CHAPTER 78: BATTLE OF THE BIGGEST BET! SHIHON VS KILLCREATION!

In a large isolated space several feet away from the grand hotel, Liohime and Yariko, the two main representations of each Shinigami Soldier group from the two nearby regions were prepared to go head to head in a Magical Beast fight.

The rules were simple: The battle ends when the Magical Beast’s Master surrenders. As long as neither Master backs down, the fight will continue until one deems their Magical Beast unable to continue the fight.

The two men stood away from each other, sizing each other up as their coworkers cheered them on....well, Liohime’s own cheered with a little less intensity than Yariko’s, but either way, everyone excitedly looked on.

"You can do it, Yariko!" shouted one from his group. "Show them who’s the better Shinigami Soldier group!"

Harvey and Jolene immediately raised their eyebrows and were quick to make a retort

"What the, since when was this deciding who was better overall!? Harvey, let’s cheer for Shrimpdick."

"Fuck, I hate having to do anything for that guy....but I hate these dumbasses with high-ass egos more....crush that wannabe popstar, Lio!!

With tensions rising, both participants summoned their Magical Beasts.

"[Behold, My Arsenal: Shihon]."

[Come Forward, My Divine Weapon: Killcreation]."

...The battle for hotel rooms, a date, and the participant’s dignities had commenced.

And Ophiel, who was still carrying the light-weighted Bica on his back, stiffened as he had heard a familiar name.

...Shihon?

A rift in reality burst open in front of Liohime Kitagami, and the presence of two black horns emerged as his entity had appeared with a menacing aura.

--Shihon, the Magical Beast Girl who entered the stage in her beast form, howled with animosity as her black fur was overlaid with vines and tulips.

She bore her fangs and snarled, glaring intently at her opponent.

The hellish, black entity also appeared from its rift, showing off its tall, looming slender body based on intertwining solidified mud, darkness, and a black fire that continued to burn.

Its dark head featured a metallic cone on the top, and its white eyes stared expressionlessly at Shihon, its adversary, while its size outnumbered hers on a scale of two to one.

Liohime’s coworkers blinked in shock, while Yariko’s crew continued to cheer loudly.

And of course, Liohime himself couldn’t help but marvel at the Magical Beast that he was about to face.

It definitely gives off an aura of a Rare Magical Beast, he thought. Looks hardcore. He must have gotten its egg from a pretty dangerous dungeon.

However, he did not shrink back in fear. In fact, it lit a fire in his heart.

Good. Now it’s time to see how Shihon and my synergy is like when the stakes are high with an opponent like this.

Knowing that this would certainly serve as a good last-minute practice that could smoothen out their partnership in order to handle what was to come, he would not back down here.

He motioned forward, speaking up with a simple command.

"Shihon, long range attacks!! Let’s get this party started!!"

And with another snarl of aggression, Shihon kicked off the fight with countless columns of vines that shot out from her body, all aiming for one distinct figure...

...The Magical Beast known as Killcreation.

"KC, you know what to do!" Yariko replied calmly, and his beast kicked into first gear, dashing past several attacks before sidestepping many more, while only a few stray blows here met but were easily shrugged off.

Trying to play things safe and find out what his opponent was capable of, Liohime continued his instructions of long range attacks.

"Another one, but try it in a different form!!"

Shihon switched to a different line of attack, growing out a large, leafy tail with its end blooming into a green flower with petals that instantly broke off and sharpened into a multitude of blade-like objects, and then they were all shot into the close range of Killcreation.

"Counter!"

With that simple word taken into consideration, Killcreation summoned a ball of dark, glowing energy and hurled it forward at the same time, smashing through Shihon’s attack with ease as it neared her body.

Liohime couldn’t make an order in time, but Shihon’s instincts quickly kicked in, as vines pummeled through the ground below into a solidified wall to block the incoming attack.

Nevertheless, the ball of dark energy burst through, and although it had been limited due to the collision, it still landed a clean, direct hit on Shihon’s beastly face, crushing skin, bone, and blood on impact.

Her body had been pushed back by the recoil of the impact, but she was still holding out strongly, with her regenerative power kicking in within a couple of seconds, and Yariko scoffed.

"Tch, it can heal itself, huh? It’s gonna need to be doing a lot of that soon. We’re just getting started."

As if agreeing with him, Killcount growled with intensity, and Liohime’s concern grew while his supporters looked on with tension still present in the air.

"Shihon! Shit...y-you’re okay..."

Shihon merely gave him a warm glance, but continued to snarl at her opponent, clearly more annoyed. However, she did not pounce forward, but waited for something.

-hk, wait. She’s...

Waiting for his command.

Despite the mishap, Shihon did not attack aimlessly despite being riled up by Yariko’s laughs and Killcreation’s power. Unlike scenarios in the past where she moved forward on her own decisions, she showed her trust and obedience to him here, and Liohime gnashed his teeth.

Dammmit. She’s still waiting for my instructions, he realized. I can’t afford to mess up here.

His bad habit of overthinking while in battle had begun, but in a sense, it was a tactical advantage, because within only a few seconds, he had gone within his own mind to remember all of the various attacks, abilities, defensive capabilities and fighting styles during the start of their relationship.

Then, he shook his head, clearing the donuts in his brain that lingered and grinned, before shouting out:

"We’re just getting started, too! It’s time to show what we can really do!"