of an ocean of monsters. Each punch produced a small explosion, each kick created a shockwave. His golden-red aura blazed brighter, creating light trails with every movement.
A Shuuki tried to attack from behind. Naoki didn't look back. He just swung his elbow backward without looking.
*CRASH!*
That white mask face shattered into pieces, followed by its entire body immediately collapsing.
Three Shuuki charged simultaneously. Naoki dropped down, spun low, then swept their legs with speed that made the air hiss. All three fell together. Before they touched the ground, three consecutive punches had already destroyed their heads.
Black Shuuki blood splattered everywhere, soaking Naoki's clothes, but he didn't care.
He laughed.
Not the insane laugh of a supervillain, but a laugh of pure satisfaction from someone who found a very enjoyable new toy.
"Hahaha! Now this is what I call power!"
*WHOOSH!*
He jumped again, this time higher. At the peak of his jump, he clasped both hands and struck downward like a sledgehammer.
*BOOM!*
A shockwave spread in all directions. The ground in a 10-meter radius sank 30 centimeters. Five Shuuki that were right at the center of impact were immediately leveled to the ground, leaving no remains, while the others were flung away.
Naoki stood in the middle of the crater, his breathing slightly labored but his eyes sparkling.
28 seconds remaining.
He dashed forward.
Five punches. Five Shuuki fell.
20 seconds.
Three kicks. Three bodies exploded.
15 seconds.
A pair of combination punches. Four Shuuki destroyed.
10 seconds.
Only a few remained trying to escape. Naoki didn't chase. He just stood in place, took a deep breath, and let his aura peak.
5 seconds.
3 seconds.
1 second.
0 seconds.
That golden-red aura faded instantly. His hair that had been floating fell back down. His breathing that had been held back now came out in a long exhale.
"Haaah... perfect."
Around him, not a single Shuuki remained. Only craters, rock fragments, and corpse remains.
95 Shuuki in 60 seconds.
Naoki felt the three-minute cooldown from «Crazy Sheep»—an inevitable recovery period. But he didn't mind. He just stood in the middle of the destruction he created, gazing at his own hands that were still slightly trembling from the surge of energy that had just subsided.
"This is without amplification. What if I add «Decimal Point»?"
A thin smile graced his lips behind the mask.
"Ten times this power..."
He didn't continue his sentence.
Some things were better imagined first, and enjoyed later.