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Instead of taking on Kotaro's enemy, he pounced on Kotaro's back, grabbed his waist, and flung him away.
Kotaro performed a nimble flip in mid-air, landing lightly, panting heavily. He looked at Old Wolf, his compound eyes revealing no emotion: "What... are you doing?!"
Xueqing stepped forward and helped Old Wolf fight off the enemy in front of him. Old Wolf then turned to look at Kotaro and roared, "Kotaro! Wake up!"
At this point, Kotaro's entire suit was almost completely shattered, with only his pants still barely retaining their shape. He had even torn off the heavy leather suit on his upper body long ago because it was in the way.
Kotaro gasped for breath and slowly raised his hand. His blood-stained hand was covered with dark green armor, as if... a biological-looking suit of armor had grown onto his body.
“I…” He knew exactly what he was like, but he had no choice but to stand up again.
"I'm fine," he said emphatically, not only to Old Wolf, but also to himself.
Xue Qing said coldly, "Can't we talk about this after we've finished fighting? Come and help!"
Kotaro suddenly leaped and charged into the crowd again, as did the old wolf.
After realizing that they could not defeat the three people in front of them, the half-demons began to retreat. At this time, due to Dou Tang's departure, the black mist had been removed from the ground, and the corpses with blood that had not yet cooled down looked so shocking that it brought great psychological pressure.
Finally, one of the half-demons decided to escape. A half-demon who looked like a rabbit hopped away from his companions and rushed towards the stairwell and the elevator.
The stairwell was where Takeda Momiji and Tanuki were hiding. Seeing the enemy approaching, Tanuki gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and prepared to fight back desperately.
But just as the rabbit half-demon was about to rush to the stairwell, a scarlet figure suddenly jumped up from the elevator entrance, blocking the half-demon's escape route.
The half-demon was taken aback at first, then saw a huge fist coming towards him, growing larger and larger in his field of vision.
"Oh!"
After a muffled thud, the half-demon's body was sent flying, tumbling several times like a rag doll before landing with a thud at the old wolf's feet.
Old Wolf turned his head and saw that Dou Tang, who had deactivated his transformation and returned to being a knight, was already striding forward.
Seeing this, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing Dou Tang like this, he must have already killed that half-demon named Sen Shun...
Therefore, the outcome of the battle is now a foregone conclusion.
Chapter 96 You stinking dog, you're asking for a beating!
With Dou Tang joining the fray, the battle quickly drew to a close. The routed half-demons had lost their will to fight, and some even raised their hands to surrender.
The last few half-demons either raised their hands or collapsed and wailed, their heads in their hands; the battle could no longer continue.
But... what should be done with those who surrender?
Fortunately, Dou Tang was there.
Dou Tang is very sensitive to resentment. Although in his eyes these weak half-demons are not even qualified to be perceived from a distance, as long as he gets close enough, Dou Tang can still feel the emotions contained in their resentment.
Whether it's resentment or demonic power, in this world, this mysterious energy is equivalent to the extension of the will of life itself. The resentment of different beings gives people very different feelings. For example, exorcists and vengeful spirits, although they use the same power driven by obsession, give people completely different feelings.
Most exorcists, while not exactly gentle and welcoming, are certainly not intimidating. Whether they are Shinto Onmyoji, Buddhist exorcists, or foreign visitors like Lu Zizhen, the powers they use are generally positive, even for someone as obsessive as Lu Zizhen.
But evil spirits are different.
Most evil spirits harbor intense hatred and anger towards all living things. These resentful obsessions make them strange and distorted, and the power that these obsessions manifest as gives people the same feeling.
In a sense, in this world, unwavering determination is the source of power.
Dou Tang, who is so sensitive to these resentments, can naturally judge a person's nature from the feelings they evoke. This power, formed from obsession, is the most direct outward manifestation of the mind.
Dou Tang, like a stern judge, walked among the half-demons, and finally shook his head.
The other three understood his meaning: among the surrendered half-demons, there were none worthy of pity.
Xueqing sighed and said, "You two, leave here."
The old wolf glanced at Kotaro, whose body was slowly losing its armor, just like other half-demon when they deactivated their transformations.
Old Wolf nodded, pulled Kotaro along, and went to the stairwell, also dragging along Takeda Momiji and Tanuki, who were already stunned by the hellish scene before them.
Xue Qing drew her sword and stepped forward, whispering, "If you have someone to blame, blame yourself for choosing the wrong path from the very beginning."
Having said that, he charged into the midst of the half-demons who had already lost their will to fight, and swung...
He wielded his precious sword, and wherever the blade flashed, blood splattered everywhere.
