[What shocked them was that you had not summoned the rumored powerful girl shikigami, but had instead called forth eighteen Little Demons.]
[Judging by the solidity of their forms, these eighteen Little Demon shikigami were clearly formidable.]
[But according to the onmyoji who returned from Fukoka Castle, you had only summoned that one girl shikigami during that brutal battle. Under such circumstances, who wouldnât have fought with everything they had?]
[From this, it was clear: either you had no other shikigami, or your other shikigami were too weak to be of use in great battles, so that girl shikigami was your only one worth showing.]
[Its original intention had been to command the kappa in the first battle, using the kappaâs formidable defense to hold out for a while before conceding, so that losing the first round wouldnât be too humiliating.]
[In the following two battles, you would have no choice but to surrender obediently.]
[âŠ]
[The opposing onmyoji took a deep breath, formed seals, chanted an incantation, and commanded the kappa to advance and attackâŠ]
[Unlike when you previously sacrificed only a bit of Spirit Essence to summon them, the eighteen Little Demons now had solidified souls and savage forms. As their blades, spears, and clubs swung, black miasma curled around them, as if they were reapers crawling from hell to the human world.]
[You shook the bell in your hand, and the eighteen Little Demons surrounded the kappa completelyâŠ]
[Just as the kappa was about to strike, it saw countless sharp weapons stabbing toward it. With no alternative, the opposing onmyoji could only command the kappa to defend.]
[It retracted its head and limbs into the massive shell, leaving no part of its flesh exposed.]
[The dense barrage of weapons slammed against the shell, producing a cacophony of clanging impacts.]
[The green-furred kappa stayed curled up without moving, letting the Little Demons flail away, the ringing sounds never stopping.]
[Seeing this, the Little Demons only attacked harder, but their weapons still couldnât break through the shellâs defensesâŠ]
[At first, the opposing onmyoji had been worried, but now, seeing the Little Demonsâ attacks were ineffective, it finally relaxed.]
[It called out loudly to you, explaining that the foreign mage might never have seen such a shikigami before, kappa were aquatic sprites, not famous for powerful attacks, but rather for their renowned defensive strength.]
[It asked whether the foreign mage could break through the kappaâs defense and offer some guidance in the art of shikigami offense.]
âHeh⊠this bastard still dares to talk sarcastically?â
Lin Xun had already thought of a way to win and was about to act when he was subjected to the enemyâs mockery.
The method of victory was simple. The rules said that as long as you beat the opponentâs shikigami until it couldnât fight or knocked it off the platform, you would win.
The kappa had turned into a turtle hiding in its shell, not striking back. For the moment, the Little Demons had no way to finish it off.
But if the Little Demons simply lifted the turtle shell and threw it off the platform, they could win easily.
He had planned to win bloodlessly, but while the enemy onmyojiâs shikigami skills werenât much to look at, their snide sarcasm certainly was. No wonder they were called onmyoji.
If he let them lose a round this easily, wouldnât that be letting them off too lightly?
Lin Xun opened his panel and began unloading a series of heavy weapons, tossing them onto the ground.
Among them were the Ancient Dragonfang Greatclub, the Thunder Dragon Staff-Spear, the Chain Blade â Call of the Underworld, the Golden Roc Raptor Claws, and the Hidden Blade â WidowmakerâŠ
But he was careful not to display the Otaki Clanâs heirloom, the Tachi â Uzuki-Kir.
[You continuously pulled out all manner of exotic weapons, throwing them to the ground with a chorus of clattering impacts.]
[Each time you dropped a weapon that looked tremendously powerful, it was like it slammed onto the opposing onmyojiâs heart, making it tremble with alarm.]
[The Fire-Worshipping Senior Onmyoji cautiously asked why the foreign mage was taking such actions.]
[You glanced at it and proclaimed in a loud voice that today you would teach it the first lesson in shikigami offense, overwhelming power creates miracles!]
[With that, the Little Demons stopped their assault, retreated to your side, tossed aside their chipped and cracked weapons, and picked up the high-quality arms scattered on the ground.]
[Each one bared its fangs and claws, then surged toward the green-furred kappa once moreâŠ]
[Before the stupefied eyes of all the onmyoji present, piteous screams rose from within the encirclement of Little Demons. In no time, green blood was flowing across the platform.]
[When the Little Demons finally withdrew, the green-furred kappa had been reduced to a puddle of mangled flesh. No trace of its former appearance remained, it was plainly dead beyond all doubt.]
[You looked to the referee below. You saw his lips twitch, and after hesitating for quite a while, he finally had no choice but to announceâŠ]
[âFirst round of the shikigami duel, the foreign mage is victorious!â]
[All the onmyoji below stared wide-eyed, dumb as wooden chickens.]
[The foreign mage had used a vivid and graphic lesson to open a door to a new world in the way of shikigami for them.]
[You rang the bell once more, and the hopping Little Demons returned the exotic weapons to you before their forms dissipated and vanishedâŠ]
[Across the platform, the onmyojiâs face went white and green by turns. He pointed a trembling finger at you for a long while but couldnât speak a word.]
[The referee had to remind him repeatedly before he snapped back to himself. Judging by his twisted expression, losing the kappa had clearly pained him deeply.]
[The Fire-Worshipping Senior Onmyoji locked his gaze onto you, his pitch-black eyes full of fury. He roared that since the foreign mage showed no mercy, he would show none in return!]
[With that, burning with rage, he didnât even wait for the refereeâs signal before forming seals and chanting to summon a powerful demon shikigamiâŠ]