Not a detective

Page 92

"It's okay now."

However, Shinonome Suetsuki was not afraid at all. She half-squatted down and gently hugged Asakawa Riku from behind.

He stroked her head gently, again and again, and even though she initially struggled instinctively, she gradually calmed down.

Finally, Asakawa Riku was completely exhausted and regained consciousness. His fighting spirit gradually faded, and he returned to his original boyish self.

But before he could stand up, he suddenly collapsed to the ground:

"I'm fine..."

He heard Chizuko-senpai limping towards him and said with a smile, "Don't fall, let me rest for a bit... that'll be fine."

"Really." Chizuko cursed irritably, but her voice sounded like she was about to cry.

Asakawa Riku lay amidst the ruins, feeling the pain in his body—so real, yet so joyful.

He closed his eyes, feeling his body recover little by little. He figured he'd have to stay in the hospital for a few days when he got back, and he really hoped he wouldn't miss his final exams.

Actually, I wasn't seriously injured. At most, I broke a few bones, and the rest was just from being overly tired.

He thought that if he were still in junior high school, he wouldn't be this tired. He had really been slacking off lately and hadn't fought in a long time.

It's like not exercising for too long, and then suddenly doing something like this leaves you completely exhausted.

On the other hand, if it were him in junior high school, he probably wouldn't have won this battle. His progress over this period is the result of a long period of accumulation.

...Anyway, victory is all that matters.

With his eyes closed and everything in darkness, he asked:

"Is Ibuki Ren dead?"

“Hmm…it’s not moving at all,” Shinonome Suetsuki replied.

"That's good. By the way... how is Yukie?"

"Oh, I almost forgot, she should still be next door. I'll go and call her over."

Chizuko was taken aback.

Mo Yue said, "You should rest where you are. I'll come over. We'll talk again when you can walk normally."

With a rustling of footsteps, it seemed the detective had gone far away.

Asakawa Riku comforted her:

"It's just an earthquake and falling rocks. The building hasn't completely collapsed yet. Yukie has superpowers, so she should be able to protect herself."

“…I’m worried about you.” Chizuko sighed and sat down beside her, feeling the warmth of her hand.

It was pressed against my forehead; it must be the real hand, because it was warm.

"Could you call an ambulance for me? I think I can't walk anymore."

"Idiot...wouldn't that mean two cripples? The mountain is still blocked by heavy snow, how are they going to get down?"

"Ah, I forgot too. It's okay, even if some bad guys come to help, I can still take them all down..."

"They just like to show off."

My face was pinched.

Chizuko smiled and said, "Don't worry, I've already notified the official organizations. After all, this has caused quite a stir. There will be people specifically in charge of the aftermath and rescue efforts."

"That's good." Asakawa Riku was relieved. Now, all he had to do was wait patiently.

Two or three seconds later, he suddenly felt the girl next to him breathing rapidly.

"...!" He seemed surprised by something, his body trembling slightly.

Having endured a fierce battle and suffered repeated head injuries, Asakawa Riku's senses had not fully recovered, and he was unaware of what was happening at that moment.

But then I heard an impossible voice:

"……what."

That was the voice of a demon from Ibuki Ren.

Shaking off the rubble, the enormous monster slowly rose from the ruins, its shadow looming over them. Even Asakawa Riku felt a sense of despair at this moment.

"……How can it be."

That monster, which had clearly been killed and given a lethal poison that broke its trachea and spine, how could it still be alive?

"I did die once."

Ibuki Ren seemed to sense his disbelief and slowly explained, "But you haven't done any research, so you probably wouldn't think that the so-called reagents are usually kept in one copy as a backup, one copy as a test sample, and one copy in case of accidents. Just like there are two 'God's Devil Poison' that represent poison, there are also two 'God's Devil Poison' that represent gods."

He injected the other syringe entirely into his chest cavity, instead of his arm, and at that moment, the purple light once again filled the demon's body.

Not only did it bring his soul back from his dead body, but it also unleashed an even stronger power than before. This was [Shuten-dōji] after being amplified by two potions...

He is the truly invincible "King of Demons".

"Where are you hiding... Oh, I understand."

Chizuko's face turned pale. She hadn't even noticed the dying Ibuki Ren's actions, which led to this fatal mistake: "Right, the inside of that box!"

"You guessed it right, but there's no reward."

Ibuki Ren carelessly discarded the empty syringe. It was taller and more robust than before, and its body was more ferocious and twisted, with its horns sticking out of the ceiling like antennas.

Two terrible cracks appeared... The ground trembled with every step taken.

Oh, it's the "back side" again.

Asakawa Riku lay on the ground, unable to help but smile bitterly. It was that same trick again, with the chocolate-like packaging. Who would have thought that there was more than one syringe hidden in the suitcase?

Now, it seems no one can stop Ibuki Ren. Even from several meters away, you can feel the terrifying energy sweeping towards you.

At this moment, Asakawa Riku no longer even had the strength to stand up...

Winter of the Demons: Chapter 44 Snow Child

"what happened!"

When Shinonome Suetsuki arrived here with Yukie, they witnessed this terrifying scene.

"Walk……!"

Asakawa Riku struggled and mustered his last bit of strength, but instead of running away, he threw Chizuko aside.

