-501- Hokuto is very angry

Tsuchigumo is its alias.

Its characteristic is the steel body that can withstand most physical attacks.

This shikigami, equipped with many weapons, possesses immense destructive power and can be likened to an assault tank. Moreover, it doesn't require a human pilot and can act entirely according to the practitioner's will.

For such a shikigami to truly be considered a military-grade shikigami.

To put it bluntly, if there were ten shikigami like this, then flattening a building, or even a mountain, would be merely a matter of time, not to mention it would be like a walk in the park.

Of course, in the present day and age, even after searching the entire world, finding ten shikigami like this is impossible. It's not even known whether there are five. They are exceedingly rare and precious.

Now, one of the very few Tsuchigumo is once again brought to light in the hands of Dairenji Suzuka, able to manifest in such a rural area.

"Attack! Tsuchigumo!"

Dairenji Suzuka commanded her final manipulated shikigami.

Immediately, the Tsuchigumo raised its head, and on its ghostly iron face, its eyes flashed like specters, glowing red.

The next moment, Tsuchigumo moved.

"Boom, boom..."

With a sound like a charge of countless beasts, the Tsuchigumo agilely moved its eight steel legs, rushing forward like a tank.

During the charge, everything in front of Tsuchigumo dispersed like smoke.

Stones flew up as if crushed.

Mud scattered as if flung.

Trees shattered as if struck.

Dust billowed as if stirred.

In this overwhelming display that could crush everything, Tsuchigumo charged forward at a speed comparable to a tank.

That scene was exceptionally awe-inspiring.

"He... Hekireki!"

Natsume couldn't help but exclaim, extending her hand towards the direction of the Tsuchigumo, releasing dazzling thunder.

However, when the lightning touched the Earth Spider's body, it only momentarily stalled its charge, not even causing a nuclear rupture phenomenon. The Tsuchigumo remained unscathed, continuing to charge towards them.

"How is this possible...!?"

Natsume was shocked.

On the other hand, Rozen, relying on his Spirit Vision, instantly saw through the secret.

"It's not just the external steel body; the Tsuchigumo also has a barrier against curses inside its body, reducing the damage from curses."

What does this mean?

It means that when using curses, the damage that can be inflicted on the Tsuchigumo is very limited. On the other hand, when using physical attacks, the power is sufficient to pry open that heavy steel body, making it effective.

Developed by Yakou himself over half a century ago, the military shikigami displayed exceptional resistance to damage, using its formidable weight to roll up billowing dust and sand as it charged towards them.

Watching this scene, Rozen couldn't help but recall the Servant Berserker he encountered in Fuyuki City during the singularity. At that time, the battle was similarly fearsome, just a charge causing such terrifying momentum, akin to a tank that could crush everything.

If we only calculate destructive power, the Tsuchigumo should be comparable to that Berserker.

But...

"I am no longer who I was back then."

A burning determination ignited in Rozen's eyes.

"Hokuto!"

In a loud shout, Rozen's magical energy once again transformed into immense jutsuryoku, flowing like a torrent into Hokuto.

In the sky, since the appearance of the Tsuchigumo, Hokuto, who had been closely watching the opponent, shot out.

Unprecedented, majestic dragon roars erupted from its mouth, causing Hokuto's entire body to surge with dragon aura, transforming into a flash descending from the sky, fiercely colliding with the Tsuchigumo.

"Clang!"

In the collision between the true dragon and the steel spider, the first resounding noise was the metallic clash that shook the night sky.

Hokuto's hard dragon horn clashed heavily with Tsuchigumo's steel body, generating a storm of impact, blowing away the chaotic atmosphere, and sweeping away a large amount of smoke and dust. At first glance, it was as if invisible bombs were detonating. The sparks from the intense friction between the dragon horn and the steel body danced wildly.

The scene was exceptionally spectacular.

In the end, the victor of this struggle was Hokuto.

"Bang!"

With a muffled sound, Tsuchigumo, charging with a momentum like an oncoming tank, was ruthlessly sent flying and bounced off, landing on the truck without its container.

"Boom!"

The truck immediately exploded, igniting and letting thick smoke billow up.

Hokuto then emitted a dragon roar towards that direction, as if demonstrating or perhaps expressing anger, an unusual display of vigor.

"H-Hokuto seems really angry..."

Natsume looked at Hokuto in astonishment.

Rozen was also a bit surprised, but he quickly understood through the spiritual connection he had with Hokuto.

"Tsuchigumo is a shikigami developed by Yakou, who was once the head of the Tsuchimikado family. In other words, Hokuto used to serve Yakou," Rozen said.

"It's likely that at that time, Hokuto encountered this Tsuchigumo."

In other words, for Hokuto, Tsuchigumo was a presence similar to a subordinate, developed later by Yakou while Hokuto served him.

Although this could be wishful thinking on Hokuto's part, faced with the arrogance of a former subordinate, it was only natural for Hokuto to feel angry and want to teach them a lesson.

"Hokuto, really..."

Natsume suddenly felt a bit powerless.

However...

"You thought this level could be effective?"

Dairenji Suzuka showed no panic, instead, a sneer appeared on her face.

At that moment, within the blazing truck, a giant spider's silhouette slowly emerged.

"Whoosh!"

A sound like a gust of wind came from within.

It was the motion caused by the white silk spit out from the fire.

We saw, silk resembling spider silk was spewed out from the fire, cutting through the sky, violently shooting towards Hokuto's direction.

"That's...!?"

Rozen's Mind's Eye instantly captured the somewhat dangerous flow of jutsuryoku. Without hesitation, he manipulated Hokuto, making Hokuto turn around in surprise, evading the spider silk that was shooting towards them.

At this moment, the Tsuchigumo charged out from the flames, kicking up a lot of fire dust and spewing countless threads from its mouth.

These threads weren't only aimed at Hokuto but also at Rozen and Natsume.

Natsume was slightly surprised and instinctively prepared to counter.

However, Rozen immediately spoke up.

"Don't touch those threads! They absorb spiritual energy!"

Rozen's Mind's Eye captured the jutsuryoku fluctuations capable of siphoning away spiritual energy.

"Absorb... absorb spiritual energy...!?"

Natsume was startled and refrained from directly touching those threads.

"————"

Natsume chanted the mantra of Indra, releasing a thunder strike.

"———————."

Rozen chanted the subjugation method of Fudou Myouou, causing flames to surge.

Thus, flames and lightning respectively burned and struck the oncoming threads, turning them into ashes.

As for Hokuto, under Rozen's control, its entire body soared in the air, constantly maneuvering, evading the attack of the threads.

A belated fierce battle unfolded at the foot of the mountain where the shrine was located.