Capítulo 482: Crushing the Weak with a Main Account
As if sensing the looming danger, Yoshino quickly turned around, her pupils contracting in fear as she instinctively hugged her head and crouched low.
"Boom!"
A deafening explosion erupted, sending a tidal wave of shockwaves billowing outward. The surrounding buildings were blown apart, scattering debris in a cloud of smoke and dust.
After a long moment, Yoshino, who hadn't felt any pain, cautiously lifted her head, realizing she was unhurt. She peered through tear-blurred eyes and saw someone standing before her. Though the figure was hazy, bathed in the warm glow of light, she could vaguely make out a person radiating a gentle aura.
The voice, however, was clear. Despite being muffled by a mask, Yoshino sensed a faint smile within it.
"Don't be afraid; it's all right now. I'm here."
"W-Who are you?" Yoshino asked timidly.
The figure in front of her was an unfamiliar person wearing an odd mask, but surprisingly, Yoshino felt a sense of comfort and warmth from them. Even their voice carried a gentle kindness that made her trust this person instinctively, as though they harbored no malice.
"Well, if I had to say," Kaguya paused, smiling, "I might just be like you."
"Like me?" Yoshino murmured, her pretty blue eyes filled with confusion.
Suddenly, realizing something, she gasped, "You… you're a Spirit, too?"
"Possibly," Kaguya replied, scratching her head with a laugh.
She hadn't wanted to deceive the poor girl, but it seemed the only way to earn Yoshino's trust. Yoshino was notoriously timid, easily spooked by the slightest thing. Given the fright she had just endured, gaining her trust would be almost impossible otherwise.
"Really?" Yoshino glanced nervously at Kaguya, then turned and ran off.
Wait, this isn't how it's supposed to go!
Kaguya's mouth twitched. Wasn't Yoshino supposed to feel grateful and then fall into her arms?
Just as Kaguya was about to chase after her, another blinding beam of light shot out.
"Boom!"
Thick smoke billowed, flames flaring high into the sky.
"We've hit the jackpot!" Ryoko Kusakabe shook the AST member beside her in excitement, shouting, "I thought we only had one, but now there's another one. We can capture them both at once!"
"C-Captain…" the dizzy AST girl managed a strained smile.
"What is it?" Kusakabe asked.
"It seems… she's unharmed," the AST member stammered.
"What do you mean, unharmed?" Kusakabe hadn't caught on.
"The Spirit we just hit… doesn't seem to be injured at all," the girl replied, finally freeing herself from Kusakabe's iron grip and stumbling back.
"Oh?" Kusakabe turned to look toward the site of the explosion.
Centered at the blast site was a massive crater, the surrounding buildings flattened for miles. Floating above the pit was a girl in a fox mask—Kaguya.
She was unscathed, her clothes as pristine as if she hadn't been touched. Kusakabe was sure her shot had hit, yet it hadn't even scratched her.
"Wait…" Kusakabe's eyes narrowed. "Isn't that the new Spirit from the last report?"
Though the figure before her wore different clothing, the fox mask was unmistakably the same.
"I didn't expect it to be her," Kusakabe's expression darkened. "If it's her, that explains a lot."
This was the Spirit who had deflected the powerful Fraxinus cannon attack. Her defense was terrifyingly formidable. That the DEM's new weapon had no effect wasn't exactly surprising.
"What should we do now, Captain?" AST members looked at her, awaiting orders.
"We keep attacking. What, do you want to be cowards?" Kusakabe flicked a finger, knocking the hesitant girl on the head with a "friendly" smile. "Anyone hoping for double training on your days off? Then get in there!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Inspired by their captain's "encouragement," the AST members rushed forward, their spirits high as if they'd taken a shot of adrenaline. After all, with the grueling training schedule and rare rest days, nobody wanted to sacrifice their one break!
Rat-tat-tat!
The sharp gunfire resumed, with bullets, shells, and even missiles showering down on Kaguya like a storm.
But the AST's morale couldn't overcome the gap in strength.
The bullets from the assault rifles couldn't penetrate Kaguya's shield, not even leaving a scratch, merely producing a few sparks. And it wasn't just the bullets—the shells, missiles, and even DEM's newest weapon were unable to shatter her Truth-Seeking Orb shield.
"If this is all AST's got, then I'm a little disappointed," Kaguya sighed, feigning dismay.
"Damn it!" Kusakabe snarled in frustration. "How dare she mock us! Everyone, bring out the melee weapons and take her down!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
With a collective shout, the AST girls drew their lightblades, charging swiftly toward Kaguya.
But they were gravely mistaken if they thought close combat would give them the upper hand. This was, after all, Kaguya's specialty.
One AST girl, wielding a lightblade, shot forward, jets of high-speed air propelling her from behind as she swung her blade toward Kaguya.
