Anime: Fight Sukuna at the beginning?.

Chapter 480 I've always been 'always ready to grant' the wishes of my enemies.
The loud noise startled countless mercenaries who were resting in their simple rooms.

The voices echoed through the camp.

It was a large, imposing figure that slowly emerged from the shadows and stood tall in the camp.

It was a middle-aged man glaring angrily at the monsters outside the camp.

The man's face was quite ordinary.

There are already quite a few wrinkles on my face due to the passage of time.

Aside from appearing slightly bald, the person's overall appearance is otherwise quite different.

Even those wearing black plate armor...

His belly was still very prominent.

Upon seeing the middle-aged man's appearance, standing beside Fang Yi, was Boer, who had just invited the man to treat his teammate.

He then whispered the other person's name.

“Zhalan”.

After revealing the other person's name.

Bohr paused for a second before whispering an explanation to Fang Yi.

"I've only been in town for a short time, and this is my first time being the deputy captain of the guard team on duty at this camp."

"He's supposedly level 5, but there are some bad rumors about him."

"Humph!"

Zhalan's cold snort interrupted their conversation.

Before Fang Yi could respond.

With an imposing air, Zhalan glanced at Fang Yi and Boer.

The meaning of that sound was unclear.

But after a cold snort that was mostly tinged with contempt and warning.

He then began to give instructions with words that clearly revealed his contempt.

"What are you standing there for? [lv2][lv4]!"
"You two, step back!"

As he spoke, Zhalan reached for the long sword at his waist.

"Hold down that idiot who got lured out of the camp by the monster, and it would be better if a few more people came."

"Two people probably won't be enough."

Zhalan had not yet finished giving his order.

Then I was interrupted by a sweet female voice.

"And then? Captain."
-
Everyone followed the sound.

Then I saw someone squinting, a smile spreading across their face.

A woman raising her hand like a student eagerly answering a teacher's question.

It was thanks to the blessing of the [Secret Ritual Silver Hand] and [Unwavering Heart] that it was so powerful.

It also adds the buffs for men that can benefit teammates: Legendary Afterglow, Echo of Trust, and Glory of Victory.

She danced with effortless grace, displaying the gentle touch of her fingers.

It quickly transformed into four thick tentacles.

Kanroji Mitsuri tightly bound the man whose limbs were rotting and who was walking out of the camp like a puppet.

The group of mercenaries who peeked out saw that Kanroji Mitsuri was using only one hand.

Afterwards, the scene of the man, who was like a wild beast trapped in a snare, was firmly suppressed.

I instinctively let out a gasp of surprise.

"What's the name of that strong woman? She's a new face, isn't she?"

Have you seen her?

Some questioned Zhalan's orders.

"Was there a mistake in Vice Captain Zhalan's instructions? Couldn't this have been resolved by a woman?"

"That good-for-nothing who comes to the camp and does nothing but drink and steal gold coins during notarization is just as good as ever."

The sharp-eyed mercenary interrupted his companion's questioning with a hint of annoyance.

"Fool, look at that man's feet."

The mercenaries looked down.

Upon seeing the several enormous pits beneath the feet of the man bound by tentacles, now deeply embedded in the mud.

Everyone involuntarily gasped.

"This! The strength of this struggle is comparable to that of the champion-level Plague Giants or Death Knights, who are known for their power!"

"That woman used only one hand!!"

Several of the more senior mercenaries looked at Kanroji Mitsuri with awe.

"This woman is definitely not an ordinary person; her mercenary level is at least level 4!"

"I'm afraid it's more than that!"

Some mercenaries have already begun making plans.

"I need to find a way to get closer to this very beautiful and capable woman; maybe..."

Some mercenaries were puzzled.

"But why did she say 'captain'?"

"Isn't that Zhalan the deputy captain of the guard?"
-
However, Fang Yi did not react.

Kanroji Mitsuri raised her voice again and shouted at the man.

"Captain, what's the next step?"

The mercenaries then followed the woman's gaze and looked at Fang Yi, who stood motionless in the center of the field.

"Captain? This man is that woman's captain?"

"Doesn't look very strong? Why isn't it moving?"
"Frightened silly?"

He realized that Kanroji Mitsuri hadn't asked him, but rather Fang Yi.

Zhalan raised his voice again and gave a cold snort of dissatisfaction.

Then, with a whoosh, he drew the long sword from his waist.

He pointed menacingly into the woods, tilting his head to look at the crowd.

The monster seemed to be watching some kind of drama with great interest.

"As for you, how dare you do these things right under my nose, Zhalan!"
"Then die!"
-
The words just fell.

The weapon that Zhalan held in his left hand was inlaid with many gemstones.

A golden longsword that looks somewhat flamboyant.

Then a strange radiance appeared.

Everyone was looking at the longsword in Zhalan's left hand.

They were eager to witness the exquisite swordsmanship that the deputy captain of the guard team, who had not yet made a move since arriving at the camp, was about to display.

The man, who looked somewhat overweight, did not wield his longsword.

Instead, he swiftly pulled a scroll from his waist and flung it downwards.

