CHAPTER 11.
The curse crashes a few meters away, struggling to steady itself. As soon as it lifts its head and locks eyes with Ryan, terror fills its face. It instantly turns and starts running in the opposite direction.
But Ryan doesn't let it escape.
In a burst of sonic speed, he flashes forward — appearing right in front of it in an instant.
The curse morphs its hands into root-like tendrils, slamming them against the wall and launching itself forward.
But just as it hits the wall—
CRASH!
Ryan grabs its legs mid-motion and slams it into the ground. The impact is so brutal that the entire area cracks apart, debris flying in all directions.
Ryan doesn't stop.
He jumps on top of the curse and starts pummeling it with rapid punches, each strike echoing with fury.
The curse retaliates — tendrils burst out from its stomach, striking Ryan with violent force.
Ryan's body is hurled upward, smashing against the ceiling. The roof cracks, chunks collapsing down.
The curse tries to crawl away again — desperate to flee — but before it can move far, Kaito launches his attack.
> "Hikari Enerugi!"
This time, it doesn't miss.
A beam of light energy cuts through the air, striking the curse directly. The explosion rips away its entire right side, leaving a gaping hole that begins to melt and smoke.
Still — it doesn't stop.
The curse keeps dragging itself across the floor, trembling, as if running from something far worse than them.
Ryan gets back up — eyes glowing again.
He rushes toward the crawling curse, grabs it from behind, and bites into its head with savage force. His teeth tear through the skull, splitting it open until the brain is exposed.
The curse, trembling in pain and fear, shoves Ryan away and staggers to its feet — trying to flee again.
Just then, Kaito appears out of nowhere, launching a flying kick —
but the curse dodges and punches him hard in the stomach, sending him crashing to the floor.
Mahi rushes in from behind.
With a sharp motion, she drives her knife deep into the curse's body.
Ryan joins in — grabbing the curse's arms and ripping them off, blood splattering across the ground.
Kaito follows through, taking Mahi's knife still lodged in the curse's back and driving it deeper, slicing open its flesh.
The curse screams, its arms trying to regenerate —
but before it can finish, Kaito thrusts his hand deep into its open wound, aiming for its heart.
He stops — eyes widening.
The heart isn't there.
The curse has already pulled its own heart out.
Kaito spots it lying a few feet away, glowing faintly. He lunges toward it —
but the curse lashes out, its tendrils wrapping around his leg and throwing him violently to the ground.
Ryan reappears, silent and furious.
The same Ryan who had already shattered the curse's skeleton before — but this time, his aura feels darker.
He grabs both sides of the curse's skull and, screaming in rage, tears its head into two halves with his bare hands — tossing the bloody remains aside.
And the chilling thing?
Ryan isn't unconscious this time.
Unlike before, he's doing all this while completely awake — and completely aware.
The curse's body, now fatally damaged, begins to dissolve.
Even without its heart being destroyed, it can no longer regenerate.
Kaito, breathing heavily, holds the curse's heart in one injured hand.
Mahi stands nearby, exhausted but steady.
Ryan collapses — unconscious once again.
The curse lies in scattered, dying fragments — groaning weakly.
Kaito looks down at it coldly.
> "Now rot in hell."
He plunges the knife into the heart.
The blade pierces through, and the curse's eye flickers open one last time.
---
Flashback — The Curse's Life
A dark, rainy night.
Inside a dim apartment corridor, a door creaks open. A drunken man stumbles inside, muttering incoherently.
Wife (crying): "You came home drunk again… what kind of example is this for our daughter?"
Man: "Shut up! Just give me the money!"
Wife: "I don't have any! Go away!"
Man: "What did you just say?! You dare refuse me?!"
Camera shifts — their shadows are cast against the wall.
The man starts hitting her violently.
He throws objects at her — glass, bottles, whatever he can reach. She falls to the floor, sobbing, crawling backward.
He grabs a knife, staggering toward her.
Man: "How dare you defy me! I'll show you right now!"
Wife: "Please! Stop! Don't—"
Camera shifts again to the wall — only their silhouettes visible.
He stabs her repeatedly. Her screams echo down the corridor.
Their little daughter stands in the corner, clutching her teddy bear.
Her tiny body trembles as she watches her mother die — too scared to even scream.
The man steps back, panting, realizing what he's done.
Voices shout from outside.
Neighbors: "What happened?! Open the door! Open it right now or we'll break it down!"
The man's eyes dart around. His hands shake, his breath uneven.
Man: "What have I done?! What should I do?!"
He backs away.
Behind him — a large window.
His foot slips on the pool of blood. He loses balance — crashes through the window — and falls to his death.
Moments later, the door bursts open. Neighbors rush in — only to find the little girl crying in the corner, hugging her teddy bear, and her mother's lifeless body on the floor beside the knife.
---
Back to Present
Kaito, Mahi, and Ryan stand among the wreckage.
The curse's story was not someone else's.
It was his own.
The man from that night — now a curse.
His body continues to dissolve, turning to sand. Only his face remains, whispering faintly.
Curse (weakly): "Thank you… for killing me. Now I can finally be at peace."
Then he adds something — a name.
Curse: "I didn't kill that little girl… I only took her form. She's lying unconscious nearby. Thank you… all of you."
And with that, the curse completely disintegrates — his body turning to sand and scattering away into the air.
(He hadn't killed the child — because before he became a curse, he too had a daughter.
What he did that night… was while drunk. He was never in his senses.)
Kaito lifts Ryan's unconscious body and carries him over his shoulder.
Mahi: "Finally… it's over."
Kaito: "Yeah. Let's go."
They turn and start walking downstairs together.
Mahi: "By the way, what about him? He's like us, isn't he?"
Kaito: "Hmm. We'll only know once we reach Tokyo."
---
Outside the Mall
The scene shifts.
Mahi carries Manami out of the mall.
Outside — sunlight, noise, and life return to the streets.
Mahi kneels in front of the little girl.
Mahi: "You don't need to be scared anymore. You can go meet your parents now."
Manami: "Thank you…"
Just then, a man runs toward them — her father.
Father: "Thank you so much for saving my daughter! Manami, are you alright?"
Manami: "Yes, I'm fine."
Mahi smiles softly and stands.
Mahi: "Take good care of your daughter. I'll be going now."
Father: "Of course. Thank you."
Manami takes her father's hand. They walk away together.
Their voices fade in the distance—
Manami: "Dad… where's Mom?"
Father: "She got a small injury. Doctor uncle is treating her. Come, let's go to her."
---
Mahi rejoins Kaito, who's still carrying Ryan.
Mahi: "Tohoku isn't safe anymore. Everyone's in shock — wondering how something like this could even happen."
Kaito: "Not just Tohoku or Japan… the whole world isn't safe anymore. This is the first time curses have attacked like this — one after another."
He pauses.
"Oh, and I almost forgot. The chief sent an update — there's going to be a meeting. We have to get there quickly."
Ryan lies unconscious, leaning against the wall.
Mahi: "Are we taking him too?"
Kaito: "Yeah. Let's move."
And with that, they walk into the distance — carrying Ryan, and the silence of a battle that's finally over.
THANKS FOR READ MY NOVEL＼(^^)／
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