Chizuko was very light, so it didn't take much effort for her to do it. She struggled frantically in the air, but was eventually caught by Yukie.

At this moment, Yuki has been imbued with the power of the "Yuki-onna," and her hair has turned white.

Not only was she hugging her older sister, but she was also glaring angrily at the evil spirit in the distance...

"What...did you do to my brother?!"

She regretted not arriving sooner.

Ibuki Ren seemed not to hear, or rather, his eyes never fell on these women; he simply raised his foot high.

He stomped hard on Asakawa Riku's body...!

"Cough cough!" Asakawa Riku immediately felt the immense impact. He was unable to block or dodge, and could only take it head-on.

Blood spurted from its mouth, splattering all over the demon's feet.

Yukie's eyes widened in disbelief. She wanted to rush forward, but found that she couldn't move her feet no matter what she did, as if her ankles were locked by the floor.

The body's instinctive fear...

The so-called "monsters" are creations of the human heart. Yuki is just a superpowered person, of course not a Yuki-onna, and Ibuki Ren is a monster modified by a drug, completely unrelated to Shuten-dōji. But at this moment, in the name of Mount Ōe, the Dragon Palace, all the right time and place turned imagination into reality, giving him the "state" of the King of Demons.

The Yuki-onna was a powerful yokai, but she was powerless against such an existence and was completely suppressed.

Yukie had never experienced a real battle and was unable to channel her inner fighting spirit into her physical body. At this moment, she could only bite her lip in frustration and cry uncontrollably.

"Aaaaaah... Why can't I move? Why!"

"Why don't you stand up? Stand up! Is this really the end? How boring, Asakawa Riku!"

At the same time, Ibuki Ren continued to trample on Asakawa Riku's body, ravaging it time and time again.

Asakawa Riku could only hold his hands in front of his head, but under the repeated torture, he could already hear the sound of bones breaking.

"This is really the final boss of the game... There's even a second phase? That's outrageous... How many potions do we have left? Should we just take them all out at once?"

He laughed loudly to himself, which angered Ibuki Ren, who kicked him away.

"You're still talking about games... You have no idea how precious these two bottles of [Original Liquid] are! You have no idea how much I paid for them! You bastard... You used the most important backup here, how many years will this delay your research!"

With a loud crash, Asakawa Riku was slammed into the wall, creating a dent, and became embedded in it, unable to fall out.

Right next to the three of them.

"You guys go first." At this moment, Dongyun Sueyue stepped forward and made a decision: "I'll stay and try to stall them."

"If you're going to stay, stay together. If you're going to leave, at least rescue Asakawa before you go."

Chizuko decisively retorted. Her abilities had recovered somewhat, but her shikigami was still almost unresponsive, and she could only summon the "Kara Umbrella" to barely support her body.

Although it was a battle with no chance of winning.

“You’re all underage, right? I’m the only adult here, and this is what an adult should do.”

The usually mischievous detective now wore a mature smile, her composure undiminished even in this moment: "A detective should always fight to the death!"

"I won't abandon you now that this isn't the time to say those things!"

Chizuko and she started arguing... In Asakawa Riku's hazy consciousness, he only heard these words.

He desperately wanted them all to leave together, but he could no longer make a sound.

The words I heard also became muffled:

“Listen carefully… I’m not telling you to run away… I’m telling you… to call for help, to find… She should still be in Kyoto… Maid, you know her name… Yes… That’s right, I’m not lying to you… My truth… Now you can rest assured… Get her here, there should be a chance to turn things around… I can hold on, hurry!”

Shinonome Suetsuki spoke at length, but much of it was drowned out by severe tinnitus and could not be heard clearly.

A heavy feeling weighed down my limbs.

"I believe you." At the same time, after hearing what the other person said, Chizuko's eyes became firm: "Don't betray my trust... Don't let Asakawa-san die."

"I've entrusted you with my most important secret, Chizuko-chan~"

Mo Yue smiled, her face showing no sign of tension, even at this moment: "Go."

Chizuko immediately turned around, and holding the umbrella like a cane, she walked step by step toward the door, even though the underground building had collapsed and the exit was probably already sealed off.

But once she leaves this area, she should be able to regain her ability to travel. She needs to get out of there as soon as possible... even if she has to limp.

Watching her leave, Mo Yue turned around:

"How did you become so ugly... You used to have a one percent chance, but now you don't even have one percent left."

She stared at the giant monster before her, showing no fear.

Ibuki Ren sneered, unperturbed: "What nonsense are you spouting... You've never even looked at me properly, have you? You like that kid on the wall, you can't fool me."

"Oh, what a pity. I thought the psychological approach would work. It seems I'll have to go for a direct confrontation."

Mo Yue took out the last few pills from the medicine bottle and swallowed them: "Didn't expect that, did you? This is also a 'body modification drug'. I'll become even stronger than you."

"Ha ha!"

Ibuki Ren seemed to have heard a funny joke, pointing at her: "Bullshit... If you were to come and hit me, you'd probably be the one who dies of exhaustion first!"

He had actually overheard their tactical discussion, but he didn't seem worried about Chizuko going to get reinforcements. Instead, he indifferently let Shinonome Suetsuki stall for time.