Chapter 745: Hostage Exchange
Phoenixin Ren hesitated for a fleeting moment.
Zhang Yi couldn't kill him, but he could kill Takeuchi Mayumi.
This was a consequence he had to carefully consider.
Yet this hesitation lasted barely a second before Phoenixin Ren snapped out of it.
What kind of Moon of Corrosion leader would he be if he got intimidated by Zhang Yi's words?
Moreover, Takeuchi Mayumi wasn't alone right now.
She had Nishijou Satoru protecting her.
Shinguuji Seiichiro suddenly leaped beside him as a massive Blue Bird circled overhead.
"If what he says is true and another investigation team arrives as reinforcements, we're all dead!"
Without wasting words, Phoenixin Ren immediately jumped onto the Blue Bird's back.
Blood blossoms erupted from his fingertips, transforming into dozens of crimson fire ravens that shot straight toward Zhang Yi!
Seeing his threat had failed, Zhang Yi's heart hardened with resolve.
"Fine! Let's see who's more ruthless then!"
"You really think I won't fight back? You little Japs, open your fucking eyes and watch!"
Zhang Yi raised Thunderbolt - that massive white anti-material sniper rifle over two meters long - its thick, elongated barrel aimed directly at Takeuchi Mayumi over three thousand meters away!
Origin Bullet, twenty-fold velocity enhancement, precision shot - this trifecta of power turned an ordinary snipe into a lethal killing intent!
Dozens of karmic fire ravens crashed against Zhang Yi's Absolute Barrier Between Two Realms.
Ignoring them completely, he pulled the trigger.
The deafening roar of the oversized sniper rifle echoed like thunder across the battlefield.
Meanwhile, Nishijou Satoru had anticipated this shot.
With a wave of his hands, ten black-robed figures instantly lined up as human shields before Takeuchi Mayumi!
These were ten Awakener puppets - living corpses he'd created by hollowing out their brains.
Yet each had been formidable Awakeners in life.
Even in death, their mutated cells retained activity, allowing them to wield their former powers.
All they needed was sufficient nourishment.
In essence, they shared a single brain with Nishijou Satoru.
But when those ten puppets stood before Takeuchi Mayumi, a single bullet obliterated the first five instantly!
The next three were pierced through, while the fourth puppet's skull finally stopped the Origin Bullet!
Within Zhang Yi's Dimensional Space, dozens of karmic fire ravens began dispersing into toxic mist, corroding his dimensional barrier.
Though troublesome, this erosion couldn't completely destroy his spatial defense.
As his spatial control strengthened, he could now partition space into distinct sectors.
Simply dividing current space into ten thousand fragments and sacrificing one portion to neutralize Phoenixin Ren's toxic energy would suffice.
Zhang Yi calmly reloaded with practiced ease - firearms had long become muscle memory for him.
Yet Nishijou Satoru knew the next bullet would undoubtedly kill Takeuchi Mayumi.
"Leader!!" he shouted desperately.
Phoenixin Ren snapped to awareness. Originally charging forward to ignite his phoenix flames and annihilate Zhang Yi, he suddenly halted.
Instead, he redirected the Blue Bird to intercept Zhang Yi's next Origin Bullet head-on.
With his five-second precognition, Phoenixin Ren had already witnessed Takeuchi Mayumi's death and the bullet's trajectory.
He positioned himself directly in its path.
His crimson lotus-flame-wreathed body and the massive Blue Bird were sent flying hundreds of meters.
A bloody hole gaped in his chest.
Zhang Yi kept Thunderbolt trained on his head: "I warned you not to act rashly! Maybe I can't handle you, but your weak point is another story!"
Phoenixin clutched his bleeding chest.
Bare-chested, his sculpted musculature looked almost deliberately showcased, as if he'd intentionally torn his clothes.
Just as Phoenixin smirked to retort, sudden dizziness struck him.
Realizing what happened, he immediately drove a knifehand strike through his own temple.
Scarlet lotus flames erupted as he resurrected anew.
Zhang Yi inwardly cursed.
"Caught on, did you?"
He produced another bullet shimmering with icy blue light.
This batch of Origin Bullets contained potent anesthetics.
Since he couldn't kill Phoenixin Ren yet, his plan was to sedate then seal him away.
But the man's vigilance proved extreme - at the slightest abnormality, he'd chosen suicide.
Zhang Yi raised Thunderbolt again, aiming unerringly at Phoenixin Ren.
This bullet, Phoenixin couldn't dodge.
Even if he avoided it, Takeuchi Mayumi behind him couldn't.
Both men now stood in terrifying equilibrium.
Zhang Yi knew his rifle alone couldn't kill Phoenixin Ren.
Yet Phoenixin dared not abandon Takeuchi Mayumi to attack recklessly.
Even with that determination, succeeding quickly remained impossible.
Destroying Zhang Yi required first breaching his dimensional gates -
A feat more difficult than Zhang Yi killing Phoenixin multiple times to exhaust his regeneration!
As equals, neither could easily break the other's defenses.
It was then Shinguuji Seiichiro devised a solution.
"Zhang Yi's offensive power isn't exceptional. I'll block his attacks while you kill him!"
With that, he had Golden Maru carry him back to Takeuchi Mayumi.
Of his summoned Shikigami, only the Blue Bird remained for Phoenixin's mobility - the rest were replaced by Golden Maru!
Summoning ten Shikigami simultaneously was his limit.
Golden Maru represented the [Power] archetype among Shikigami - possessing supreme physicality and top-tier defense.
Nine massive golden apes formed an impenetrable sphere around Takeuchi Mayumi, leaving Zhang Yi no openings.
Now unshackled, Phoenixin Ren charged at Zhang Yi again!
He bit his own wrist, blood vessels rupturing as crimson arcs sprayed through the air -
Transforming into a sky-blotting swarm of flaming ravens!
"Demon-Subduing Karmic Flames: Three Thousand Murderous Crows!"
The colossal murder shrieked with ominous cries as it descended!
Zhang Yi's pupils contracted, white light flashing in his right eye.
Space visibly distorted before him as hundreds of meters ahead were instantly erased!
The karmic fire swarm disintegrated completely, leaving nothing behind!