31: Akaza's defeat and escape

Seeing that he couldn't win through brute force, Lin Luo immediately changed his strategy. He rapidly chanted obscure incantations as his fingers danced like butterflies through flowers, forming one profound Dao seal after another. Simultaneously, his movements became ethereal and unpredictable; he no longer clashed head-on with Akaza. Instead, he moved like a swimming dragon or a bone-less snake, maneuvering through the narrow alleyway and making full use of every corner and obstacle to evade.

He couldn't flee this alley, or the ordinary people outside would surely face a catastrophe; nor could he let Akaza escape. He had to confine this dangerous battle to this location.

Akaza's attacks remained violent, his fists and kicks riddling the alley walls with holes and sending debris flying. However, Lin Luo's movement technique had reached its peak of agility, allowing him to dodge fatal blows in the blink of an eye. On the rare occasions he couldn't evade, he used clever force to deflect the impact, avoiding direct confrontation as much as possible.

The incantations in his mouth grew more urgent, and his Dao seals formed faster and faster. A layer of azure spiritual light began to ripple around his body like water. This light wasn't for external attack or defense; instead, it worked from the inside out, acting like reinforcement runes that were constantly branded upon and buffing his bones, muscles, and flesh.

As the final syllable fell, the Dao seal froze in place.

The azure spiritual light around Lin Luo suddenly retracted, seemingly merging completely into his body. His aura, which had been somewhat disordered due to injuries and exhaustion, instantly became much more solid and heavy, and a faint golden shimmer began to flow across the surface of his skin.

“Hmm?” Akaza keenly sensed the change in Lin Luo, an unexpected glint flashing in his golden pupils. He could feel that while the intensity of this human's aura hadn't increased significantly, its essence seemed to have become much tougher and more condensed.

“Hah!” Lin Luo gave a low shout. This time, he didn't just dodge blindly; he took the initiative to meet the attack, throwing a punch wrapped in concentrated blue-gold light.

“Bang!”

Fists collided, and a wave of air surged.

Lin Luo's body swayed as he retreated half a step, his arm feeling numb, but he didn't experience the agonizing pain or injury from before. Akaza also swayed slightly; although he still held the absolute upper hand, he no longer possessed the overwhelming physical advantage in terms of Physique.

“Interesting!” Akaza was delighted rather than surprised, his Battle Intent soaring even higher. “Now this is more like it! Let me see how long this body of yours can hold out!”

The battle erupted again, but the rhythm had changed. Lin Luo was no longer a passive punching bag. Relying on his buffed body and exquisite movement techniques, he engaged in a fierce struggle with Akaza. Although he was still at a disadvantage and bore immense pressure with every collision, he at least had the room to parry and counterattack, no longer collapsing at the first touch.

Seeing that his buffed state was working, Lin Luo knew he had to seize this brief opportunity to use a stronger method. The simple pendant on his chest suddenly flickered with light. In the next moment, a Talisman flowing with purple-gold luster and an ethereal, ancient aura appeared in his hand.

At the same time, the cicada song collection quietly appeared in his hand. Its pages flipped automatically without any wind, finally stopping on a page that bore a single line of haiku:

“In the bowl of snow, it is moonlight that is served.”

The moment Akaza charged violently again, Lin Luo gave a low shout, and the cicada song collection in his hand flashed with a ghostly light. The characters of the haiku on the page seemed to come alive, transforming into dark purple streams of light that flew off the page. They didn't attack Akaza directly, but instead instantly interlaced and spread across the ground beneath his feet!

An illusory giant bowl made of dark purple characters, looking as if it were carved from ice and snow, appeared out of thin air. Its mouth faced upward as if growing from the ground, perfectly catching Akaza in its center! The bowl was not empty; it was instantly filled with cold, clear, silvery-white watery light—a light so pure and serene, it was as if the moonlight of the entire sky had been concentrated there.

