Crossover Anime: The Bull Demon's Road to Conquest

Page 15

In the blink of an eye, they were completely routed. Although the leader of the cowardly demons did not understand, his greed had been dispelled by physical force. After regaining his senses, he wanted to escape. However, the aggressive Niu Kun had no intention of letting him escape.

Thus, the leader of the Fearful Demons had no choice but to face Niu Kun directly. He unleashed a 'Fear Spell', but Niu Kun withstood it head-on. When he tried to use another spell, Niu Kun's riot shield had already slammed into his face.

The cowardly demon leader, who was sent flying, whimpered and hurriedly got up, but Niu Kun took big strides to catch up. The cowardly demon leader roared and tried to launch a multi-attack, which was to swing his claws, which were equipped with magic weapons, and bite Niu Kun at the same time.

But after Niu Kun raised his shield and charged forward, he swung his axe with a powerful and heavy slash. Although the demon leader's demon skin was like natural armor, Niu Kun's immense strength directly crushed him.

With a single axe stroke, Niu Kun severed one of the beast's claws and embedded it into the chest and ribs of the cowardly demon leader. Niu Kun then raised his axe and delivered a powerful kick to the heart, sending the cowardly demon leader flying once more. Niu Kun then chased after him and chopped down again.

A brownish-red demon head was severed and sent flying, and Niu Kun received a notification.

[Target defeated, initiating soul energy extraction!]

You have gained 10 points of Soul Energy!

You have acquired a pair of Black Iron-grade artifacts [Claws of the Fearless Leader]!

[Hint: There may be a treasure chest nearby. Please search carefully!]

"Tsk, only Iron-grade?"

Niu Kun fiddled with the pair of claws he had severed from the leader of the cowardly demons, shaking his head with regret, but still accepted them. He then turned to look at the others, the remaining cowardly demons having already fled.

Saya Takagi, her eyes brimming with tears, kept gagging. Her constitution was too weak to withstand the foul stench, and she was now in a state of mild poisoning, which was expected to continue for a while.

Rei Miyamoto was also affected to some extent, but thankfully, she was not poisoned. As for Saeko Busujima, she was almost unaffected, calmly wiping the blade before sheathing it.

"found it!"

After some effort, Niu Kun and the three women found a slightly dilapidated wooden box under a stone slab in a corner. Niu Kun told the three women to step back a little, and then used a fire axe to break the lock on the wooden box. A strong stench immediately spread out.

"I knew it."

After covering his nose and moving away, Niu Kun waited until the stench gradually dissipated before going back in. Inside the wooden box were two multicolored gemstones, several gold coins, dozens of silver and copper coins, and an old ring.

You have obtained a Black Iron-grade item, the [Spirit Cat Ring]!

[Equipment: Ring of the Spirit Cat]

Effect: +1 Agility when worn.

Restriction: This effect is ineffective if the wearer has 15 or more points of Agility.

"Not bad, it suits me perfectly."

After examining it for a while, Niu Kun put the silver ring on his hand. Although it was just a piece of black iron equipment, it could shrink and grow within a certain range. However, after comparing it with the Demon Leader's claws, Niu Kun still couldn't put it on. No wonder it was left to gather dust in the box.

"Let's go, let's continue our treasure hunt!"

With a harvest comes motivation. Niu Kun waved enthusiastically to signal the women to continue. When they saw that there was actually a treasure chest, the other three women also became interested. After all, who doesn't like adventure and treasure hunting?

"Wow~"

Dressed in sportswear, Takagi Saya hurriedly hid in the half-collapsed stone chamber next to her. A huge centipede pounced from above and almost grabbed Takagi Saya. Niu Kun turned around and swung his axe, cutting the centipede in two.

Before the centipede could even hiss as it fell to the ground, a burning flame-studded spear blade pierced its shell along the edge. Miyamoto Rei's pretty face tightened, and she lowered her stance, forcefully suppressing the centipede's struggles with both arms.