By the time those half-demons realized what was happening and tried to fight back, it was too late. They were no match for them even in a head-on battle, let alone after losing their will to fight.
After the remaining half-demon were killed, the entire 29th floor had been transformed into a living hell.
Half-human, half-demon corpses were everywhere, their blood pooling on the ground. As Xue Qing walked among them, blood would even splatter when she stepped on them.
He slowly approached Dou Tang, and with his left hand he shook the end of the hilt of the knife. All the filth and blood on the knife fell off, revealing the silvery blade again.
He sheathed his sword, and his entire leather suit was stained with a layer of scarlet. The white and red clashed together, making it extremely eye-catching.
“Something’s wrong with Kotaro.” He whispered in a voice only Toudou could hear.
Dou Tang nodded: "As an ordinary person, if you want to gain great power, you must sacrifice something."
"I think... he will die because of this."
Upon hearing this, Xue Qing remained silent for a moment before concluding, "And she has no regrets whatsoever."
“To be honest, I was initially very resistant to my father’s idea of me assisting you.” He looked up and said, “But it’s a good thing to be able to see someone like Kotaro and enjoy having a strong opponent.”
The two stood amidst the mountains of corpses and seas of blood, the cold wind from the high-rise building constantly pouring in through the broken windows in the distance, causing their clothes to flutter incessantly.
Dou Tang paused for a moment, then said, "It sounds like you're implying something."
Kotaro removed his hood, revealing silver-white hair and deep blue eyes. Although his expression was cold, his words carried his own emotions: "I have something to ask you... Is there any way to make them withdraw from the battle?"
"The next operation will only require the two of us."
"Aren't you afraid of a disaster if it's just the two of us challenging the Onmyoji Ling Ming?" Dou Tang retorted.
Xueqing placed her hand on the hilt of the knife and said somewhat relaxedly, "I think you are no less skilled than him, it's just that he is too difficult to catch."
Dou Tang nodded, that was indeed the case.
However, he then stroked his chin and said, "They were clearly comrades... but at the last moment, you planned to hide it from them and choose to take the risk yourself. Xueqing, I didn't know you were such a loyal and righteous person."
Upon hearing this, Xue Qing remained silent and simply walked towards the stairwell, brushing past Dou Tang.
Dou Tang pouted.
Perhaps... Xue Qing is essentially the same kind of person as himself, but his bloodline as a snow woman makes him appear even colder.
Dou Tang shook his head and walked towards the stairwell.
Upon entering the hallway, the atmosphere became somewhat strange. Tanuki seemed to have misunderstood something, covering his eyes and shouting incoherently, while Kotaro, who had transformed back into a human and revealed his face, awkwardly offered an explanation.
"I won't listen! If they see our faces at a time like this, they'll definitely be silenced! I know that!" Tanuki-suke covered his eyes tightly with his chubby little hands, repeatedly saying, "Please, please spare our lives! I swear we won't tell anyone!"
"I won't kill you!" Kotaro shouted. "That's not how it is at all! Please don't think such things!"
"What Kamen Rider would kill someone to silence them?!"
Old Wolf, standing to the side, sneered, "Hmph, why are you saying so much to him? Do you want to enjoy the smile of someone believing you in their dying moments? What a pervert!"
Upon hearing this, Tanuki recalled the scene of Kotaro's battle that he had just witnessed, a frenzied state that was even more frenzied than that of a wild beast, which was truly terrifying.
Therefore, he became even more frightened, his whole body trembling uncontrollably. Takeda Koyo beside him seemed to still be in a daze of fear, unable to recover for a long time.
That's normal. The battle just now was beyond reason. The extremely cruel deaths of those half-demons were a significant shock to anyone.
Even the four knights would always feel lost for a few days after each battle, needing time to process their emotions.
Enraged, Kotaro pointed at the old wolf and cursed, "You stinking dog, don't cause trouble at a time like this! You bastard!"
The old wolf feigned fear, clutching his arm and saying, "Ahhh, I know! Please don't kill me! It's terrifying that someone who's a fellow wolf is always bullying others!"
"I'm so afraid you'll kill me!"
With a strange roar, Kotaro charged forward and threw a punch!
Chapter 97 Interrogation
After a long and patient explanation, Tanuki finally believed that the people in front of him would not kill him and breathed a sigh of relief.
When Takeda Koyo came to her senses, her first reaction was... to vomit.
The intense sensory stimulation shattered her rational defenses, triggering a series of physiological reactions. Now, when she closes her eyes, all she sees are the screams of the half-demons and their hideous corpses.
