Chapter 77. The Giraffe and the Elephant Are Both Frozen Solid! (Second Update)

That was the monster suit Hayata had worn earlier.

Judging by its appearance, it looked like an enormous lizard, reminiscent of Godzilla. Its hind legs were thick and powerful, its forelimbs short and stubby, and it had a massive, heavy tail.

To think someone could deliver such a flawless kick while wearing that suit—it was truly impressive, Qiao Qiao thought.

Through his tactical visor, he could observe the monster’s every movement. It strode into the city like a genuine beast, its sweeping tail smashing a model skyscraper to pieces.

Ordinarily, many of the suit’s movements required auxiliary props to achieve. For example, the monster’s tail whip relied on internal mechanical structures, and the motion itself was quite stiff. But now, the monster’s actions were remarkably smooth, almost as if it were a real creature.

Through his spiritual sight, Qiao Qiao could see dense, gloomy energy coiling around the monster suit. A resentful spirit, its face twisted in rage, was nestled within, controlling the monster’s every move.

It was, without a doubt, Hasegawa’s vengeful spirit.

Meanwhile, outside the filming set, Eiji Onodera and the other crew members stared in utter disbelief.

They hadn’t expected the suit to move on its own. Moreover, its actions—its very presence—were the spitting image of a genuine monster!

“What are you all standing around for? Start filming!” Eiji Onodera suddenly shouted, excitement rattling his voice.

Wasn’t this exactly the kind of special effects film he had been chasing all his life? When he saw the rest of the camera crew frozen in place, Onodera simply picked up the camera himself and began shooting.

The monster let out a furious roar—a bellow indistinguishable from that of a true kaiju.

Hearing the roar, Hayata and the others nearly collapsed in terror. It was a soul-piercing shriek, enough to fill one’s heart with fear, despair, and sorrow.

Even Eiji Onodera, caught up in his excitement, couldn’t help but take a step back.

Amid the city models, Qiao Qiao stood unmoved.

For an exorcist, the wail of a vengeful spirit held little sway.

As the monster charged toward him, Qiao Qiao acted without hesitation and drew his pistol.

Bang—

The monster advanced straight into the path of the explosive round.

Shrapnel imbued with spiritual energy pierced the monster’s suit. The thick material didn’t give way immediately, but the surrounding city models suffered greatly—several tall buildings were destroyed outright, and swathes of residential blocks were laid to waste.

In fact, the devastation from Qiao Qiao’s shot surpassed that of the monster’s earlier rampage.

However—

“Hm?”

Qiao Qiao had intended to fire a few more rounds to finish off the vengeful spirit, but as he scanned the scene, he realized the spirit had vanished from the suit.

The monstrous form slowly collapsed, just like a defeated kaiju.

Yet this was no victory.

“As expected, it can relocate quickly,” Qiao Qiao murmured, raising his gun.

He had felt the impact of his shot. At least part of his explosive round, infused with spiritual power, had wounded Hasegawa’s spirit. But the entity could freely move from one monster suit to another and, sensing danger, it had already transferred.

“As for how far it can move…” Qiao Qiao turned to look at another monster suit.

Another costume began to move on its own—this time, the suit of an imitation Baltan Alien. Its two lobster-like claws waved as it approached the city’s edge.

This time, the spirit seemed wary of Qiao Qiao’s firearm. Instead of charging in, it raised its pincers.

Beep, beep, beep—

From between the claws, a beam of red light burst forth!

“That’s the original Baltan Alien’s attack! I can’t believe the spirit can mimic the monster’s abilities!” Eiji Onodera, though shocked, didn’t forget to keep recording. Under his direction, the rest of the crew scrambled to capture the battle from every angle.

Qiao Qiao frowned slightly. He had suspected as much, but hadn’t expected the vengeful spirit to have evolved to this extent.

The beam wasn’t true light, but rather a condensed manifestation of sinister spiritual energy. If it touched a living being, it could inflict real harm.

No doubt, it was a power the spirit had borrowed from the suit itself.

Qiao Qiao sidestepped, letting the beam sweep past and obliterate a cluster of model buildings.

As the models shattered, Qiao Qiao raised his left hand.

His fingers twitched, pulling a ring. From the armor on his hand, an exorcism round fired with a sharp hiss toward the Baltan Alien.

Perhaps the monster hadn’t anticipated this move; it hesitated for a split second and was unable to evade.

Bang—

A small explosion erupted at the point of impact. The mirror on the alien’s chest, designed to reflect beams, was blasted open.

The suit collapsed.

“Escaped again…” Qiao Qiao did not lower his guard. Although his attack hadn’t eradicated the spirit, it had inflicted further harm.

At this rate, Qiao Qiao estimated, ten such attacks would suffice to banish the evil spirit completely.

As he pondered, something suddenly descended from above.

It was a bizarre-looking bird, brightly colored and rather comical in appearance.

“That’s the Volcano Monster Bird, Doton!” Eiji Onodera instantly recognized his prized prop.

Apparently, the spirit, having gauged Qiao Qiao’s range, decided on a sudden aerial assault.

The bird plummeted toward Qiao Qiao, drawing close with surprising speed. Flames spewed from its beak.

“This is bad—if the heat gets too intense, our suits…” Hayata cried out.

But Qiao Qiao was already prepared. He raised his right hand, and from his left wrist, a fine mist of spiritual water sprayed out.

Ordinarily, the mist wouldn’t extinguish real fire, but the flames from the monster bird were merely a concentration of sinister energy. The water vapor enveloped the flames, snuffing them out, and Qiao Qiao promptly fired another shot.

Bang—

The monster bird lost balance, crashed to the ground, and lay still.

Yet there was no respite. Another suit, this one spewing white vapor, rushed at Qiao Qiao’s superhero persona.

It was the Freezing Mammoth Monster, Maruton, resembling a woolly mammoth. The gas it emitted was so cold it turned nearby props to ice.

Circling the set, it attempted to wear Qiao Qiao down with its chilling breath, leaving the crew shivering and trembling.

It clearly aimed to drain Qiao Qiao’s stamina.

However—

“Just as planned,” Qiao Qiao murmured with a smile.

He sprang into action.

With long strides, Qiao Qiao charged the mammoth, which hid behind a model skyscraper. He ignored the freezing mist, even as frost formed on his suit.

From his belt, he drew two small vials—freezing agent.

In the original story, Maruton was frozen by this agent and ultimately destroyed by a massive iron ball.

Having learned this, Qiao Qiao had crafted his entire plan around it.

On one hand, the freezing agent, empowered by spiritual energy, would hinder the spirit’s ability to transfer between suits. After repeated injuries, the spirit’s mobility would be greatly reduced. Combined with the freezing agent, it would create a decisive opening.

On the other hand, the rubber and other materials used in the suits would become extremely brittle at low temperatures.

By choosing the cold-resistant Maruton as its vessel, the vengeful spirit had already sealed its fate.

As the icy air thickened, the mammoth’s movements grew sluggish and slow. Sensing imminent danger, it attempted to relocate, but the spiritual freezing agent thwarted its first escape.

The suit, hardened and brittle from the extreme cold, could move no longer.

Qiao Qiao didn’t raise his gun.

Instead, he took two steps forward and leapt, delivering a textbook kick to Maruton’s suit.

The boots, infused with spiritual energy, shattered the suit—and the vengeful spirit within.

“Cut!” Eiji Onodera, having witnessed the entire spectacle, could not contain his excitement and shouted aloud.