Chapter 146: Danger Returns

Whoosh——

Massive blood-red wings shrouded Machiu Xing’s body directly. With just a single blow, the previously tyrannical Machiu Xing was forcefully and brutally swept away.

"Damn it, I let my guard down!" The formidable force on the wings sent Machiu Xing hurtling backward at high speed, slamming heavily into the sturdy concrete wall of a nearby store, causing the wall to collapse. The scene fell instantly silent.

"Who is..." Supported by Touka's hands, Sikong Xu slowly straightened his back. At that moment, he finally caught sight of the figure who had sent Machiu Xing flying.

He wore a strangely shaped white mask, and a black robe tightly enveloped his height of over two meters. Standing straight in place at a single glance, he possessed an immense aura. At the same time, rows of blood-red crystals grew from his back, and even the giant wings that had batted Machiu Xing away had folded back into a thick red crystal.

Sikong Xu knew that all of these red crystals were condensed from Rc cells, operating on the exact same principle as the blood-red feathers Touka had fired.

Thus, the identity of the newcomer was crystal clear—an SSS-rank ghoul, the One-Eyed Owl!

"Manager... and... everyone."

Suddenly, all the companions from the Anteiku coffee shop appeared. Although their auras seemed somewhat withered and their clothes were tattered, they had all survived.

"It's so great that you're all okay." Seeing that his companions from Anteiku were safe and sound, Touka immediately summoned a bright smile. For the current Touka, nothing could make her happier than the safety of her family and friends.

"Haha, I used to be known as the 'Devil Ape,' but I'm old now. If the Manager hadn't intervened, I probably would have bitten the dust long ago," Koma Enji said, puffing up his large nose.

"By the way, you didn't kill anyone, did you?"

"No, but we injured quite a few." Irimi Kaya's cold face was stained with a fair amount of blood, yet at this moment, she appeared even more alluring and dangerously wicked.

"As long as nobody died..." Sikong Xu let out a soft breath. However, his attention was quickly drawn to the recently collapsed concrete wall not far away.

An arm poked out from the pile of rubble, and immediately afterward, intense and ferocious battle Qi erupted from the limb's location. The overwhelmingly destructive battle Qi forcefully obliterated head-sized chunks of masonry and stone into fine dust.

"Ha... ha..." The pile of rubble was completely pulverized, and Machiu Xing, who had been pinned beneath it, stood up. At this moment, his clothes were disheveled, his breathing ragged, and he gasped heavily for air. Clearly, Yoshimura's earlier strike had dealt him considerable damage—something Sikong Xu couldn't have achieved even by unleashing the full firepower of his Traversing Sword Technique!

Although there was a certain element of a sneak attack involved, it was more than enough to reveal the formidable might of an SSS-rank ghoul!

"Ha... I never expected that even among ghouls, there would appear a half-step Verdant-tier fellow. I was far too careless..." Machiu Xing propped his baseball bat on the ground to support his body, looking at Yoshimura with a grim expression.

He was sizing up Yoshimura, estimating his actual combat strength. Because Machiu Xing had unleashed his battle Qi several times in succession to deal with Sikong Xu, even executing a hugely draining martial technique, and then forcefully withstood Yoshimura's blow, Machiu Xing was currently operating at half-health.

Although Yoshimura had also expended a bit of energy dealing with the other members of the Mizusawa Society, his condition was far better than Machiu Xing's.

A trace of annoyance lingered in Machiu Xing's heart. This mission had truly been miscalculated; not only had they failed to account for an extraordinarily talented first-year student, but a half-step Verdant-tier formidable enemy had also emerged. If this operation by the Mizusawa Society possessed only this much combat strength, it would undoubtedly be a failure.

However, the supreme and peerless leader of the Mizusawa Society had also accompanied them on this operation!

In Machiu Xing's mind, his leader was the absolute strongest existence within the same tier. As long as he took the field, there was no mission that could remain unfulfilled!

"Senior, it looks like the advantage is on our side now." After a brief period of rest, Sikong Xu's injuries had gradually healed. He took a step forward and said to Machiu Xing.

"Advantage? There's no such thing. Did you really think ghouls could remain safe and sound under your protection? Or is your greatest backing that half-step Verdant-tier ghoul behind you?" Machiu Xing mocked.

Sikong Xu did not retort to Machiu Xing's words; instead, he tightly furrowed his brows. What Machiu Xing said was indeed the truth—an advantage did not truly exist, because the fellow who had unleashed the massive ice phoenix and completely obliterated the entire Anteiku coffee shop with a single strike still hadn't shown up yet!

Sikong Xu knew that that fellow must be watching from somewhere. Having learned his lesson from having his sensory skills bounced back earlier, Sikong Xu didn't dare to use "Precise Perception" to probe that person's location for the time being.

"Junior, though your talent is extraordinary, compared to the leader... honestly, even if you were given another year and advanced to the second year, I still wouldn't believe you could defeat the leader as he is now." Machiu Xing's calm tone leaked a trace of absolute confidence; he seemed to intensely worship the so-called "Leader."

"Is that so?" Sikong Xu smiled faintly. Machiu Xing possessed absolute confidence in that so-called "Leader," but why shouldn't Sikong Xu have confidence in himself?

What he needed most was time, and what he feared least was—a formidable opponent!

At that very moment, a freezing chill swept past, and Sikong Xu abruptly raised his head. He saw sharp icicles, roughly two meters long and as thick as utility poles, raining down madly like a storm!

"Dodge!" Looking at the densely packed black dots above his head, Sikong Xu's scalp instantly went numb. Such a dense offensive had descended without the slightest warning, and even Yoshimura, an SSS-rank ghoul, couldn't possibly block it entirely!

The strength tier of the person behind this definitely exceeded the Verdant tier! It might even far surpass the Verdant tier!

"No choice!" Sikong Xu clenched his teeth, instantly activating the first gate of the "Eight Gates Dun Jia," the Gate of Opening!

Fortunately, apart from Touka, the other staff members of Anteiku possessed no weak strength. Though they would sustain minor injuries dealing with such a dense barrage, it wouldn't be fatal. However, Touka and Sikong Xu were a different story.

Since Touka had been staying close to Sikong Xu, and Sikong Xu's position happened to be right at the very center of the icicles' attack zone, it would be extremely difficult for Touka to escape on her own.

Furthermore, Sikong Xu was still carrying injuries. Under such a condition, it was completely impossible for him to dodge! Thus, his only option was to unleash the "Eight Gates Dun Jia"!