Before the blade could even land, however, Kaguya vanished. The AST member only had a split second of confusion before a shadow flickered before her, and a powerful punch landed squarely in her soft midsection.
The AST girl's face went pale. The intense pain made her vision go dark, and she fainted, plummeting straight down from mid-air. Luckily, one of her teammates managed to catch her just in time, preventing her from crashing into the ground like a pancake from that height.
Just then, a cold glint approached Kaguya from behind, poised to slice her in half. The AST girl who attempted the sneak attack even wore a triumphant grin—until it froze on her face.
Without moving a step, Kaguya casually parried with a reverse strike. The girl felt a tremendous force against her hand, nearly dislodging her lightsaber, and her body was thrown back four or five meters before she could steady herself.
So strong!
The girl was taken aback.
Just as she was reeling from the shock, Kaguya's blade flashed a few times. The AST girl shut her eyes, certain she was done for. But upon opening them, she found herself unscathed. Bewildered, she suddenly felt a strange sensation. She was horrified to realize her body had lost its support and, with a sharp scream, plunged downward like a stone.
It turned out Kaguya's casual slashes had sliced off the stabilizing fins of her manifestation device, preventing her from hovering in the air.
Another squadron of AST members swarmed around Kaguya, waving their lightsabers and launching a fierce attack.
But Kaguya appeared unperturbed by the assault, effortlessly deflecting each blow with casual swipes. Amidst the storm of attacks, she moved gracefully, as if none of it posed any threat. She even deflected strikes from behind as if she had eyes in the back of her head.
With her battle experience, Kaguya wasn't remotely comparable to these teenage girls.
Though, there was a sense that she was beating up little kids.
"Let's add a little fun, then," she mused.
Grinning, Kaguya darted towards the girls. Her speed was astounding; she often passed by them before they even registered her presence.
The AST girls swung their lightsabers furiously, filling the air with flashing blades, yet none of them could even graze her. Even the rare hit was only a strike on one of Kaguya's afterimages.
After some skirmishing, one girl suddenly noticed something, pointing at another AST member with surprise. "Your… your gear!"
The other girl looked back, equally startled. "Yours too!"
Both felt a sense of dread as they glanced down and let out panicked screams.
At some unknown point, the protective parts of their manifestation devices had been peeled away, despite the high-tech security meant to prevent such things in battle. Somehow, their opponent had dismantled their gear effortlessly.
Now, the girls found themselves almost completely exposed, even stripped of their undergarments, revealing skin. No wonder they had felt a sudden chill.
A chorus of panicked shrieks filled the air as they covered their chests and abdomens, unsure of what to do. And it wasn't just one girl; the majority of them had been left in this humiliating state. Kaguya's speed was so overwhelming that none of them had even noticed until they were already stripped bare.
Finally, the terrified "lambs" fled in disarray. After all, they were just young girls, not emotionless battle machines, and they still had a sense of decency and pride.
Fortunately, this all took place during a spacequake alert, meaning that most of the city's residents were safely in shelters, and the streets were deserted. No one was around to witness these energetic young women in such an embarrassing state.
"Damn it!" Ryoko Kusakabe clenched her lightsaber in fury. Seeing her subordinates treated with such brutal humiliation was unforgivable.
Only a few AST members managed to escape Kaguya's grasp unscathed—those with natural instincts for sensing danger had pulled back in time and thus avoided the same fate as their teammates.
"Kill her!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Watching their comrades suffer such humiliation, the AST girls charged at Kaguya with renewed determination, gripping their lightsabers tight and firing up their manifestation devices to high speed as they closed in.
"Oh?" Kaguya twirled her lightsaber casually, her smile widening. "Still haven't learned your lesson? Let's make it clearer, then."
With those words, she swung her lightsaber, producing countless razor-sharp wind blades that sliced through the air with a shrill hiss, flashing toward her attackers at blinding speed. In the blink of an eye, the wind blades were upon them. The girls barely had time to react as the blades seemed to graze them.
Only Ryoko Kusakabe, sensing the danger, managed to dodge at the last moment.
The once-confident AST girls were paralyzed with fear, faces drained of color. Convinced they'd been struck, they frantically patted themselves down, finding no wounds or pain and letting out a sigh of relief.
Maybe she'd only been bluffing.
Yes, that had to be it. Otherwise, they'd already be dead by now. Clearly, she'd worn herself out in the earlier skirmish, which was why her attacks seemed weak now.
The reinvigorated girls were preparing to attack again when a deafening rumble sounded from behind them. Turning around, they were stunned to see a nearby skyscraper sliced cleanly in half at an angle, collapsing with a roar and a massive cloud of dust.
The girls' faces turned ghostly white. They finally understood that she'd been going easy on them.
Or had she really?
In that moment, they felt a strange weight pulling on them. In a confused daze, they exchanged glances. Then, with horrified screams, they tumbled down like dumplings.
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