novelraw Chapter 230-1: The Shikigami Lion’s Brute Might, Onmyo Arts Fall Into My Grasp (1)
Chapter 230-1: The Shikigami Lion’s Brute Might, Onmyo Arts Fall Into My Grasp (1)
[You took out the Copper Whistle and blew it…]
[The savage, brutal Corrupted Three-Headed Lion appeared out of thin air!]
[The Three-Headed Lion affectionately rubbed its huge heads against you, almost knocking you off balance.]
[However, despite its massive body, compared to the cyclopean monk monster, it looked merely like a slightly oversized dog.]
[At your command, the Three-Headed Lion roared and charged forward.]
[Facing the colossal monster Ao-Bozu, all six scarlet eyes brimmed with a cruel, murderous hunger, without the slightest trace of fear.]
[Seeing you summon a strange lion monster, the onmyoji glanced at the Ao-Bozu’s vast, terrifying figure and revealed a faint smile, as if victory was already in hand.]
[Forming seals and chanting, he drove the Ao-Bozu forward to attack.]
[The cyclopean monk monster stomped ahead. Each step made the ground quake, the high platform swaying wildly. Ao-Bozu raised its enormous, almost deformed foot and slammed it down at the Three-Headed Lion…]
[The descending foot stirred a shrill gale. Judging by the force behind it, if it landed, the victim would be mashed into pulp.][The Three-Headed Lion dug in with its claws and narrowly dodged the crushing stomp. In passing, its sharp talons raked a bloody gash across Ao-Bozu’s leg.]
[The wound was savage and deep to the bone, making the cyclopean monk monster shriek in agony.]
[On Ao-Bozu’s ugly face, rage twisted its features. It raised both hands high above its head, fists clenched like hammers.]
[Bending low, it swung down to smash the Three-Headed Lion…]
[The Three-Headed Lion dodged strike after strike, weaving around the monster’s enormous frame and leaving fresh wounds at every turn.]
[Ao-Bozu kept crying out in pain but couldn’t land a single blow on the Three-Headed Lion…]
“This Ao-Bozu looks impressive but is useless, just some big fool who dumped all his points into raw power…”
At this pace, defeating Ao-Bozu was only a matter of time.
Lin Xun waited calmly, fully prepared to watch his Three-Headed Lion topple the enemy.
[Seeing the lion monster dart and spin about, evading every attack and steadily wounding Ao-Bozu, while Ao-Bozu couldn’t even touch a strand of its mane, the opposing onmyoji called out loudly, “Foreign mage, it’s true that Ao-Bozu is slow, thick-skinned, and filled with brute force. But did you think a monster with only this much strength could be my strongest shikigami?”]
[As he spoke, he formed seals and chanted, commanding Ao-Bozu to unleash a yokai technique.]
[The towering cyclopean monk straightened up, ignoring the Three-Headed Lion biting and clawing at its lower body…]
[In one hand, a massive wooden fish manifested, while the other grasped a ritual mallet conjured from thin air.]
[Ao-Bozu began slowly striking the wooden fish, sending out deep, muffled booms.]
[Each dull thud seemed to pound against your heart. You grew short of breath, dizzy, your limbs sluggish, your movements dulled by the impact.]
[But you were not even the technique’s target, this was merely the residual effect. The Three-Headed Lion, taking the brunt of the yokai art, suffered far worse.]
[The Corrupted Three-Headed Lion visibly slowed. Its once-quick, agile motions turned into stumbling lurches.]
[Ao-Bozu kept up its yokai technique while lifting its massive foot to stomp down…]
[The Three-Headed Lion narrowly avoided two stomps, unable to counterattack at all. As the third came crashing down overhead, there was no time left to dodge.]
[With a thunderous impact, the giant foot slammed onto the platform!]
[A grotesque crunch rang out, like crushing a ripe melon underfoot.]
[Ao-Bozu lifted its foot to reveal a mess of mangled flesh and shattered bone like a pile of rotten pulp.]
[Below the platform, all the disciples of Iya Palace erupted in cheers and applause. The foreign mage had claimed to be skilled in sorcery but unversed in the way of shikigami, yet had already won two matches.]
[If even this didn’t count as mastery of shikigami, then what place would that leave Iya Palace, which specialized in training shikigami?]
[Now, finally, in the third duel, you had been defeated. All of Iya Palace felt gratified beyond measure.]
[Across from you, the opposing onmyoji burst into boisterous laughter. He commanded Ao-Bozu to cease its yokai technique, then adopted a falsely modest expression even as smugness radiated from his eyes…]
[“Foreign mage, this humble one has claimed a small victory. From this, it seems your way of shikigami may have merits of its own, but it still falls far short of Sakura Falls.”]
[“You should know that I am but a nameless minor figure. My shikigami are not even a tenth as mighty as the Vice Palace Master’s. Had you faced her, all three of your shikigami would surely be lost by now…”]
[As he finished speaking, the platform was filled with thunderous cheering again.]
[The onmyoji turned to look at the referee below, waiting for him to declare victory, but in that instant, the cheers suddenly turned to cries of shock!]
[Before he could react, Ao-Bozu let out a pained, strangled howl.]
[He looked up to see the strange lion monster standing on the platform perfectly unharmed.]
[Not only that, but while he had been distracted and failed to direct Ao-Bozu, the lion had leapt up and raked a massive gash across Ao-Bozu’s chest and belly with its claws.]
[Ao-Bozu’s guts came spilling out in a garish heap of colorful entrails…]
[The opposing onmyoji was aghast, roaring furiously, “Foreign mage, you broke the rules! You cheated! How dare you summon another shikigami!!”]
[But before he could rally Ao-Bozu, the Three-Headed Lion let out a thunderous roar, hooked its claws under the writhing entrails, and turned to bolt across the platform, dragging Ao-Bozu’s coiling intestines behind it.]
[As the viscera were pulled free, more than guts came out, a vast mass of stinking organs followed.]
[Under such grievous wounds, Ao-Bozu collapsed to its knees, clearly breathing its last.]
[The opposing onmyoji’s face twisted with rage, his expression turning deranged. He shrieked shrilly, “Since you foreign bastard refuse to follow the rules, don’t blame me for taking this to the extreme!”]