Hardcore Exorcist: Reborn to Grind

An unarmored car doesn’t stand a chance against rifle fire. That’s why Ikaku Akamuro abandoned the vehicle, leaping from the driver’s seat.

Grabbing the sword that had been lying on the passenger seat wasn’t part of the plan; it was a split-second, instinctive decision.

The moment Ashbrand’s tip pierced the ground, it deployed a smokescreen.

Heh heh heh. I see you need my power.

“I’m not expecting much.”

You can count on me. I’ll envelop every last one of your enemies in a massive cloud of smoke.

“Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Hmph. I’ll make you change your tune about me.

Within the blade of molten fire, the white-haired girl puffed out her small chest in a show of arrogance. The smoke pouring from the sword intensified.

Ikaku ducked, shielding himself from the bullets being fired into the smokescreen. 

After a moment, the gunfire ceased.

Heh heh heh. When I get serious, I can cover a twenty-meter radius in ultra-dense smoke.

Not half bad… Ikaku thought, granting Ashbrand a definite reevaluation. Not that he would ever say it out loud.

Meanwhile, Retsu Shido’s soldiers were in a mild panic, having been swallowed by the smoke themselves.

“This is bad. We’re surrounded by smoke.”

“What is this stuff? The area of effect is… massive.”

“And it’s ridiculously thick…! I can’t even see my own fingertips!”

“Don’t panic. There’s a risk of friendly fire. Move slowly toward the shooting range. Got it?”

Shido barked the order in an authoritative voice. The soldiers regained their composure and began a careful retreat, trying to escape the smoke.

It’s not a smoke grenade. I saw it clearly. After Ikaku Akamuro jumped from the car, he stabbed something like a sword into the ground. If it’s the same kind of thing that Kuro of the Demon Sword used…

Tch, but how? Subjugating a magical tool is supposed to be no simple feat. He did it? In such a short time? Are you really that capable, Ikaku Akamuro…?!

Shido readied his rifle, trying to sense for presences.

He couldn’t see a thing. He couldn’t even hear the wind.

Scuff. Scuff. Crunch. Scrape.

He found himself reacting with hypersensitivity to the faint sounds of shoe soles scraping against the asphalt. He was seized by the urge to fire in their direction.

But there were over twenty cultists under his command here. Most of the presences belonged to his own men. He couldn’t shoot.

Ikaku, on the other hand, was in a different position. He didn’t need to worry about friend or foe.

The smoke pouring from Ashbrand has magical power. It has a tactile quality, like an extension of my own limbs.

I can tell the height, limb length, and even the hairstyle of every person inside it. I can even sense their posture and which way they’re facing.

This… is a whole new dimension of perception.

Ikaku erased his presence and moved behind one of the soldiers. Clamping a hand over the man’s mouth, he plunged Ashbrand down through his collarbone, piercing his heart from above.

Instant death.

He quietly withdrew the blade, caught the lifeless body, and gently laid it on the ground to muffle the sound of its fall.

He eliminated them one by one.

Ikaku was also a student of the shinobi arts. His master’s name was Chiyo the Flowbreaker, a master of ancient martial arts and shinobi techniques. The old woman had taken a great liking to Ikaku and drilled her skills into him.

Ikaku was proficient not only in the bright martial arts used for open confrontations but also in the dark arts. Silent killing was simply another skill he had mastered.

Ikaku felt a sense of omnipotence. The skills ingrained in his body and the new power he’d acquired—the great Demon Sword, Ashbrand. He felt that by combining the two, he could do whatever he wanted to his enemies.

Smoky Brat. You’re much better than I imagined.

One by one, Ikaku thinned their numbers. Not a single one was allowed to make a sound as they died. A master’s assassination techniques leave no room for error.

Shido and his men were panicking. Even after retreating from the parking lot to the shooting range, the smoke hadn’t cleared. The faint sense that the number of presences was dwindling only accelerated their anxiety.

And no wonder. Ashbrand, the source of the smoke, was moving along with Ikaku. They could never fully escape its twenty-meter radius.

“Uuuuurrrgh!”

Those who could undo their mimicry transformed into their Demon forms, using their powerful legs to leap out of the smoke. They were all starting to realize this was no ordinary cloud.

By the time Ikaku had finished off about fifteen of them, there was finally no one left inside.

Everyone’s out? From what I can count, that leaves seven. All the survivors are Demons.

Ikaku decided to contemplate his next move from within the safety of the smoke—a sanctuary where even a Demon’s senses of smell and sight were useless.

Hah… hah… I’m at my limit!

“Huh?”

The Demon Sword quivered—and in the next instant, the dense smoke rapidly dissipated.

Ikaku found himself suddenly exposed, surrounded on all sides by seven Demons.

Haaah, I’m exhausted… I did a great job… gonna sleep for a bit.

“Wai—you’ve got to be kidd—”

The Demon soldiers took aim from outside the smoke, immediately using the light armored vehicles for cover. They opened fire.

Ikaku scrambled to hide behind a nearby LAV.

With the smoke cleared, Shido could see exactly how many of his comrades had been slaughtered.

In an instant, he lost himself to rage, slammed his rifle to the ground, and roared.

“IKAKU AKAMUROOO! YOU’VE MADE A FOOL OF ME! GUOOOOHHH!”

Shido dropped to all fours like a carnivorous beast. His body began to transform. His muscles swelled, stretching and tearing his clothes, yet his monstrous growth didn’t stop.

A team of professional mercenaries, taking this long to eliminate a single man! Using this power means sacrificing my reason!

As a squad leader, I would have preferred not to… but for you, Ikaku Akamuro, it seems only fitting that I destroy you with this demonic power!

Retsu Shido of the Ember Creed—undoing his mimicry.

A Category 4 Demon was about to reveal itself.