In Tokyo, building the Holy Light Girls team

Now that the Heavenly Dao has intervened and annihilated this terrifying forbidden ghost, this is naturally the most ideal outcome for anyone.

However, standing beside them, Rika looked at Natsuki with a worried expression: "Natsuki-sensei, are you alright...?"

She had just finished asking her question when Xia Mu suddenly rushed forward!

Watching the man's retreating figure, Sayuri and Rika seemed to finally realize that the people they were trying to save—Mai and Mizuno-sensei, as well as the girls—hadn't quite escaped their predicament yet…

Chapter 182 Fake Death!

Above the sky, after "petrifying" the forbidden demon, the giant eyeball once again disappeared into the clouds.

As it departed, the surrounding black fog condensed again, and the unsealing barrier stretching for countless kilometers overhead gradually returned to its previous state as it surged.

However, before leaving, the pupil in that giant eyeball shifted slightly, its "gaze" glancing at a figure running rapidly below, as if a complex emotion was flowing through it.

But the emotion vanished in an instant, and as the eyeball finally disappeared into the sky, the area became deserted again.

……

"Mai...Mizuno..."

At this moment, Xia Mu was running at top speed toward the forbidden monster that had been petrified. His astonishing speed would probably break the world record in no time if he participated in the Olympic Games!

Previously, he, like Sayuri and the others, was immersed in the scene of the forbidden demons being destroyed by the Heavenly Dao. But then he suddenly realized that Mai and Mizuno had not yet escaped from their cage!

He gritted his teeth, his speed so great that afterimages appeared behind him. In no time, he arrived in front of the petrified statue, then leaped up and climbed up one of its limbs.

For some reason, the petrified statue looks like it's made of rock, but the moment you touch it, it feels wet and slippery.

However, even though Xia Mu sensed something amiss at that moment, he quickly dismissed it from his mind.

Realizing that his speed had slowed down considerably, he simply used both his hands and feet. Although his speed was slightly slower than that on the ground, he quickly reached the top, the cage where Mai and the others were originally imprisoned.

Xia Mu pulled out a blade from his pocket. This was an object similar to a holy artifact that he had obtained after melting refined steel using the power of holy light.

Using Holy Light can enhance the sharpness and durability of the blade, as well as the destructive power of skills. Gradually, it has become a weapon that he always carries with him.

"Holy Light!"

Even though the battle just now depleted a large portion of the holy light in the cross necklace, it was only attached to the weapon and there wasn't much of a problem.

hum-

With the blessing of holy light, a faint white light emanated from the surface of the blade. Xia Mu's eyes narrowed, and he slashed down heavily with the blade!

clang!

Unexpectedly, the petrified cage was extremely sturdy. Even with all his strength, he could not break it. In particular, after several slashes, the blade showed signs of chipping. The rock was harder than he had imagined!

hateful!

Xia Mu's eyes trembled violently with the Holy Cross mark. The next second, he gathered even more Holy Light power onto the blade and shouted, "Cross, Demon-Slaying Slash!"

He leaped into the air, and the blade slashed down heavily from above. A loud "boom" resounded, and amidst the billowing dust, Xia Mu looked closely. Only a few pebbles had fallen from the spot where he had been struck; nothing else had changed. An expression of disbelief crossed his face: "Incredible..."

Even without using the power of holy light, his physical abilities are enough to kill a level 3 ghost with a single punch. As for stronger dangerous species, they are no match for him when he uses holy light!

However, despite using his skills to enhance his attack, Xia Mu was still unable to break through the hard rock. His remaining holy light was insufficient to support the use of the Spear of Longinus, meaning…

Suddenly, Mai's smiling face flashed through Xia Mu's mind. The scene of her looking at him gently was a warmth he had never felt in his previous life...

As for Mizuno, the school doctor, although he sometimes does things that are hard to understand, his relationship with the other person has improved a lot over the course of their time together...

The thought of the two beauties' impending deaths filled him with remorse. Why had he entrusted the sacred artifact to them back then?

No!

Xia Mu shook his head violently, trying to banish those negative thoughts from his mind as much as possible.

In his perception, he could still faintly sense the holy aura of the two women. Other holders of the holy artifacts also retained some faint sensations. In other words, they were not completely dead inside the petrified statues!

In the current situation, perhaps only he can safely rescue them. He must pull himself together!

Right, since my own power isn't enough to destroy it, maybe if I combine it with Sayuri and the others' power...

Thinking of this, Xia Mu immediately turned around and looked down. As he scanned the area, he saw two figures, one large and one small, running towards their location.

Is that Miss Lily?

And Nanako, what are they doing...?

Xia Mu felt a little confused and was about to ask a question when he suddenly felt a strange vibration coming from under his feet!

Splash! Splash!

He grabbed onto a protruding rock to keep from falling, until his eyes caught sight of a crack slowly appearing on one of the giant feet of this forbidden monster that should have been petrified!

In an instant, the cracks spread across the entire surface of the giant foot, and even showed a tendency to continue spreading to other places. A terrible thought suddenly burst out of Xia Mu's mind!

Could this guy be... faking his death?!

His mind raced, and he quickly recalled fragments of memories he had absorbed.

When he first absorbed the soul crystals of those Illuminati members, he came across words like "forbidden species," "disguise," "heavenly way," and "fake death." Because they were too incomplete and he hadn't witnessed them firsthand, he didn't think about them too much.