[Sacred Prayer]

As the parchment in Zhalan's right hand was fully unfolded, the prayers on it began to glow.

A burst of exceptionally bright, blinding holy light.

It fell from the monster's head with a thud, striking the "Wicked Woman of the Forest" with a fierce blow!
"boom--"
-
The intense holy light descended like thunder from the sky, instantly illuminating the entire camp as if it were daytime.

Mercenaries with slightly weaker skills couldn't even perceive the holy light and could only close their eyes.

But the screams that everyone expected from the monster as it was burned to ashes by the holy flames did not occur.

The monster wearing a bone mask and resembling a woman glimpsed the holy light descending from above.

Yet he remained standing at the edge of the woods, neither flinching nor avoiding the view.

All the monster did was raise the straw doll in its hand toward the holy light above its head.

The next moment, a strange, blood-red light appeared around the monster's emaciated body.

Then they transformed into two blood-red runes of unknown meaning, which met the descending holy light.

And that holy flame that descended from the sky.

Upon encountering these two incantations, they suddenly froze.

Then it dimmed at a speed visible to the naked eye and began to dissipate.

In the end, only a few scattered shards of light remained on the woman's almost unreal white skin.

After producing a few very faint burning sounds.

It vanished like a snowflake falling into the palm of your hand.
-
After dispelling the holy light, the monster turned its head slightly to look at Zhalan, whose expression was solemn.

A strange voice, like that of a child just learning to speak, came from behind the bone mask.

"You, attack, are weak."

"I would rather..."

"Nothing has been overcome, weakness, curse."

Although the monster's words were somewhat intermittent and lacked any emotion.

But when they heard the monster speak in human language, they witnessed the unusually intense holy light mysteriously vanish.

I felt a chill suddenly rise from the soles of my feet to the top of my head.

My body is starting to feel unresponsive.

There was already a hint of panic in his words.

"The monster spoke!!!"

"What kind of monster is that?"

Some people screamed in terror.

"【Curse of Weakness】? Isn't that something that priests can easily dispel?"

"How can it counteract such a powerful holy light that even a regular level 4 priest cannot unleash?"

"Even a typical [Champion-level] monster couldn't do that!"

The mercenaries watched in a panic.

The monster's eyes, hidden behind the mask, seemed to curve slightly.

She actually bent down slightly and bowed to everyone.

Of course, this bow was clearly not an act of submission.

It is not a provocation by the winner toying with the loser.

"Want to try another blow?"
-
The monster's voice drifted slowly and gently into the ears of each mercenary.

But it was even more chilling than the opponent's previous act of extinguishing the holy light.

Because everyone had discovered something that was chilling upon closer inspection.

In just a few seconds, he went from stuttering like a monster who had just learned to speak.

The words that came out at this moment became extremely fluent.

This is a monster, or rather a woman, with an astonishing ability to learn and imitate!
A brief silence fell over the camp.

Zhalan, who was holding a longsword, frowned even more.

He let out another extremely displeased snort from his nostrils.

However, the deputy captain of the security force did not launch another attack.

Instead, he pursed his lips and scrutinized the woman outside the camp. Clearly, he was hesitant to act rashly.

Look at the reaction of the mercenaries standing in the camp.

The monster standing in the gloomy forest laughed wildly.

"If you..."

However, the woman didn't finish her sentence.

A very polite male voice had already been heard in the camp.

"One more blow?"
"Then so be it!"
"I have always been willing to grant the wishes of my enemies."

He stood motionless outside the camp, making no response.

The murderous illusion created by the [Shrinking Earth] [Overlapping Shadows]—'Fang Yi'—began to dissolve.

A figure had already passed through everyone's sight.

While everyone was still in shock, they strode forward toward the monster.

The next moment, the unusually simple longsword in the man's hand was suddenly drawn from its sheath.

A blade of energy, carrying the power of heaven and earth, cleaved through the silence and emerged in response.

That was a genuine "slash" formed purely from magic power.

It contains no element of skill or artistry.

After spotting the monster, Fang Yi recalled some information.

I've already made some plans for this mission, which requires me to kill two [Wicked Women of the Forest].
-
The trees that had been blocking everyone's view fell and flew off in a neat, uniform fashion, as if they had been crushed by a hurricane.

The monster's left arm was also cleanly and decisively severed.

However, no blood was pumped out of the severed arm; only wisps of black smoke slowly rose out.

Before the monster could react...

The entire body and arm were then subjected to the malevolent wind generated by the sword energy.

Like magnets that repel each other due to their similar polarity, they flew out sideways!

"Crack! Click!"

A gust of evil wind, stirred up by the flash of the blade, was ejected.

The monster, which had smashed several giant trees, saw Fang Yi suddenly approach.

He struggled to his feet and straightened the slightly misaligned bone mask.

After a moment of silence, he let out a soft chuckle.

The sound was eerie, like a gust of wind suddenly torn apart.

"Interesting... I'll remember you."
-
The next second, as the monster twisted its body, it coiled into an extremely bizarre sphere.

A shadow also appeared over his body.

The monster, which had successfully activated its stealth ability at a speed contrary to everyone's expectations, quickly melted into the darkness and vanished into thin air.

