Chapter 172 Chapter 160: What do you consider life to be!
The sky above Shinjuku was occasionally lit up by dazzling flames.
“There’s no need to look. It must be Lin Qi creating all this commotion,” Hachiman Hikigaya confidently stated.
“Mmm, let’s continue forward then.” Snow Yukihiro withdrew her gaze, “The cursed spirits in Kabukicho should have been cleared out, right?”
As for Mr. Lin Qi, there was no need for her to worry.
Upon continuing forward, they would enter an underground passage leading to the commercial district of Shinjuku.
The underground passage wasn’t merely a passage but also a bustling underground commercial space with many stores, mostly food stalls.
Echoes of footsteps resounded as they descended the staircase, and the surrounding silence made Snow Yukihiro wary until a faint sobbing reached their ears from below.
Snow Yukihiro and Hachiman Hikigaya exchanged glances, immediately picking up their pace and rushing down the stairs.
As they turned the corner, both froze momentarily.
It was not a scene of terrible casualties.
On the contrary, compared to what they had seen before, the current scene could nearly be described as tranquil.
However, it was just the calm before the storm.
Citizens lined up in a row, each wearing a terrified expression; it was as if they were preparing for execution, quietly waiting for death’s arrival.
A bald man, acting like an officer, paced back and forth in front of the hostages.
He wore an eye patch, and his upper body was wrapped in a blood-soaked black apron while his lower body was clad in a dirty work uniform, akin to those worn several months without cleaning. In his hand, he held a slaughterknife.
Behind the bald man, there was a cursed spirit, resembling an octopus head but with a body like a ciliophora, peeking out from behind a column.
Judging from the aura emanating from it, its strength was barely at the quasi-primary level.
“You!”
Gōya Tannō suddenly raised the slaughterknife, pointing it at a despondent young man standing at the head of the line, likely a college student.
The latter jumped in fright, trembling and stepping forward.
Panting heavily, his pupils reflected the bald brute who leaned into his face, finally closing his eyes in despair.
Gōya Tannō struck the man with the blade of the knife. Disappointed, he shook his head and sighed, “This won’t work.”
He grabbed the student’s hair with his left hand, throwing him behind himself.
The student stumbled, collapsing before the octopus-headed cursed spirit.
The cursed spirit cried out in pain, finding itself overshadowed. The young man subconsciously looked up but, the next moment, his vision was filled with darkness.
“Woo woo! Uoo uo… Woo woo!”
Some onlookers stared in horror at the young man half-swallowed by the octopus-headed cursed spirit. Some girls even screamed, tears streaming down their faces.
“Shut up! The next one will be you!” Gōya Tannō shouted irritably, raising his slaughterknife.
Several girls immediately silenced themselves, hurrying to cover their mouths, holding their breaths to avoid drawing attention, especially from this dangerous man and his monstrous companion nearby.
Splash!
A tearing sound echoed through the vast underground space, purple blood splattering.
“Wooo… It hurts, it really hurts…” Gūrin cried out in pain, spitting out part of an unswallowed person.
Strikingly, the part he swallowed had turned into snowy bones by the time it was expelled, with only the lower half retaining flesh, blood dripping down the spine.
“Huh?” Gōya Tannō turned his head, puzzled.
Directly in his line of sight, a graceful black-haired girl approached. Her face was cold and grim, and she was now approaching.
Gōya Tannō’s eyes flared with light. The fish-eyed youth behind her was disregarded.
“Oh oh oh! Here it comes, inspiration’s here!” The bald man suddenly shouted frantically, swinging the slaughterknife recklessly. A nearby girl was inadvertently hit, a deep gash appearing on her chest.
Gōya Tannō abruptly fell silent, as if switching between different personalities, his mouth quirking slightly, “Your eyes are beautiful. They would make excellent decorations on mirrors.”
“Damn you!”
At that instant, as he moved to attack, Snow Yukihiro raised her arm. Nonetheless, it was too late, the invisible cut arrived right after the unlucky girl was injured, narrowly avoiding Gōya Tannō’s raised slaughterknife.
The strike hit the wall behind him, leaving a deep cut.
“Hachiman! Go save them first!”
Snow Yukihiro darted forward, her voice reaching Hachiman Hikigaya.
Hachiman swiftly responded, running towards the line of citizens while shouting, “Run from my side! We’re here to rescue you!”
Hachiman’s voice sounded divine to these people. They snapped out of the sudden fight and hurried towards him.
“Little girl, you seem quite concerned about the lives of these monkeys,” Gōya Tannō grinned, facing Snow Yukihiro. As she charged, he carelessly released a blast of cursed energy toward the fleeing crowd.
No particular technique, just raw cursed energy release.
A concentrated energy ball struck the last person in line, sending them flying and slamming into a load-bearing pillar, the crackling of shattered bones clearly audible.
Seeing the collapsed figure lying motionless, Snow Yukihiro’s eyes overflowed with rage, even her fists’ cursed energy tinged red.
“You filth, how do you view life!?”
“Good, good! Become more desperate! Let your eyes reflect more fear and anger, making my work perfect!”
Facing a furious, chaotic punch, Gōya Tannō evaded effortlessly, bringing his slaughterknife upward: “For the body, I’ll make it a guitar!”
Blood instantly splashed.
An astonished bald man flew backward, a slash mark appearing on his chest.
After rolling on the ground, he looked down at his wound, “An unseen attack… Is this a cut?”
Recalling the failed first attack by Snow Yukihiro, Gōya Tannō murmured, “Is it a technique involving distant attacks…”
The injuries inflicted on him hadn’t seriously impaired his mobility. Sensing the gap in strength between himself and the black-haired girl, the bald man quickly turned toward Hachiman Hikigaya’s direction.
His target was the general public fleeing in fear.
By killing the ‘monkeys’ one by one before this woman’s eyes, he believed he’d incite overwhelming emotions in her and expose a flaw.
Hachiman’s eyes widened, a slaughterknife prominently in his reflection.
…
After school, become a Jujutsu Sorcerer.
