Chapter 27 – On the Brink, Reinforcements Arrive!
The cursed spirit advanced step by step toward Mei Mei, its lips curling into a grin as it reveled in the ecstasy of its own power.
"Humans… amuse me to your fullest."
BOOM!
Its legs detonated against the ground, shattering the pavement as its body blurred forward like a thunderbolt.
One arm cocked back, fist blazing with lightning so bright it seared the eyes.
Mei Mei steadied her axe and muttered under her breath:
"Hope the others get here soon…"
There was no other option—she had to meet it head-on.
CLANG!!
Steel met flesh. Her massive axe crashed against its fist, the clash ringing like a bell. But the lightning that surged through the blow numbed half her body instantly.
The raw strength hurled her through the air, forcing her to crash-roll across the ground.
Completely outmatched.
Her breathing turned ragged, her face pale. Feeling the numbness spreading through her limbs, she knew—
if she didn't run now, she wouldn't get the chance later.
"Oh? What's wrong, human? That's all you've got? I haven't even tried yet!"
The curse roared with mad delight, lunging again. Its thunder-clad fist came crashing down.
Mei Mei parried with her axe, while secretly activating her innate technique—Black Bird Manipulation.
"Your martial arts aren't bad, human. Now hurry—show me your technique!"
Its expression twisted into mania. It had a peculiar obsession: studying sorcerers' techniques to fuel its own evolution.
"My technique? Oh, it's pathetically weak. But if you really want to see it…" Mei Mei deflected another blow, her tone dry with sarcasm.
If her cursed technique had been strong, she never would've pushed her body this far into brutal hand-to-hand mastery.
Still—weak or not, she had one trick worth showing.
Kicking back to gain distance, Mei Mei snapped her fingers.
"Kamaitachi!"
SWISH!!
A crow shot forth like a bullet, faster than the eye could follow—its speed eclipsing the sound barrier.
The cursed spirit's instincts screamed. It jerked its head aside—
BANG!
Half its skull exploded in a spray of blood and lightning.
Had it not flinched at the last instant, the shot would've taken its head clean off.
"Tch. Just a little more and it would've been over," Mei Mei muttered, disappointment flashing in her eyes. "Still, that should make things easier."
Her self-destructive crow attack was something she trusted completely.
Any ordinary special grade would have been exorcised on the spot.
But this one… was anything but ordinary.
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
"You actually hurt me, human!"
The spirit's glee grew feverish. Its shattered skull knit back together in seconds. Lightning swirled and condensed into its hand, forging a cross-shaped sword of pure electricity.
The currents dancing across its black scales flared brighter, its cursed energy pressing down like a suffocating storm.
Mei Mei's brows furrowed.
This is bad…
Cursed spirits already healed quickly by nature. But a special grade like this? There was no hope of wearing it down.
Even if every first-grade sorcerer here fought together, it would make no difference.
This one demanded a special grade to handle.
"Utahime! Fall back!" Mei Mei barked, leaping into a retreat.
Money be damned. Staying alive came first.
"Running, human? Where do you think you're going?"
The towering curse flashed like lightning itself, reappearing behind her.
Its thunder-sword raised high, its grin feral.
So long as she had fought, it had indulged her.
But to flee? There was only one punishment.
"Mei Mei!!"
Utahime's pupils shrank, her chest seizing. Against such overwhelming might, how could they possibly win?
"…Damn. And I didn't even save enough money yet…"
Mei Mei's thoughts turned bitterly rueful as the blade descended.
At least she'd left enough behind for her brother to live comfortably. That was her only comfort.
"Finally found you."
A shadow streaked from above, descending like a meteor.
A single arm, veins bulging like coiled dragons, gripped a crimson staff—Playful Cloud, the legendary special grade cursed tool.
WHAM!!
The curse turned in alarm just as the staff crashed into its body, bending it like a bow and hurling it through several buildings in a cascade of collapsing rubble.
"Another flower of youth nearly wilted. You alright?"
Zen'in Shinsuke stood before Mei Mei, staff still humming with impact.
He glanced at her, noting how she struggled even to lift her axe.
"…Haa… still breathing. Barely. Damn near died back there. If the higher-ups don't triple the pay for this, I swear I'll make a scene."
Mei Mei dragged herself up, her body tingling with lingering paralysis.
"Mei Mei!" Utahime rushed over, catching her arm, face etched with worry.
"Don't fret, little Utahime. I'm fine." Mei Mei leaned on her for balance, forcing a smirk.
Zen'in Shinsuke hefted Playful Cloud and stepped forward.
"You two, get clear. This one's mine."
Zen'in Shinsuke smirked as the cursed spirit rose from the rubble.
Finally, a special grade—and not just any ordinary one.
"Be careful, this one isn't simple!" Mei Mei quickly warned.
"So that's why… no cursed energy. No wonder I didn't sense it."
The cursed spirit stepped out of the ruins, the mangled flesh on its head knitting back together. Having its skull smashed twice in a row left it simmering with rage.
"A human with no cursed energy? Better think carefully about how you want to die."
It gripped the lightning sword tightly and swung. A thunderous arc of lightning ripped from the blade, cleaving toward Shinsuke.
"Boom!"
With a casual sweep of Playful Cloud, Shinsuke shattered the bolt apart.
"Another cursed spirit that looks down on people."
He slid Playful Cloud together into a single staff and blurred forward, closing the gap in an instant. If he hesitated, someone else might claim this prey—he wasn't about to let a meal walk away.
"Hmph! So your only trick is speed."
Lightning flared violently across the cursed spirit's body as it clashed with Shinsuke. Their figures flickered like afterimages, colliding again and again, shaking the earth, soaring into the sky, then crashing back down.
Gulp.
"Mei Mei-senpai… should we help him?" Iori Utahime swallowed hard, her eyes wide at the sight of Shinsuke holding his own against such a formidable special grade.
So this aloof old man was this strong?
"How? Your technique is useless against him." Mei Mei shot her a look.
He had no cursed energy—Utahime's support techniques were meaningless. And Mei Mei herself was injured, unable to contribute. As for the grade 2 and lower sorcerers nearby… it was a miracle if they didn't just get in the way.
"…Right." Utahime realized, belatedly, that Shinsuke didn't have cursed energy.
"By the way, wasn't Kusakabe-sensei supposed to be paired with him? Where is he?"
"Hah… hah… hah… I'm here at last!"
Just as Utahime voiced her doubt, Kusakabe arrived, gasping for breath. After a frantic sprint and reckless driving, he had barely made it. Seeing Shinsuke already locked in battle with the special grade, he couldn't help but grumble:
"Did Shinsuke-sensei fly here or something?"
"How are you two holding up, Utahime, Mei Mei? Are you safe?" Kusakabe asked quickly.
"If Shinsuke-sensei had been even one second later, you wouldn't be seeing us right now," Utahime said, giving him the quick rundown of what had happened.
"This cursed spirit's really that strong?" Kusakabe muttered, glancing at Shinsuke—attacking with a manic grin plastered on his face—and the special grade spirit struggling to keep up. His thoughts grew heavy.
"Wait a second… isn't Shinsuke-sensei just fighting because he wants to kill the cursed spirit? What proof, what reputation? This doesn't look like he's trying to prove himself at all…"