It was as if she had never existed.

Only the arm, severed by the man and embedded in the tree, proved that this was not an illusion.

As the monster disappeared, the man who had been bound by Ms. Kanroji's tentacles also stopped struggling.

A cold wind blew.

The mercenary, who had witnessed the bizarrely concluded battle, remained silent for a long time.

Zhalan stands in the center of the camp.

He then gripped his long sword tightly with a solemn expression and began to scrutinize Fang Yi.

This time, however, the deputy captain of the garrison looked at Fang Yi with a hint of respect that was not easily noticed by ordinary people.

He didn't snort again.

Fang Yi, who hadn't gone all out according to his own plan, simply let out a slow breath.

They went into the woods and retrieved the arm.

He then sheathed his sword and returned to the camp.

The back-and-forth movements were extremely smooth.

It was as if I had only done a trivial little thing.

The man emerged from the shadows and returned to the brightly lit camp, illuminated by the firelight.

The mercenaries then raised their drooping chins and stopped catching their breath.

At the same time, he retracted his eyes, which had been wide open like copper bells, to prevent them from falling out of their sockets.

She secretly sized up the man with a respectful gaze.

Although the man had deliberately reduced the power of his attack and hadn't said anything encouraging.

But for these mercenaries...

The strength of the man displayed in this 'performance' has deeply impressed people.
-
Meanwhile, Zhalan awkwardly sheathed his sword.

But he turned to the mercenaries and said something rather unpleasant.

"What are you staring at with your mouth open and eyes wide open?"
"You like the cold air? Get out of here!"

"Those who need rest, take it! Those with commissions, go and do them!"

The mercenaries then retreated back to their rooms as if waking from a dream.

Start doing your own thing.

But as the mercenaries whispered among themselves, they also began to express their opinions about men.

"Did you see that? That man is more powerful than I've ever seen or known before!"

"How did they manage to create such a realistic illusion? It's unheard of."

"Even the instructors probably don't possess such skills!"

"I heard from that Zhalan that his mercenary rank is still lv2?"

"You're kidding."

Some of the mercenaries uttered rebellious remarks.

"I think he is more capable than that scoundrel Zhalan in managing the camp."

"Sigh, I don't know why Lord Woyin would send him here."

Zhalan, however, ignored the gossip of the mercenaries.

Instead, she walked to Fang Yi's side and stuck out her belly.

He rudely extended his hand to Paul, who was standing to the side.

"You're the one who roams around like a rat in every mercenary group's room, constantly throwing money around."

"Trying to find the [lv4] who can heal my teammate."

"Where's the money?"

Bohr was stunned and didn't react for a moment.

Bohr looked quite hesitant.

Zhalan frowned and said irritably.

"how?

Even mercenaries whose abilities have absolutely nothing to do with healing your teammates.

"You paid them under the pretext of disturbing them."

"Why are you hesitating now that you need to have it notarized with me?"

Only then did Boer put on a smile and slowly hand a money bag to Zhalan.

"Captain Zhalan, I just..."

Zhalan took the money bag and weighed it in his hand.

He then openly opened his money pouch and took out a few coins, placing them in his palm.

He pretended to examine the coins.

It's as if they're trying to confirm something based on these coins.

After exchanging some coins with the Mosuo people.

Zhalan, however, took the few coins for granted and put them into his pocket.

He glanced at Paul.

He responded to Boll's flattery.

"Vice Captain."

"There is only one captain of the guard team, and that is Lord Woyin."

"The compensation isn't a big issue."

Then he turned to Fang Yi.

"That guy who looks like he got the mercenary job through connections and back channels [lv2]."

"What's your name?"

Fang Yi smiled slightly.

He had already realized that this man was somewhat 'interesting'.

It should be able to align with my own plans.

"Fang Yi."

I heard this name.

Zhalan looked at the man with great interest.

"An unfamiliar name, a new mercenary?"

Just as Fang Yi was about to reply, Zhalan, as if he had foreseen this, waved his hand at Fang Yi.

"Stop, I don't have time to chat with the new mercenaries."

"Come find me after you're done and take it with you, along with the monster's hand."

"You'd better hurry up."

"Once the animal trainers with their hunting dogs return, I will immediately gather my men to hunt down the wounded monster and claim this contribution."

After uttering those words, which made everyone wonder about his own capabilities...

Zhalan didn't even look at the two of them and turned to leave.

Meanwhile, Paul extended an invitation to Fang Yi, while glancing at Shinobu Kocho.

"Lord Fangyi, please let your companion take a look."

"What kind of germ did my companion get infected with?"

However, before Fang Yi, who was very sensitive to curses due to his many traits and skills, could utter it.

The words, “Your companion is not infected with germs, but cursed,” were spoken.

A somewhat hoarse female voice came from behind them.

He was cursed.

"I have a solution."

Fang Yi looked in the direction of the sound.

Then he saw the resolute barbarian Sona standing not far behind him.

And he was being dragged along by the barbarian woman.

Vaughn looked at himself helplessly, saying, "I'm not as strong as her, I can't stop her."

(End of this chapter)