Hardcore Exorcist: Reborn to Grind

The Minotaur, for its part, was managing to stick to Ikaku Akamuro. Because of the undeniable, species-level gap in athletic ability between a Demon and a mortal, Ikaku Akamuro couldn’t shake it or do what he needed to do.

He had to create some serious distance.

While retreating, he tossed aside Alek’s shotgun and pulled the pin on a holy water spray grenade, trying to throw up a barrier of sacred mist to drive the Demon back.

“GRAAAAAAAAGH!”

The Minotaur reacted to the holy water, writhing in what looked like agony. A searing pain seemed to rack its body.

But then the Demon had a thought. This doesn’t actually hurt that much.

It smashed through the holy mist and threw a wide lariat at Ikaku Akamuro.

This was the first time the holy water had ever been breached, and his reaction was a beat too slow.

“Ngh!”

Clutching the grenade as it continued to spew its contents, he barely managed to throw up a guard, unable to find proper footing.

The lariat connected, and his body went flying.

“GRAAAAAAAAGH!”

Having landed a critical hit, the Demon let out a triumphant roar.

He spun twice in midair, soaring about ten meters before landing lightly on his feet. Thanks to Force Redirection absorbing the impact, he had taken almost no damage.

After a slight delay, the Minotaur realized its prey was unharmed. It let out a war cry, beat its massive pectoral muscles, and then dropped to all fours, charging at Ikaku Akamuro with blinding speed.

“I see. I’ve got a pretty good idea now.”

He had gained a rough understanding of what the power of a Category 4 entailed. He had a feel for its athletic capabilities: its speed, power, stamina, and toughness. 

He knew whether he could safely engage it in close combat in his current state, and whether he had a safe means of attack.

His conclusion—no problem at all.

And so, he decided to counterattack.

He tossed the holy water grenade toward the charging beast. The Minotaur paid it no mind.

The mist-producing grenade bounced off its head with a soft thud and fell away behind it. A momentary nuisance, about as annoying as a pebble hitting its face.

Ikaku Akamuro shifted his position and closed the distance, ending up half a step closer than the Minotaur had perceived.

It tried to forcibly correct its attack to catch him, but he pivoted on his anchor foot, using a circular motion to make the strike miss.

The Axe of Price returned from afar. He caught it with perfect timing, just as the Minotaur’s left fist slammed into the asphalt.

The moment its arm was fully extended, he brought the axe down. The heavy, mana-infused blade slid smoothly into its bicep.

Just as he thought. The Axe of Price could do the job.

“GRAAAGH?!”

Evasion and attack—one single, fluid motion. It wasn’t enough to sever the Minotaur’s thick arm, but the wound was deep.

The Demon could no longer exert its full strength through that limb.

Stumbling off-balance, it lunged to grab him.

He parried the outstretched arm, and as he stepped in, struck its flank with the axe. The thick blade tore through flesh and damaged its organs.

“GRAAAAAAGH…!”

The Minotaur tried to shake him off as he clung to it, but he dodged its attacks with minimal movement, landing steady, damaging blows with his hatchet, one after another.

Sever the right trapezius. Sever the left deltoid. Sever the left thigh adductor group. Sever the quadriceps. Sever the triceps surae. Sever the left trapezius—

A Category 4 Demon is certainly a deviation from a human, but its form is still an extension of the human frame.

In his past life, Ikaku deepened his knowledge of functional anatomy for bodybuilding and efficient training.

In this life, he mastered the body’s every vital point and the techniques to strike them.

To him, it was crystal clear which muscles he had to destroy to efficiently rob the Demon of its motor functions.

“Agh… aah… ah… Ugh…”

Eighty-seven seconds after the battle began, he had succeeded in neutralizing a Category 4 Demon while keeping it alive.

“Retsu Shido. I’m going to give you a chance,” Ikaku Akamuro said, his voice deceptively merciful.

“Answer my questions honestly. Do that, and I’ll grant you a death without any more suffering.”

He was proposing a negotiation.

A negotiation skewed so heavily it bordered on punishment.