Meanwhile, Saeko Busujima, who remained at the rear of the group, slashed and killed a slightly smaller centipede. She then cautiously observed her surroundings. Niu Kun reached into the stone chamber, preparing to pull Saya Takagi out.

"Wait...wait a minute, Master...Master, there seems to be a passage in here..." Takagi Saya said excitedly as she poked her head out from the half-collapsed stone chamber.

Niu Kun gestured to the half-collapsed gap, then said to Takagi Saya, "You come out first, let me try to push the stone slab aside, and you all stand back a bit."

After the three women stepped back a bit, Niu Kun slowly pushed up the collapsed stone slab, sending rubble flying everywhere. With a loud bang, the huge stone slab was thrown aside, revealing a space large enough for Niu Kun to squeeze in as well.

There was some artificial light outside the building, but it was quite dark inside. Niu Kun peeked out and looked around for a while, then sniffed the air and turned back to signal the three women to follow.

The stale, oppressive atmosphere was unsettling, and the dim, gloomy environment could also cause fear. However, Niu Kun was not too uncomfortable, and he also had dark vision, so he could see clearly at a distance of fifteen meters even in the darkest place.

The other three women followed closely behind Niu Kun, and even put their arms around each other's shoulders. Although they also had dim vision, their field of vision was still not as clear as Niu Kun's.

Squeak...

A strange sound of footsteps came from ahead. Niu Kun frowned slightly. There might be some strange traps or monsters down in this tunnel. Niu Kun decided to have Shaye perform another divination to determine the good or bad fortune.

Whether it's useful or not, it's just for peace of mind.

Chapter Thirty-Six: The Stone Chamber

A skeleton slowly appeared in Niu Kun's field of vision. It moved very slowly and stiffly, like the lowest level of resurrected skeleton, perhaps due to the negative energy here.

These lowest-level skeletons are easy to deal with, even easier than the Fearful Demon. Ordinary people with courage and preparation can try to fight them, while professionals of level one and above can easily eliminate them.

Niu Kun, wielding his riot shield, delivered a shield bash that nearly smashed the skeleton wielding the rusty sword to pieces. The skeleton, sent flying backward, tried to get up, but Niu Kun struck it on the head with his axe, rendering it unable to rise again.

Then Niu Kun gained two points of soul energy, and that was it... nothing else.

"What a poor skeleton. He was a poor man in life and he's still a poor ghost in death."

Niu Kun shook his head, reluctantly examining the skeleton's rusty sword. After confirming that it was just a rusty sword that could be broken with a single twist, Niu Kun stood up and, with some pity, took out a copper coin and tossed it to the poor skeleton whose head he had smashed.

If you continue walking forward, you can see another skeleton lying on the ground. Niu Kun guessed that it was part of the same skeleton as the one in front, but this skeleton did not come back to life.

There were also some crossbow bolts scattered on the ground, including those from the skeleton. In addition, there were some pieces of clothing, backpacks, and other miscellaneous items scattered on the ground. Niu Kun searched around and found more than a dozen silver and copper coins, which he put into his pocket.

He rummaged through the other odds and ends, but found nothing of value. The book that looked like a diary crumbled at the slightest touch, and the weapons were rotten and unusable. Niu Kun could only shake his head in regret.

"Looks like we need to be more careful." Niu Kun turned back and gave the others another instruction before continuing forward, feeling that there might really be some good treasures waiting for him ahead.

Because of the possibility of traps, Niu Kun became even more cautious. Fortunately, perhaps because too much time had passed, some traps seemed to have become ineffective. When Niu Kun stepped on a mechanism, only a clicking sound was heard, but no crossbow bolt was fired.

Boom~~

The huge rock was stopped by the pile of broken stones as it rolled down.

The acid trap that had already been activated, the rusted and stuck iron rod trap, and the self-collapsed falling trap—in short, Niu Kun witnessed the power of time when it came to traps.

"Yes, whether it's people or things, they can't withstand the erosion of time in the end."

