The ground and buildings were covered in a thick layer of ice. The Kabane that had been roaming around were now frozen like statues, completely immobilized.
Everyone, including Mumei and Ayame Yomogawa, had the same thought in their minds:
"Is this the work of a god?!"
In the chat group, there was one person particularly captivated.
Frieren: "As expected, he's getting stronger through battle."
She watched closely, observing Rei Ao's every move. The expanding ice field resembled a domain, and Rei Ao's control over it seemed to be improving.
Moreover, nearly two hours had passed, yet there was no sign of Rei Ao's power running out. In fact, he seemed completely at ease.
This further confirmed Frieren's hypothesis: Rei Ao was special. She wanted to study just how far he could grow through this method. It was a fascinating new research topic for her, beyond her usual focus on defeating demons, studying magic, and... researching human mating habits.
Stella: "Tsk... it's been almost two hours, and these monsters just keep coming?"
Ayame Yomogawa: "That's how Kabane are."
Ayame explained, "Anyone bitten by a Kabane turns into one themselves. As long as humans keep getting injured, the Kabane will keep coming."
Saeko Busujima: "They're similar to the zombies in my world."
Sakurajima Mai: "Why do so many of your worlds have these apocalypse-like scenarios with zombie outbreaks?"
Saeko Busujima: "Who knows? No one wants to face the end of the world."
Akame: "Wait, something seems strange about the Kabane."
Kato Megumi: "Hmm, they're not moving forward anymore. They seem to be retreating toward a mountain."
Stella: "Maybe they're scared? Rei Ao is pretty... persistent."
Kato Megumi: "Persistent?"
Saeko Busujima: "That's true."
Ayame Yomogawa: "Eh?"
Stella initially didn't think she had said anything wrong, but when she noticed the direction of the conversation, her face turned red.
Flustered, she quickly clarified. "I-I meant his strength, okay?!"
Frieren: "That doesn't make sense. Kabane are supposed to be mindless and emotionless. How could they feel fear?"
Rei Ao: "It's not fear. Something big is about to be born."
As the Kabane stopped advancing, Rei Ao dispelled the icy domain of spears in the sky. His eyes fixed on the mountain where the Kabane were gathering.
Ayame Yomogawa: "Rei Ao-sama, do you know what's happening?"
Ayame had been leaning into his embrace the whole time, feeling an inexplicable sense of safety. Her voice softened naturally.
"A big one is coming."
"A... big one?"
*Boom!!!*
As Rei Ao finished speaking, the ground trembled violently.
*Roar!!!*
A massive roar shook the earth as a colossal black creature rose from behind the mountain—a behemoth towering over a hundred meters tall.
Though it appeared alive, its entire body was composed of countless Kabane, fused together into one gigantic entity.
"It's the Black Smoke!!!" Mumei shouted, her eyes full of tension.
Black Smoke was created when a Kabane formed a core and merged with countless others to become a gigantic entity. It would continue to absorb both humans and Kabane, growing ever larger. Some Kabane within it were already dead, while others, separated from the main body, could still move independently. Even if part of it was destroyed, it could quickly reassemble. The core, glowing blue, was protected by several layers of Kabane. Destroying the core was the only way to kill it.
Mumei was about to warn Rei Ao to be cautious, but she noticed a smirk of excitement on his face.
"Good, all gathered together. It'll save me time and let me enjoy my leisure afterward."
Rei Ao looked down at Ayame and reminded her, "Now's a good time to prepare to pay your part of the deal."
Ayame met his gaze, feeling her body go weak, but there was still concern in her eyes. Mustering her courage, she kissed him lightly on the corner of his lips before stepping away from his embrace.
"Rei Ao-sama, please return safely."
Rei Ao grinned. "Don't worry."
"I still have an hour left—I wouldn't want to waste it."
With that, he crouched low and launched himself into the air, soaring toward the blue core of the Black Smoke.
In the blink of an eye, he was face to face with the massive creature.
*Roar!!!*
Sensing Rei Ao's approach, the Black Smoke let out a furious roar. The Kabane surrounding the core quickly moved to shield it in layers. The creature instinctively understood the need to protect its core.
But Rei Ao didn't care how well-guarded the core was.
*Roar!!!*
The Black Smoke swung a massive hand toward him.
Kato Megumi: "Ao-kun, watch out!"
Sakurajima Mai: "Dodge!"
Ayame Yomogawa: "Rei Ao-sama!"
Several in the chat group cried out in alarm, but Rei Ao remained unfazed. Calmly, he clenched his fist.
"Hey, have you ever seen a fist the size of a sandbag?"
*Roar!!!*
The Black Smoke let out another deafening roar, but it wasn't in response to him.
"Well, let me show you."
With that, he punched forward with all his might.
*Boom!*
A massive shockwave echoed as the air itself seemed to explode. From the perspective of the onlookers, the Black Smoke froze in place for a moment.
Then, something strange happened.
The massive body of the Black Smoke began to change.
Ice!
Ice rapidly spread from the core throughout the entire body, freezing everything solid. Cracks started to form.
The hundred-meter-tall behemoth shattered inch by inch, pieces of its body falling to the ground as solid ice blocks.
Its core, along with every Kabane inside, was frozen completely—shattering into tiny fragments of ice from the inside out with a single punch!
~~~
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