‘Violence can't solve everything, but it can protect yourself.’ Yukino thought to herself.
If she had Higashi no Masa’s strength.
Even if she was bullied, she could have fought back strongly against those around her. She wouldn't have had to run away to study abroad like a loser, would she?
Thinking about this, Yukino looked at Higashi no Masa with a strange expression in her eyes.
Meow！！
The shrill cat's cry rang out again.
The kitten that had crashed into the tree trunk suddenly expanded, becoming as big as a calf.
Its fur turned into a gloomy gray-white. Its eyes emanated a malicious, oily green light.
At the same time, a second tail grew from its back.
Two-Tailed Nekomata!
“Finally revealing its true form, huh?” Higashi no Masa smiled slightly.
“Two tails?” Hiratsuka Shizuka exclaimed in surprise. “This is the legendary monster, Nekomata!”
“It is said that this kind of monster is formed from the resentment and suffering of cats, and it will frantically retaliate against those who have harmed cats.” Yukino frowned, puzzled. “But I didn't hurt it. I even gave it a proper burial…”
Hiratsuka Shizuka nodded in agreement.
She knew this girl, Yukino, very well. She loved cats and would never hurt them.
Why would this Nekomata harm Yukino?
“Because monsters lack reason and are heavily influenced by instinct, they won't distinguish between those who harm them and those who are innocent. They will attack everyone indiscriminately.”
Higashi no Masa shook his head and explained: “Yukino, you're not at fault. You were just unlucky and happened to encounter this newly-born monster, and then it got attached to you.”
Hearing this explanation.
Yukino breathed a sigh of relief, but her heart was also a little complicated.
Unexpectedly, her good deed of giving it a proper burial actually led to her facing danger.
“Since it's unrelated to Yukino, let's just take it down, Masa!” Hiratsuka Shizuka stared at the Nekomata on the tree, her voice firm.
Higashi no Masa nodded and clenched his fist.
Meow！！
The Nekomata was stimulated by Higashi no Masa's clenched fist and instantly bristled all over. It lunged at him again.
Hoo!
A fierce wind howled.
Its huge size, coupled with its incredible speed, made this Nekomata appear like a ferocious tiger, its momentum fierce and its aura terrifying.
But Higashi no Masa just raised his right hand and swung out a punch.
【Battlefield Passion 1·Strong Wrists: When you alternate your punches, your left hook deals regular damage, while your right hook will be faster and deal an additional 5-90 (+55% extra AD) damage!】
Swoosh!
His right hook, even faster than his left hook, shot out like a bullet.
Bang！！
The charging Nekomata was directly blown apart into a pool of rotten flesh in mid-air.
It flew backward for a second time, crashing against the tree trunk. Its soft, decayed body slid down the trunk.
Its ribs were broken, its internal organs ruptured.
Its entire abdominal cavity was reduced to a blurry mass of flesh, pulverized by Higashi no Masa's punch.
Meow…
The Nekomata let out a trembling whimper, its eyes wide and bulging, staring in fear at Higashi no Masa.
It couldn't believe that a human being was so powerful.
He had killed it with a single punch!
“Solved.” Hiratsuka Shizuka exhaled, shifting her gaze uncomfortably.
She wasn't used to such gory scenes.
“Wait, Higashi-kun!”
Yukino also shifted her gaze, but she noticed something out of the corner of her eye and hurriedly called out. “Its aura, it seems it's not gone yet!”
“Yeah, I know.” Higashi no Masa's voice was calm, as if he had it all under control.
He had already noticed the anomaly without Yukino reminding him.
A mere newborn Nekomata dared to play tricks under his nose?
“What do you mean, it's not dead?” Hiratsuka Shizuka looked up in shock.
A wisp of gray mist floated out from the Nekomata's corpse.
These mist wisps condensed into pillars, not dispersing in the wind. Instead, they seemed to have their own consciousness and quickly floated towards the distance.
In the blink of an eye, they had drifted out three meters away.
The mist suddenly coalesced, transforming back into a Nekomata, only this time it had one tail.
The corpse on the ground, like an illusion, gradually disappeared.
“It's missing a tail!” Yukino was the first to notice this.
“Yeah.”
Higashi no Masa nodded and said: “Legend has it that for every tail a cat has, it gets another life, with a maximum of nine tails.”
“Just now, it died once.”
“So it lost a tail.”
As Higashi no Masa spoke, he extended his hand towards the Nekomata three meters away, spreading his fingers.
Meow！！
The Nekomata's eyes were vigilant, and it turned and ran.
It had used one life to confirm that it was no match for this human.
So, it could only run!
Swoosh…
The Nekomata leapt on all fours, shooting out like an arrow, instantly covering several meters.
“Masa!”
“Higashi-kun!”
Hiratsuka Shizuka and Yukino were both a bit nervous.
They couldn't let this Nekomata escape!
Otherwise, there would be endless trouble!
“Don't worry, it won't get away.” Higashi no Masa smiled, the five fingers of his extended hand suddenly closing together.
He was just about to use the skill he had gained from punching Yukino.
【Strong Grip Skull Splitter】!
Boom!
As Higashi no Masa moved, a powerful suction force appeared, like a cage, trapping the fleeing Nekomata.
Meow?
The Nekomata's movement instantly froze, its expression confused.
It suddenly couldn't run anymore, as if something was pulling it from behind.
Swoosh!
The next moment, the air swirled, and dust billowed.
The entire Nekomata was caught by the suction force and flew back into Higashi no Masa's hand.
【Forceful Submission】!
Higashi no Masa's eyes flashed with sharpness, and his right hook, enhanced by the power of his skill, slammed into the flying Nekomata.
Bang！！
The Nekomata was directly blown apart in mid-air.
Its body, like a balloon, burst into countless fragments.
“!?”
Hiratsuka Shizuka and Yukino were both shocked by this violent scene.
It was terrifying!
A Nekomata the size of a calf was grabbed out of thin air and then blown apart with a punch!
Such terrifying strength, it could probably punch through even ten centimeters of steel, right?
‘Can I learn this kind of strength from Higashi-kun?’
Yukino's gaze at Higashi no Masa became even brighter.
“Okay, now it's completely settled.” Higashi no Masa lowered his fist, turning to nod at the two women.
“Really?”
Hiratsuka Shizuka and Yukino were stunned for a moment, but they also felt a change.
The feeling of coldness around them disappeared.
The air returned to the stifling summer heat, no longer piercingly cold.
This meant that the Nekomata's power was gone!
————
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