Looking at the old and decaying traps, Saeko Busujima couldn't help but shake her head and sigh, "Even an entire world can die and be destroyed."

"Alright, let's stop reminiscing. I regret going in here." Takagi Saya leaned against Niu Kun's thigh, glancing around nervously. She guessed this must be a tomb, so she was a little scared.

Rei Miyamoto was no longer so scared, but she also wanted to finish the investigation as soon as possible and leave the stuffy and uncomfortable stone passageway.

Fortunately, although the path became narrower in the next section, there were no more annoying traps. Just when Niu Kun was worried that the path ahead would become even narrower and prevent him from continuing forward, a stone gate finally appeared at the end of the passage.

Crunch!

After forcing the stone door open with brute force, Niu Kun waited for a while before slowly entering with his riot shield. Surprisingly, there was a fairly bright light behind the stone door.

Many things in the stone chamber were covered in dust. The bookshelves against the wall were filled with books, but unfortunately they were all damaged. There were cobwebs on all sides and mouse holes in the corners, indicating that the place had been abandoned for a long time.

Directly in front of you is a stone table with a number of odd and unusual things on it, such as an unidentified skull, broken finger bones, dried bats, or what look like processed organs.

Beside the stone table, there was a black stone platform that shimmered with a faint magical glow.

"That is...."

Niu Kun's gaze was naturally drawn to the black stone platform. Although he didn't know its purpose, the fact that it still possessed magical aura meant it must be quite valuable.

However, as Niu Kun stepped through the stone gate, he suddenly sensed danger and abruptly raised his riot shield with one arm. The dark figure suddenly fell from above and slammed onto Niu Kun's riot shield. The heavy impact caused the unsuspecting Niu Kun to kneel down on one knee.

"Owner!"

Following closely behind Niu Kun, Miyamoto Rei exclaimed in surprise and instinctively raised her gun to stab the dark figure. The burst of flames as the cross-shaped gun pierced the dark figure's body, but only flames scattered, and it failed to penetrate the opponent's body.

"Lower your head!"

Then came Saeko Busujima's voice from behind. Without thinking, Rei Miyamoto quickly lowered her head and crouched down. She saw Saeko Busujima, who was originally at the back of the group, pass several steps ahead in an instant. Her long sword, stained with blood, was drawn and slashed fiercely and sharply, grazing Rei Miyamoto's hair.

At the same time, Niu Kun, who was suddenly attacked, originally intended to force himself up to push away the unknown attack, but then he heard the voices of Miyamoto Rei and Busujima Saeko, so he slowed down and looked up to observe.

The dark figure that had been pouncing on Niu Kun's riot shield now resembled a winged demon. After withstanding Miyamoto Rei's stabbing attack, the dark figure chose to spread its wings and fly away in the face of the crimson blade light.

However, Saeko Busujima's Asura Killing Sword still successfully severed the two hind legs of the shadowy figure. The two hind legs fell and made a sound like stones colliding. Niu Kun raised an eyebrow, straightened up, and shouted, "It's a gargoyle!"

The gargoyle that took flight did not flee, nor did it have anywhere to escape. Or rather, as an alchemical crystal and an earth elemental being, the gargoyle had no fear of running away.

It opened its massive mouth full of fangs and claws again, lunging at Niu Kun. Since Niu Kun was blocking the stone doorway, Niu Kun raised his shield and launched a short charge. This time, Niu Kun was prepared, and with the sudden surge of speed, he directly rammed the gargoyle back.

bang~

Click~~

The bookshelf against the wall was smashed to pieces, with book fragments flying everywhere. Although the gargoyle looked disheveled, it was not affected by dizziness or anything like that. It then got up and prepared to launch another attack.

However, Saeko Busujima, who leaped out from beside Niu Kun, swung her sword down again with a bloodthirsty and excited expression. The scarlet blade flashed down from above and severed another arm of the gargoyle.

"Leave the final execution to me!" Niu Kun shouted hurriedly.

