Having secured a ride, Ophelia drove toward the cult’s hideout from memory.
The unprecedented terrorist attack that brought down The Matz-Carlton had plunged all of Akai City into chaos.
Spotting a cluster of police vehicles parked in an unusual spot, Ophelia pulled over to ask some questions.
“Ah, you’re from the Luxor family? Please, come through. Er… are you alright in that state? You look like you were crushed under rubble… Ah, forgive me, I’m rambling.
Ahem, yes, that’s right. These bodies lying here belong to the Demon worshipers. We received a report from Ikaku Akamuro, the Coral Terminator, but the man himself is nowhere to be found.
It seems that after gunning down the worshipers here, he got into a car chase with the ones who fled in a vehicle. Yes, if you head straight down this road, you’ll hit the Ring Overpass. I imagine you’ll find him there. Honestly, what a crazy night. The Matz collapses, car chases erupt…
Yes, right. Well, please be careful. I’ve got to get back to it.”
The moment she returned to the car, Ayano puffed up with satisfaction.
“Mee-ow…?” (He killed at least eleven people at this scene alone, didn’t he? As expected of my Ikaku. He won’t be outdone by mere amateurs who just picked up a gun or made a pact with a Demon. But… he was badly injured. I hope he’s not pushing himself too hard.)
Ophelia followed the route of the supposed car chase.
Along the way, she witnessed the aftermath of a fierce battle: destroyed Demons scattered among the evening rush-hour traffic, and a car that had plummeted from the Ring Overpass and exploded.
At the end of the trail, she found the remains of a Demon bearing the likeness of Imito Kurenagi, one of the leaders of the Ember Creed.
“Well, hello there, Lady Ophelia. This all happened about seven hours ago. Yep. That’s right. Because of the Matz, the fire department, paramedics, and police are all unbelievably short-staffed, so we haven’t been able to clear the remains yet.
You guessed it. It was Ikaku Akamuro. I saw the whole thing myself. It was incredible. One punch, just like this. Wham! See how that median strip is cracked? That wasn’t from the Demon’s fist. That’s where Ikaku brought his foot down.
Taking down a Category 3 Demon with his bare hands… The guy’s an absolute monster.”
Ophelia thanked the awestruck police officer.
“Mee-ow! Meow-meow~! Mee-ow-meow!” (Ikaku is truly incredible! He chased down those fleeing villains and finished them off magnificently! And it was Imito Kurenagi, no less! A Category 3 Demon! Heh heh, now we’re tied for solo takedown records. Ikaku might just be the strongest non-magical Exorcist there is. And pulling it off without a shred of mana… It’s magnificent. I’m so moved… It feels like all his tireless training has finally paid off.)
The cat shed a single, heartfelt tear and puffed up even more.
Ophelia, on the other hand, was bewildered by this accomplishment. In her experience, such a thing was impossible.
A commoner, taking down a Category 3 Demon… alone?
A Category 3 is the kind of threat that mobilizes the nobility. While a large group of commoner Exorcists can occasionally overwhelm one, it is fundamentally difficult without an overwhelming number of them.
A solo takedown of a Category 3 would mean he has power equivalent to a Knight-rank Mage or a Seventh-Class Exorcist. But Mister Akamuro shouldn’t have any mana at all. That officer said he punched it. Come to think of it, he punched a hole straight through that man’s body at Neon Circle, too…
Ophelia glanced to the side. At the base of the Ring Overpass, on the circular road’s median, she saw a deeply imprinted footprint. It was deeper than the one she’d seen him make when they fought together at the warehouse just a few days ago.
The power it signified felt as if it dramatically transcended what a human body was capable of generating.
Can one really obtain this through training? With a body of flesh and blood? If so, just how much time and strain would it take for a human to reach that level…?
She had believed herself to have gained a vague understanding of Ikaku Akamuro’s abilities. She knew he had trained his body to its absolute limit, and he had even told her himself that while he looked lean in his clothes, he was actually quite muscular underneath.
Ophelia’s perception had been naive. She hadn’t known the half of it. He wasn’t just muscular.
From the traces of the battle, the young lady was beginning to sense the unfathomable strength the man held within.
That feeling would solidify into certainty at the next scene.