In Tokyo, building the Holy Light Girls team

Sayuri let out a shout, tilting her head to the side to dodge the opponent's killing move. Then, holy light surged throughout her body, forcefully dispelling the frost that was about to envelop her. Surrounded by ice shards, Sayuri unleashed even more astonishing combat power. Just as Rika was about to gather arrows again, the opponent's figure appeared before her eyes.

"Rika, getting distracted during a battle can lead to defeat!"

Just as Rika's expression changed, Sayuri seized the opportunity, grabbed the armor on her chest, and slammed it heavily to the ground!

"Get down!!!"

call out--

boom!

One second Rika was still in mid-air, the next second she crashed to the ground with a bang. The terrifying force crushed several large trees and even smashed a huge rock before the girl finally came to a stop, rolling around.

Click, click...

Countless pebbles slid down around her, and amidst the billowing dust, Sayuri landed back on the ground. She wiped the sweat from her brow and couldn't help but complain, "Seriously, just that one moment used up so much of my power. After the battle, Sayuri has to make it up to Natsuki-sensei!"

Sayuri didn't seem worried about Rika's safety. For them, battles of this scale were not uncommon. Because of their many battles together, Sayuri realized that if she didn't use her full strength, she probably wouldn't have any chance of winning!

On the other hand, she couldn't help but admire Rika's talent and intelligence. After all, she was the first to follow Natsuki at the beginning, the first to activate the Holy Light state, and the first Holy Light Girl in the team.

However, despite having many advantages, Rika, who joined the group later, managed to fight herself to this extent by relying on her awakened abilities. With Rika's intelligence, she is no less capable than Shirashima. In addition, considering her status as a companion, this was arguably the most dangerous battle Sayuri had ever experienced!

"...Although I don't know why Rika-san has become like this, I must find out the truth from you once you're fully awake—"

Sayuri was speaking when a "whoosh" sound came from the other side. In the dust, someone's figure was slowly standing up. The light in his eyes seemed to indicate that the girl had not been defeated!

"it turns out……"

Sayuri couldn't help but take a few steps back and look at Rika in front of her. Rika reappeared from the dust, her armor shattered, revealing her exquisite figure. Her weapon, formed from holy light, was also one-third gone and no longer in its original form.

Even in this disheveled state, the girl remained fixed on him, raising her weapon to once again condense a holy light arrow, her lips parting slightly as she said, "Absolutely not... allowed... for anyone... to separate Rika and Natsuki-sensei... absolutely..."

hum-

This time, Rika unleashed an incredibly intense holy light, so powerful that it created a vacuum around her feet, turning pebbles into dust. At the girl's fingertips, an arrow, far longer than before, gradually condensed, its surface radiating wisps of frost and cold air, as if it could freeze the air itself. One could imagine how terrifying this attack was!

On the other hand, after hearing what Rika said, Sayuri took a few deep breaths, and her eyes showed determination again: "Alright, since it has come to this point, I suppose Rika has already made the corresponding preparations. In order to show my respect for you, Sayuri can only say sorry!"

As she spoke, she raised her weapon, and a strong light gathered on the blade. All the holy light power in her body surged out, making the blade flash with an even deeper fiery red color. Then, a soft murmur came from the weapon, and Sayuri suddenly burst out with a surging battle intent!

"Oath—The Sword of Victory!"

"Ice-Cold Holy Arrow!"

"Stop right there, all of you!!!"

……

Chapter 242 Xia Mu Arrives

"Oath—The Sword of Victory!"

"Ice-Cold Holy Arrow!"

"Stop right there!"

boom!!!

A louder explosion than before emanated directly from the back mountain. The astonishing noise even brought up an invisible wave that surged into the sky. The clouds that had been trying to gather around were torn apart, leaving a huge hole. Looking down into the forest below, a terrifying crater several meters deep was visible!

In the middle of the pit, Sayuri looked at the man who had suddenly appeared before her, and her face immediately lit up with surprise: "Natsuki-sensei!"

