"How can he be this fast?!" Suguru's eyes widened in disbelief as he recalled all his cursed spirits to his side, preparing himself for a fight at any moment.
Even if they had left around the same time, there was no reason for the man to catch up this quickly. After all, they had traveled by helicopter.
"So young, yet already a sorcerer. I don't want to mess with brats like you. I'll let you go. Leave right now, and we'll pretend none of this ever happened, how about it?"
The leader ignored Suguru's question. Instead, he scanned his fallen companions. Most of them seemed to be unconscious rather than dead, their real faces still hidden. But when his gaze fell on the one Mukuro had attacked, his brows furrowed.
Pinned beneath the huge tiger, the man lay in a pool of blood. Whether or not he survived, he would never be the same again. What unsettled him more was the aura of the tiger itself. That presence made even him feel faint unease.
"Forgive me for asking, but what grade sorcerer are you? Third? Maybe just promoted to fourth?"
While Suguru was still hesitating, Mukuro started stretching his legs, warming up like nothing was wrong. His question carried a tone of disdain.
Unlike ordinary sorcerers who judged strength based on cursed energy or techniques, Mukuro's honed body let him gauge power from aura alone. And in this man's case, he was even weaker than that bodyguard at Ninagawa's side.
"Grades? There's such a thing as that…?" Suguru looked puzzled. Without a mentor to guide him, he had been fumbling his way forward with trial and error. So he didn't quite understand what Mukuro was talking about.
"Grade 3," the leader finally said. "But I don't believe some kid who just awakened a technique could beat me. This is your last chance."
He was running out of patience. He didn't want trouble, but dragging things out would only bring more. He hadn't shown himself at the mall, nor had he revealed his technique. If he killed these kids now, he could simply disappear for a while until things cooled down.
"Bite him, Wild Tiger." Mukuro snapped his fingers. The giant beast that had been crouching low burst upward in a terrifying leap. Its huge frame blotted out the sky above the leader's head.
"Just a beast. Bigger than most, but still just a beast!"
The leader yanked down his mask. His cursed energy surged wildly, gathering into his right fist. With a roar, he drove it forward, smashing it into the tiger's forehead.
Crack!
A thunderous crack rang out.
But the one who went flying was the leader himself. He tumbled across the ground, crashing through several thick trees before finally coming to a painful stop.
"No way… That strong?! And this thing doesn't even feel like a cursed spirit…" He staggered to his feet, his face covered with cuts from rolling across the dirt. He glanced at his swollen, trembling fist, his thoughts spiraling.
He felt no cursed energy from the tiger. If that was true, then wasn't it just an animal? But what animal could possibly possess that kind of power?
"What's wrong? Do you prefer cursed spirits?" Mukuro asked with a mocking grin. "Too bad. A mere third-grade sorcerer like you doesn't measure up."
At his gesture, the tiger padded obediently to his side, lying down like a tame housecat.
"My technique is Stacking," the leader growled while flexing his aching right hand. "I can amplify my cursed energy multiple times, or I can imbue it into an object I touch, temporarily enhancing its natural abilities. In essence, I can turn anything into a semi-cursed tool."
As he explained, he began moving toward them. He stooped and snatched a submachine gun from one of his unconscious men.
"Why is he telling us this? Could he be trying to confuse us?" Suguru muttered, glancing toward Mukuro.
"It's called Revealing One's Hand," Mukuro replied casually. "When someone declares their ability openly, it grants a temporary boost in power."
"You sure know a lot, kid," the leader sneered. "You're no amateur, that's clear. All the more reason to take you out now."
He lifted the submachine gun and opened fire with a cruel grin.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunfire exploded. The tiger and the cursed spirits rushed forward, forming a living wall in front of the two boys.
When the smoke cleared, Suguru's cursed spirits had all been wiped out. Mukuro's tiger was also riddled with bullet holes, blood dripping from its striped body.
"My cursed spirits… they're gone?" Suguru frowned as he watched his carefully tamed creatures vanish so easily. He had gone through so much effort to subdue them, overcoming his own fear just to gain control.
But when his eyes shifted to the tiger, his frustration faded. Cursed spirits were never truly alive. The tiger, though… that was different. Seeing it wounded cut much deeper.
"Is that thing really a carbon-based creature?!"
Even after all the damage, the beast still stood. The leader's confidence wavered, retreat gnawing at his mind. But his face and technique had already been exposed. If he fled now, trouble would follow sooner or later.
Gritting his teeth, he reached down to grab another weapon from one of his fallen subordinates, determined to keep fighting.
"No more tricks?" Mukuro lifted a hand. "Then die. Greedy Crocodile."
With a snap of his fingers, the battered tiger sank into the shadows. In its place emerged a monstrous crocodile, ten meters long and more than two wide.
"Go to hell!"
The leader fired wildly with both guns, bullets screaming straight at Mukuro.
The crocodile's tail swept through the air, blocking every shot with ease. Sparks flew where rounds slammed against its armored scales, but they couldn't pierce through. Worse yet, the creature's enormous bulk moved with terrifying speed.
"Wait! I surrender! Don't kill me!"
The leader poured his cursed energy into his legs, narrowly dodging the beast's snapping jaws. The ground where he'd stood moments ago was left with a deep crater. Terrified, he raised his hands in surrender.
"Mukuro, maybe we should capture him and hand him over to the police…" Seeing the man yield, Suguru, still inexperienced with the cruelty of people, spoke hesitantly.
"Suguru, he's a curse user," Mukuro said flatly, tapping a fist lightly against his chest. "If you go soft on people like him, you're just making trouble for yourself later."
A mere grade 3 sorcerer, even after revealing his technique and gaining that temporary boost, was no match for him.
"Curse user… what's that?" Suguru felt overwhelmed. He had heard too many unfamiliar terms today. And Mukuro, with his calm and steady air, seemed more like an experienced veteran than a boy his own age.
"Kid, you let your guard down!"
Suddenly, the leader exploded into motion. Since his earlier attack, he had been secretly focusing all his cursed energy into his legs. Seizing the moment when the boys were distracted, he darted past the crocodile and lunged straight at them.
In his mind, the logic was simple. No matter their abilities, taking out the master first was always the surest path. Especially for ones who relied on summoning or manipulation. Surely their own physical ability couldn't compare.
"Foolish."
Suguru barely had time to react before Mukuro raised his hand, ready to strike back.
"Scum, stop right there!"
A new voice roared out.
A figure faster than the curse user shot forward from the distance, closing the gap in an instant. His fist slammed into the leader's face with brutal force.
Everything happened in a blur. By the time Suguru blinked, the curse user was already sent flying, blood spraying from his face before he crumpled motionless to the ground.
Standing before them now was a young man with a buzz cut, the sides of his head shaved into two neat lines.
"Damn curse user, trying to sneak attack us…" Suguru snapped, belatedly assuming a defensive stance. "Who the hell are you?"
"Me?" The newcomer gave a faint smile. "I'm Masamichi Yaga. Nice to meet you."
Though still young, his face carried the weight of experience.
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