The gargoyle's screech tore through the crimson-tinted air as it lunged, its claws aiming to tear through both sorcerers. Furōkawa and Hinami moved as one, each slipping past its deadly strikes in fluid synchronization. The tattoo's searing pain was a violent reminder of the lack of time they had, but neither could afford to hesitate.
Hinami was the first to strike. His gauntlets pulsed with blue light as he dashed in low, his fist coiling like a spring.
"Vibrato: ActOne!"
The moment his punch connected with the gargoyle's ribs, the shockwave detonated outward like a bomb. The impact sent cracks webbing across the curse's rocky flesh as it was launched into the side of a nearby building. The structure caved in on itself, stone and debris collapsing in a thunderous avalanche.
"I'll handle this thing. Go find centipede man."
Furō hesitated with Onamazu in hand, his eyes flickering toward the gargoyle, which was already pulling itself from the rubble fully regenerated. The cracks on its body were diminished, and its fury still burned strong.
"You sure?"
Hinami cracked his neck. "I've fought this thing for two hours alone already. I just needed someone to give me that group confidence boost."
Furō didn't waste another second. He absorbed Onamazu to not let excess cursed energy be released, turned on his heel, and leapt into the depths of the domain, leaving Hinami to finish what he started.
The gargoyle let out a deep, guttural growl before using its tail cannon to rocket forward once again. This time, its claws slashed in rapid succession, faster than before, each swipe a blur of deadly force.
But Hinami grinned, his footwork weaving around the attacks like water slipping through cracks.
His counterattack was immediate. His gauntlets roared to life, vibrating at an deep frequency as he stepped in close and delivered a devastating uppercut to the gargoyle's jaw. The cursed creature's head snapped back violently, a crack! echoing through the warped city. But Hinami wasn't done.
Before the gargoyle could regain its footing, Hinami hopped of the ground, twisted mid-air, and cocked his right leg back.
"Vibrato: ActTwo!"
His heel crashed down onto the gargoyle's skull like a meteor, the force so immense that the ground beneath them cratered. A deep, jagged fracture splintered across the curse's head, and for the first time, it let out a pained, almost human-like scream.
Hinami smirked, dusting off his pants. "That one had to hurt, huh?"
The gargoyle twitched, its once-feral glare now flickering with something else.
Furō navigated the eerie streets, his stomach twisting with unease. The centipede tattoo had climbed to his collarbone now, writhing like a living parasite beneath his skin.
And then Furō saw him.
The Kodoku Ritual sorcerer stood atop a broken rooftop, his eyes darting wildly as if searching for an escape. He flinched as Furō landed a few feet away.
"Stay back!" he hissed. "You—You can't kill me! If you do, the tattoo might—"
Furō didn't let him finish. In an instant, he grabbed the centipede sorcerer by the throat and slammed him into the crumbling wall behind them. The man wheezed, struggling in his grasp.
"Drop the domain." Furō's voice was cold, devoid of patience. "Or we all die."
The sorcerer coughed, laughing weakly through the pain. "You're bluffing. You'll kill yourself before any significant damage is done to me."
Furō didn't respond. Instead, he raised his free hand, and a cursed energy spear materialized—one unlike the many he had summoned before.
He began to chant.
"Spirit Spring."
The Kodoku Ritual sorcerer's breath hitched.
"Lost Alioth."
His eyes widened in horror. The cursed energy inside of the spear grew intensely, but advanced the progression of the centipede tattoo due to the outrageous amount of energy being generated and contained within the spear.
"Shinsu."
The tattoos on their bodies flared red-hot. The centipede markings surged up Furō's neck, reaching his jaw. Hinami, still fighting, felt his mark crawl toward his lower neck. The gargoyle, nearly shattered, spasmed as its own tattoo crept toward its face.
"No, no, no—!" The centipede sorcerer thrashed in Furō's grip. "I—I'll drop it!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the domain shattered. The crimson-tinted world dissolved, collapsing back into reality. The tattoos immediately halted, and Furō could already feel the pain leaving his body from a reverse cursed technique.
Hinami's voice rang from the battlefield. "Tattoos stopped growing!"
Furō exhaled, his grip on the sorcerer tightening. He barely registered Hinami's shout.
"Finish him while his technique is still burned out!!"
Furō said nothing. He simply grabbed the man's head with both hands and flared his wings outward. The Kodoku Ritual sorcerer screamed in utter agony as Furō channeled his corrosive energy into the palms of his hands.
His flesh began decaying in an instant. Caustic Sea turned his skin to a black blight, muscle and sinew rotting away until nothing remained but bone. The skull, now bare and brittle, cracked under Furō's grip. The body crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
A Kogane appeared above him. "A player has been eliminated. 5 points have been added."
Furō barely paid it any mind because something else grabbed his attention immediately.
The tattoos… they weren't disappearing.
Instead, they started pulsating with unstable cursed energy.
Furōkawa began to panic.
'A contingency plan? Techniques are supposed to dwindle after death! Is this a binding vow?! Shit, no time to think!'
Furōkawa reacted hastily, his hands glowing with corrosion as he gritted his teeth and burned away the remaining foreign energy from his body. The writhing tattoos stilled, then disintegrated.
But then he turned to Hinami and the gargoyle spirit—
And his heart sank.
The centipede markings had reached Hinami's lower neck. His expression twisted in frustration as he tried to redirect the curse's energy, but Hinami was too late.
The tattoo flared a deep, ominous red and suddenly, Hinami's torso exploded.
Blood, chunks of meat, and shattered bones burst outward as the explosion ripped through his body. His right arm was completely obliterated, along with most of his right side. His face twisted in shock, his eyes flickering toward Furō.
A strained breath and blood left his lips.
"…Damn," his final words.
Then he collapsed.
Silence.
Furō stared at the fallen body of his new comrade—the stakes of the battle finally sinking in. His fists clenched as he looked away, the small victory feeling hollow.
He exhaled sharply, wiping the blood from his face as he faced the gargoyle who slowly regenerated from having almost its entire left side and tail blown to bits.