Chapter 9

Golden light erupted from all around him, discs, javelins, long rods, short sticks, and countless other weapons shot toward Kuroka at incredible speed!

“Nya?… This feeling is…”

Kuroka actually felt a trace of threat?!

"Those are weapons from ancient gods and Buddhas, Kuroka! Be careful not to get hit!" A playful voice echoed from the side.

The weapons Shoyo unleashed were artifacts said to have been bestowed by the sage Vishvamitra to fight countless gods and demons. Among them were the Chakra disc, the Suravara javelin, the Kaumodaki mace, the Shikharee short rod, the Pinaka trident, along with massive greatswords, whip-chains, hammers, bows, arrows, and more. The sheer quantity could rival the Gate of Babylon!

“How could I possibly get hit, nya?!”

Spatial magic was where Kuroka excelled, she wouldn’t have remained one of the most dangerous stray devils otherwise. If she couldn't avoid capture by the Underworld's law enforcement, she'd never have survived this long. But this time… she hadn’t even noticed how Shoyo got so close. And that unsettled her.

“No… it’s still possible to get hit.”

Shoyo reached out his hand toward her. Kuroka sensed it, a mass of divine weapons was incoming! Without hesitation, she formed a defensive magic circle. Though she had just noticed that the golden weapons seemed to lack actual raw power, she still chose caution.

Magic circles formed from Eastern divine arts, Fusang sorcery, Western incantations, Norse runes, and demonic arts spiraled around her, layered and precise.

Yet under her slightly puzzled gaze, Shoyo calmly waved his hand.

Crack~~!

A sharp fracture split across the magic circle, before she could react, the entire barrier shattered!

“Nya?!”

Caught off guard, the golden weapons struck her unprotected body.

Bang!~~

A short rod slammed into her, launching her dozens of meters away.

Kuroka's eyes narrowed. She’d underestimated him. This human male… was very interesting! No wonder Shirone had chosen him.

Clearly misunderstanding something, Kuroka stared at Shoyo. She noticed the pentagram in his eyes glowing with a deep crimson hue. His power was unusual, but if that direct hit was the best he could do, there wasn’t much to fear.

Unfortunately, Shoyo was dealing with that exact concern.

“Ahhh… so troublesome. I guess the only thing that can actually hurt her right now is Est… but would she even get hit by it? A holy sword with a unique property isn’t exactly easy to land a strike with.”

He scratched his head.

All ten of his avatars focused on growth and burst damage. But if he miscalculated and killed Kuroka in one blow, he’d suck himself dry in the process.

“Defeating Kuroka with my current power isn’t the issue. The real threat is that monkey beside her, he’s playing dumb, but he’s dangerous.”

The Copying Eye, paired with Shoyo’s calculating prowess, was a nightmare for mages. With it, he could instantly analyze the core essence of magic. Not only did this accelerate his learning curve, but when combined with his spiritual detection, he could identify and shatter weak points in any magic circle.

"As long as it’s a magic circle, it’ll have a weakness, big or small. I just need to use spiritual waves to pierce those spots."

But even so…

“There are still limits. The spiritual energy available to a human body is too small. Facing a magic circle from an Ultimate-class devil and breaking it using minimal energy, my reserves are still far too low.”

“Ne~ Ne~ Little human brother? Are you really not going to hand over Shirone, nya?”

Kuroka licked her wound and shot him a teasing glance, her voice playful yet sultry.

“It’s not a matter of whether I will or not. I respect Koneko’s will. And she clearly doesn’t want to go with you,” Shoyo replied as he waved his hand, dispelling the magic circle Kuroka had just constructed.

If he had no other choice, he could cross into the Underworld anytime. But the reason he stayed here… was simple: to resolve the sisters’ conflict.

Kuroka had killed their former devil master, who had tried to harm Koneko. That act made her a fugitive. Koneko, unaware of the full truth, believed her sister had gone rogue. Kuroka never had the chance, or desire, to explain. Koneko never had the opportunity to understand. And so, their estrangement had festered.

“Kuroka, stop stalling. Let me handle this!~ Your magic’s not doing much anyway.”

A small monkey flew down from the sky, riding on a golden somersault cloud. On his shoulder rested a slender, red-and-gold striped cudgel. He danced mid-air with an impish grin.

“I am Bikuo! Descendant of some long-forgotten hero!”

“Oh? So you know something,” Shoyo commented. Just as he suspected, they thought he was a hero’s descendant.

“The weapons you wield… they carry the aura of gods and Buddhas!~~ If you’re not one yourself, then you must be a hero blessed by them!”

Bikuo’s eyes sparkled. “So? Wanna tell me which hero you're descended from?”

Their clan had always chased excitement and freedom, chaos be damned.

“I think I’ll keep it a mystery. But if you help me catch this black cat, maybe I’ll consider telling you.”

It was better to let them guess. People trusted their own conclusions more than anything you told them.

“Aww, negotiation failed! Oh well. Kuroka, let’s take your sister and leave this place. Ever since that incident, this country’s gotten more and more dangerous.”

Bikuo sighed, a little regretful. He liked Shoyo. The guy didn’t have that gross aura that Cao Cao had.

“Alright, let’s move!”

“Extend! Golden Cudgel!” Bikuo didn’t hesitate. He understood the principle: strike first, retreat later. The sooner they made a move, the better.

As a descendant of Sun Wukong, he could fight even Dragon Kings. His physical abilities were honed to terrifying levels.

“Haaah~~!”

Kuroka simultaneously launched her attack magic circle.

Shoyo sighed. With Bikuo here, a peaceful conversation between the sisters was impossible.

“I may not have said this clearly, but even if I can’t defeat you, you will not take Koneko from me.”

He tapped his foot, and vanished from their sight.

Suddenly, Bikuo felt something touch the back of his cudgel.

His golden eyes darted to its tip, and there was Shoyo, standing calmly on the end of the extended Golden Cudgel, his hand resting on it.

He could extend it further, but he knew it was useless.

If Shoyo didn’t want to be caught, he wouldn’t be.

With one hand on the cudgel, his other casually shattered Kuroka’s magic circle.

He could’ve slipped into the Underworld, but chose not to. There was something more important than just escape.

The stalemate… was about to end.

At the moment his hand made contact with the cudgel,

[Ding!]
[Ding! Gold-level sign-in successful!]
[Sign-in location: The Golden Cudgel.]
[Congratulations, host! You’ve obtained: The Chains of Heaven (Enhanced)!]


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