Normally, such terrifying power would be enough to kill dangerous-type ghosts dozens of times, and could even kill nascent ghosts that are on the verge of becoming forbidden-type!

However, Xia Mu was ultimately the "originator" of the Holy Light power, and each of the [Holy Artifacts] was crafted by his own hands. The Holy Light power, which was enough to annihilate ghosts, had its influence on men reduced to a minimum, which was why they were able to withstand the attacks of the two!

but--

"Cough cough..."

Natsuki coughed dryly, and bright red blood slowly flowed from the corner of his mouth. Under the dim moonlight, the surface of the blood even emitted a faint glow. Seeing this, Sayuri was shocked.

clang!

Her weapon fell to the ground, and she frantically questioned Natsuki, forgetting even the familiar scent she felt when the man appeared earlier, her eyes filled with heartache.

“Ms. Natsuki! Are you alright? Sayuri didn’t mean it! She really didn’t mean it! Sayuri just… just…”

Xia Mu gently waved his hand to stop the girl from speaking, then swept his gaze back and forth between the two of them, finally landing on Rika's hand, or more precisely, on her still slightly trembling fingers, where the faint light that was gathering was clearly not extinguished by his presence!

"Don't worry about my injuries yet. The real issue is, what's going on with you two? How did you get into a fight? And why..."

Earlier, Xia Mu had repeatedly instructed that the power of holy light should only be used when he was in danger. He even "threatened" a few people that if they used the power of holy light on ordinary people, he would take back the [Holy Artifact] and forbid them from using it again!

Judging from the signs of battle at the scene, the two had clearly been fighting fiercely for quite some time. If I hadn't arrived in time, this back mountain would probably not exist anymore. With their current strength, it wouldn't have been difficult for them to do so.

especially……

In Natsuki's perception, Sayuri was relatively normal, but Rika next to him was trembling and struggling, clearly trying to break free. She also had her head down, so he couldn't see the expression on her face. All of this seemed quite strange!

Sayuri understood that Rika's condition was the most important thing at the moment, so she prepared to explain what had just happened. But as soon as she opened her mouth, she suddenly sensed danger from the other side!

"Teacher Xia Mu—"

Before the word "Careful" could even be uttered, Xia Mu had already grabbed her and rushed to the side. A loud "boom" followed, and another large hole appeared where they had just been standing. A red and black hand landed squarely on top of the hole. If they hadn't dodged in time, they probably would already be…

"Ms. Natsuki, look! It's Rika's shadow—"

At Sayuri's prompting, Natsuki also noticed that the source of the red and black hand was none other than the shadow behind Rika. After it appeared, a layer of red light enveloped Rika as well. When the girl raised her head, the murderous intent that surged forth made both of them show solemn expressions.

"Hey, hey, hey, you're not kidding, are you? My power is almost completely depleted, and Rika still has this much power left?! That's impossible!!!"

As the person who had just fought with Rika, Sayuri undoubtedly knew the girl's current state best. But that's why she felt quite puzzled. However, the next second she noticed the red glow on the other girl's body, which looked like an outer garment. Sayuri's expression changed abruptly.

This power is something only demons possess, how could Rika have it—

"It seems that the power of the demon must have invaded her without Rika's knowledge..."

Natsuki's voice came through, and Sayuri said incredulously, "How is this possible? Rika was just..."

"Only Rika herself knows the specifics of what happened, but the key point is—"

He glanced at the girl in his arms, a black line appearing on his forehead: "Sayuri, isn't it about time you let go?"

"Huh?!?!"

Sayuri then realized that she had been tightly hugging Natsuki the whole time. If she looked down, she could clearly see that her chest was rubbing against the man's and pressing into a shape that made people's imaginations run wild. This subconscious action made the girl blush, but she still wisely let go.

