Chapter 425: The Strength of a Psychic
“Damn it!”
Looking at the giant wave that seemed to cover the entire sky, Kazumi couldn’t help but curse. The [Black Coffin] suddenly appeared before her, and death energy, so dense it was almost tangible, poured out from the coffin as if it were free, rushing towards the incoming giant wave.
The usage of abilities often has an inseparable relationship with the user. Suijinkuya is clearly the type of person who likes to overwhelm with grand strategies.
The monstrous giant wave seemed to be an indiscriminate attack that disregards the safety of teammates. But in Kazumi’s opinion, this was the same as the opponent’s previous method of dealing with her, a straightforward and unavoidable strategy.
The current situation on the battlefield showed a considerable difference between the two forces. From the young girl’s perspective, after she summoned a large number of ghouls, Suijinkuya’s response was flawless.
The crashing giant wave was potent enough to neutralize her summoned creatures on the field, and for herself, who had displayed spatial movement abilities, large-scale attacks were undoubtedly a great countermeasure.
The method of using spiritual energy to borrow the tide and create the giant wave was also a manifestation of precise control over ability usage. If she wanted to block it, the energy consumed would be exceptionally large.
Furthermore, regarding friendly fire, with the abilities of the Blue Sea Guard, even ordinary police officers who were swept into the sea could be rescued in time. Moreover, for the personnel of the maritime guard, their swimming skills were undoubtedly sufficient. On the contrary, her side clearly had no one who had fought in such an environment, making them more vulnerable to influence.
At this moment, Kazumi could roughly understand why the [Spike] team had to find an external support with abilities that could counter psychics. The surging death energy, under the young girl’s command, surged towards the bottom of the giant wave, dissolving the spiritual energy that was driving the tide based on the counteraction.
The crest of the wave, having lost its propulsive force, weakly crashed onto the deck, merely knocking the ghouls to the ground. Even with some loss of limbs and legs, it did not significantly affect the movement of the undead creatures, which continued to crawl forward menacingly.
“Hoo—”
Even though she was using energy from the territory’s reserves, controlling so much death energy at once was enough to make Kazumi feel a bit dizzy. She couldn’t help but let out a long sigh as she suppressed the throbbing sensation in her head. The Corpse Crows under her cloak emerged en masse, cooperating with the ghouls on the deck to launch another attack.
At this moment, Kazumi still felt a bit of lingering fear. Facing elemental attacks that relied on the natural environment, using brute force to overcome skill was undoubtedly the most unwise method. However, in that situation, it was the best combat choice. After all, if she allowed the opponent to gain a breathing opportunity with this attack, the initiative gained from exposing her [Ghoul Gate] ability would cease to exist.
It was only because of Kazumi’s special abilities that she had such capital for recklessness. For a normal psychic, unless their strength was as formidable as the top heroes capable of changing the world, even if they could forcefully block this attack, it would consume a large amount of energy, causing them to lose their advantage in subsequent battles.
“Hm?”
Kazumi’s reckless approach also surprised Suijinkuya slightly. Looking at the evil creatures continuing to charge towards him, Suijinkuya suppressed the emptiness from the surge of energy, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a talisman that Kazumi was somewhat familiar with, tossing it into the air.
The fluorescent water-blue talisman burned to ashes in the air, replaced by a pale green, translucent jellyfish floating in mid-air.
“Shikigami?”
The strong spiritual energy aura transmitted unreservedly from before her. The young girl couldn’t help but narrow her eyes, staring intently at the floating green jellyfish, as if recalling some unpleasant memories.
The flock of Corpse Crows in the air suddenly dispersed at this moment, changing from an organized formation to scattered units, swooping down towards Suijinkuya from all angles.
“Swish swish swish—”
The deck, wet from the tidal wave, stirred up countless water ropes. Like a missile barrage, they precisely connected with almost every high-speed Corpse Crow, piercing their heads and causing them to fall from the sky.
The remaining few Corpse Crow leaders, relying on their faster speed, dodged the jellyfish Shikigami’s attack, increasing their speed and fearlessly carrying out their master’s attack orders.
But unfortunately, the Corpse Crows, having lost their numerical advantage, had their attack power greatly reduced. They were all blocked by the water spirits that leaped from under Suijinkuya’s feet, and they couldn’t even touch the hem of his clothes.
The ghoul army also clashed with the suddenly appearing circular water spirits. However, the ghouls, with only claws as weapons, seemed to have difficulty inflicting damage on the water spirits, which were entirely composed of water. They could only maintain the battle line by their fearless nature.
“Tricky.”
Her offensive attacks were being resolved wave after wave, and the young girl couldn’t help but exclaim. She had to admit that the blue-clothed Divine Officer before her was probably the strongest psychic opponent she had ever encountered.
