In Tokyo, building the Holy Light Girls team

call out--

One second Rika was still controlling the demon's claws, the next second she was pulled by Natsuki and flew over. Her eyes were still confused, as if she did not understand the current situation. Until she touched the man, she suddenly froze.

"Huh?! ...

Sayuri, who had just dodged an attack from a demonic claw, turned her gaze to the two women, and her eyes widened when she saw that they were doing the very scene she had always dreamed of.

Both Natsuki and Rika stiffened. The girl unconsciously wrapped her arms around the man, and her previously expressionless face flushed. Her eyelashes fluttered, as if she hadn't yet recovered from this state, but her body was already pressed tightly against the man's, and the touch of their lips produced sounds that stirred the imagination.

Only when a few drops of translucent liquid dripped to the ground did Natsuki finally react. He shoved the girl away, wiping his lips as he looked at Rika. The words he was about to say changed when he saw the waving hand behind Rika's back and the struggling expression on her face—

"Rika! Wake up! You're not like that at all! Ghosts or enemies? Rika-san won't let those things take over her body so easily, do you hear me? Get your act together!"

“Xia Mu…Teacher…”

Rika reached out and touched her lips. Natsuki's voice finally reached her mind. With a surge of some incredible power, Rika's vision gradually cleared, especially as the scene before her changed, and a man appeared before her. She finally realized something—

"Get out of here..."

Rika gritted her teeth, the little holy light power remaining in her body was constantly recovering, trying to help her regain control of her body. The demonic claws on her shadow also roared at this moment, as if sensing the danger, and the shaking became more violent.

“...The dreamlike moment I had with Natsuki-sensei...was actually taken away by Rika-san...How...is this possible…”

While Sayuri was still in a daze, she caught a glimpse of Rika's condition. The importance of her friend overcame her distracting thoughts. After a struggle, she managed to put aside her envy and, together with Natsuki, shouted at Rika.

"Rika, cheer me on! To Sayuri, you'll always be her closest and most important friend. Don't let yourself be easily controlled by that kind of thing!"

"That's right! Rika, you need to wake up right now and think back to the time we spent together. Natsuki-sensei and everyone else have always trusted you!"

"..."

Their words echoed in Rika's mind, and familiar scenes flashed before her eyes: their first encounter with an enemy, their first awakening of the power of holy light, their first joint battle, their first...

All these images became signals of the girl's growing strength, transforming into the power that allowed her to straighten her back. When the girl shouted, the demonic claws suddenly tore open, and the red and black energy coat that had initially enveloped her body also burst open in an instant!

boom!!!

Natsuki and Sayuri quickly looked towards Rika's location, and only when they saw that familiar figure slowly emerging from the dust did they relax.

“…Natsuki-sensei…Sayuri…Rika…”

Staggering a few steps, Rika finally collapsed into the man's arms. Natsuki looked at the girl's face and smiled as usual: "Rika, you did a great job. Thank you for your hard work!"

“Xia Mu…Teacher…”

As Rika was speaking, a voice suddenly came from the dust: "Hey, hey, hey, you finally managed to control the puppet, and you actually woke it up in this way? Isn't that a bit too shameless?"

……

Chapter 244 The Real Culprit

"...Hey, hey, hey, you finally managed to control the puppet, and you're using this kind of method to awaken it? Isn't that utterly shameless?"

"who?"

Sayuri, who had just arrived beside the two, raised her weapon again, the blade flashing with a crimson light, as if it were about to be fired at any moment. Natsuki also raised his head and looked at the figure that was gradually emerging from the dust.

"Who are you? I think that's a bit impolite of me to address you like that. Cute little girl, would you like to take another look at me? Am I a human... or a ghost? Hahahaha..."

A maniacal laugh echoed from the dust ahead. When the figure inside finally appeared, black mist enveloped the surroundings, forming a barrier that only forms when a ghost appears!

It was a strange man wearing a tall top hat and a black suit, with demonic claws waving behind his back, as if baring his teeth and claws. He looked even more like Rika from before, especially with the oppressive aura he exuded, which made the air feel heavy.

