Hardcore Exorcist: Reborn to Grind

Flames bloom from the wreckage.

The driver peels himself from the seat, drops the disguise, and crawls out—fully revealed in his demonic form.

Then a mercury bullet hits him square in the back.

“WAAHH!?”

The Demon screams.

I watch it unfold from atop the overpass, peering through my scope. Fifty meters down.

I line up another shot. Squeeze the trigger.

Direct hit. The round punches through the back of his skull as he tries to dive into cover.

He doesn’t move again.

7.62mm mercury rounds. Picked them up from that gentlemanly gunsmith. Strong enough to drop a Category 1 demon without needing any neutralization magic.

Something hits the pavement near me. Red droplets.

It’s blood.

“What the—?”

“Blood Ignition!”

The spilled blood swells, expands—then erupts. Heat and impact follows.

A slab of the overpass crumbles beneath my feet.

I leap clear, brace, level the rifle again. Scope finds Kurenagi.

His disguise is gone. He’s raising both arms to block.

I pull the trigger. The bullet rips through flesh but doesn’t go deep.

“Urgh! Ridiculous! So he is just some powerless nobody after all!”

He snarls like he’s been vindicated. Took a mercury bullet straight to the meat and barely flinched. 

His doubts are gone now. I’m no mage. No mana user.

Just a regular guy, like the intel said.

And he’s right.

I glance through the scope. Doesn’t take a genius to see I’m not doing much damage.

He’s mutating. Skin darkened, eyes gone black, fangs out, throat swollen like a frog, tail sliding out from his spine. Not even close to human anymore.

Mutation-Type. 220 centimeters tall. Got bigger after transformation.

Double abnormal traits—throat and spine. Took a 7.62mm mercury round and shrugged it off. Mana armor level three or higher.

That puts him in... Category 3, most likely.

I weigh it. First real threat I’ve seen so far.

Meanwhile, Kurenagi’s back in control. I can feel it from here.

I’m Category 3. No reason to fear mercury rounds from a guy with no mana. High-caliber or not, bullets only break mana armor level 1. I let him get in my head. That was my mistake. Ikaku Akamuro’s got no real strength. He’s just faking it with expensive ammo. Smoke and mirrors. I’ve got real power.

I set the rifle down at my feet.

Climb over the guardrail. Drop fifty meters straight down.

While falling, I draw my hand axe. I drag the edge down the concrete wall beside me. Slow the fall. Sparks fly.

I land across from him. Same level.

He grins. Looks at me like I’m an idiot.

His throat swells like a balloon. Blood fires out, pressurized like a hose.

I dip and sway like I’m about to pass out.

His shot misses. Blood splatters the pillar behind me.

He dodged? Human reflexes pulled that off? Doesn’t look that fast, though... Wobbling like a drunk, makes him harder to hit. Cheap trick. Can’t hurt me. That axe, though... that’s different. That thing’s dangerous. Must be a magic weapon. If anything can break my mana armor, it’s that.

I chuck the axe. Spinning blade screams toward him.

Kurenagi flinches. Swats it with his arm, then whips it away with his tail.

CLANG!

Waaaahhhhhh—

A girl’s scream echoes high above the chaos.

Sent it flying clean out of the fight! Grand slam to the horizon. Disarmed him. Sure, the axe’ll come back, but I’ve got distance. For now, he’s got nothing. Now’s the time—

He lunges.

Slams both fists down with enough power to shatter concrete. I slip past with a single step. His arms crater the center divider.

Ten deep cracks spiderweb the asphalt.

That’s Category 3 strength. Real muscle. Real power. Eat it, Avenger.

He stays there, hands planted like a gorilla, drunk on violence and victory.

I swing my double-barrel around. Keep moving. Point it at his throat.

Kurenagi smirks.

Idiot. Still doesn’t get it. Those rounds don’t work. How many more does he need to waste before he learns—

BOOM.

The barrel flashes. A mercury slug, wrapped in mana, slams into his swollen throat sac. Blows through his shoulder. Punches clean out the other side.

“Aghhh!? What the—!? My mana armor...!”

He doubles over, arms wrapped around his torso, drops to one knee. Gasping. Spitting blood.

His instincts scream.

I’m exposed.

He looks up.

I’m already there.

“Roooooar—!”

The cracks he made in the pavement still steam beneath him.

And then I move.

One strike. Big motion. Fist charged with everything I’ve got.

Ikaku Style Eightfold Soulfist Secret Technique: Cannon Strike.

My punch drives into his gut like a piston. The energy doesn’t stop. It rips through his whole body, from belly to spine.

He folds. Hits the ground hard.

His black-scaled hands twitch, reaching for anything. Life. Air. Hope.

“Guh... This can’t be... Me? Taken down by a human who can’t even use mana? I can still stand... I’m fine. Just a punch. Just a human...”

I circle around. Step on his reaching hand. Drive my heel down.

“Guh!”

“Where are the Coral Sisters?”

“I don’t... know what you’re talking about...”

“Where’s the Coral Dragon? How’d you steal it?”

“No idea...!”

Blood and spit leak from his grin.

“Ugh... I’ll crush your head... right now...”

He tries to rise. Shakes. Pushes.

Fails.

Eventually, he goes still.

I showed why I’m One-Shot Ikaku.

And that shot? It was extra clean.

The fight was long over to begin with.