Chapter 660: Pursuit

Chapter 660: Pursuit

The Moon of Corrosion’s shrine maiden, the 37th-generation heir of the Takeuchi family—Takeuchi Mayumi—was currently caught in a spiral of deep self-doubt.

Because her most prized ability, Takeuchi Picture Scroll, had just failed.

It was as if some existence had forcibly erased her divination from functioning.

And so, Phoenixin Ren immediately asked Nishijumu Satoru to contact Nobunaga and the other two.

Satoru relayed their status back to Phoenixin.

“No,” Takeuchi Mayumi said, “there was definitely something there that blinded my vision!”

“It clouded everything—I truly couldn’t see anything!”

The smile disappeared from Phoenixin Ren’s face.

The greatest trump card of the Moon of Corrosion wasn’t him, nor was it Daiku Kai Enzu, Shinguuji Seiichiro, or Tsukamoto Nobunaga.

It was the shrine maiden with the gift of prophecy—Takeuchi Mayumi—who could steer the group away from misfortune and toward success.

If her ability stopped working, then the Moon of Corrosion would be fighting blind in Huaxia.

Phoenixin’s eyes gleamed sharply.

He turned to Nishijumu and said, “Ask them—what exactly happened over there just now?”

Nishijumu passed on the question faithfully.

At that moment, Nobunaga, Takizawa, and Wagatsuma were facing off against the Celestial Squad trio.

But Nobunaga remained composed, explaining everything through Gokishin, from their first encounter with Chen Xiaoxiao and Peng Li to everything that had unfolded since.

Phoenixin’s gaze darkened.

“You disappeared from Mayumi’s view right at the moment when those other people appeared, even if just for a moment.”

“That means... the issue lies with those people! Especially the two who came later and that strange beast with them.”

“They must be found—and killed!”

Phoenixin understood—those individuals were the blind spot in Takeuchi Mayumi’s ability.

If the enemy realized this, they could exploit it—and then the Moon of Corrosion would be in serious danger.

Nobunaga grunted softly.

His dull, lifeless eyes never left the trio before him as he calmly said to Takizawa Takashi and Wagatsuma Nanako:

“I’ll handle these three. You two go chase down the others. Bring their heads back—for the boss.”

Takizawa and Wagatsuma both understood the gravity of the task.

“Alright, this one’s yours. Just don’t die, alright?”

With that, Takizawa called out to Wagatsuma, and the two left together.

Wagatsuma stirred up a swirling gust around herself—her Kamaitachi ability activating.

Grabbing Takizawa’s arm, she leapt into the air, heading in the direction Zhang Yi and the others had fled.

This sight instantly enraged the Celestial Squad trio.

They were trying to chase down Outer City superhumans right in front of them—a blatant insult!

But just as they were about to intercept, a cold, deadly arc of sword light slashed across the space between them and the fleeing enemies.

The sheer edge of the sword strike made the air feel like ice—it gouged a trench tens of meters long into the earth!

Nobunaga stared them down.

“Where are you looking?” he said slowly. “Your opponent is right here.”

Shao Tianyi’s gaze locked onto Nobunaga, cold as steel.

One of his teammates asked, “What now? Do we go after them?”

“With the strength of those people earlier, if we don’t help, they’ll definitely die.”

But Shao Tianyi smirked.

“Doesn’t matter. If their deaths can tie up two Moon of Corrosion members, it’s a good trade.”

He raised his massive greatsword, pointing the blade straight at Nobunaga’s head.

“Our mission... is to kill Moon of Corrosion members. Three versus one—he’s dead meat.”

…

On the battlefield, now that the Celestial Squad had stepped in, the Outer City superhumans had officially exited the stage.

Zhang Yi, Liang Yue, and the battered duo of Chen Xiaoxiao and Peng Li were on their way out of Jiangning Plaza, heading to the armed transport helicopter for some rest—and to wait for the final results.

But just then, Hua Hua’s eyes gleamed warily.

The cat turned its head and let out a cautious meow.

Moments later, Zhang Yi and the others also felt something approaching behind them.

The sharp whistle of something cutting through the air at high speed.

“We’ve got company,” Zhang Yi said calmly.

Chen Xiaoxiao and Peng Li both tensed up.

By now, they had fully realized just how terrifying the Moon of Corrosion members were.

They were in no condition to fight—if more enemies came, they could only rely on Zhang Yi, Liang Yue, and Hua Hua.

But given their relationship with Zhang Yi, it was entirely possible he would just leave them to die.

That thought filled the two women with dread.

Sure enough, moments later, Wagatsuma Nanako came gliding over, dragging Takizawa Takashi with her.

Takizawa’s lips curled into a cruel grin at the sight of the group on the ground.

“Well, well… these trash didn’t get far!”

They didn’t see Zhang Yi’s group as any kind of threat.

They had already seen Chen Xiaoxiao and Peng Li’s abilities firsthand.

And judging by their previous behavior, Zhang Yi, Liang Yue, and Hua Hua were also just Outer City superhumans, not elite members of the Celestial Squad.

Especially when the Celestial Squad had shown up and Zhang Yi’s team immediately turned tail—that only solidified their assumption.

To Takizawa and Wagatsuma, these were just low-level grunts.

Killing them would be a breeze.

The two zipped across the air and cut off Zhang Yi’s escape route.

“Aren’t you guys the ones who tried to kill us?” Takizawa sneered. “Why are you running now?”

As he spoke, six coins appeared between his fingers.

Peng Li’s face went pale. She was still using her Priest ability to keep Chen Xiaoxiao alive.

Chen may have looked stable on the surface, but the moment the healing stopped, she’d be dead in ten minutes—her internal organs were all severely ruptured.

Which meant the two of them were completely unable to fight.

Could Zhang Yi and the others handle this?

Peng Li was nearly in despair.

“Dmmit, why did they follow us here? Where the hll is the Celestial Squad—why didn’t they stop them?”

Chen Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth and whispered to Peng Li,

“If it really comes down to it, I’ll throw my life away to hold them off. Peng Li, your ability is useful—go help Zhang Yi. Escape with them if you can.”

Peng Li’s eyes welled up, but she nodded through her tears.

She wanted to refuse, but there was no room for sentimentality now.

Faced with the sudden appearance of two Moon of Corrosion operatives, Liang Yue silently gripped the hilt of the Loong Roar Sword.

But Zhang Yi placed a hand over hers.

Liang Yue looked at him, confused.

Zhang Yi’s voice was calm.

“Your ability isn’t suited for fighting them. Let me do it.”

“Besides… I’m really not in the mood to waste time on grunts.”

Author's Note