Chapter 143: Four Super Dangerous Species
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The fire flickered, its heat filling the air and driving away the night's chill.
Kurome lay curled up next to the fire, fast asleep, a bag of snacks clutched in her hands. On it, the words "Kurome's Snacks" were clearly visible.
Aoki leaned back against a rock, his head resting on his arms. He had been mulling over a problem since the start of the day.
Where were the complex spatial fluctuations here coming from?
Space—or time and space—has a natural ability to self-repair. From severe space cracks to minor fluctuations, they would inevitably disappear over time if not influenced by external forces.
However, since the daytime, the spatial fluctuations here had not weakened.
There had to be one or more sources of the disturbance. And it had to be related to the super-dangerous creature that had teleported them here.
Find the source, destroy it, and then space travel would become possible.
Aoki had left two space markers as a precaution on their journey here, which would now come in handy.
He looked up at the sky. If he could fly, it would be much easier to survey the terrain. However, whenever he looked up, a faint sense of danger stirred in his heart.
Something was definitely wrong up there.
"Is there another super-dangerous species?" Aoki grinned at the thought.
Adding the one that controlled space, that made three super-dangerous species in this small area.
No.
There were at least three, possibly more.
The sun broke through the darkness, and daylight returned.
Kurome stirred, opening her eyes and immediately grabbing Yatsufusa, sitting up in a vigilant posture.
"Awake?" Aoki's voice, familiar and calm, came from beside her. Kurome relaxed, nodded, and found her snack bag. She took out a piece of candy and popped it into her mouth.
"I'm planning to check the sky," Aoki announced.
Just because he felt a sense of danger didn't mean he could ignore his duty to investigate.
Even if there was a super-dangerous species in the sky, it couldn't kill him with one blow.
His main concern was whether the creature would chase him.
"How will you get up there?" Kurome asked.
"I have a plan."
"Then I'll come with you"
Aoki smiled. Kurome was a dependable partner.
"No, it'll be easier if I go alone. But you need to stay ready for a fight."
"If there is a super-dangerous species up there and it comes down after me, we'll need to be prepared to either drive it off or kill it."
Kurome's super-dangerous puppet was incredibly powerful, and Aoki had specifically conserved her strength for a situation like this.
"I understand," Kurome said, drawing her Yatsufusa but not yet summoning the puppets.
With a sudden whoosh, huge black bat wings spread from Aoki's back, and his figure shot up into the sky.
Kurome watched him ascend, her black eyes glittering with curiosity.
"Is that a Teigu? It feels different."
Aoki soared like a rocket. As he neared the treetops, he flapped his wings twice before folding them in tightly, crashing through the tree canopy like a bullet.
After a brief moment of darkness, the view opened up before him.
Aoki emerged from the canopy and surveyed his surroundings, surprise flashing across his face.
Contrary to his expectations, they weren't on an island.
Below him stretched a dense, lush, primeval forest. Beyond that, a barren, misty gray wasteland littered with bones came into view.
Through the mist, the faint outline of a towering mountain could be seen in the distance.
The other side was exactly as Aoki had thought—an endless ocean.
Before he could take in more of the view, a sharp whistling sound reached his ears.
Before he could react, razor-sharp wind blades struck him.
Puff, puff, puff!
Aoki was instantly torn to pieces, his body shredded, even his head split in two. The immense wind pressure bore down on him like invisible hands, forcing his body into a rapid descent.
Aoki rolled his eyes toward the source of the attack. A massive gray-white figure appeared in his field of vision, resembling the legendary pterosaur, with a wingspan nearly fifty meters wide.
"Sure enough, there's another super dangerous species," Aoki muttered as he crashed into the tree canopy below.
As he fell, mouths appeared all over his body, each opening to create a swallowing force. The fragmented parts of his body began to pull together, regenerating and recovering. After all, if Muzan Kibutsuji could do it, so could he.
However, the suction force was limited, only strong enough to gather his limbs. Just before hitting the ground, Aoki's body had fully regenerated. His bat wings unfurled, slightly slowing his descent, though he was still badly injured—80% of his bones were broken, and all his internal organs were ruptured.
Yet, when he stood up, he was completely healed.
Kurome stood frozen, stunned by his extraordinary abilities.
"There's definitely a super dangerous species up there," Aoki said. "It looks like a pterosaur, and it can launch wind blade attacks. Its destructive power is terrifying."
In comparison to the previous super dangerous species, this one was less threatening to him. Wind blades couldn't kill him completely; even if he was sliced apart, he could regenerate.
"So, what should we do now?" Kurome asked.
"Let's head west and check it out," Aoki replied. "There's an ocean in that direction."
He had already determined the direction by observing the sun.
"Do you think there are super dangerous species in the ocean?" Kurome asked.
"It's possible," Aoki said. "But we need to see it ourselves before we can come up with a plan."
Kurome agreed, and they set off.
The journey wasn't easy.
The forest was crawling with dangerous species, many of them extremely lethal. They fought their way through, battling as they went.
Along the way, Aoki continued to search for the source of the spatial fluctuations, but found nothing.
By the time they reached the beach, it was already the next day.
One glance was all it took to know there were more super dangerous species here.
A massive snail, as large as a small hill, lay sprawled across the beach, producing incredibly strong mucus. When Aoki tried stepping on it, he had to cut off his own legs to escape the sticky trap.
"It's pretty clear now. There are a total of four super dangerous species here. Three of them are currently stationed—one blocking the sky, one the sea, and one the land."
Aoki added, "Now, we need to decide which one we should target as our breakthrough point."
Kurome quietly ate a piece of candy before responding, "We can only go after the species in the east."
She knew she wouldn't be able to help against the one in the sky. The giant snail was immobile, covered in that sticky mucus.
The only possibility left was the dangerous species to the east, the one they hadn't yet encountered.
Aoki nodded. "But before we move forward, we need to confirm one thing: will the creature in the sky come down to assist?"
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T/N: There is a Patreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early chapters.
Patreon link:- Patreon.com/ANelite
And also:
Imperial weapon = Teigu
Teigu = Imperial weapon