Not a detective

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Kazamatsuri Akihisa smiled wryly. Rather, those few were practically among his strongest shikigami. Not all yokai possess such powerful combat abilities.

Moreover, his momentum has been overwhelmed, and his magical power has been depleted. No matter how much he tries to put on a brave face, he can't compete with the younger generation.

"Besides, I'd normally run away long ago if I lost three or four shikigami in a row. Now, let me leave the battlefield..."

"it is good."

So, Asakawa Riku bowed and saw the Onmyoji off.

Orochi's Autumn: Chapter Nineteen - Weapon Master

After seeing Kazamatsuri Akihisa off, Asakawa Riku's health gradually returned to normal.

Not only was my burned and stinging skin recovered, but my original clothes were also returned intact. It seems this space is really convenient.

My father-in-law is indeed very strong. Regardless of whether it's due to the divine power that's limited here, his strength is beyond doubt.

Especially the final [Thunder Beast], which is more intimidating than the Wind God, with stronger and more violent electric lightning. Ordinary people without his body would definitely not be able to withstand it.

It seems that, through inheritance, this magical power has been passed down to Chizuko-senpai...

He didn't know why she wasn't there. Perhaps her strength hadn't reached that level yet, or perhaps he felt that the two of them wouldn't be enemies.

Regardless, the third level was already so thrilling, and Asakawa Riku couldn't help but feel excited and looking forward to the next five levels.

What kind of opponents will emerge? Will they be able to surpass the surprises this stage has brought him?

Soon, the next opponent arrived.

"I didn't expect that even I would only make it to the fourth level."

Minister Morita walked over from a distance, looked up as if he could see something: "Asakawa-kun, I really don't know what kind of peerless masters you've met."

Hayato Morita, head of the Tokyo branch of the Non-World Inspection Department, is also a member of the "Demon Exorcist Experts" and one of the most powerful fighters in the country.

He was dressed casually, and spoke with the smooth-talking manner of a businessman. He didn't look like a government official, but his ordinary face had a sharp look in his eyes, which Asakawa Riku recognized.

Without experiencing the baptism of blood, it would be impossible to sit in his position.

"I'm curious, too."

Asakawa Riku smiled and slowly assumed a fighting stance. The two had only just met and were not familiar with each other, so there was nothing to chat about. They might as well start fighting directly.

"Asakawa-kun, I am a [superpowered person]. You don't know my abilities yet, do you? Let me explain them to you."

However, I heard him say this.

Asakawa Riku asked doubtfully, "Isn't that necessary? Precisely because I don't know, wouldn't it increase your chances of winning by launching a surprise attack?"

This isn't a worldview where revealing your techniques increases their power.

Minister Morita shook his head and insisted:

“That’s fair. After all, we’ve spent a lot of time studying you. If you know nothing about me, it would be too boring to fight.”

Having said that, he stretched out his right hand, palm down.

Slowly, to Asakawa Riku's astonishment, the bricks on the ground began to twist, as if a plant were growing, breaking through the soil and sprouting a long branch, which was then shaped.

"My ability is [Material Reconstruction], which allows me to transform these inorganic materials, such as brick walls and floors, into weapons that I desire at will."

The next second, the stone turned into a stick, which Minister Morita smashed on the ground and instantly merged back into the ground beneath his feet.

The brick surface was restored to a smooth surface, with no trace of cracks visible.

"Everyone says this is the 'strongest combat-type superpower.' Heh, or maybe it's just that I'm strong?"

"Indeed very strong..." Asakawa Riku exclaimed sincerely, his understanding of superpowers had been refreshed once again.

I never expected such a superpower to exist. This means that all the inorganic matter around him can become Morita's weapon and can be manipulated by him.

He could dismantle an enemy's firearms in an instant, deflect any sword, spear, or halberd, and no prison could hold him...

No wonder he can become a demon-slaying expert; this guy's superpowers are simply beyond the norm.

He stood here empty-handed, because this was his entire arsenal!

"Then I'll begin."

