Traveling Through Multiple Realms: The Supporting Character's Counterattack

"Demon-level Monster - Cutting King!"

Ia's eyes suddenly sharpened like knives, and he instantly recognized the newcomer as "Cut King," one of the Demon-level monsters of the Monster Association.

This guy is well-known in both the Hero Association's internal rating system and the publicly available monster encyclopedia. He is the kind of terrifying being that is listed as an "urban legend" even in the current era where monsters are rampant.

A sadistic and cruel serial killer who takes pleasure in killing. Even many of the Demon-level monsters in the Monster Association are reluctant to approach him, fearing that they might become innocent victims of his bladed arms.

"Hehehe... Have we been discovered?"

The Cutting King let out a chilling, dry laugh. His scarlet pupils, peeking out from between layers of filthy bandages, gleamed with undisguised morbid excitement and bloodlust, fixed intently on Iai.

"But it doesn't matter, this place is already my hunting ground anyway."

Its distorted voice carried a nauseating sense of pleasure, "S-Class Hero Iaian, I came here specifically for you~"

Upon hearing this, Iai frowned slightly, his face remaining calm and composed, but he already understood.

The news of his promotion to S-class even caught the attention of the Monster Association, a den of iniquity deep underground in Z-City, and what's more, it was this troublesome "hunter" who came.

It seems that Cutting King learned of his whereabouts from "Gyoro Gyoro," a strategist of the Monster Association. This madman, who needs to satisfy his perverted desires with bloody massacres every now and then, has chosen him as his hunting target this time.

"Slaying human S-class heroes must feel incredibly, incredibly satisfying!"

The Cutting King stuck out its tongue and disgustingly licked the gleaming metal blade on its right arm, as if tasting the imagined blood.

Before the words were even finished, its figure suddenly blurred, transforming into a black afterimage that sped along the ground, hurtling towards the Iai with a piercing whooshing sound.

The long sword that his right arm transformed into drew a deadly arc, aiming straight for Iaido's waist and abdomen, intending to cut him in two.

Before the blade even arrived, the sharp wind pressure already assaulted their faces, blowing the hair on Iai's forehead, swirling up the fallen leaves beneath their feet, and carving a deep gash into the ground by an invisible blade of air.

However, faced with this lightning-fast attack, Iaijutsu merely slid his body to the side and back with an extremely subtle movement, like a willow catkin in the wind, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow.

The blade barely grazed the hem of his clothes, and the force of the wind it generated even caused ripples on the surface of his garments.

Despite missing his target, the excitement in the Cutter King's scarlet pupils did not diminish; instead, it intensified into a frenzy.

It let out a roar like a wild beast, its arms flailing wildly, and in an instant, a storm of sword light enveloped the Iaijutsu.

The shadows of blades stretched endlessly, weaving a web of death in the air. The sharp blade energy scattered and burst forth, easily severing trees as thick as bowls in the surrounding area. Countless deep, crisscrossing wounds were carved into the ground, and grass clippings and dirt flew everywhere.

But amidst this attack, powerful enough to instantly tear an ordinary A-rank hero to shreds, Iaijutsu's figure flickered like a ghost.

Under the extraordinary perception of Observation Haki, the trajectory, force, and even subsequent changes of Cutting King's seemingly chaotic yet ruthless and cunning moves were presented with unparalleled clarity in Iai's "Mind's Eye," as if in slow motion.

He would turn to the side, crouch down, or drift backward as if weightless, each movement precisely landing on the gaps in the blade net and the weak points where power connected, avoiding attacks by the slightest margin. His posture was so composed that it seemed as if he were performing an elegant yet deadly dance on the tip of a blade.

"Don't dodge! You bastard! Let me cut you once! Just once! You're about to hit me! Aaaaaah—!"

Unable to break through after a prolonged assault, and unable to even touch the hem of Iaijutsu's robes, the Slicing King's eyes were bloodshot. His reason was completely consumed by rage and bloodlust, and he let out a meaningless, manic roar. His attacks became even more frantic and chaotic, but his openings also increased.

"nerve!"

Iai's initial thought of using this opportunity to familiarize himself with the new power was completely extinguished, and he lost the patience to continue maneuvering.

Just as the King of Cutting was exhausted from his attack and had not yet generated new power, Iai's eyes turned cold, and chakra quietly erupted from beneath his feet.

Body Flicker Technique!

His figure vanished from the King of Cutting's view as if it had merged into the air.

"Excuse me, may I pass?"

A calm voice sounded from behind him like a ghost. The emaciated body of the Cutting King stiffened abruptly, and an extremely cold sensation came from his neck. A thin line of blood, as thin as a hair but deep enough to see bone, instantly encircled his neck.

However, just as its head was about to separate from its body, the filthy, grayish-white bandages wrapped around it seemed to come alive, writhing wildly like countless tiny venomous snakes, tightly binding the wound at the severed neck.

The internal flesh proliferated and healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, forcibly mending this potentially fatal injury in just two or three seconds.

"I forgot you also have this troublesome regenerative ability."

A flicker of understanding crossed Iai's eyes, followed by a deeper sense of disgust.

At this moment, relying on his beast-like instincts, the Cutting King swung his sword backward without turning his head, the blade whistling fiercely.

Iai seemed to have anticipated this; with a simple bend, the blade, carrying a chilling aura, swept past above his head.

He then clenched his right fist, his arm muscles slightly tense, and with a seemingly simple punch, he aimed straight at the abdomen of the Cutting King, which was wide open due to his swinging of the knife.

"May you vanish into nothingness!"

The instant the fist touched the bandage, an extremely hot pillar of fire erupted from the tip of Iaijutsu's fist.

This is no ordinary flame, but the product of the perfect fusion of Jin's original Lunaria flame and Genma's mastery of Fire Release chakra nature transformation, containing the destructive energy of the "Flame Release" characteristic.

The pillar of fire was not spreading and burning, but highly condensed, like a red-hot iron pestle piercing into butter, instantly penetrating the Slicer King's abdomen, and lifting its twisted body off the ground, soaring straight into the sky.

The flames not only contain extremely high temperatures sufficient to melt gold and iron, but also possess a violent tearing and annihilation characteristic.

"Awooo—!!!"

The King of Slicing only had time to let out a brief but extremely mournful howl, a sound that seemed to come from the depths of hell.

Its body convulsed and twisted violently in the scorching pillar of fire. The bandages instantly carbonized and disintegrated. The tough, monstrous body melted and vaporized rapidly, like an ice block thrown into a steel furnace, leaving not a trace behind.

In the blink of an eye, the arrogant and domineering Demon-level monster, Cutting King, had been completely reduced to ashes in the purifying flames, as if it had never existed in this world.

The air was filled with scorching heat and a faint smell of burning, and the clearing in the woods was a mess.