I don't want to be an elf!

Kurumi Tokisaki raised her hand, and the second hand of Zafkiel transformed into a short flintlock pistol appeared in her hand, pressed against Ryunosuke Akutagawa's chest: "But I'm still alive now, guess why?"

"The moment you fire, your weapon and that arm will disappear, I guarantee it."

Is this a declaration of war?

"I have no penchant for tormenting the weak. What can you possibly do with your superpowers?"

His coat writhed like a viscous liquid, instantly transforming into a sharp black blade that stopped a centimeter from Tokisaki Kurumi's forehead: "You should know that sneaky superpowers are destined to never be on the surface."

"It doesn't matter, as long as we win."

"You think you can defeat me?" Ryunosuke Akutagawa asked with a sneer. "By reading my memories? By sneaking into the shadows to ambush me? Or by sending your clones to their deaths?"

"So, shall we give it a try?" Tokisaki Kurumi asked calmly. "Anyway, this is the purpose for Mori Ougai to send you here, right? To test the extent of my abilities. In that case, there's no need for further words. Let's see who's the best."

“The Boss merely informed me of the transfer of command over Izumi Kyoka. I came to see you of my own volition, to reclaim what is rightfully mine. If you can hand Kyoka over to me, it will be good for everyone,” Akutagawa Ryunosuke said. “As for what the Boss’s true intentions are, I don’t care, nor do I concern myself with them.”

"Forgive me for refusing."

"Then we can only solve it using your method."

Ryunosuke Akutagawa sheathed his black blade in his coat, turned around, and pressed the elevator button for the third basement level: "The winner will gain command of Kyoka Izumi. No objections?"

"Just to my liking."

"very good."

The three of them took the elevator to the third basement level.

Soon, as the elevator doors opened, they entered a long corridor.

Ryunosuke Akutagawa was the first to walk out, heading towards the exit where light was coming from not far away.

“This is the Port Mafia’s fighting arena,” Izumi Kyoka said softly. “Before becoming an assassin, I did most of my basic training here. It’s also the only place where the organization’s ability users can spar with each other without being punished.”

"That sounds good. At least we won't have to worry about repair costs for damaging the building."

Seeing that Tokisaki Kurumi was still in the mood to joke, Izumi Kyoka pursed her lips, a hint of worry between her brows: "Akutagawa is a very dangerous man, I don't think fighting him is a good idea."

"Does Jinghua not believe me?"

"Ah."

"You're really straightforward," Kurumi Tokisaki said helplessly. "But I can understand it, since all you know so far is that I have the ability to read memories, and that ability doesn't help much in battle."

"Please don't push yourself. I'm very grateful to my sister, so I don't want to see her get hurt."

"But you don't want to go with Akutagawa, do you?"

"If it can ensure my sister's safety, I can go with him."

"You've already called me 'sister,' so you should at least live up to that title, right?"

Kurumi Tokisaki patted Kyoka Izumi's head and comforted her, "Don't worry, I'm not as delicate as I look."

She could indeed hand over Izumi Kyoka to Akutagawa Ryunosuke.

Ultimately, she doesn't need a personal secretary at all.

In the original story, Kyoka was supposed to be Ryunosuke Akutagawa's subordinate, tasked with capturing Atsushi Nakajima at the Armed Detective Agency. After a series of events, she would leave the Port Mafia and become a member of the Armed Detective Agency.

However, due to her intervention, the timeline changed because of her, and the task that should have been given to Ryunosuke Akutagawa was transferred to her.

In other words, because of Tokisaki Kurumi's appearance, Izumi Kyoka lost the chance to stand in the sunlight again.

If Izumi Kyoka were to be handed back to Akutagawa Ryunosuke, it would be tantamount to sentencing the girl to death.

Therefore, whether out of her own conscience or guilt, Kurumi Tokisaki will not agree to Ryunosuke Akutagawa's request.

After exiting the narrow passage, you arrive at a huge fighting arena.

The arena is spacious, making it suitable for superpowered individuals to spar and improve their strength. The jagged marks on the ground are left by powerful superpowered individuals during battles.

Cracks, black stains from an explosion, and sharp marks from a knife cut...

Just from the traces left by these battles, one can imagine how intense the battles between the superhumans were.

Ryunosuke Akutagawa pointed to the arena on the ground and said, "Shall we start now? Or do you need to prepare?"

"Let's finish this quickly. If we finish the battle within ten minutes, we can still make it to lunchtime."

"Let me warn you first, my superpower is a killing-specialized superpower. Once I make a move, there is no such thing as holding back."

Considering Kurumi Tokisaki's position in the organization, Ryunosuke Akutagawa unusually reminded her, "Whether you live or die, you will bear the consequences."

"Thank you for your kind offer, but it's really too much of an overreaction."

With a thought, Kurumi Tokisaki conjured two flintlock pistols in her hands.

"Just use your full strength, and I'll go easy on you."

Chapter Twenty-Three: Elegance, Timeless

The duel begins.

Akutagawa's eyes, sharp as swords, grew even colder.

