บท 35: The Tyrant
If nothing unexpected happens,
Riko Amanai's head will be jerked by the bullet's force, blooming into a blood flower from the opposite temple.
At that moment, time will seem to slow down. Suguru Geto will watch as the blood splashes before his eyes, then see Riko Amanai collapse to the ground, her wide eyes staring back at him.
Her right hand will remain outstretched, frozen in motion.
"Why... Riko-chan?"
Suguru Geto will utter this regretfully.
The two of them will never have managed to touch hands.
From the shadows, Minamoto Sōjun emerges, approaching Riko Amanai. With a flick of his fingers, he deflects the bullet away.
He rubs his middle finger.
"Ah, made it just in time."
Finally, a chance to play the role of a game-changer.
Minamoto Sōjun glances at Riko Amanai,
Kukuku~
Frightened, aren't you?!
He waves his hand in front of her face, snapping her out of her daze.
Minamoto Sōjun takes her hand, leading her to a pre-determined spot. A short spike protrudes from the ground, and with a stomp, he drives it into the earth. Forming a sword-seal gesture, he places it before his lips and chants:
"Born from darkness, darker than black, purify all filth and corruption."
A spherical barrier unfolds. With a gentle push, the barrier envelops Riko Amanai and vanishes into the void, leaving a faint golden ring on the ground.
This barrier's purpose is singular: to prevent Toji Fushiguro from entering.
"Riko, until I say otherwise, stay inside and behave."
Riko Amanai hesitates but instinctively nods.
Minamoto Sōjun pats her head. "Good girl."
Neither Satoru Gojo nor Suguru Geto could stop their opponent as anticipated.
The adversary's preparation was too meticulous. They had intimate knowledge of their techniques, abilities, and behavior, leaving no secrets.
Even Minamoto Sōjun faced significant hindrances during the mission.
Suguru Geto glances toward Riko Amanai, breathing a sigh of relief, then turns to face the newcomer—
"Why are you here?" His pupils contract, and instinctively, he summons a cursed spirit.
It has the antlers of a deer, the head of a camel, the eyes of a rabbit, the neck of a snake, the belly of a clam, the scales of a fish, the claws of an eagle, the paws of a tiger, and the ears of a bull.
It bears an uncanny resemblance to the legendary dragon.
"Oh, you mean that?" The newcomer, Toji Fushiguro, holding a gun in his right hand, lifts his gaze as if reminiscing. Suddenly, a smirk appears on his lips.
"Satoru Gojo? I already killed him."
Hearing this, Suguru Geto's expression darkens, a shadow obscuring his face, making his emotions unreadable.
The dragon-like cursed spirit surrounds him protectively, its ferocious head extending outward, claws grasping eagerly, ready to strike.
Toji Fushiguro smirks, completely ignoring the menacing cursed spirit. He twirls his gun on his finger and says:
"The Star Corridor is hidden within a barrier guarded by Master Tengen himself. There are no sentries at the entrance. As long as you know the gate's location, it's unguarded. And now, the school is overrun with cursed spirits—a total mess."
His deep gaze shifts to the sacred tree overhead:
"To you people, someone like me without cursed energy is practically invisible."
"But when I wield a cursed tool, its energy renders me visible. That's why I used an ordinary blade to critically wound Satoru Gojo and intended to kill Riko Amanai with a firearm. Unfortunately…"
The dragon can no longer contain itself, opening its massive maw to devour him.
Toji Fushiguro, unfazed, aims his gun at Suguru Geto instead—
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Several shots fired, all hitting another cursed spirit summoned by Suguru Geto.
Calmly discarding the gun, Toji sidesteps the dragon's charge. "No need to rush."
"I raised a cursed spirit capable of storing items. I placed cursed tools inside it, then had the spirit swallow itself, storing everything in its stomach…"
Urgh—
Toji pulls a small, swollen human-like head from his mouth. "An invisible man's innards are also invisible, aren't they? This way, I can carry cursed tools around and waltz through barriers unnoticed."
"See? Even the Six Eyes didn't detect me."
The cursed spirit unfurls itself, coiling around Toji's shoulders and neck. From its mouth, it produces a knife hilt. Toji casually grabs it and draws out the broken blade.
"This is the blade I used to kill Satoru Gojo. Just three or four stabs, and he was dead."
He brandishes the blade nonchalantly.
"Life is fragile—whether it's a sorcerer or an ordinary person, there's no difference."
"Oh, right, on my way here, I ran into a maid. She's probably dead now. I killed her too fast to notice."
Suguru Geto's face darkens further with every word. Interrupting, he shouts: "Why don't you just die already?"
With a wave of his hand, the dragon lunges.
Toji Fushiguro doesn't retreat but advances instead. "Don't worry, everyone dies eventually."
Charging head-on at the dragon, he slices it cleanly in two with his broken blade.
Cursed Spirit Manipulation? What a rabble.
Toji's expression remains relaxed until he suddenly realizes he's trapped in a strange scene.
Around him stands a dimly lit hall, with towering stone pillars lining either side. A woman in a white dress appears, her pale skin and long black hair obscuring most of her face.
The woman asks abruptly:
"Am I… beautiful?"
Toji remains unmoved, observing her carefully.
Her speech quickens as she repeats:
"Am I… am I… beautiful?"
Hah, pretending to be a ghost.
Toji's lips curl into a smile. "If you insist… you're not my type."
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
The woman throws her head back, letting out a piercing wail. Beneath her hair is a grotesque face, with her mouth stitched shut by countless fine threads. Forcibly prying her mouth open, blackness spills through the gaps in the stitches.
She is a cursed spirit—裂...
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