Hardcore Exorcist: Reborn to Grind

What the—?! What was that impact?!

Before he knew it, his right wrist was shattered, his gun clattering to the ground. 

Hakuya’s mind couldn’t keep up with the divine speed of Ikaku’s movements. The rhythm was all his own, a full beat ahead of Hakuya’s thoughts.

Ikaku maintained his grip on Hakuya’s broken wrist, bringing up his Five-seveN one-handed. He held it horizontally across his chest in the C.A.R. System stance and opened fire.

Hakuya instantly activated Mana Control: Flux.

Acting on pure instinct, he Focused his mana on his torso, dropping his total body enhancement from 320 percent to a mere 50. In its place, a layer of Mana Armor formed over his torso—a feat normally impossible for someone who had only gained mana artificially through Ichor.

Hakuya’s intuition was spot-on. Ikaku went for the body first.

Target the bigger mass—the torso—to rack up damage and stagger him, then finish with a shot to the smaller target: the head. That was his basic playbook.

Better yet, in a situation like this, he could just riddle Hakuya’s torso with bullets until the job was done.

One, two, three, four, five, six… and that’s when Ikaku realized the bullets were being stopped.

Hah! The fool. I’m an Eighth-Class Exorcist. I’m not like the other small fry. I took the Ichor and gained superhuman strength, durability, reflexes, and eyesight… but I’m on a whole other level than the chumps who think that’s the end of the road.

Over time, as Exorcists live with their power, they develop a sense that their mana can be controlled.

As they hone this sense, they learn to channel their mana more efficiently—surging it to their pivot foot the moment they sprint, to their fist as it connects, or to the point of impact just before a blow lands.

This enhances every action, be it offensive, defensive, or evasive.

This is what’s known as Mana Control.

Tenth-Class Exorcists are mana users who haven’t yet reached this stage.

Ninth-Class Exorcists are those who can use Mana Control to enhance their own movements.

The Mana Control of an Eighth-Class Exorcist is on another level entirely. It’s so precise and fast that when they anticipate an attack—like getting shot—they can concentrate their mana to form a Mana Armor and minimize the damage.

With Mana Control: Focus, bullets with no neutralizing properties are a joke. A world you mana-less trash couldn’t even imagine.

The moment Ikaku saw his bullets get blocked, he snapped the muzzle downward.

Gathering his mana with Flux, huh? That’s right… this guy is Eighth-Class.

Two shots punched through Hakuya’s thighs. The change in target was too abrupt for Focus to keep up.

“Guh?!”

The mana rushed downward.

Moving against its current, Ikaku pressed the Five-seveN against the elbow of the arm he still held. A single shot shattered the joint.

It’s easy enough for that mass of mana to return from his legs to his torso. But getting it back to his arm requires it to travel through the torso and then the shoulder. That path makes the Flux sluggish—

And again, moving against the current of mana as it began its slow return to the destroyed elbow, the Five-seveN’s muzzle found Hakuya’s lower body once more. 

Ikaku shot out both of his knees, one after the other.

Two more bullets were delivered to his now-defenseless torso, and Hakuya crumbled to the ground.

“Aaargh! Aah! Gnh!”

Lying in a pool of his own blood, Hakuya reached for a syringe in his hip pouch. 

Without hesitation, Ikaku shot his hand, destroying the syringe along with it.

Ikaku’s mind flashed back to his training days with his old master.

“Skilled mages and Exorcists have impressive defensive capabilities thanks to Mana Control. Against an opponent like that, even our mercury bullets can be stopped.”

“But aren’t our enemies Demons?”

“I wish it were that simple. But a time will come when you must put down those who have strayed from the path. You can’t afford to panic when that day arrives. So, we will prepare. We will learn how to break a defense built on Flux and Focus.
Remember, Focus is not absolute. It is, by its nature, limited and localized. All resources are finite. Therefore, you simply attack where the defense is not…”

Ikaku Akamuro is always prepared.