Until he saw this scene before him, the forbidden ghost's body reappearing from the crack, he finally understood why the Heavenly Dao, which was almost a natural enemy to all ghosts, would watch the forbidden species exist in this world. Perhaps it was because of the [feigned death state] before him!

It seems that as far as the Heavenly Dao is concerned, as long as punishment is imposed, no ghost can escape the sanction. However, the truth is that this Illuminati organization has found some way to disguise the body as dead by temporarily "petrifying" it, thus escaping the sanction of the Heavenly Dao!

thump!

thump!

thump!

In Xia Mu's perception, he could clearly "hear" the powerful, undulating sounds that kept ringing in his ears, like a heartbeat. The source of the sound was none other than the forbidden ghost statue that had been "petrified"!

In other words, this terrifying monster is about to awaken!

……

Chapter 183 A Self-Sacrificing Fist

The forbidden demon is about to awaken!

Realizing that something terrible might be about to happen, Natsuki immediately shouted loudly towards Kato Yuri and Nanako below, "Don't come any closer! Get out of here!"

At the same time, Sayuri and the others, who were on their way to the petrified statue, also noticed the stones falling from above. The powerful strength of the forbidden demon was still fresh in their minds, and their expressions changed rapidly.

Shiro stopped in his tracks, his expression grave: "Could it be that this thing is still alive?"

Sayuri covered her lips and sighed, "No! I already had no strength left, how could this happen..."

Rika, who has the best eyesight, suddenly pointed in a certain direction and exclaimed, "Look there—!"

On the other side, a young girl seemed oblivious to the danger that was about to unfold. She simply ran with her head down, muttering to herself, "Promise...to protect...everyone..."

While being held in her mother Kato Yuri's arms, Nanako kept her eyes fixed on Natsuki and the others' backs. Especially when she saw them fighting the enemy, she subconsciously put herself in their shoes, as if she were also participating in the battle.

At the same time, she also recalled the scene when she first met the group, and the image of Xia Mu giving her instructions was still vivid in her mind—

Suddenly, a strong impulse arose in the girl's heart. After Xia Mu and the others left, she finally couldn't hold back and jumped out of her mother's arms, running straight in the direction they had gone, which led to the scene at that moment.

She glanced at the [Sacred Artifact] on her wrist, which was shimmering with a faint light. As if sensing the girl's emotions, Nanako's expression hardened once again!

"Big brother Natsuki, and sister Sayuri, sister Shirashima, sister Rika, wait for me, Nanako is coming to help you!"

What she didn't notice was that Kato Yuri was also chasing after her. Because she didn't have the [Sacred Artifact], her speed was obviously much slower, but her thoughts of her daughter still made Kato Yuri give it her all.

Until they saw a crack slowly tearing open on the huge, stone-like object in the distance, revealing wisps of black mist emanating from within.

Even though her vision was quite blurry, Kato Yuri still showed a look of horror, and the speed at which she ran towards Nanako increased without her realizing it!

"Nanako..."

"I think I... heard my mother's voice..."

Nanako murmured, finally raising her head. The scene before her eyes stunned her, and she saw a huge thing rising up!

Big!

It's so big!

Compared to the skyscrapers I had seen not long ago, the behemoth in front of me was ridiculously large. Even the tallest tower in Tokyo that my mother had mentioned probably couldn't compare to this behemoth. Compared to the squid monster that had almost killed me, it was like comparing an elephant to a mosquito!

This terrifying scene had a powerful visual impact on Nanako's young mind. She finally understood why Natsuki and Sayuri had suddenly left. Perhaps this seemingly terrifying monster was the target they wanted to defeat.

"...We need to...escape...quickly..."

The girl murmured to herself, staring wide-eyed at the enormous object before her. Pebbles fell from all around, leaving dents, but she was surprised to find that she seemed to be taking steps because of her overwhelming fear!

“…Big Brother Natsuki…Sayuri…Sister…”

Nanako's mind kept flashing images of Natsuki and the others, which eventually turned into the image of her mother. A tear unknowingly slid down her cheek.

“…I’m so sorry…Mother…It’s all Nanako’s fault for being so willful…and not listening to you…”

At that moment, the girl felt an overwhelming sense of guilt and kept uttering words full of apology. She didn't notice that a pair of familiar hands were brushing over her waist and pulling her into an embrace. At the same time, familiar voices sounded from behind her.

"...Nanako...Mom...I can finally...be with you..."

"Mother……"

Seemingly sensing the warmth coming from behind, Nanako's lips curled into a faint smile.

"Do not!!!!!!"

Xia Mu, who was above the forbidden ghost, also saw the mother and daughter embracing below the slowly rising giant. At their speed, it was impossible for them to escape from the area where the giant was falling!

boom!

A terrifying scene flashed before his eyes, and Xia Mu's heart pounded. Just as he was about to jump down, he suddenly heard a sound and stopped instantly.

"quick!"

"Don't hesitate any longer!"

"There's no time left, hurry..."

"..."

A series of inexplicable murmurs came from Xia Mu's heart. What he didn't notice was that the speed of the giant object seemed to be slowing down imperceptibly!

He turned his head and looked around until his gaze fell on the rock behind him, where the cage was slowly revealing its true form through the crack. A struggle flashed in his eyes, and the next moment he clenched his fist and slammed it heavily down on the rock in front of him!