"really……"

Natsuki looked at the figure ahead, his eyes flashing with a cross-shaped mark: "Rika was like this just now because of you, wasn't she?"

"Ha ha ha ha……"

The other party let out another burst of wild laughter.

"How can you say this is my responsibility? As [Zero], my power is only to guide the target's emotions, allowing her to fully unleash her desires. I never expected that child's emotions would be so intense. If this continues, perhaps she will destroy the entire city? What a terrifying ability, hahaha..."

"You bastard..."

Sayuri cursed and was about to go over and teach him a lesson when Natsuki's voice reached her ears, making her stop.

"Leave this guy to me, Rika is yours to watch over!"

Ignoring Sayuri's objections, Natsuki entrusted Rika to the other person and then turned to walk towards [Zero] across the street. The moment Sayuri saw the expression on Natsuki's face, she realized that the man was really angry!

"Rika..."

Sayuri looked down at the girl in her arms. At this moment, Rika had automatically deactivated her holy light state due to her unconsciousness. She subconsciously hugged Sayuri's waist and rubbed against Sayuri's chest like a kitten. The tingling sensation made Sayuri sigh.

"Sigh, I really can't do anything with you, Rika-san. I'll let you have it this time. We'll settle the score properly after the battle is over!"

After saying that, Sayuri also deactivated her holy light state. As the radiance faded, she looked up at the back of the figure walking towards [Zero], her eyes filled with unwavering trust!

clap clap clap!

In just a few steps, Xia Mu arrived in front of [Zero]. Due to the height of the other person and the hat, Xia Mu had to look up to make eye contact with the other person.

"【Zero】? A member of the Illuminati? I remember we already took care of that guy. And where did you come from?"

As far as I can remember, the appearance of [Zero] was also related to Rika. Through the fox spirits set up in the shrine, the opponent secretly absorbed the life force of the humans who came to worship. Over time, this gradually grew to the level of a dangerous species. Normally, if things had developed smoothly, the surrounding area would eventually have become the opponent's "breeding ground". However, the appearance of Natsuki and the others completely disrupted [Zero]'s plan. Not only were they defeated, but Natsuki and the others were also gradually led to the opposite side of the Illuminati, which led to what happened later.

That's why Natsuki found the appearance of [Zero] so strange—was it a resurrection, or something else entirely...?

Of course, Xia Mu only asked the question that was on his mind and did not expect the other party to answer it. Unexpectedly, He bent down and answered Xia Mu's question when his eyes met Xia Mu's.

"Telling you is fine too. Our organization always has a constant stream of fresh blood. As long as you have a certain affinity with ghosts, you can participate in the assessment under the organization's call. Those who pass the assessment naturally become members of the organization. And the code name I took over is the previous one, [Zero]. In other words, I am now the only being in this world who can be called [Zero], hahaha!"

"So that's how it is..."

Xia Mu suddenly realized why some past information had flashed through his mind when the other party appeared earlier. The fragmented memories he had devoured from the soul crystal combined with each other, which confirmed that the person's words earlier had not deceived him.

His expression led Zero to mistakenly believe he was terrified, and he laughed even louder: "How about it? Are you already feeling scared? It's okay, as long as I activate my power, I can make you all like that girl from before, and then we can truly unite. Isn't that a brilliant plan? Hahahaha..."

"I mean, you seem to have misunderstood. That's not what I meant... Never mind, why say so much? As long as you absorb the soul crystal, you can still obtain information, right? It's just a little fragmented, but it shouldn't have much of an impact!"

Xia Mu's mutterings made [Zero] look puzzled: "What are you talking about? Are you already eager to become my power?"

However, the next moment, He saw Xia Mu raise his head and give him a bright smile: "Sorry! You can get your lunchbox now!"

"???"

What does this guy mean?

The thought had just crossed Zero's mind when he suddenly realized something. A sharp pain shot through his chest, and as he looked down, a terrifying hole appeared in his chest. The only thing that had done this was the man's outstretched fist.

