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Chapter 511 - Chapter 20: Hanami, Angry (Twice as Long)

At this moment, the situation had completely exceeded Megumi Fushiguro expectations.

Already sweating coldly due to the appearance of a Special Grade Curse Spirit, he was now drenched in sweat and had no idea how to act.

Wait a second—wasn't this supposed to be just a friendly exchange event between students?

First a Special Grade Curse Spirit, now a Special Grade Curse User… Anyone who walked in without context would probably think this was the site of some great decisive battle!

Had the person responsible for maintaining the barrier seriously failed at their job? How did two incredibly dangerous beings end up here?!

His mind was in complete chaos. Staring at the approaching Nightmare, Fushiguro gulped and stiffly backed away.

"Hey, first-year! What the hell is going on over there?!"

Sensing that something was wrong with Fushiguro, Panda, who had been fighting alongside Aoi Todo, temporarily withdrew from the battlefield and shouted toward him.

"Who is that?"

Aoi Todo also sensed the deep, abyss-like presence approaching. Though he knew he shouldn't be distracted during battle, he couldn't help but glance in that direction.

"Mentaiko!"

As a descendant of an ancient jujutsu sorcerer clan—the Cursed Speech User lineage—Inumaki Toge had extensive knowledge of the jujutsu world.

The moment he saw the unfamiliar figure appear on the battlefield, he recognized the intruder's identity by the mask and clothing.

And because of this, his expression instantly turned pale. The unease he showed was even more intense than when they had just encountered the Special Grade Curse Spirit.

"Don't move!"

A voice imbued with mysterious power came from Inumaki Toge's mouth.

The moment he recognized Nightmare, he knew this was not the time to try stalling through battle.

In the face of this present-day most vile curse user, whose hands were stained with the lives of tens of thousands, none of them—mere second-grade sorcerers—were anything more than playthings that could be wiped out with a snap of her fingers.

All he could do was try to create an opening to escape, allowing others to flee the battlefield.

If they scattered in different directions, maybe one or two could make it out alive?

However, that hope was quickly dashed.

The power of Cursed Speech was one that could distort reality. When this word of command struck Tokisaki Kurumi, her body immediately froze on the spot.

But in the very next moment, as spiritual energy surged through her body, the invisible restraints were shattered effortlessly.

"Splurt—!"

The recoil from the broken Cursed Speech made Inumaki Toge vomit blood violently.

He felt as if something had exploded in his throat, bringing searing pain and a sense of tearing.

"Didn't even hold her for one second…"

Bitterness filled Inumaki's heart.

He wanted to try again, even at the cost of his life, but when he opened his mouth, not a single word came out.

"Inumaki-senpai, don't attack Nightmare-senpai!"

Seeing that Inumaki had just used his Cursed Speech on Nightmare, the frozen Megumi Fushiguro was shocked. He quickly rushed to his side and stopped him.

Although he didn't know why Nightmare and the Special Grade Curse Spirit had appeared here, from what Nightmare had just said, it was clear she was here to hunt the Special Grade Curse Spirit.

If that was the case, why stop her?

It's not like they considered the Special Grade Curse Spirit their prey. In fact, they were more like the prey themselves. If someone was willing to help them eliminate this threat—even if it was an enemy—then why not?

"You guys from Kyoto, clear the field now!"

To prevent more people from getting caught up, Fushiguro took the initiative to assist Nightmare. He shouted toward the four from Kyoto: "This Curse Spirit is Nightmare-senpai's prey! If you don't want to die, leave the battle immediately!"

He believed that his conduct during his last encounter with Nightmare had been polite, respectful, and understanding of the situation.

So now, all he could do was earn more "favor points" in front of Nightmare and hope she'd spare these people.

Hearing Fushiguro shout, the students from Kyoto all showed a change of expression—some confused, some stunned, but mostly terrified.

"Nightmare?"

The moment he heard that word, even Aoi Todo, whose mind was usually obsessed with the thrill of battle, finally wore a serious expression.

A Special Grade Curse Spirit wasn't a big deal.

