Chapter 75

The soldier wasn't able to react fast and the blob transformed first. It turns into a black hand that disforms again to envelop the soldier. Hisashi was about to rush to save it when the blob below him transforms too. The same happened to Ren who despite sidestepping, was caught by the arm.

Hisashi was grabbed too by the clothes but with his fast reflexes, he quickly releases intense fire in his body, burning the top half of his clothes. Several other blobs flew at the same time to the nearest target. Seeing Ren and the soldier grabbed by the hand, Hisashi quickly flashed to Ren and slice his hand.

This made Ren scream in pain as the blob consumes his severed arm. Hisashi was about to go save the soldier but realized that it was too late. The black flesh has already consumed the soldier as a whole. The others also reacted quickly by getting away as fast as possible but more than ten soldiers got consumed by the black flesh.

Mai, who was on the ground, rolled away a couple of times before standing up and jumping away to safety. A few black flesh flew to her but Jin was fast enough to put a shield around her and some of the soldiers.

Seeing that it was too late, Hisashi dodges an incoming flesh and decides to save Ren. He grabs him by his abdomen as he flashes multiple times in a second, reaching far enough to not be targeted by the monster. Old Man Kai did the same for the other soldiers with his lightning movement.

"Can you heal your hand? I can only close and heal minor wounds. I could've reattached it but your hand was already consumed by the monster." Hisashi said.

"I'll take care of it. You take care of that." Ren coughs as he said. He points with his missing left hand to the monster, to which Hisashi turns.

He runs back to the group but stops as he watched the monster quickly reform. However, when it finally reforms, it wasn't the same black monster. As the black flesh reforms, the darkness seeped out of its skin to its head – or rather… heads.

Almost everyone felt different from before as they look at the abomination of a monster in their eyes. It was a monster of many heads and hands. There were faces on its skin and its hands were created by countless of hands. As if in agony, the heads were producing a terrifying expression of pain. Some of the countless heads even belong to an old man, and some from a child.

"That! Isn't that Lee? Is that why he went missing for months?" One of the soldiers screamed.

When the monster finished reforming, it suddenly moved. It moved very clumsily as the hundreds of arms flail like a vegetable. But to their surprise, it reappears and reappeared next to the horde of soldiers. Many were about to hit when a golden shield was summoned.

Jin's quick reaction saved his people as they quickly fled to safety, as per their orders. As the monster pushes through the shield and ignores the source of the blockade, mana gathers on the pressing hand. Jin feels the change in power as the monster's hand was enveloped by darkness and easily destroyed the shield, enabling it to reach some of the last soldiers.

Everyone panics as Old Man Kai helps some of the soldiers get to safety, including Mai who was hesitant. Everyone was scared and afraid… except for one man. Seeing that this mission turns into something that they never expected, Jin orders everyone to retreat. With Ren away and the old man busy, he looks at Hisashi who was standing still.

"Gozu! I'll be the vanguard! Back me up while they retreat!" Jin calls out as he took a step. However, when his foot landed, he felt the air turn heavy, paralyzing him. Everyone feels it too including Old Man Kai and Ren who already felt the same sensation once before.

Jin felt the urge to move and talk and was about release a burst of chi to do so but stopped when he saw the expression and signal that the old man gave him. He stood there, frozen like everyone else as he tries to make out what was happening.

While all that was happening, a different scenario was playing in Hisashi's head. In it, a series of his memories start to playback as if he was experiencing them again. His brain works like clockwork as the memory of that night that replayed in his brain a million times only happened in one second.

'That similar Ki. That similar sorcery. That similar demonic presence.' Hisashi thought of this a million times. As for what triggered it fully this time… it was the monster's transformation. The monster before has its presence unclear for Hisashi. He can feel the demonic presence and the familiar ki of the Yami clan that killed his parents.

However, when it finished its transformation, the two presences separated, like two different entities. This one simple thing made Hisashi remember what he came here to do and find.

'Only I can be a demon!' He screamed internally, as he instinctively grips the sword in his hand harder. Mana covers it as different elements alternate back and forth. Red lightning surrounds the elements at the same time too.

Hisashi raises his head, revealing raging red streaks of lightning covering his eyes as his irises turn red. He tilts his head as he looks at the monster, sizing it up from head to toe. His eyes squint as if trying to look at it better.

The truth is that… even in his current instability, he was instinctively holding out the release of his mana. After doing so for years, he wasn't aware that his body can forcibly suppress his desire to use his power. So now, his mind and body are fighting on what to do next after seeing the monster that was now frozen in fear. In fear for the killing intent it is feeling coming from the teen that was looking at him.