Minks are known as the warrior tribe with a strong connection to Sulong. Even young Minks’ strength is not inferior to adult soldiers. Minks who have mastered Sulong truly become monsters on a full moon night.
Indiscernible movements and unstoppable power; the beach turned into a scene of brutal and inhumane one-sided beating.
Sulong, in essence, is a berserk transformation skill. Although it can be controlled through training, a Mink in Sulong state becomes even more brutal than usual, not to mention Setsuna already harbors resentment towards Nekomamushi.
Inuarashi’s strength is on par with Nekomamushi. Setsuna struck Inuarashi, sending him plunging into the sea, and naturally, Nekomamushi wasn’t much stronger. After a series of beatings, the sword crafted by Kuri’s smiths for him shattered into several pieces under Setsuna’s claws.
Then, a knee strike ended the battle.
“Nekomamushi, you’ve lost. Apologize sincerely and promise not to cause trouble in our territory again. Do you understand?”
However, Nekomamushi lying on the ground did not surrender.
“Meow… I haven’t lost yet.”
“Nekomamushi! Don’t be stubborn. We’ve completely lost.” Inuarashi emerged from the sea, leaning on his sword. That blow just now had fractured two of his ribs. As a Mink, he understood the power of Sulong better than anyone.
In a situation where the difference in strength wasn’t absolute, a non-transformed Mink couldn’t defeat a transformed Mink.
“No, if I say I haven’t lost, then I haven’t. I’m also a Mink, and for Oden-sama’s sake, I must win this time!” Saying that, Nekomamushi turned his head to look at the moon in the sky.
“Stop! You can’t control that!”
But it was already too late. Nekomamushi, his gaze fixed on the moon, began to have his fur turn white, undergoing transformation similar to Setsuna. However, the biggest difference was that he had no rationality in his eyes, only madness.
A Mink unable to control the power of Sulong would indiscriminately attack everyone around, friend or foe, until their strength was completely depleted.
“Who is this Oden you keep mentioning? Have you all been brainwashed by that guy?” Setsuna couldn’t understand why Nekomamushi would rather fight her to the death than admit defeat.
They were from the same race, and even if Nekomamushi admitted defeat, she wouldn’t do anything to him. Yet, he insisted on fighting to the death.
She did want to teach Nekomamushi a lesson, but not to the point of killing him. Capturing him alive was much more challenging than killing him, and in his uncontrollable state, Nekomamushi has lost all rationality, not even responding to pain.
Inuarashi couldn’t intervene in the battle of the two Sulongs, and Setsuna was somewhat at a loss due to Nekomamushi’s behavior.
She couldn’t even take to the sky to avoid him, otherwise the out-of-control Nekomamushi would consider Inuarashi as his target. In this state, it wouldn’t be surprising if Nekomamushi killed Inuarashi.
Just when she was struggling, a faster bolt of lightning flashed out from the forest, and Zeraora, who had been watching passively from the side, made its entrance.
A small hand pressed down on Nekomamushi’s head, and despite the disproportionate size, the force exerted was contrary to its appearance, and the raging Nekomamushi was immediately pressed down into the sand.
“Zeraora?! Why are you here?”
“I followed you. Did you think you could deceive me with those little tricks? You still lack experience in real combat.”
Due to lacking experience in real combat, she struggled in adapting to unpredictable situations, especially since she was sentimental and couldn’t bring herself to use lethal force.
“And, what about your Swords Dance? Rise into the sky and stack Swords Dance, then knock out this madman. I’m sure you can do it. Didn’t I teach you how? If I hadn’t come with you, how were you planning to resolve this?”
Zeraora was an expert in Magnet Rise, so he had many aerial combat techniques, but it seemed that Setsuna had forgotten them in the heat of the moment.
Speaking of other matters, Setsuna felt a bit embarrassed, but when it comes to real combat, she refuses to back down.
“It’s not that I don’t want to engage in real combat, it’s that you never let me go. You always say I’m too young, too small.” There have been opportunities for real combat, but Zeraora never let her go.
“Never mind, next time you can come with me when there’s a chance.” Just at that moment, Nekomamushi, whom he had been holding down, started getting restless again, and electric sparks began to flicker on his fur, as if trying to push Zeraora away.
However, that bit of electricity meant nothing to Zeraora, not even a pre-meal appetizer. A more powerful surge of electricity emanated from his hand, and after that, Nekomamushi became completely quiet.
This was the most straightforward way to deal with a berserk Mink—knock them out, and keep them unconscious until the moon disappears. After all, Zeraora didn’t possess skills like Heal Bell or Rain Dance that can cover the moon. Knocking out was the most simple and effective method.
Setsuna canceled her Sulong form. With Zeraora around, there would be no further trobule. This was the trust she had developed in Zeraora over the years.
“He’s not dead, right?”
“No, I was careful. So, these are your acquaintances? They’re not that impressive. Hey, take away this eyesore!”
This remark was directed at Inuarashi. If it was a life-or-death situation where he was facing an enemy, it would have been admirable if he had used powers he couldn’t control. However, using a skill that he couldn’t control in this situation made him look like a clueless fool in Zeraora’s eyes.
“Thunderclap Zeraora.”
He recognized the other’s identity. Inuarashi and Nekomamushi were sailing with Oden when the bounty was placed on Zeraora, so they naturally received the news. Zeraora has currently the highest bounty among the Minks on the sea.
However, at that time, he didn’t pay much attention to the details on the bounty poster. He simply thought it was a Mink who had been living in the outside world for many years. Now he knows that this person is actually a member of the Beasts Pirates, and it seems he is also familiar with Setsuna.
Knocking out Nekomamushi, who was in his Sulong state, with a single strike in his normal form already demonstrated the other’s strength.
Though his words were not very pleasant, Inuarashi knew that Nekomamushi had gone too far this time by forcefully using Sulong. Setsuna didn’t say anything, but Inuarashi was well aware that after this incident, their relationship couldn’t be the same as it was seven years ago.
“By the way, the matter from last time is in the past. If you come to the farm again, I’ll be the one to act. Keep an eye on that cat, or else if something happens and he dies, don’t blame me.”
Zeraora cared nothing about Inuarashi’s feelings, but he had to consider Setsuna’s feelings. He couldn’t just kill her former companion outright.
The battle on the beach came to an end, but Setsuna still had a question.
“Zeraora, why would that b*stard Nekomamushi do such a thing?”
“I don’t know, but his actions have clearly shown that he’s a complete fool. You can’t possibly understand the thoughts of a fool like him. Don’t dwell on it, let’s go back, and I’ll grill some fish for you.”
“No, you always end up burning the fish. I’ll do it.”
Looking at Zeraora in front of her, Setsuna decided to put aside the unpleasantness. She knew she probably wouldn’t have any further involvement with Nekomamushi in the future.
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