Tanuki held her hand and stayed with her. It took Takeda Koyo a while to recover, until the old wolf smoked four or five cigarettes idly beside her. Only then did this woman, who was originally just a teacher, come to her senses.
Seeing that she seemed to be alright, Dou Tang said, "The matter is resolved, Professor Takeda. I think we can part ways here."
Takeda Koyo looked up with some confusion, while Toudou took off his hood at the right moment, revealing his true face.
"It's you!" Her eyes widened in disbelief. "You, you're not some kind of exorcist... how come..."
Why the hell is it Kamen Rider?
"The identities of exorcist and Kamen Rider are not contradictory." Dou Tang observed.
She explained the unspoken second half of your sentence.
He glanced at Tanuki again and said, "You should be glad that you really haven't killed anyone, just like Master Takeda said, and you don't have any malice towards humans, otherwise... you would have ended up like those guys in the house."
Tanuki swallowed hard, nodded, and dared not speak.
After dealing with Tanuki and Koyo, Toudou decided to leave the two aside for the time being. These two were just a microcosm of the undercurrents in Urayasu City, and there wasn't much to dig out.
The captured bat-woman half-demon was the key source of intelligence.
After simply dismissing the two and watching them leave the building, Lu Zizhen dragged the half-demon woman, who was now completely at their mercy, slowly upstairs, intending to interrogate her here first.
The barrier set up by Lu Zizhen can last until tomorrow morning, so as long as the building isn't blown up, anything can be done.
Dou Tang found a relatively intact chair and placed it on the open ground. The bloodstains on the ground were cleaned up by Kotaro, while the old wolf was... looting the money from the half-demons.
After searching for the money, he looked at everyone and asked in confusion, "Wait, doesn't it smell bad here? Why are we interrogating people in a place like this?"
Kotaro threw down the blood-stained broom in his hand and said, "Huh? This place is so scary, isn't it perfect?"
Old Wolf shook his head: "Didn't Dou Tang just say that she found that stinky bat? That's useless here. She's killed just as many people as we have, so she won't feel any psychological pressure in this environment."
Old Wolf pinched his nose: "Besides, it stinks here."
Kotaro scratched his head, looked at Tou-tang, and asked for his opinion.
Dou Tang stood by the window, looking down at the city below, and said without turning his head, "No need. The space downstairs belongs to someone else. Wouldn't it be scary if the staff downstairs found a lot of bloody footprints on this floor tomorrow?"
"Wouldn't you be afraid if you discovered such a horrific murder upstairs..." Old Wolf complained helplessly.
"It's better to avoid trouble," Dou Tang said.
A short while later, Xueqing and Lu Zizhen escorted the bat-woman half-demon upstairs.
As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, the half-demon Batwoman frowned, clearly surprised by the gruesome scene before her.
Lu Zizhen raised an eyebrow and said, "Wow... you guys really made a big fuss this time. The cold-faced man will have to clean up the mess again."
Xue Qing, standing to the side, raised her head slightly: "Although it's a bit troublesome, it's nothing... Anyway, the officials in Pu'an City are already used to it."
"If they knew we were ridding the people of a scourge, they'd be thanking us profusely!" Old Wolf laughed.
Lu Zizhen shoved the bat-woman half-demon forward, and the bat-woman half-demon immediately understood. She obediently walked to the chair, sat down, tossed her hair, looked around, and sneered, "What, so many men... are you planning to do something to me?"
Lu Zizhen frowned and said coldly, "Stop being so horny, you beast."
Dou Tang turned around to face the bat-woman half-demon and said, "Let's get straight to the point, half-demon. What do you know about the Onmyoji Ling Ming?"
The bat-woman half-demon looked determined to resist: "You won't get any information from me, I can't possibly tell you."
“Originally…” she looked at the corpses on the ground, “I finally found information about these guys and wanted to avenge them, but you beat me to it.”
"Heh, what does it matter? I'm prepared to die here anyway. Whether I die at their hands or yours, it makes no difference."
It seems that this half-demon was already prepared to die the moment he arrived at this building.
Lu Zizhen, standing to the side, asked in confusion, "Revenge...? What revenge?"
Dou Tang said, "That water buffalo from before was her companion."
"His name isn't Buffalo!" The bat-woman half-demon suddenly gritted her teeth, glaring resentfully at Dou Tang: "He is... my best companion, Kawada-kun."
Dou Tang remained silent for a moment, seemingly stirred by the words of the half-demon bat woman, and his eyes closed slightly.
"Hmm... I understand. So, you've come here to avenge Kawanishi-kun, right?"
The bat-woman half-demon nodded and scoffed, "But I never expected to encounter such a monster..."
"Monster? What monster?" Kotaro asked in confusion.
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