"Where's Gojo Satoru?"
No one had seen him when it mattered most.
"Sensei, what do we do now?"
Miwa Kasumi stared at the black tide spreading like a suffocating fog across the horizon. Her chest tightened, as if an invisible hand were gripping her heart, and even breathing became difficult.
The special-grade cursed spirit's presence was overwhelming. Even an intercontinental missile strike might struggle to eradicate something this powerful.
If a monster like that were allowed to go on a rampage in downtown Tokyo… the entire city could be lost.
"We can't make any reckless moves. We stay here and wait for reinforcements."
There was no bravado in Ange's voice—only bitter realism.
As a teacher, she couldn't allow her student to throw her life away. But in the face of such an overwhelming force, their only viable option was to wait and hope.
Just as both prepared to hold their ground, two grotesque, flesh-colored tentacles suddenly whipped out of the inky tide in the distance, yanking the two women into the abyss of cursed energy.
Domain Expansion: A Descent Into Madness
A domain expansion isn't simply a trap—it's a world of its own. If the domain is a cage, then expansion is the water that fills it, submerging everything within.
As the special-grade cursed spirit activated its domain, Miwa Kasumi and Ange were pulled from reality into a nightmarish illusion.
They landed in the middle of a sprawling compound surrounded by towering dormitory-like buildings.
The structures were twisted, and pipes of all kinds ran across them—some weaving between buildings, some clinging to walls like ivy, others crammed in corners or piercing through surfaces like surgical tools. The entire scene radiated wrongness.
From deep within this world, a thunderous boom echoed.
Miwa, katana in hand, slashed the writhing tentacles off her body and landed beside Ange. But their attention was immediately pulled elsewhere—toward two unfamiliar figures locked in a lightning-fast battle.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The exchange of blows thundered like a relentless storm. The sheer speed made it nearly impossible to follow. Spells clashed like tidal waves, sparks and energy lighting up the domain as if a thousand suns had burst into existence.
The silhouettes of Kurosawa Ren and the cursed spirit were completely swallowed by a pulsating ball of energy. The battle was impossible to follow with the naked eye.
"How did you even get in here?"
Startled, Miwa and Ange turned at the sudden voice. A petite figure, bathed in silver light, floated toward them.
Enter: Mizaki Naru
"Who are you, and how did you enter the domain of Shōtoku?"
Ange took a defensive stance while Miwa raised her sword, pointing it directly at the newcomer.
"Relax. I'm not a cursed spirit."
Behind the short-haired girl, a shield of swirling silver liquid formed—a powerful defense made of Moon Spirit Essence.
Mizaki Naru's voice came muffled from behind the shimmering shield.
"I'm a freelance demon hunter. That boy out there is my companion."
Her tone sharpened.
"Be careful. That cursed spirit you're facing is no ordinary entity. It was born from the accumulated resentment of women who died after abortion."
Miwa flinched.
"You saw those wolf-headed cursed spirits earlier, right? They shoot umbilical cords from their mouths. If you get hit in the abdomen, your own spiritual power will be used to give birth to a stillborn cursed spirit—right on the spot."
Ange's expression shifted.
"Wait… she just explained her spell?"
In sorcery, revealing the mechanics of a spell during battle can amplify its effect.
If what this girl said was true, they needed to stay well clear of the wolf-like spirits.
The three women gathered together, their gazes returning to the battlefield—only to be overwhelmed once more.
The Unthinkable Duel
Ren and the special-grade cursed spirit fought like incarnations of destruction.
Every movement was swift, every strike efficient.
Their offense and defense interlocked like mirror images—fluid, deadly, and perfect.
Who was this boy?How could someone with no cursed energy overpower a special-grade cursed spirit?
"Magic, release!"
Ren's roar cut through the air.
A ripple of brilliant magical energy burst from him as the Wind King's Barrier activated.
The cursed spirit's arms were sliced clean off in an instant.
The sword Ren wielded wasn't just fast—it was invisible. The weapon bent light itself by controlling air around the blade, concealing its true form and making its reach impossible to predict.
Simple. Elegant. Devastating in close combat.
"You damned human! You'll die for this!!!"
The cursed spirit's roar echoed, thick blood spurting from its wounds.
A massive surge of negative energy followed.
Boom!
A roaring explosion of cursed energy shattered the ground and flung debris skyward. The ground collapsed, breaking into pieces.
Ren emerged from the dust, still gripping his radiant golden sword.
His gaze narrowed.
Perched on a high-rise pipe, the cursed spirit was changing. Its flesh and veins intertwined with pipes, pulsing, writhing—until it took the form of a grotesque uterus-shaped meatball.
"Give me back my child, human!"
The monstrous mass screamed.
With a thunderous crash, it launched itself toward the trio of women.
As it landed, it vomited wolf-headed cursed spirits that grew rapidly—doubling in size as they charged, their mouths shooting out umbilical cords like harpoons.
The Battle of the Barrier
"New Yin-style: Simple Domain!""Spell Technique: 'Single Forbidden Zone'!"
Ange and Miwa acted fast.
Miwa's technique created a spherical domain, 2.21 meters in radius, centered on herself—keeping the cursed cords at bay.
Ange's forbidden zone spell temporarily boosted the cursed energy and output of everyone inside the domain.
Swish—!
The black domain expanded, forming a shield around the trio.
Inside, Miwa's sword danced like water. Every flick severed an oncoming umbilical cord with deadly precision.
"Watch out!"
Mizaki Naru's voice screamed from behind.
Miwa turned—and paled.
The cursed spirit had split into hundreds of blood-colored cords, all aimed at her.
She froze. There was no time to dodge.
But then, a voice rang out behind her.
"Seal—Thirteenfold Oath: Begin."
Excalibur Unleashed
Time itself seemed to stop.
In the stunned silence, Ren raised his sword.
The Wind King's barrier shattered around him as magical energy erupted like a geyser.
Thirteen armored silhouettes appeared behind him—knights of legend.
"My king…"
Merlin. Bedivere. Gareth. Lancelot. Mordred. Galahad…
One figure stepped forward—Bedivere, clad in silver armor.
"I acknowledge the challenge. To fight someone stronger—"
But Ren cut him off coldly.
"I don't need your acknowledgment."
Before Bedivere could respond, the tidal wave of energy obliterated her form.
The surface of the sword glowed gold as arcane runes flickered across its length.
"EX—CALIBUR!"
The dawn-blade shattered the darkness.
A titanic clash followed—magic against cursed power.
The collision evaporated everything within a 100-meter radius.
Light bent. Shadows warped. Space cracked like broken glass.
And then—
BOOM.
The domain was torn apart, dissolving into a spray of cursed dust. The sky returned, bright and clear.
The special-grade cursed spirit… was gone.
Chapter 15: Spirit Slain, Saint Crystals Earned – And the Heart-Pounding Miwa Kasumi
[Congratulations to the host for slaying a special-grade cursed spirit for the first time. Reward: 3 Amulets and 20 Saint Crystals.][Weird item detected: "Death Umbilical Cord" from the cursed spirit Stillborn Womb. Automatically collected into personal inventory.]
It was over.
Ren had done the impossible.
The light faded.
Miwa Kasumi stood still, stunned, unable to even pick up her fallen katana.
Her world—her understanding of it—was unraveling.
He didn't even have cursed energy.And yet… he'd crushed a special-grade cursed spirit.
That sword. That blinding torrent of magic. That strength…
It wasn't just terrifying.
It was divine.