Rentaro, Kisara, Enju, and Tina could only glance at each other with dumbfounded and confused expressions. The combination of El's calmness and Kayo's annoyance created a unique and unusual dynamic in their eyes.
"You want to leave me here?" Kayo snorted, turning around while shaking her head. "Remember, this isn't a daycare center! You can't go around doing whatever you want!"
"Ah! The Specter Princess is at it again," chirped one of the Cursed Child while watching Kayo who was busy ranting.
"How long do you think... Will Princess Twister stop exploding?" asked another child while resting her chin on her hand and eyes watching enthusiastically.
"I don't know," replied the other child, seriously watching Kayo explode. "Maybe... Five minutes."
After about ten minutes without stopping, Kayo finally seemed to be running out of steam. Panting, she looked up at El with a frustrated expression. "You... are really crazy! What a... crazy person!"
Without saying much, El took out a bottle of mineral water from her Storage Ring quickly and quietly, almost unnoticed by those around.
El held out the bottle to Kayo with a flat expression. "You're thirsty. This is for you. Drink it slowly, so you don't choke."
Kayo stared at the bottle for a moment, a little confused, before finally accepting it. With her eyes still watching El, she unscrewed the cap and began to drink the water.
Around them, the children smiled amusedly at how El could always calm Kayo down with her typical cold demeanor, while Kayo ended up being silent, focused on her drink.
After Kayo gulped down the mineral water, El carved a rarely seen faint smile on her face and turned around. "Alright, I'll go first... Remember, if you want to come with me, you have to master all the Demon Slaying Techniques I taught you."
As soon as those words were finished, El's figure suddenly vanished, as if it had just vaporized. The children around who saw were immediately shocked, some even gaping in disbelief at what had just happened.
Enju, Tina, Rentaro also did not escape the shock. Fortunately, such a person is not an enemy, nor a villain like Kagetane Hiroko, otherwise it might be difficult to fight him.
Among the surprised people only Kayo remained calm, her eyes following El's last movement without the slightest faltering, already used to her Promoter's extremely fast movements.
This development occurred because Kayo had begun to master the basics of Total Breathing Concentration as well as the Fog Breathing technique.
The advancement also improved her control over the Gastrea blood within hiher body, making its flow smoother and more precise. In fact, Kayo now no longer needed Gastrea's DNA suppression serum to stabilize herself.
Even her extremely slow injury regeneration has become faster than ever. Even so, Kayo was still not allowed to participate before mastering the Fog Breathing Technique.
"He's always been like that..." muttered Kayo as she sighed softly, her expression showing a mixture of annoyance and admiration.
***
In the middle of the forest, the outermost and furthest area from the monolith's protection, El appeared to be in a fierce battle with a snake-type stage 3 Gastrea.
As a result, their battle made the forest rumble as the snake-type stage 3 Gastrea slithered between the trees.
The Gastrea's body towers up to 15 meters with a length of more than 50 meters, its scales shiny like steel, pitch black with purple sparkles.
Its massive head was adorned with curved horns, while its forked tongue protruded, emitting a deafening hissing sound.
The creature's four pairs of eyes that burned red like hellfire stared at El with hatred, while its body twisted and turned at a speed unfathomable for its size.
El stood tall in the center of the dimly lit forest, surrounded by leaves that had fallen from the giant snake's movements.
El's cold, calm eyes stared at the predator without fear or hesitation. With Metsu in hand, the katana's blade suddenly glowed bright red, making the air around it sizzle.
With a high-speed movement, the snake again darted towards El with lightning speed, opening its jaws that were filled with sharp teeth full of saliva and highly poisonous.
El jumped nimbly to the side, dodging the killing blow with near-perfect movement. "Gen'nichi Kō," he muttered softly, but with concentration.
Without pause, El immediately launched a counterattack. "Enbu," he said coldly. The swing of his sword created an arc of flaming fire that shot out quickly, cutting off several scales on Gastrea's body.
Shing!
"Graa!" A roar of pain escaped the snake's mouth, seemingly echoing throughout the forest and its surroundings.
However, Gastrea the snake was undaunted. Its giant tail lashed out, bulldozing towards El, shattering the large trees around them.
Unable to dodge, El was forced to take the attack with her body. His body was thrown several meters, hitting the trees until they fell and dragged the ground, leaving a long trail.
El coughed, a little blood coming out of the corner of his lips, but his eyes remained focused. Wasting no time, El tried to improve his fighting position, even though his body felt a little heavy.
However, the snake-type Gastrea's attack came faster than anticipated. The creature shot out with incredible speed, its mouth wide open, ready to swallow El alive.
El remained calm despite the imminent danger. With one steady motion, he swung his sword in a single, elongated turn before him. "Shakkotsu En'yō," he said, his voice cold yet confident.
Shing!
The flame slash created a sharp barrier, welcoming the Gastrea's frontal attack with full force. The Gastrea snake's head was cut off like sashimi, simultaneously spurting purple-colored blood from the marks.
Just before the Gastrea snake's blood touched his, El smelled a sharp, sour scent. Reflexively, he immediately took five steps back, his movements quick and alert.
Sure enough, the acidic purple blood splashed around, burning the trees and the ground until it melted. El frowned, watching the blood thoughtfully.
Although its head was cut off, the serpentine Gastrea's body remained upright, trying to regenerate the missing parts, albeit slowly due to the effects of Metsu's Inhibitor-Regeneration.
"I'm getting sick of creatures that have regeneration like this," she muttered coldly. His eyes narrowed sharply, full of focus, as he positioned his body for a lethal move.
In one breath, El shot out with incredible speed, his steps crushing the ground beneath his. Fiery red flames emerged as he made his fluid yet deadly move.
Shing!
His first slash was like the dance of a burning dragon, producing a trail of flames that split the snake Gastrea's body instantly into two halves.
Shing! Shing! Shing!
Then, El launched more rapid and precise slashes, creating smaller cuts, preventing complete regeneration.
Burning flames were created as the bright red blades rubbed against the air, continuously devouring parts of the snake's body without mercy.
Meanwhile, El remained untouched by the acidic blood splatter as the heat from her blade created a natural protective layer.
"Nichiun no Ryū Kaburimai," he said, his voice low but carrying an aura of menace.
With one final twisting motion, El leapt high, his sword spinning like a dragon whirl of fire, shattering Gastrea's body to leave only ashes and burning debris. He landed softly, took a deep breath, and lowered his sword slowly.
"Now, you will rise no more," he said in a flat voice, his eyes remaining cold as he stared at the remains of the creature.