"you you you……"

【Zero】His eyes widened under the hat, seemingly unaware of the situation, until the man withdrew his fist. He then staggered back a few steps, almost falling to the ground.

"Huh? They're still alive? It seems that no matter how many times I see beings like you, I always feel disgusted!"

Xia Mu shook his hand, scattering the black liquid, and then his expression suddenly changed. The killing intent that was suddenly released seemed to freeze time and space. [Zero] even realized that he seemed to be unable to move!

"If one punch isn't enough, then two, three, four... As long as the attack doesn't stop, your fate is sealed!"

"Who gave you the right to set your sights on my student? Especially Rika-san..."

Xia Mu's deep voice echoed in His ears. Just as He was about to speak, a strong aura of holy light suddenly descended before His eyes!

"Die!!!"

……

Chapter 245 The Interrupted Fusion

"Die!!!"

A violent aura of holy light erupted from Xia Mu's body, its astonishing scale causing an energy torrent to form around him.

In fact, due to her intense anger, the holy light took on a faint crimson hue. Sensing a power similar to her own, Sayuri couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "This is just like me..."

From the moment he saw Rika and Sayuri fighting each other, Natsuki was filled with rage. To him, the two were not only partners, but also his most beloved students. How could he not be furious that [Zero] had set his sights on them?

Therefore, when he sensed the simultaneous eruption and collision of the two holy light auras, Xia Mu disregarded his tender moment with Mikiko and rushed desperately towards the point of collision, which led to the scene just now.

boom!

An astonishing surge of energy enveloped Xia Mu. He raised his hand, clenched it into a fist, and simultaneously covered the surface with a layer of crimson flames. He then charged directly towards [Zero].

"That's... Rika's..."

Sayuri gasped again.

In her eyes, she saw that Natsuki's face was covered with a layer of ice-blue, air-like substance. The substance, which was derived from holy light, was similar to the icy aura that Rika used. Sayuri then realized that Natsuki could actually use their power!

"As expected, he's the man I've been eyeing. Go, Natsuki-sensei!!!"

Sayuri shouted, her gaze fixed on the man's back, filled with intense admiration, her cheeks flushed with excitement.

But the next second, when she looked down at Rika, or more accurately, at the girl's lips, she couldn't help but touch her own lips as well. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and a glint of light flashed within them, as if she were planning something.

On the other side, Xia Mu, using the power that naturally arose within his body, arrived in front of [Zero] in just one breath!

"Impossible! I have clearly been granted the powers I was given, how could I lose to you weak humans? This is absolutely impossible!"

【Zero】shouted and took off his tall top hat, revealing a long back of his head with bulging veins. With a burst of some kind of power, the back of his head suddenly emitted invisible ripples.

hum-

His power is achieved by using ghostly power as a medium to infect the target with spiritual energy, thereby leading the target into an illusion. No matter how powerful the target is, as long as they are in the illusion, they can be easily controlled by him.

Like Rika before, she was successfully bewitched and led into an illusion called Natsuki. With [Zero] intentionally spreading Rika's desires, the idea of ​​separating her from Natsuki was further amplified, causing Rika to regard everything she saw as an enemy!

However, the most important thing to do in order to achieve all this is to successfully infect the target's mental energy...

"Hahaha, how about that? Even if you seem very powerful, you're absolutely no match for the power of [Zero]—"

boom!

Seemingly noticing something, [Zero]'s expression changed drastically. In his eyes, Xia Mu's expression remained terrifying, especially the cross-shaped mark above his pupils, which was radiating intense light and forcibly driving his power back!

"impossible--"

[Zero] had barely uttered a word when Natsuki grabbed his own head, saying in a low voice, "So this is what it is? Just such a weak power? Compared to your previous opponents, it's incredibly fragile! I really can't believe Rika was affected by your power..."

"My power is weak?!?"

【Zero】could not accept that the power she had finally obtained had been given the name of "weak" by the man. She immediately gathered her demonic power again and tried to use all her strength to interfere with Natsuki's mind and bring him into the same illusion as Rika had just experienced.