Despite looking like a sickly, weak wretch who could be blown away by a gust of wind, he exuded an aura of hell.

The black robes worn by the man transformed into a monster born from the deepest hell, and after experiencing bloodshed and slaughter, it evolved into a black beast symbolizing death.

Initially, it was merely a weak supernatural ability that could reshape clothing, but under Ryunosuke Akutagawa's torture-like training, it was reborn from the ashes and became a gate to purgatory that devours life.

This is why Ryunosuke Akutagawa became infamous, and what led him down the bloody path of carnage.

Superpowers ----- [Rashomon]

Despite encountering such a formidable foe on her first battle against a superhuman, Kurumi Tokisaki remained completely unfazed.

Even though the enemy in front of her could attack at any moment, she still didn't think about countermeasures at all, but instead thought about some unimportant things.

"This is clearly my first real battle, so why am I not afraid at all?"

Kurumi Tokisaki looked at the man before her, her heart unusually calm despite the impending battle: "Come to think of it, I didn't feel anything special when I killed him yesterday, which is strange..."

However, neither time nor Ryunosuke Akutagawa gave her a chance to continue thinking.

Because the bloodthirsty black beast has already attacked.

"Rashomon—jaw!"

At its master's command, the black beast formed from the coat opened its ferocious maw, its mouth filled with a blinding crimson, as if reflecting the blood shadows of dead souls.

With terrifying speed, the black beast charged toward Kurumi Tokisaki, who stood still, and aimed at her arm.

With just a light touch, that slender arm would be devoured without leaving a trace.

Kurumi Tokisaki raised her flintlock pistol.

"Bang bang bang!"

Several bullets formed from spiritual energy collided with the black beast. The black beast from hell opened its giant jaws to their limit, devouring the spiritual energy bullets condensed by the high-intensity ability body like a gluttonous beast.

If it were a living, fleshy creature, it should have been pierced by the spiritual energy bullet by now. However, on this black beast formed from supernatural power, it had no effect other than slightly reducing its speed.

Even spiritual power is no exception in the face of this all-consuming force.

"I forgot to tell you, my black beast is an omnivore, it will devour anything."

"Really? But some things can upset your stomach."

With the attack imminent, Kurumi Tokisaki calmly raised another short flintlock pistol and aimed it at the menacing black beast.

"Seventh Bullet."

The power bullet generated by Zafkiel was loaded into the short flintlock pistol, and Kurumi Tokisaki pulled the trigger. The Seventh Bullet, which could freeze time for the target, struck the oncoming Black Beast.

The ferocious black beast froze in place, unable to move no matter how Ryunosuke Akutagawa commanded it.

Unlike ordinary spirit bullets, the power bullets from Zafkiel have special effects; even if they are absorbed by the bullet itself, the attached power will still take effect.

"The Rashomon that cannot activate its power is just ordinary clothing and fabric."

Kurumi Tokisaki raised her long flintlock pistol and shattered the black beast in front of her with a single shot.

"Snapped!"

Black residue flew in all directions, and the fragments of the black beast fell helplessly into the dust, so fragile that a gust of wind could carry them away.

"If you get hit by that weapon, will you be unable to move?"

Ryunosuke Akutagawa narrowed his eyes slightly, somewhat surprised, and became a little more serious.

"But if you can't hit it, it's useless!"

A sharp sound of air being torn apart suddenly rang out, and a brand-new black beast constructed from Akutagawa's coat sprang out from beside him with lightning speed, smashing everything in its path and carving a deep trench into the hard stone and mud slabs of the ground.

This is the Jaw's simple yet invincible power.

That attack just now was merely a feint to test their reaction ability. If they couldn't even withstand that one move, there was no point in fighting at all.

Kurumi Tokisaki channeled her spiritual power, which erupted from the soles of her feet, and applied upward jumping force.

By a hair's breadth, Kurumi Tokisaki narrowly missed the Black Beast, spinning gracefully in the air before mercilessly kicking it in the neck.

"boom-------!"

The black beast, now possessing a physical form, was slammed heavily to the ground by the brute force of the elf's attack. From the point of impact, massive spiderweb-like cracks spread outwards from the hard ground, extending to a radius of five meters, affecting almost the entire arena.

Although Tokisaki Kurumi is not a power-type spirit, she is still considered average in terms of strength among the ten spirits.

Even so, an elf is still an elf.

Even a moderate level of power is beyond human comprehension!

The black beast and Ryunosuke Akutagawa were forever connected, and the inertia naturally acted on Ryunosuke Akutagawa as well. Even the aftershocks carried an unstoppable force, almost forcing him to his knees.

"what?!"

Ryunosuke Akutagawa raised his head, a hint of shock flashing across his usually indifferent eyes.

This strength and agility are already comparable to those of top-tier combat-type superpowered individuals.

Not only does it possess reconnaissance, stealth, and support abilities, as well as powerful special weapons, but its physical body is also incredibly strong.

What kind of extraordinary abilities could someone possess to be endowed with so many comprehensive skills at the same time?