“What?!” Caught off guard, Akaza felt as if he had stepped into an invisible force field. His entire body was completely enveloped and soaked by the silvery-white “moonlight” in the bowl! The moonlight appeared soft, yet it carried an extremely strong binding force, wrapping around his body like countless strands of cold silk. It made his every movement incredibly heavy and sluggish, and his boiling fighting spirit and power felt as if they had been plunged into ice water, their flow becoming stagnant.

“Did it work?” Fat Wave weakly lifted his head in the distance, a glimmer of hope igniting in his eyes.

However, Lin Luo's movements didn't pause for a second. He knew this “Snow Bowl Serving the Moon” wouldn't trap Akaza for long. Seizing this golden opportunity, he leaped high into the air and tossed the purple-gold Talisman in his hand, letting it float above his head.

His hands rapidly formed seals, and the spiritual energy within his body surged like a flood through an open gate, pouring recklessly and frantically into that seemingly weightless Talisman.

“Nine Heavens Responding to the Primal, Thunder Sound Universal Transformation... Command!”

As he spat out the true words, the purple-gold Talisman suddenly exploded with dazzling thunderlight! The sky, which had been dim at dusk, was instantly covered in dark clouds. Low rumbles of thunder began to roar and gather within the clouds, and a terrifying heavenly might locked onto the “snow bowl” below and Akaza, who was trapped inside and temporarily unable to escape!

The majestic heavenly power pressed down with tangible weight!

Blue-purple lightning, like a sword of divine punishment, crashed down with a roar, accurately striking the “snow bowl” filled with moonlight and completely swallowing Akaza!

“Aaaargh!!!”

The shrill scream was instantly drowned out by the deafening roar of thunder. Within the blinding lightning, one could clearly see Akaza's pale skin cracking inch by inch, charring and carbonizing under the thunderbolt. His flesh was blasted open by the violent energy, even revealing bone-deep wounds beneath. His entire body began to emit thick smoke and flames.

However, the terrifying regenerative ability of a demon was also fully displayed at this moment. At the charred wounds, granulation tissue squirmed and interlaced frantically at a speed visible to the naked eye, attempting to repair the severely damaged body. Destruction and regeneration engaged in a fierce tug-of-war on his body.

The thunder came violently and left just as quickly. The continuous bombardment for nearly ten seconds had almost drained all the spiritual energy in Lin Luo's body. His face was as pale as paper, his chest heaving violently as he barely managed to stay standing.

The lightning dissipated, and the “snow bowl” quietly shattered as its energy was exhausted. In its place remained a charred humanoid silhouette, like charcoal burned by a fierce fire, emitting wisps of blue smoke.

“Did it work?” Lin Luo stared intently at the charred corpse.

However, that charred figure suddenly moved! Following that, in the position of the hollow eye sockets, two faint points of golden light abruptly lit up!

He was actually still alive!

Lin Luo was horrified. Such a powerful thunder technique hadn't managed to completely kill him! He forced himself to take a breath and chose without hesitation to strike while the enemy was down. Pushing off the ground, he lunged forward, condensing his last bit of strength to throw a punch at the charred head!

“Boom!”

Charcoal-like arms suddenly crossed in front of the body to block, taking the punch head-on. The massive force sent the entire figure flying backward, crashing heavily into the alley wall, causing countless charred fragments to peel off his body.

Taking this chance, Lin Luo clearly saw that beneath the charred shell, new pink flesh was slowly but stubbornly growing, and the muscular contours of the legs were gradually restoring.

“I've remembered your scent...” The head of the charred body turned toward Lin Luo, its hollow eye sockets locking onto him. The voice it produced was as coarse as sandpaper rubbing together. “And those two over there...”

“My name is Akaza...” The charcoal-like corners of the mouth seemed to pull back into a terrifying grin. “Keep your life safe... and wait for me to come and take it!”

Before the words had finished echoing, there was a sharp “whoosh” of breaking air. The charred figure suddenly sprang up; although its movements were still somewhat stiff and deformed, its speed remained astonishingly fast. With a few leaps, it had already jumped onto the nearby eaves, vanishing into the darkness like a ghostly shadow and quickly disappearing into the distance.

