[81] : The Senpai Whose Ultimate Attack Always Gets Interrupted

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Such impeccable timing.

Feeling the cool evening breeze brush past her cheek, Busujima Saeko paused her footsteps on her way home.

Under the streetlamp not far ahead stood a strange young man with messy silver hair, countless stitch-like scars crisscrossing his pale skin, and a giant lightning-shaped sword resting casually on his shoulder.

As a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer, Saeko had witnessed countless eerie and bizarre scenarios—far more than all those online ghost-chasing streamers combined. She could immediately sense one thing clearly:

This silver-haired man was definitely not normal.

Although, truth be told, some of her former colleagues at the Jujutsu Technical School also looked far from normal at first glance. But at least, beneath their quirky façades, they revealed genuinely human sides in their everyday lives.

Take Tōdō Aoi for instance. At first glance, he seemed like a brutish delinquent who got by on brute force alone. But secretly, he was just a sincere young man obsessed with pop idols—particularly those soft, pink-cute types.

Yet the silver-haired stranger before Saeko radiated nothing but absolute madness. And the very first thing he'd asked upon their encounter was: "Hey there, have you seen any Church mutts carrying Holy Swords around here?"

"What exactly... are you supposed to be?"

Without answering his question, Saeko slowly drew her katana from its sheath. Its keen edge traced a chilling silvery arc through the night air.

"Eh? Me?"

The silver-haired former priest—whose entire body seemed like it had been sliced apart and crudely stitched back together—pointed at himself, his disgusting tongue hanging out obscenely. Then he tilted his head back and laughed hysterically, saliva spraying everywhere as he maniacally tugged at his priestly garb.

"Can't ya tell? I'm a holy priest, y'know~ Well, technically speaking, ex-priest. But enough chit-chat! Have you seen those Church dogs waving their fancy Holy Swords around here or not?"

"No. And even if I did, I certainly wouldn't tell someone like you."

Saeko calmly exhaled, setting her sheath aside. Both hands grasped the hilt of her blade as she took up the standard "Chūdan-no-Kamae" stance of Kendo.

"You really disgust me. Perhaps before going out and terrorizing innocent pedestrians with that face of yours, you should first check yourself into a psychiatric ward."

"Haah!?"

Freed Sellzen's scarred face distorted grotesquely, eyes widening as he stared at her stance. He flailed his disgusting tongue, droplets of saliva splattering onto the street below.

"Wait... You're actually planning to fight me, missy? Ah, what a shame! I was gonna let you go after you answered my question, but since you didn't give me a satisfying answer, well—"

"I'll just kill you!"

Without the slightest warning, Freed leaped skyward, twisting his body and swinging his lightning-shaped Holy Sword downward in a vicious arc.

Here he comes!

Saeko swiftly raised her blade to block, tilting the sword tip slightly downward to better absorb the blow.

Clang!

In a flash, sparks exploded brilliantly into the night as the massive Holy Sword collided with her slender katana, the sheer force knocking Saeko back several meters.

This was undeniably a powerful strike.

However, there was nothing particularly shocking about this. Saeko had never intended to compete head-on in brute strength anyway. After all, a katana relied primarily on swiftness and precision rather than overwhelming force. Against an oversized Western-style greatsword, she naturally wouldn't try to match its raw strength directly.

She would rely on speed!

In a split-second decision, the Kendo girl regained her footing and dashed forward, preparing to exploit the gap created by the opponent's massive swing. She aimed to finish him with a single precise slash.

Yet, to her astonishment, this seemingly guaranteed strike met nothing but empty air.

What?

Saeko's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

Instead of being locked in place by his heavy swing, the silver-haired ex-priest leaped impossibly high—over three meters into the air—in a feat utterly beyond normal human ability. Then, in mid-air, he spun around like a berserker from a fantasy epic, bringing down his sword in a brutal spiral strike reminiscent of the legendary Guts from Berserk.

Saeko barely dodged sideways in time. The monstrous Holy Sword crashed down, slicing effortlessly into the asphalt road, sending fragments of pavement flying everywhere.

Saeko's pupils contracted slightly.

An attack of this magnitude clearly surpassed the limits of ordinary weaponry. Normally, such a ridiculous-looking sword shouldn't even function as an effective weapon, yet this man was not only wielding it skillfully but was also unleashing terrifying power. Moreover, his speed defied all conventional logic.

Is this a cursed weapon? No... according to his words earlier, that must be the so-called Holy Sword.

Though unsure of the precise nature of this "Holy Sword," Saeko could at least confirm one thing: This madman wasn't just some ordinary lunatic.

His weapon far exceeded her katana in raw destructive power, and his speed was definitely on par with hers. If this continued...

She might lose!

Fortunately, there were no innocent bystanders nearby. Therefore, she no longer had to hold back.

Saeko inhaled deeply, then released her breath slowly. A faint energy began to emanate from her body.

It wasn't the typical black or dark azure cursed energy used by ordinary sorcerers. Instead, it was something denser and far more sinister—a crimson-red spiritual power!

Unlike Rias's blazing, flame-like crimson destructive magic, the red aura now rising from Saeko resembled a thick, blood-soaked mist, filled with a heavy stench of gore—as if it had risen straight from a swamp of blood.

"Oh? What's this? You're getting serious now, missy?"

Freed licked his lips in sickening anticipation, brandishing his Holy Sword with manic excitement.

"Come on, come on~ I haven't had the chance to properly test this new toy of mine yet!"

Ignoring his taunts, Saeko pressed the palm of her other hand against the edge of her katana, swiftly sliding it across the blade. A deep, blood-red glow instantly infused the previously clear steel, resonating with the thick scarlet aura enveloping her entire form.

In a voice low enough to resemble iron grating upon iron, Saeko began to intone her ultimate attack.

"Hachisenryū: Kai—"

"Found you at last! Step back, missy! Leave this to me—AMEN!"

Eh?

Suddenly, an energetic girl's voice intruded upon the scene, completely breaking Saeko's concentration. The blood-red glow in her eyes faded instantly.

Looking up in surprise, she saw an orange-haired girl dressed in a white Church robe and brandishing a long whip, descending dramatically from above. One sharp crack of her whip split open a deep fissure in the ground—comparable in power to Freed's own monstrous sword swings.

Following closely behind was a blue-haired girl, also wielding a massive greatsword. Both landed firmly in front of Saeko, shielding her from Freed.

"Eh? Ehhhhhh?!"

Seeing the sudden reinforcements, Freed hurriedly raised his sword defensively, his expression shifting from angry defiance to exaggerated frustration.

"Dammit! Weren't we having a nice duel here?! Where'd all you extras suddenly pop out from?! Ahh~ And I was having so much fun sparring with this pretty lady here!"

But then, his ugly grin resurfaced as he licked his lips once more.

"But that's fine too, now I know for sure you Church mutts took the bait! Guess I'll head back and report to the boss then. Buh-bye now~"

He swiftly threw down a smoke grenade, blanketing the area in a thick haze.

"Wait!"

"Hold it, Irina!"

As Freed attempted to escape, Irina impulsively made a move to chase after him, but Xenovia quickly reached out, firmly grasping her companion's arm to hold her back.

By the time the smoke cleared, the stitched-up ex-priest was nowhere to be seen.

"Ahh, he got away. Right, are you alright back there...?"

Irina turned toward the sword-wielding girl behind her, then blinked in sudden recognition as her gaze landed on the school uniform the other girl was wearing.

"Oh? You're from Bokue's school?"

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