Despite his feelings, Asakawa Riku felt no fear whatsoever; to him, the stronger the enemy, the better!

The next second, his toes traced a semicircle on the ground, and the moment sweat dripped down his chin, the entire arena suddenly trembled.

With lightning speed, he sprinted over—

"Hmph, I'll prove to my apprentices and subordinates that I can subdue Nue all by myself."

Morita Hayato reacted instantly, crushing the bricks and stones. The crushed rocks surged into his palm like living things, solidifying into an eight-sided Han sword.

clang!

The sharp whistling sound of the sword cleaving through the air was deflected by the back of Asakawa Riku's hand, and the muscles in his right arm taut out like flowing water.

The boy spun around following the sword's momentum, his left leg sweeping towards his opponent's waist like a battle axe, but was blocked by a stone wall that suddenly rose up just as it was about to hit.

With a loud crash, amidst the flying debris, Morita's left hand deftly pulled the bow and three arrowheads from the wall.

"Too slow."

Asakawa Riku's pupils shrank to pinpoints, and he suddenly ducked down the moment the arrow left the bowstring.

The arrow shaft grazed his hair and disappeared into the distance until it was no longer audible. He used the momentum from crouching down to slide along the ground, and the reaction force from slapping the ground with both hands propelled his body into a blur.

"You're fast, but you can't catch me."

Morita Hayato chuckled and stepped back, the ground surging beneath his feet like waves. He was right; everything around him had become his weapon.

The ground twisted and echoed, sending him away. For Asakawa Riku, it turned into a strange quagmire, difficult to traverse, and it would take time to adapt to this terrain.

At the same time, the meteor hammer head, formed from fragments of bluestone into a flail, swept across the air with a piercing sound.

Asakawa Riku suddenly sprang to his feet, his sole lightly touching the hammer chain, and flipped himself into the air, where he saw the three-meter-long spear that had already taken shape in Morita's hand at the highest point.

boom!

The explosive sound of the gun barrel tearing through the air was so loud it hurt my eardrums. Asakawa Riku tucked his stomach in mid-air, the tip of the gun grazing his belt.

To dodge a sniper shot in mid-air is an action that is completely beyond human capability.

Upon landing, he rolled over, his right hand forming a claw as he dug into the ground, tearing off a stone slab and hurling it at the enemy.

The stone slab softened during flight and was reshaped by Morita into two Persian scimitars.

"It's no use, Nue. Aren't you used to fighting superpowered beings?"

Morita charged forward with a smile, his twin swords slashing and weaving a silver spiderweb of light.

His skills and strength completely exceeded Asakawa Riku's imagination of ordinary superpowered individuals. He had thought that superpowered individuals only relied on their abilities and were weak and vulnerable once they were in close combat.

I never expected Morita Hayato's physical skills to be so strong. Although his strength is not at the level of Asakawa Riku, he is ruthless and fierce when he strikes.

If Asakawa Riku isn't careful, he might get hit by the blade, and he also has to worry about the ground suddenly rebounding from his feet...

And then there's the combat style of switching between multiple weapons in an instant, which is flexible, unpredictable, and elusive.

His mastery of each of those weapons reached the level of a master, as recognized by Asakawa Riku. This guy's strength is simply unfathomable!

No wonder she became Kirisame Aoi's master... This minister's reputation is well-deserved.

Orochi's Autumn: Chapter Twenty - Purity

"Since you have such a superpower, why limit yourself to [creating weapons]?"

Riku Asakawa asked.

He could imagine just by thinking about it that there must be many ways to use this incredible superpower.

Morita Hayato, however, smiled and said:

"Since it's a contest against the legendary Land and Sea King, it has to be a fair and square victory to be truly satisfying."

"Oh?"

Asakawa Riku didn't take it seriously. He precisely parried the back of the knife with his right forearm, and then used his left hand in a phoenix-eye fist to strike the Tanzhong acupoint.

As Morita Hayato leaned back, he suddenly let go and threw the curved sword. The falling sword melted into molten iron in mid-air and then instantly solidified into six flying axes.