Lin Luo's spiritual energy was exhausted, and his body was devoid of strength. He could barely even stand, and he could only watch helplessly as the charred figure disappeared into the depths of the night, unable to stop it.

The alley was a mess, leaving behind only the lingering smell of burning, scattered traces of battle, and Lin Luo's heavy, unwilling panting.

Lin Luo spat out a mouthful of blood-streaked saliva and staggered to sit on a cracked stone. His bones felt like they were falling apart, and waves of emptiness from his overdrawn spiritual energy washed over him.

At that moment, Fat Wave walked over with the unconscious Kato Megumi on his back, his steps somewhat unsteady. With a flash of light on his massive body, he quickly shrank, returning to his familiar round, furry form. Kato Megumi was supported by a gentle force and landed softly in Lin Luo's arms.

The young girl's eyes were tightly shut and her breathing was steady. Aside from some dust on her forehead, there were no obvious external injuries. Lin Luo checked her carefully and confirmed she was only temporarily unconscious from the shock, allowing his racing heart to settle slightly.

He looked down at the Fat Cat by his feet, who was also in a weakened state with several charred marks on its body. He reached out and rubbed its somewhat messy head, his voice raspy but carrying a hint of praise:

“Fat Wave, you did well.”

The Fat Cat gave a weak “meow” and rubbed its head against his pant leg as a response. It had also risked its life this time, nearly draining its demon power; it really was a losing deal.

The night was deep, and the alley was deathly silent, save for the faint sound of approaching police sirens in the distance. Holding Kato Megumi, Lin Luo looked at the peaceful sleeping face of the girl in his arms, then glanced in the direction where Akaza had disappeared, his eyes deep with thought.

Afterward, Lin Luo took a breath, suppressed the discomfort in his body, and shifted the girl in his arms slightly higher to make her more comfortable. He called out to the stumbling Fat Wave at his feet: “Let's go. We need to leave this place first.”

They traveled quickly along the quiet, deserted paths, moving away from the ruined battlefield. As Fat Wave struggled to keep up with his short legs, he sent a worried mental transmission: “Boss, what do we do next? That monster named Akaza is too terrifying; he'll definitely come back! How about... we quickly find some remote forest to hide in?”

Hearing this, Lin Luo curled his lip and replied crossly, “You coward, all you know is how to hide.” He paused, his tone becoming solemn. “However, it is indeed a big problem. Based on what Akaza said at the end, it seems they've targeted me. This attack seemed like a coincidental encounter, but he has confirmed my relationship with Megumi...”

He looked down at the sleeping Kato Megumi in his arms, his brow furrowed.

Hearing this, Fat Wave's fur almost stood on end. “Then... then what do we do?!”

A flash of determination crossed Lin Luo's eyes. He stopped, pulled out his phone, and spoke with the certainty of someone who had found a powerful backer:

“What do we do? We ‘call the police’!”

“Huh? Call... call the police?” Fat Wave's cat face was filled with confusion. “Ordinary police can't deal with that kind of monster, right?”

“Not the ordinary police.” Lin Luo explained as he quickly searched for a number in an encrypted contact list. “Fat Wave, this is the time to trust in the power of the state!”

“Find the ‘Special Affairs Management Department’! This kind of matter is their responsibility!”

This department was the official agency specifically for handling such supernatural incidents and coordinating with “special existences” like the Demon Slayer Corps. Previously, he had felt that dealing with them might be somewhat restrictive, but now, facing the threat of an Upper Rank demon and the safety of those around him, the official power had instead become the most reliable shield and aid.

The call was quickly connected. Lin Luo concisely reported the attack by upper rank three Akaza and the situation regarding the ongoing threat. The other party clearly took it very seriously, immediately asking for the detailed location and casualty information, and stated they would dispatch people right away to handle the scene and strengthen monitoring and protection of the area.