Chapter 14: Wing Chun, Master Meow!
Luke lightly pressed his hand against his heart.
Hidden there was his greatest trump card—
The most powerful talisman among all exorcism talismans.
Exorcism talismans were the most important reward he had received from the system... er, no, the most important was actually the first reward: the Newbie Starter Pack that gave him Mikasa Ackerman and Annie Leonhart.
Even though the two of them had drained his Constitution from its former 13 points down to the current 10... okay, yesterday it had already been drained down to 9 points.
But regardless, Mikasa Ackerman and Annie Leonhart, who were like family, were the most important, without a doubt.
And the second most important were the talismans.
Talismans were the reward he received from his first Exorcist occupation mission.
They were versatile and renewable.
The categories of exorcism talismans were:
Evil Spirit Detection Talisman (the ones installed at Miura Yumiko's house), Max Limit: 50, Regeneration Time: 0.5 days/talisman;
Curse Removal Talisman (the one given to Miura Yumiko), Max Limit: 5, Regeneration Time: 15 days/talisman;
Evil Spirit Extermination Talisman (the ones scattered when surrounded by mannequins), Max Limit: 20, Regeneration Time: 1 day/talisman;
Resentful Spirit or Stronger Evil Spirit Detection Talisman (the one that burned before entering the building), Max Limit: 2, Regeneration Time: 10 days/talisman;
And the only powerful talisman with a negative effect, sacrificing life force to gain power, Max Limit: 1, Regeneration Time—
One Year!
Luke suppressed the fluctuations in his mood.
Having experienced many battles, he no longer felt the initial fear he once had when facing evil spirits.
However, this time he was really going to feel heartache, not the kind from wasting hawk blood, but physical heartache.
Luke inwardly groaned.
The pain from using this talisman a year ago still lingered in his memory.
Watching the blonde girl gradually disappear from his sight, Luke turned back.
The mannequins relentlessly approached, their plastic bodies continuously emitting creaking sounds.
Except for their features, hair, and body color, the numerous mannequins, incredibly similar to normal humans, flexibly strode forward, gradually closing in on his position.
This bizarre scene was enough to be the climax of a horror movie, unfolding right here in this abandoned commercial building...
Luke calmed his mind, hardened his resolve internally, and began his movements.
Slowly sinking into a horse stance, Luke clenched his fists with four fingers, thumbs lightly raised, and tapped forcefully on both temples—
Open Eyes.
Retracting his thumbs, revealing his index and middle fingers, he gently bent them, crossed his arms, and placed his fingers on the shoulder acupoints of the opposite sides—
Ignite Fire.
His left hand clasped over his heart, his right hand clenched into a fist, and he struck it heavily—
Break Curse.
With his strike, the incantation hidden within his heart began to surface on his body, spreading towards his limbs and head.
Waiting for the incantation to spread...
Miura Yumiko should be gone by now.
He checked again, confirming Miura Yumiko was truly out of sight.
He finally relaxed.
Now no one could hold him back...
Turning back, he clenched both fists and suddenly roared, "Eight Inner Gates! Gate of Death, Open!"
Finally, no one could interrupt him from shouting the move name—!
Finally, no one else was around.
After Miura Yumiko was far away, his remaining sense of shame finally allowed him to shout this embarrassing move name.
The last time he used this talisman, he couldn't shout it because someone was nearby.
This time, his wish was finally fulfilled.
However, looking at the bald heads of the mannequins, Luke felt that the Eight Inner Gates was somewhat inappropriate, and the Gate of Death sounded a bit unlucky.
Luke pinched his chin, thought for a moment, made up his mind, and spoke again, "I retract my previous statement. This is my ultimate move... Take this, Frieza! Next up is the 20x Kaioken!"
As he satisfyingly shouted the move name '20x Kaioken', fueled by his soaring emotions, the incantations on his body swept across him faster and faster, quickly covering his entire form.
The power of this incantation relied on various aspects of the human body.
Basic physical quality was its foundation; heightened emotions determined its activation speed and duration.
Luke felt his Strength and Agility increase.
His drained Constitution gradually recovered, and his Spirit soared rapidly.
His toes tapped lightly on the floor.
His body felt as light as a falling feather.
Luke's mind was crystal clear; the surroundings, including everything behind him, seemed imprinted in his mind.
Everything around him was perfectly clear.
The mannequins unconsciously stopped their steps.
The disgusting creaking sounds ceased abruptly.
The abandoned commercial building returned to silence.
The reason they stopped was because Luke had changed.
In their world view, the light emanating from Luke, previously like a candle flame, had now become a raging inferno in their eyes, illuminating the surrounding darkness.
Just getting close felt scorchingly hot.
And now, this flame was no longer avoiding them; the fire was spreading towards them...
Luke lightly tapped his palm on a nearby mannequin.
The incantations on his body spread like ink dropped into water, dyeing the mannequin.
He who touches pitch shall be defiled.
The incantations wrapped around the souls inside the mannequins, strangling them one by one.
Like a wolf among sheep, he was invincible.
These mannequins, who were acting so arrogantly just moments ago, could now only circle around him hesitantly, afraid to approach.
And as their comrades fell one by one around them, they abandoned their struggle and scattered, trying to flee.
But, all of this...
"Trying to run now? Too late—!"
Luke pressed his palms together, concentrating half of his remaining incantations, and slammed his hands onto the ground.
A spiderweb formed of incantations enveloped all the remaining mannequins.
The black incantations seemed like gates to hell, extending countless tendrils that devoured the souls within the remaining mannequin bodies completely.
"Phew."
Luke wiped the sweat from his brow, scanned his surroundings, and saw no more living mannequins.
But the challenge wasn't over yet...
He had less than half of the incantation power left.
He took a step and headed upstairs.
His superhuman spiritual sense guided him.
After climbing two flights of stairs, his senses told him that a powerful evil spirit was getting closer.
On the fourth floor lobby, Luke looked at the doll hiding the powerful evil spirit before him.
It was currently being held in the mouth of a calico cat.
Luke stared at this strange combination.
The feeling of malice coming from the blonde doll confirmed it was the boss of this challenge.
It was Miura Yumiko's doll; he vaguely remembered it.
But...
What was the deal with this cat?
His spiritual sense told him this cat didn't have the aura of an evil spirit.
Perhaps this doll is an evil spirit that only targets humans, and this cat is just a stray living here or wandering through?
A guess flashed through his mind.
And this guess wasn't impossible.
Especially some word-based evil spirits (Kotodama types) fundamentally couldn't deal with creatures other than humans.
After all, you couldn't expect animals to understand human language!
So, he spoke, "Kitty, can you give me the doll?"
"Meow—!" The kitty's fur stood on end.
It pinned the doll under its paw, its feline eyes staring fixedly at Luke.
The meaning was unmistakable.
"Sigh, sorry then. I really need it." Luke gathered his remaining incantation power.
Of course, he wasn't trying to kill the cat, just trying to match the cat's speed to grab the doll as quickly as possible.
Luke tapped his foot lightly and rushed forward, faster than an ordinary cat.
And then, he saw the other possibility he didn't want to see—
This cat was no ordinary kitty.
"Meow—!" The cat stood up on its hind legs, gently spreading its two front paws, striking a stance—
Wing Chun, Master Meow!
...
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