IBHJ Chapter 960

"Fall into the endless abyss and regret!" The leader burst into maniacal laughter.

What could be more joyful than personally taking down a former top figure?

But just as the wave of resentment was about to engulf Enos, the ground in front of her cracked with a sharp sound, and endless black mud gushed out, forming a wall in front of the wave. In an instant, the wave of resentment formed by countless vengeful spirits from the underworld was completely absorbed by the mud wall without even causing a ripple.

The leader's laughter died in his throat, and his eyes bulged. "What... what is this!?"

Grandma Enos also opened her eyes, looking at the mud wall in front of her with confusion.

In the blink of an eye, the wall turned to liquid. The mud shot backward, racing through the air like a dark shooting star. Everyone's eyes locked onto it, following its path as it sped towards...

Shirou.

With a quiet splat, the mud sank into his shadow, disappearing like it was never there.

"Sir Adventurer?" Enos's face was full of joy.

The leader squinted, his eyes darting between Shirou and where the mud disappeared. "Who are you?"

Shirou shrugged, sounding almost bored. "Just a passing adventurer."

"Adventurer?" The leader's face twitched. "Adventurer, adventurer, adventurer..." He kept mumbling the word, his voice getting crazier with each repeat. His eyes turned blood-red as if he was losing his grip on reality.

With a wild scream, he thrust his staff forward. Another wave of angry spirits burst out, a tidal wave of hate rushing at Shirou.

"Adventurers..." the leader howled, "must all DIE!"

The tsunami of vengeful spirits, a writhing mass twisted by rage and suffering, rushed toward Shirou. Their spectral faces were contorted in eternal anguish, hollow eyes blazing with hatred. Translucent hands clawed at the air, leaving trails of icy mist in their wake.

But Shirou acted as if it weren't even there. Instead, he turned to Grandma Enos as if they were chatting over tea. "Grandma Enos, are you okay?"

Enos's eyes widened in disbelief. Her gaze darted between Shirou and the oncoming wave of vengeful spirits. "I'm fine, Sir Adventurer, but—" Her voice rose, edged with panic. "Please, dodge quickly!"

The spirits were about to reach him. Why wasn't he moving? Didn't he see the danger?

But Shirou just smiled, easy and relaxed. "I'm glad you're okay," he said, as if commenting on the weather. "Otherwise, I wouldn't know where to buy groceries."

Seeing Shirou show no sign of defending himself, the leader felt both angry and amused, his expression a comical mix. He was angry that Shirou ignored his attack, but also amused for the same reason.

This way, another hateful adventurer would disappear!

However, when the wave of vengeful spirits reached Shirou, something strange happened. A dark shape burst from his shadow, unfurling like a nightmarish flower. It puffed out a black bubble that swallowed the entire spirit wave whole.

For a moment, everything went still.

Then—POP!

The bubble burst with a sound like a cork popping from a bottle. And just like that, the vengeful spirits... vanished. No trace left behind, as if they'd never been there in the first place.

The leader's jaw dropped. His eyes bulged, darting from Shirou to the empty space where his minions should have been. His face froze, his mind struggling to make sense of what he'd just seen.

"That thing seems to be really good against vengeful spirits," someone muttered.

The leader's head snapped towards the voice, his eyes blazing with fury. "So what?" he snarled. His knuckles went white as he gripped his staff tighter. "We'll just have to try something else!"

With a vicious grin, he slammed the ram's head of his staff into the ground. The air crackled with dark energy, and a massive Gate appeared. Its doors creaked open, revealing a void of darkness filled with the stench of decay.

Then, the pull began.

It started as a gentle tug, quickly growing into a roaring whirlpool. The Gate's maw seemed to hunger for Shirou, its pull focused entirely on him. Loose debris swirled around him, being sucked towards the yawning portal.

"Let's see how you handle this, 'adventurer'!" the leader cackled. "Say hello to the Underworld for me!"

Enos said anxiously, "Please dodge quickly, Sir Adventurer. Once you're sucked into that Gate, you'll be trapped in the Underworld forever!"

Shirou looked back at the Gate, his eyes growing distant. A soft sigh escaped his lips. "A manifestation of the Underworld's power, huh? Thirteen years ago, this might've given me some serious trouble." His smile turned wry. "But now? It's... not much."

As soon as the words left his mouth, there was a sound like a rushing wind. From deep within his shadow, Evil Blossom burst out. It surged forward like a hungry beast, racing towards the Gate of the Underworld. In the blink of an eye, Evil Blossom engulfed the entire Gate.

Then...

Sizzle sizzle sizzle!!

The terrifying gate made of corpses, symbolizing the manifestation of the Underworld's power, was crushed and digested by Evil Blossom as if it were a piece of candy chewed by a child. It turned into a huge amount of mana that went into Shirou and nourished his body.

The leader's jaw dropped, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. "This... how is this possible!?"

That was the Gate of the Underworld! But now, it was reduced to... to nothing!

The leader's mind raced, scrambling for understanding. The Gate of the Underworld—it wasn't just some magical construct. It existed between 'Heaven' and 'Earth,' a direct manifestation of the Underworld itself. Its very essence was reinforced by the concept of the Underworld. Even the main gods shouldn't have been able to destroy that Gate.

But... but...

This mud, This simple, unassuming mud...

It had not only broken down and decomposed the Gate of the Underworld, but devoured it whole?

The leader's mind was reeling. How is this possible? How can this be possible?

His eyes locked onto Shirou. "Who... who exactly are you?" he demanded.

In his mind, only one thing was certain: someone with such a dangerous ability was no ordinary person. They couldn't be.

Shirou met his gaze, his expression unchanged. His reply came easily, as casual as discussing the weather:

"I've already said, I'm just an adventurer."

Suddenly, another voice broke the tense silence. "Stop wasting words with him!"

It was one of the other magi, his patience clearly at an end, and he immediately thrust his hand towards Shirou.

The air crackled. In a blinding flash, a jagged bolt of electricity arced towards Shirou.

Before the light had even faded, another magus stepped forward. "'Inferno'!" she screamed.

Not to be outdone, a third joined in. "'Inferno'!"

Twin pillars of flame erupted from their outstretched hands, merging into a roaring sea of fire that raced towards Shirou.

The air hummed with power. These weren't just any attacks—they crackled with divine authority, each spell carrying enough destructive force to level a small town.

But facing those powers, Shirou didn't even blink.

He didn't raise a hand. Didn't say a word. Didn't so much as twitch a muscle.

Instead, Evil Blossom surged from his shadow. Like a hungry beast, it opened its maw and... simply swallowed the attack. Lightning, fire, divine power—all of it vanished into the dark depths of the mud.

For a moment, everything went quiet.

Then—

"Burp!"

The sound rang out across the backyard. The mud had belched, loud and unashamed, like a satisfied diner after a hearty meal.

The magi's faces fell, a mix of shock, disbelief, and growing anger spreading across their faces. Their most powerful attacks, infused with divine might, reduced to nothing more than a snack for this... this mud?

And then to have it burp at them?

Was there anything, anything at all, more insulting than this?