Reincarnation Paradise Park

Chapter 1029: Chapter 31: The Price of a Mistake

Hōzuki Susuki is definitely a ruthless person. When he tried to assassinate Mei Terumī back then, if it weren’t for Mei Terumī’s Boil Release just restraining Steam Danger Tyranny, she would have died long ago.

The child’s clone rapidly expanded, quickly becoming a five-meter-tall chubby giant, and it’s unknown how Hōzuki Susuki omitted the step of storing heat.

”Hidden Mist...”

Sss～

The crisp sound of pulling wire threads comes through, a blue metal wire is pulled up from the muddied water, and upon seeing this metal wire, Hōzuki Susuki instinctively senses something’s wrong.

Hōzuki Susuki’s premonition was correct. Just as he was about to water transform, a metal wire already wrapped around his leg, making blood spray out.

The Boundary Line severed Hōzuki Susuki’s leg, mixing water spray and blood flew as he managed to water transform, avoiding having his lower leg cut off, but a surge of blue energy seized the opportunity and entered his body. It was Blue Steel Shadow energy.

Hōzuki Susuki immediately sensed a foreign energy invading his body, though the threat wasn’t substantial; it was attempting to erode his Chakra. In a short time, it wouldn’t reduce his Chakra level.

Knowing this situation, Hōzuki Susuki intended to use Chakra to expel this energy from his body. Unfortunately, while this energy didn’t possess overwhelming destructive power, it was extremely stubborn, slowly eroding his Chakra, causing a faint pain inside him.

Understanding the trait of this foreign energy, Hōzuki Susuki sighed in relief. Though it was quite troublesome and could gradually reduce his Chakra level, it posed no immediate threat.

Is this really the case? Of course not. Su Xiao was suppressing the sudden outburst of Blue Steel Shadow energy from a distance. To maximally suppress it, he couldn’t even move, waiting for an opportunity.

Hōzuki Susuki glanced at the child’s clone form of Steam Danger Tyranny, ready to explode anytime. He then looked at Su Xiao, who was wrapped in a ’crystal ball.’ Although twice explosions couldn’t kill Su Xiao, a series of steam explosions could raise the temperature high enough inside to be lethal to Su Xiao.

”Hidden Mist Technique.”

Hōzuki Susuki formed a seal, and just as he was about to trigger Steam Danger Tyranny, his heartbeat suddenly skipped a beat, as if some crisis was about to arrive.

”...”

After a brief moment of hesitation, Hōzuki Susuki no longer wavered. He knew from Kazekage’s intel that Su Xiao’s close combat ability was sufficient to kill Raikage, making it clear that without defensive measures, being closed in on by Su Xiao would mean certain death. He couldn’t give Su Xiao a moment’s respite; once in close combat, he’d be as good as dead.

Using Steam Danger Tyranny three times in succession, Hōzuki Susuki would be corroded by high temperatures thrice even in water transformation form, submerged within the earth but still eroded by the heat.

The high temperature posed a strain on his body, costing him not just injuries but years of his lifespan. Though Hōzuki Susuki appeared to be around 40, he was actually only 29. Steam Danger Tyranny’s power was immense, yet he dared not casually employ it.

”Explode!”

Hōzuki Susuki decided; if he couldn’t seize this opportunity to kill Su Xiao, then he himself would definitely die.

The five-meter child’s clone rapidly swelled, shrouded in misty enigma with the Hidden Mist Technique around it.

Boom, steam explosion!

At the instant Steam Danger Tyranny exploded, Hōzuki Susuki immediately performed the water transformation. But just then, his body felt a numb stab.

The Blue Steel Shadow energy, already suppressed by Su Xiao for several seconds, erupted, suddenly eroding significant volumes of Chakra inside Hōzuki Susuki, reaching a climax with 328 points of true damage. The abrupt agony nearly causing him to pass out.

Boom!

Another explosion echoed, blasting Hōzuki Susuki high into the air.

”Tricked...”

Hōzuki Susuki only managed to water transform his head and neck, enveloped in scorching steam that instantly scorched his skin to a charred purple-black, quickly necrotizing the muscles beneath. This wasn’t just a scald; it was a burn.

During his fight against Hōzuki Susuki, Su Xiao wasn’t entirely passively taking hits. On his first close quarter encounter with Hōzuki Susuki, a bubble nearby exploded him away, but in the meantime, he tossed a tiny alchemy bomb that looked like a spider, which buried itself in the mud nearby Hōzuki Susuki’s location, awaiting the chance.

During the first explosion of Steam Danger Tyranny, Su Xiao flicked out the Boundary Line while sheltering underground from the blast, securing it into the soil from that angle, hiding it well.

Is deciphering Steam Danger Tyranny the key to battling Hōzuki Susuki? Don’t be ridiculous. This technique took Hōzuki Susuki countless years to hone; unless personally given clues, it’s highly difficult to crack. In the perfection of Steam Danger Tyranny, several factors are considered. Su Xiao has only been fighting Hōzuki Susuki for five minutes.

To unravel a strategy perfected over a decade in five minutes isn’t genius—it’s exploitative.

Thus, from the outset, Su Xiao had no intention of deciphering Steam Danger Tyranny. Instead, he focused entirely on Hōzuki Susuki himself. Once Hōzuki Susuki falls, Steam Danger Tyranny won’t require dismantling.

Enough 800-degree steam filled the forest but couldn’t sustain that heat long.

After a few seconds, the steam temperature dropped to about 100 degrees. Normally, Hōzuki Susuki would gather this steam, preparing it for the next explosion.

Yet, Hōzuki Susuki didn’t do so, leaving the steam to drift skyward without forming into steam again.

As the steam gradually diluted, a ’crystal ball’ appeared on the ground. From a distance, it resembled a crystal ball, but closer inspection revealed it was a dual-layered energy shield encasing a layer of counter shield.

The energy shield dispersed, the counter shield expanded outward with a gaseous ascent of heat from it.

Su Xiao, whose clothing was drenched in sweat, stood up; burns faintly visible on his cheeks and neck, albeit minimal in area.

The cool breeze swept by, reviving Su Xiao’s brain muddled from extreme heat.

”Unfortunate.”

Su Xiao exhaled a hot breath. He originally came to kill Mei Terumī; unexpectedly, her guard was more formidable than she, the Mizukage, herself.

The water vapor ascended, creating a white mist pillar reaching skyward.

The alternation between hot and cold brought about falling hail from the sky.

Su Xiao stepped toward Hōzuki Susuki, simultaneously taking out a bottle of No.1 Elixir, drinking half while applying the remainder to his finger and spreading it over the burns on his face and neck.

”No less... than my... fellow inmate.”

In the hazy steam, a weak voice emerged.

”When did you... see through Steam Danger Tyranny, and so quickly... come up with a counterstrategy? It can’t be just an on-the-spot reaction.”

Hōzuki Susuki’s voice was intermittent. Even without seeing, it was obvious he was at death’s door, taking a Steam Danger Tyranny blast unguarded. If Hōzuki Susuki wasn’t dead, would Su Xiao be in such a sorry state?

”Just a difference in intelligence.”

Su Xiao walked forward, unhesitatingly slicing a throat as he bent to pick up a treasure chest on the ground. He needed to hurry to support Bubu Wang and A Mu.

Just then, a transmission from Bubu Wang arrived, with a simple message.

”Master, hurry, Mei Terumī is trying to flee after seeing that steam pillar!”

With that message, Su Xiao hastened to the battlefield where Bubu Wang and A Mu were located. Mei Terumī was as cunning as ever, just like when she initially intended to use him slyly.