Setting aside the old monk she had fought before against Masashi Sakuraba, this blue-clothed Divine Officer was probably equivalent to about 2.5 Mai Shinomiyai, which further lowered Kazumi’s already not-so-high opinion of a certain young prodigy. (Mai Shinomiyai: ???)
[Was it because the place was too remote that it wasn’t affected by those two crises?]
Based on the information, the young girl quickly gave her answer. Both the Demon Snake’s world-ending event and Masashi Sakuraba’s opposition to the entire psychic world did not involve the Shrine of the Sea, which had a special mission and location. The strength displayed by Suijinkuya, the head of the Shrine of the Sea, indeed lived up to that title.
While thinking, the young girl would not be intimidated by the enemy’s strength. Although her mission was to stall Suijinkuya, in a real fight, it would be difficult to control the situation freely without overwhelming strength.
Even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit. At this moment, both of them were fighting with the intention of killing the other. Kazumi raised her right hand, and a giant black coffin descended from the sky, smashing directly behind the ghoul swarm.
The heavy coffin lid slowly opened, and a biting cold windstorm erupted from the black hole.
“Swish—”
The cold wind whistled past, and the water on the ground in its path froze at a visible speed, causing the ghouls’ movements to slow down. However, for the ghouls who were accustomed to the environmental influences of Lei-type abilities, this was not a problem. In fact, moving in such an environment was even more familiar to them.
For the water spirits, the low temperature was undoubtedly fatal. Almost instantly, the floating water spheres were frozen into ice balls, easily shattered into pieces by the ghouls. The jellyfish also seemed to be affected by the low temperature, with icicles hanging from its body, drooping to the ground.
“Even ice-elemental attacks?”
Casually raising a psychic shield to block the remaining cold wind, Suijinkuya’s expression became serious. Compared to evil energy, ice-elemental attacks were more restrictive for him. But fortunately, the opponent had forcibly cut off the giant wave with energy earlier, so the remaining energy couldn’t be much. Defeating him by utilizing this point wouldn’t be too difficult.
The jellyfish Shikigami, having calmed its energy, unleashed its power again. Water bullets emerged from the sea on both sides of the ship, shattering more than half of the remaining ghouls, then half of them shot towards the Black Coffin and half towards Kazumi’s position.
“Thump thump thump—”
The water bullets, capable of penetrating steel plates, only produced dull thuds against the wooden coffin. The Black Coffin slowly floated up, as if driven by telekinesis, rising into the air, and then forcefully smashed down, targeting the jellyfish Shikigami, whose movement speed had drastically decreased due to the cold wind.
“Trying to deal with the Shikigami first?”
Suijinkuya found Kazumi’s intention somewhat amusing. Unlike the Lishan Shrine, which specialized in Shikigami, the Shikigami for him was more of an auxiliary role. His true ability lay in his control over elements.
Even if the opponent wanted to kill the Shikigami, he could simply recall it at the last moment, and then he could find an opportunity to summon it again later.
A cold smirk spread across his lips. Suijinkuya accelerated the movements of the incantation he was preparing, his eyes fixed on the location of the jellyfish Shikigami. The talisman he recalled was already in his left palm.
“Swish—”
The Black Coffin broke through the air with a heavy sound and charged straight down. The struggling jellyfish, trying to swim away, also dissipated into spiritual energy in mid-air at this moment.
Seeing that this direct attack was about to fail, Suijinkuya brought his hands together, and his spiritual imprint had already marked Kazumi, who was controlling the Black Coffin from a distance.
But in the next second, a dazzling, ethereal green portal suddenly opened in mid-air, precisely on the path where the Black Coffin was about to land.
“A door?!”
A strong sense of crisis erupted in his mind. Suijinkuya’s incantation was already in its final moments, so he could only hastily cast the spell with his left hand. He pressed his right index finger forcefully, and surging spiritual energy gathered from the sea, then converged towards Kazumi’s position.
“Swish—”
A pale green ethereal light suddenly appeared before Suijinkuya. The moment he withdrew his hand, a passage one person wide bizarrely opened in mid-air. Within that passage, a massive coffin carrying ten thousand pounds of force was smashing down fiercely.
“Thump—”
Just as the Black Coffin descended, the spiritual energy at Kazumi’s location also reached its peak. The accumulated water on the deck, originally left by the giant wave, began to flow slowly.
Finally, on the ground where the young girl stood, a giant mouth filled with sharp teeth emerged from the water. A suffocating foul wind, carrying terrifying pressure, appeared simultaneously. A giant shark, half the size of a ship, improbably leaped out of a puddle that barely covered its calves and swallowed the black-robed young girl whole.