Upon hearing this, Saeko Busujima prepared to strike again to sever the gargoyle's other claw, but then she heard Rei Miyamoto's unwilling voice: "Senpai, please leave me one more strike."

Just as Saeko Busujima paused her movements, a beam of fiery spear light shot out, piercing through the gargoyle's only remaining arm and then embedding itself in one of the gargoyle's wings.

"Miyamoto-ryu, the Cross Spear is here!"

With a clear and melodious shout, as if to vindicate herself for her failed shot, Miyamoto Rei pursed her cherry lips after shouting, trying to suppress the struggling gargoyle that was not yet dead.

However, due to the difference in strength, Miyamoto Rei was almost knocked over by the gargoyle again. Fortunately, Niu Kun stepped forward and kicked the gargoyle in the chest. Then, Niu Kun spun the fire axe and smashed the blunt side of the axe against the gargoyle's head.

One strike! Two strikes! Three strikes!!

Soon, Niu Kun used brute force to smash the gargoyle's head.

[Target defeated, initiating soul energy extraction!]

You have gained 15 points of Soul Energy!

"Huh? This thing has a soul too?!"

Niu Kun was greatly puzzled. Could it be that these alchemical creatures could also be infused with souls?

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Bulk Contracts

"Honestly, you're all showing off, and I'm the only one who looks useless!"

Saya Takagi, who was lagging behind, held a submachine gun but didn't fire a single shot. Seeing that the others had all made progress, she couldn't help but complain.

“Saya-chan, of course it’s useful. For example… Rei’s gun barrel has a crack. Use your repair technique to fix it.”

After Niu Kun executed the gargoyle, he helped Miyamoto Rei pull out the cross-shaped spear. After inspecting it, he found that the shaft had cracked due to the gargoyle's struggle. He then turned to Takagi Saya and said...

"I'm not a repairman!" Despite muttering this, Takagi Saya obediently stepped forward and used her repair magic to repair the shaft of Miyamoto Rei's cross-shaped spear.

"Amazing magic."

Niu Kun glanced at the repaired spear shaft, sighed, and then returned the spear to Miyamoto Rei.

"Of course, once I learn more spells, I'll be able to... cough cough, open your eyes!" Takagi Saya said with a hint of pride.

“Hmm, hmm, hmm…” Niu Kun responded casually, and then walked closer to the black stone platform.

"Don't repeat yourself, it makes you seem so perfunctory!" Takagi Saya muttered under her breath, then squeezed next to Niu Kun to sized him up.

"What on earth is this thing for?!"

"I don't know, but it might be... an alchemy platform?"

Niu Kun guessed uncertainly. He didn't understand magic at all and could only guess from the surrounding arrangements, but it should be pretty close to the truth... right?

"Never mind, let's take it back and deal with it later."

..........

"Huh! I'm finally back!"

After being teleported back to her palace with Niu Kun, Takagi Saya finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although it was only for a short time, she was constantly on edge and under high tension.

After seeing that Niu Kun and the others had returned safely, the women who stayed behind were relieved, especially Miyamoto Kiriko and Takagi Yuriko, who were also relieved to see that their daughter was alright.

"Then, let's make contracts for you all as well."

Niu Kun clapped his hands to make a decision, then looked at the women a few times before pointing to Shizuka Marikawa: "Shizuka, you go first."

"Huh? What?"

Jukawa Shizuka, who didn't understand what Niu Kun was saying, asked in confusion, but still got up and walked towards Niu Kun.

Niu Kun casually took off his own clothes, which were covered in dust and dirt, and then, amidst the blushing and seemingly reluctant resistance of Jukawa Shizuka, he also removed her clothes.

"Huh? Huh? Shouldn't you take a shower first?" Jukawa Shizuka's pretty face flushed red as she thought Niu Kun was going to play with her again. She stammered, trying to persuade Niu Kun to go somewhere else. Otherwise, with everyone watching and the lights so bright, she would naturally feel shy.

"嘁~"