He had already exorcised one during last year's Night Parade of a Hundred Demons.

But a Special Grade Curse User—that was on par with a Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer.

Though he was proud of his strength, he wasn't arrogant.

So without hesitation, he followed Fushiguro command, taking two or three steps back and increasing the distance between himself and the Special Grade Curse Spirit by more than fifty meters.

And the Curse Spirit didn't pursue him either. It simply let him leave the battle.

Because it also understood very well where the true threat lay.

"Human…"

The Special Grade Curse Spirit Hanami, born from humanity's fear of forests, had now withdrawn its contempt.

As a Curse Spirit among Special Grades, it never considered these apprentice sorcerers a threat.

Most of them were still wet behind the ears, and even the strongest among them, Aoi Todo, had exchanged dozens of blows with it and still couldn't break through its defenses.

But the human now approaching it felt like an unfathomable abyss.

With every step she took, it could sense death approaching even closer.

Just like its companions, as one who stood at the top of the pyramid and possessed intelligence on par with humans, Hanami normally held contempt for humanity.

So when it heard intel about Nightmare, it didn't think much of it.

But now, standing face-to-face with her, it realized that perhaps that guy's warning was right.

"So this is… the Nightmare that curse user spoke of…"

Recalling the curse user it had formed an alliance with—a human claiming to be Suguru Geto—Hanami's vigilance suddenly shot to the maximum.

It had come here to create chaos and draw the attention of the Top Brass from both schools.

If possible, even Satoru Gojo himself.

Thus, it wasn't in a hurry to kill these apprentice jujutsu sorcerers—just pushed them hard enough to keep them occupied.

But what it didn't expect was that, before Satoru Gojo or any Top Brass arrived, Nightmare would be the first to notice it.

"Perhaps we can…"

Hanami's voice suddenly echoed in Nightmare mind.

It didn't want to fight her.

Especially not without any preparation.

But Nightmare completely ignored what it was trying to say. Raising her twin flintlock pistols, she opened fire.

"Damn it! Just like Geto Suguru said!"

Seeing Nightmare utterly refuse to negotiate, Hanami's final sliver of hope was crushed.

According to Geto Suguru, Nightmare roamed about hunting jujutsu sorcerers, curse users, and curse spirits to absorb their cursed energy.

And as a Curse Spirit—moreover, a Special Grade Curse Spirit—Hanami had far more cursed energy than all the jujutsu sorcerers present combined.

To Nightmare, it probably looked like a feast waiting to be devoured.

As that realization dawned, Hanami—normally so calm and composed—suddenly felt a surge of emotion called rage.

"I'm a top-tier Special Grade Curse Spirit! Don't lump me in with the trash you've encountered before!" Hanami roared in fury. "If you want to eat me, it won't be that easy!"

In that moment, Hanami unleashed its full power.

Like an earth dragon rising from slumber, ancient, towering vines burst from the ground, wrapping around it like an impenetrable fortress to block the spiritual bullets.

And that wasn't all—thinner vines branched out from the main trunk. Though they were plants, they shimmered under the sunlight with a metallic sheen.

"Swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh!"

Sharp vines shot toward Nightmare position. At such speed and power, even a Grade 1 sorcerer would be instantly pierced through if they failed to dodge.

However, Nightmare movements were as ghostly as a phantom. Each time, she evaded at the very last second, causing the slightly delayed vines to stab only into her shadow.

"Let's see how long you can keep dodging!"

Backed by immense cursed energy, it manifested several tree balls.

While manipulating the vines, it also commanded the tree balls—Hanami was now pushing its mental focus to the limit.

Faced with vines attacking from behind and tree balls blocking the front, surrounded by enemies on both sides, she chose to dive into the shadows.

Boom————!

Dust flew into the air, yet there was no sight of flesh or blood being scattered.

As a curse born from humanity's fear of the forest, Hanami, as a spirit of nature, undoubtedly possessed the sharpest sense for detecting aura among all curses.

The moment Nightmare aura disappeared under the siege, it immediately detected her reappearance elsewhere.

