Chapter 19 – The Yamazaru King Falls, A New Function for the Golden Finger?
The forest, shrouded in pitch black, erupted with radiant bursts of cursed energy. The air split open with a jagged tear. Two massive claws gripped the rift's edges, and from within emerged a monstrous, snarling head.
"ROOOAR—!"
The sheer pressure of its cursed energy vaporized the swarm of lesser curses that had rushed forward.
Another quasi–Special Grade curse.
To subdue a quasi–Special Grade like the Yamazaru King, Geto Suguru had no intention of wasting a true Special Grade curse. That would've been overkill.
The moment the curse he released appeared, it lashed out, claws flashing toward the white-furred Yamazaru King.
The beast's eyes glimmered with a disturbingly humanlike fury.
"ROOAR—!!"
Its roar surged out, smothering everything within a dozen meters in cursed energy.
Seeing this, Zen'in Shinsuke calmly seized Riko and Nanami by their collars and leapt back, retreating from the shockwave.
A black sphere materialized around Geto and the Yamazaru King, swallowing them whole.
"A Domain Expansion!?"
Riko's face went pale. That a curse could expand a domain meant it was far beyond what they could ever hope to handle.
Nanami's expression hardened. This was insane. Sending him—a quasi–Grade 1—and Riko, a Grade 2, against something like this? What were the higher-ups thinking?
Unless… they already knew the situation, and that's why they assigned them a supervising instructor.
"It's probably just an incomplete version," Shinsuke remarked.
He set the two down, eyes fixed on the sphere. This was a domain? He couldn't sense anything happening inside—completely sealed off. But from the feel of it, it was only a fledgling domain, rough and unstable.
The Yamazaru King really was unlucky—caught at the final step of evolution by a sorcerer with Cursed Spirit Manipulation.
And that technique… its ceiling was absurdly high.
If Geto weren't so reckless, if he had just focused on surviving and stockpiling power, he could have become the strongest sorcerer alive.
Think about it—Cursed Womb: Death Paintings, the Four Disasters, even Sukuna. As long as he grew strong enough, Geto could theoretically command them all. Even Tengen's ultimate evolution leaned toward becoming a cursed spirit.
With just a bit more patience, he could've absorbed nearly every curse in existence—everything except perhaps Sukuna, whose abnormality defied reason.
Shinsuke's thoughts were interrupted as cracks spidered across the surface of the domain.
BOOM!
In the next instant, it shattered apart. The Yamazaru King staggered out, blood spilling from its maw, eyes blazing with rage.
"For a quasi–Special Grade, you really were strong," Geto said with a smile, arms spread wide.
At his side now stood another spirit—a plump-faced curse with flowing hair, hands hidden inside wide sleeves, its narrowed, beady eyes radiating a strange humor.
A Special Grade: the Imaginary Vengeful Spirit, Tamamo-no-Mae.
A curse with a domain of its own—perfect fuel for his growing arsenal.
"ROOOAR!!"
The Yamazaru King glared at him with burning resentment. It had only wanted to hide in these mountains, slowly evolving into a true Special Grade. Why was it being denied that fate?
Snarling, it turned and bolted—not toward freedom, but straight for Shinsuke, Nanami, and Riko.
It wasn't stupid. It knew escape was unlikely. Its only chance was to use the three of them as leverage. If they were close to Geto, threatening their lives might buy it time.
The three-meter-tall beast dropped to all fours and charged like a juggernaut.
Nanami's face froze, his knuckles whitening around his short blade.
But then his eyes flicked sideways.
Riko had already darted behind their supervising instructor, using Shinsuke as a human shield.
Quietly, Nanami sheathed his weapon—and took a step back.
He knew his limits—right now, he was nowhere near strong enough to take on that cursed spirit. Better to let Master Zen'in get them out of here.
At that thing's speed, there's no way it could catch up anyway.
"Am I being treated like an easy target?"
Zen'in Shinsuke smirked as he watched the Yamazaru lunging toward him. His right hand slowly unclipped the crimson three-section staff hanging at his waist.
He had only intended to watch the fight, but this monkey was starting to get full of itself.
Just like certain sorcerers, it seemed to think anyone without cursed energy was worthless.
The monkey's razor claws gleamed as it thrust for Shinsuke's throat, intent on tearing him apart in one strike. In its eyes, this human wasn't even worth taking hostage—no cursed energy, no value.
But in that split second, its gaze flickered.
The man before it showed no fear. Instead, his arms spread wide, as if welcoming the claws.
He was smiling.
That twisted grin sparked a primal dread in the cursed spirit's chest.
"Wait! Don't kill it!!"
From a distance, Getō Suguru's voice rang out, panicked. He'd just found a decent cursed spirit—if this guy destroyed it, all his effort would be wasted!
"Crack!!"
A brutal sound split the air.
The Yamazaru King's eyes grew vacant. In its mind, scenes flashed—the moment it had first become a cursed spirit, no more than a weak fourth-grade. It remembered bounding joyfully through the mountains.
But it was lonely.
Seeking company, it ventured to a village at the mountain's foot, hoping to find humans who could see it and play.
Instead, people screamed in terror. Rumors spread, twisting into monstrous tales.
The fear strengthened it. Others like it began to appear.
Confused at first, it slowly grew to hate humans.
It hadn't done anything, yet they painted it as evil.
With its newfound strength, it began retaliating against the villagers—sending its kin to devour a few humans every couple of years.
If they feared it so much, then fine. It would make sure they never escaped that fear.
"...Hrr."
Clarity returned to its gaze. Its body was fading away.
So—it was already dead.
Its final glance fell on the man who killed it. That man's eyes were calm, indifferent—neither joyous nor sorrowful, as if he'd merely swatted a bug.
That one... he's the true monster to fear.
"Gulp."
"T-That… thing… it's dead?"
Riko peeked out from behind cover, her eyes wide at the sight of the Yamazaru King's ruined body disintegrating. She swallowed hard.
This old man… was terrifying.
Shinsuke casually shook the blood off Playful Cloud, his special-grade cursed tool worth five hundred million yen, and shrugged.
"Well, what else was I supposed to do?"
It was already in his face—should he just stand there and let it choke him to death?
That'd be way too embarrassing.
"Hey! You bastard!!"
Getō's expression twisted with frustration. His prize had been stolen right in front of him—wasn't this going too far?
He'd been grateful a moment ago, and now this?
"Oh, my bad, Getō-boy," Shinsuke said with a sheepish grin. "Forgot you could absorb this thing. Didn't think it'd pop like a balloon."
Then his face froze.
The scripture inside his body suddenly trembled.
Without warning, a powerful suction drew the energy from the Yamazaru King's dissipating body straight into the scripture.
A surge of scorching heat coursed through his veins, flowing into the fifth gate of the Eight Gates—the Gate of Closing.
His entire body surged with newfound strength.
The scripture's display shifted:
[Gate of Closing 1%] → [Gate of Closing 4%]
Shinsuke's cheek twitched violently.
Seriously?! You had this kind of function and didn't bother telling me sooner?!