Otherwise, based on her understanding of men, something truly troublesome would likely happen next—yes, a physical headache…

At this moment, Sayuri, standing beside the man and sensing the gradually emerging demonic power emanating from Rika opposite her, couldn't help but ask Natsuki, "Natsuki-sensei, what should we do next...?"

As she spoke, Rika's shadow sprouted red and black hands again, an astonishing number that had reached more than a dozen. Correspondingly, the ghostly power emanating from her body also put some pressure on Sayuri.

At this moment, Rika's power seems to have something in common with Shiroshima's. The only difference is that the power that dominates the girl's body is the power of the demon, while if it were Shiroshima, he would fuse the power of the demon and the power of the holy light together, thus entering a state that transcends both!

Whoosh!

Behind Rika, the enormous wings suddenly unfurled, and a gale carrying demonic power surged toward the two of them. She took a step and slowly approached them, like a ferocious demon, making the air smell of blood. Throughout, the girl maintained a calm expression, and her gaze toward the two of them was as empty as nothingness.

"Rika..."

Xia Mu seemed to see the scene of the girl being gradually eroded and decayed by the power of the ghost. His heart ached, and he couldn't help but place his hand on his chest to alleviate some of the pain.

Only when the girl finally came close did Natsuki slowly exhale a breath of stale air: "Rika, don't worry, Natsuki-sensei will definitely save you!"

……

Chapter 243 The Return of Reason

The red and black demonic claws swayed behind Rika, and the faint, gradually rising ghostly aura seemed to symbolize that something terrifying was reviving!

Roar! ! !

A strange roar came from the shadow behind Rika. The girl's eyes hardened: "Natsuki-sensei, Rika will never give up on you easily!"

"???"

Xia Mu blinked, seemingly puzzled by the girl's words. The next second, he noticed the demonic claws coming from behind her and immediately moved apart with Sayuri, one on each side.

shhh-

Boom!

Two claws struck the spot where the two had just been standing. As the dust settled, two sunken pits appeared one after another. Rika glanced at them briefly before scanning the two again. Then, more claws emerged from the shadows and reached out to grab them!

shhhhh--

Each demonic claw, like a sharp arrow, accurately pierced the two people's positions each time.

It's clear that Rika had already exhausted much of her holy light power, which is why she resorted to using her demonic claws to attack. However, because she was still in a state of holy light, her combat characteristics were fully preserved, making the accuracy and power of her demonic claws formidable.

Fortunately, based on Xia Mu's observations over this period, he determined that the demonic power of this claw was only at the dangerous level, and for the time being, it posed no threat to him.

wrong!

He looked at Sayuri and noticed that the holy light aura around her was gradually weakening. Not only was her armor becoming illusory, revealing a bit of her playful skin underneath, but her movements were also noticeably slower. In fact, she could only barely dodge the attacks of the demon's claws several times!

"We can't let this become a protracted war; we need to think of a solution!"

The thought flashed through Xia Mu's mind immediately, and then a resolute look appeared on his face. Taking advantage of the approaching demonic claws, he quickly moved his entire body toward Rika's location, arriving in front of her in just a few breaths.

The girl seemed to only then notice Xia Mu's arrival. As she slowly turned around, she once again controlled the demonic claws, trying to deal with the approaching Xia Mu.

"...Natsuki-sensei, Rika, I like you the most!"

call out--

"These same old things again!"

Xia Mu muttered a puzzled comment, then his figure flashed, and his two demonic claws passed through from the left and right, one after the other. Then, his palms were filled with holy light and he directly grabbed the demonic claws on both sides!

laugh!

Upon contact, white smoke rose from the surface of the demonic claw, and strange roars could be faintly heard. Xia Mu ignored them and forcefully pulled Rika over!

Come here!

Crunch!

With his powerful muscles, Xia Mu can easily lift objects weighing over a ton.

As for the limit of this weight, since there was no specific reference point, he could not determine it. Especially after adding the power of holy light, he easily pulled Rika from a distance toward him!