After Yan Dao's introduction, Hayashi had a clearer understanding of the situation.
There were all kinds of organizations across the world, and the Night Owl organization had a decent presence in China. However, due to limited manpower, their influence in Japan was much weaker.
Compared to local agencies and organizations, Night Owl could only be considered second or even third-tier in Japan.
But this organization shouldn't be underestimated. According to Yan Dao, Zhang Yiyi, a sorcerer in the group, had the strength of a Grade 1 sorcerer, meaning she could easily exorcise most curses.
On the other hand, Xie Zhiyong was only at the level of a Grade 3 sorcerer, and even Yan Dao, the person in charge here, was only at the quasi-Grade 1 level.
This piqued Hayashi's interest in the tattooed girl. It turned out she wasn't just a lazy, disheveled person; she actually had considerable strength.
Currently, the Night Owl branch here was facing a difficult situation. After losing a comrade in a previous mission, they were in a tight spot.
They were already understaffed, and with regular missions piling up, losing one person made it even harder to manage. As a result, everyone had become somewhat complacent with their work and were in a state of silent resignation about the current situation.
The more they lacked manpower, the more they needed people. But not just anyone could join Night Owl. A test was required to qualify.
The test was simple: Zhang Yiyi, the strongest sorcerer here, would test him, and they'd know soon enough.
Hayashi had no objections to this, so the four of them made their way past various boxes and documents, arriving at a large iron door.
Behind it was a relatively spacious area, about 200 square meters, with numerous cameras around. The walls and floors were reinforced.
"Kid, I don't hold back when I fight. If you think you can't handle it, you can back out now. I won't laugh at you," Zhang Yiyi said lazily, stretching her nearly 1.8-meter tall frame, her balanced and slim figure drawing some extra glances.
But in her eyes, there was clear disdain for Hayashi.
How strong could a student really be? Probably on par with Xie Zhiyong at best, no matter if they were from Jujutsu High.
"Heh, go ahead and make your move. I'm not one to boast, but I can definitely handle you," Hayashi said, causing Xie Zhiyong and Yan Dao to pause in surprise. Wasn't that already boasting?
"Interesting. Don't cry later!" Zhang Yiyi's expression suddenly turned serious. If he dared to claim he could handle her, she would make sure to see if he had the ability.
"Technique: Skin Unseal."
"Technique: Binding Lock."
Zhang Yiyi performed a series of complex hand signs, and the tattoos on her arms began to glow and heat up. Two medium-length blades emerged from the tattoos, which she grasped in her hands.
A purple ripple spread across the ground, and Hayashi noticed that his feet were suddenly bound by chain-shaped cursed energy, preventing him from moving.
"So the tattoos weren't just for show," Hayashi muttered, surprised. This strange technique was something he hadn't seen before.
"Is she really going all out from the start?" Xie Zhiyong wiped sweat from his brow, feeling nervous for Hayashi. He didn't even have the courage to fight Zhang Yiyi himself, and yet Hayashi was daring enough to challenge her. Perhaps he was too young to know better.
"You know her temperament. If someone provokes her, she'll make sure to teach them a lesson. Don't worry, I'll step in if things go too far," Yan Dao chuckled. It had been a while since Zhang Yiyi had taken anything seriously.
With blades in hand, Zhang Yiyi leapt towards Hayashi, her weapons radiating intense cursed energy as she swung them down directly at him.
If he couldn't block this strike, he had no place in Night Owl.
Just as Zhang Yiyi's blades were about to strike, Hayashi swiftly pulled his hand back, and his black sword, Black Steel, appeared in front of him.
Clang!
Zhang Yiyi's blades were blocked. She frowned, "Where did you pull that cursed tool from?"
Yan Dao was equally puzzled. A long black sword like that β how had Hayashi concealed it? How had it suddenly appeared?
Only Xie Zhiyong knew that Hayashi had been carrying the Black Steel sword on his back the whole time.
Hayashi pushed forward with Black Steel, and Zhang Yiyi landed a short distance away, still perplexed about where his sword had come from.
Moreover, she couldn't discern the grade of the cursed tool.
"I told you, I can block you," Hayashi said, not explaining where the sword had come from, but instead taunting Zhang Yiyi slightly.
"You're a cocky one, aren't you?" Zhang Yiyi smirked, retracting her twin blades into her tattoos, then forming another set of hand signs.
This time, a red light glowed from the tattoo on her chest, and a red longsword materialized from it. Gripping the red blade, Zhang Yiyi charged forward with lightning speed. "Let's see if you can block this!"
"You brought out Red Sakura?" Xie Zhiyong's jaw dropped. Red Sakura was Zhang Yiyi's strongest cursed tool, at the level of a Grade 1 cursed tool. Such a weapon would be highly coveted if it were out in the open.
Even though Hayashi couldn't tell the grade of the sword, he knew it wasn't simple. His legs were still bound, so he quickly slashed at the chains and freed himself just as Zhang Yiyi's sword reached him.
Clang!
The two weapons collided, creating a fierce metallic screech. Hayashi was pushed back, surprised by Zhang Yiyi's strength. He hadn't expected a woman to possess such power, enough to force him to retreat.
Zhang Yiyi relentlessly swung her sword, and Hayashi could only block, clearly on the defensive. He hadn't received any formal training in swordsmanship, so his movements looked clumsy and reactive.
Hayashi didn't want to use Black Flash. If he hit Zhang Yiyi with it, even a Grade 1 sorcerer like her would be in serious trouble.
Thankfully, with his cursed energy sensing her moves, he was able to block her attacks, though it was taxing.
"If all you do is block, you're going to lose," Zhang Yiyi taunted, her movements getting faster as she attacked from all directions.
"Not necessarily!" Hayashi's cursed energy armor suddenly materialized, covering his body. Zhang Yiyi hesitated for a moment, and Hayashi took the opportunity to block another strike with his armor before sweeping the flat of his sword against her stomach.
Zhang Yiyi winced in pain as she was knocked back, but she landed smoothly on her feet. Her eyes, wide with disbelief, were fixed on the light blue cursed energy armor that now enveloped Hayashi.
Yan Dao and Xie Zhiyong exclaimed in unison, "Bloodline technique!"
Indeed, the cursed energy armor Hayashi displayed could only be explained as a unique bloodline technique. Such inherited techniques were vastly different from ordinary ones, and they had never seen anything like it before.