"There is a high wall between unarmed and armed combat, don't you understand?"

Asakawa Riku's pupils reflected a swirling, cold light, and he suddenly closed his eyes.

A pounding heartbeat stimulates nerve endings, and muscle memory reacts faster than thought.

I dodged three axe handles by stepping to the side, deflected two with the back of my hand, and finally had the axe handle bitten by teeth.

He had already rushed to within half a foot of Morita Hayato.

"I don't know what a wall is."

Before Morita Hayato could even sculpt the flying axe that Asakawa Riku had mentioned, the breastplate he had hastily conjured cracked under the impact of the inch punch.

He flew out, but his right palm continued to slap the ground. Suddenly, a hexagonal iron cage rose from the ground, blocking Asakawa Riku from further pursuit.

"break!"

Asakawa Riku pulled his fist back just as the iron spikes were about to close, the bloodstains on the back of his hand arcing through the air as he roared and used his strength to forcefully push the shattered spikes open.

The moment the cage collapsed into iron filings, Morita Hayato already had his longbow in hand. Three armor-piercing arrows were positioned in a triangular formation to block his path, but Asakawa Riku charged forward into the face of the arrows.

With incredible speed, the arrows whizzed past his ears, and as the beast attacked, his right knee slammed heavily into Morita Hayato's abdomen.

"cough!"

Morita Hayato staggered backward. If he hadn't used floor tiles to create the walls and breastplate each time, he probably would have been killed by this terrifying power long ago.

Even so, blood still trickled from the corner of his mouth, and the damage from the aftershocks was still horrifying.

A fierce glint flashed in his eyes. Since joining the Inspection Department, he had usually played the role of a hunter hunting down prey, and this was the first time he had been so disheveled in front of his target.

It was almost like the roles were reversed; he was now the one running away in a sorry state, being chased and beaten.

This cannot go on.

The blood-stained palm pressed against the ground, and the surging metal gleamed dark red—the barrel of the matchlock gun was taking shape.

Times have changed—

"A gun is fine, are you kidding me?"

When the hammer of the flintlock rang out, he suddenly dropped to the ground and rolled over.

The lead bullet exploded behind him, scattering rubble. He grabbed the rubble and threw it at Morita Hayato's face, then suddenly disappeared into a blind spot the moment the other man raised his arm to block.

...Although these rubble stones are useless to him, he can buy time by actively blocking or reshaping them.

The black eagle behind him appeared like a ghost, and just as his hand was about to slash at the carotid artery, spikes suddenly rose from the ground beneath Morita Hayato's feet.

"An experienced hunter will not give his prey a chance to fight back."

Morita Hayato sneered. The virtual arena crumbled under the rampage of his superpowers, each shift in offense and defense accompanied by an evolution resembling a weapons museum:

Roman short swords and Tang dynasty swords, Indian ring blades and Japanese shuriken—a dense array of weapons rose from the ground like projections from Unlimited Blade Works.

I couldn't breathe at all.

And that's not even the most outrageous part—

Before the smoke from the flintlock musket had even cleared, the Gatling gun's barrel had already begun to spin.

chug chug!

"Oh shit!"

Even Asakawa Riku couldn't help but curse out loud; this guy's superpowers were too outrageous.

It's one thing for ordinary melee weapons to exchange fire, but to actually bring out machine guns? What kind of fair and square competition is this?

Although he was able to dodge the bullets at extremely high speed, the barrage of bullets had pushed him to his limit. However, his body was still vulnerable to bullets and he could not completely ignore the power of firearms.

This impact was even greater than the "surprise" that Akihisa Kazamatsuri had given him. The strange and wonderful shikigami was one thing, but what Hayato Morita brought was a completely cold weapon.

Guns and gunpowder are the core weapons of modern technology.

As the metallic scraping sound of Morita Hayato reloading rang out, Asakawa Riku was about to take the opportunity to rush forward when he suddenly realized that the sensation under his feet was wrong—the bluestone was turning into quicksand.