Most of the vines and tree balls could not be mobilized in time, so Hanami swung both hands and conjured new vines from thin air.

This time, the vines were noticeably thinner.

And thus—their speed doubled!

Almost the moment Nightmare emerged from the shadows, two slender vines shot directly toward her forehead.

Clang————!

However, the two vines struck a layer of semi-transparent protective barrier, causing only slight ripples to form.

"That must be Nightmare unique simple domain?"

Though this would have been a fatal blow to an ordinary sorcerer, it still failed. Yet Hanami wasn't discouraged.

After all, the opponent was a Special Grade Cursed User—none of them were ordinary.

But Hanami had more than one trick up its sleeve.

With a gentle wave of its arm, its abundant power spread into the forest like pollen.

Across the green grass, delicate and glistening flowers sprouted from the ground, transforming the once unremarkable meadow into a stunning flower field.

In this sea of blooms, colorful flowers blossomed in full glory like joyful dancers swaying gracefully in the breeze.

Bathed in morning light, they radiated vibrant hues and released enchanting fragrances, making those who stepped in feel as if they had entered a vivid fairy tale world.

Ah… nature.

How wonderful nature is.

Such a thought welled up in the hearts of everyone present. Regardless of the fear or other emotions they had just felt, the sight of the flower field healed their inner turmoil and allowed their tense spirits to relax.

Even though the battlefield was still raging, one by one, the students dropped their guard, their expressions softening.

Even Nightmare actions came to a halt—she closed her eyes, seemingly inhaling the floral fragrance.

"Now's my chance!"

Taking advantage of the flower field's influence over the opponent's mind, Hanami once again manipulated the slender vines to strike at Nightmare heart.

However, Nightmare was only entranced for a fleeting moment. The sense of impending death quickly snapped her out of it.

With an emergency sidestep—just barely in time—she narrowly avoided what would have been a fatal strike.

Even so, the vines still pierced through her arm, and bright red blood flowed down into the flower field.

After dodging the blow, Nightmare instinctively gathered her spiritual energy.

"I've won."

Rather than being disappointed, Hanami ceased attacking.

Nightmare, in the middle of summoning her energy, also sensed something strange and looked at her pierced arm.

From the wound, a bizarre flower had taken root, feeding on her blood and spiritual power. From it grew a bloom lined with sharp teeth.

A Cursed Seed.

Once afflicted, a Cursed Seed would absorb the host's cursed energy to grow. The more the host used jujutsu, the deeper its roots burrowed.

In essence, once hit by this technique, the victim would lose nearly all mobility—an extremely troublesome move.

"I told you, don't treat me like the others you've encountered before."

At that moment, Hanami's voice rang once more in Nightmare mind.

But unlike before, the panic in its tone was gone—replaced by calmness, like a victor's composure.

Nightmare had likely assumed that Hanami's trump card was the flower field and the rapid vine attack.

But what she hadn't expected was that Hanami had placed a fail-safe beyond its trump card—attaching the Cursed Seed to the vine itself.

Nightmare glanced at the seed deeply rooted in her arm, then slowly sank into the shadows.

"She escaped...?"

Hanami sighed in relief.

In truth, it wasn't confident it could really keep Nightmare there.

Though Nightmare was affected by the cursed seed, it hadn't landed on a vital spot. If she had the resolve, she could easily cut off her own arm to escape.

Still, her retreat was undeniably the best outcome.

Just as Hanami thought the incident was over and it could resume its original mission, a familiar cold aura reappeared.

Nightmare emerged again from the exact spot she had just vanished from.

"Impossible?!"

Hanami stared in disbelief. If it had eyeballs, its pupils would have dilated in shock.

Because right now—Nightmare arm had completely recovered, and even the cursed seed had vanished.

Its attack... had no effect at all?!

"I admit, you're on a different level than the Special Grades I've exorcised before."

Nightmare smiled. With every word she spoke, fear surged more deeply into Hanami's heart.

"But even a stronger ant... is still just an ant, isn't it?"

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