BOOM—!
Violent flames erupted like a volcanic explosion, merging into a single torrent of fire that engulfed the figure ahead amidst relentless waves of heat and light.
"Hah!"
Jogo grinned savagely as cursed energy surged from his body, transforming into continuous bursts of flame that poured forth like a ruptured dam.
"No matter how strong you are, no one can survive being roasted alive by my flames—not even if your flesh were as dense as steel! Your death will prove that cursed spirits are far superior to humans!"
The erupting inferno didn't just swallow Roy—it consumed the entire building ahead. Glass melted into golden liquid in the blink of an eye, reinforced concrete walls softened under the heat, and every human inside was reduced to ashes the moment the flames reached them.
Against such intense burning, even a body hardened like steel would be incinerated. Even with cursed energy reinforcing one's defenses, severe burns would be inevitable—
That was what Jogo believed.
Until a figure suddenly appeared in his peripheral vision, streaking toward him like an arrow.
The man delivered a midair kick.
The speed was unimaginable.
BOOM—!!
Jogo barely registered the blur before an overwhelming force slammed into his side.
The next instant, he felt as though he'd been hit by a supersonic jet. His body shot backward like a bullet, crashing uncontrollably through a building behind him. The impact didn't stop there—he tore straight through the structure, smashed into the ground, and skipped across the pavement like a stone on water before finally skidding to a stop.
"Guh—!!"
Jogo vomited a mouthful of blood, staining his spotted robe crimson.
If he hadn't reinforced his body with cursed energy at the last second, that single kick would have shattered him apart!
Even so, his entire body burned with the agony of broken bones, leaving him momentarily unable to stand.
But more than the pain, what truly stunned him was what had just happened.
"What...? I saw my flames hit him directly—!"
"Jogo!"
On the street, Hanami's voice tightened with concern as she watched Jogo get sent flying.
But then—
She froze.
Every nerve in her body screamed as if struck by lightning, her instincts blaring warnings of imminent danger.
"Don't rush."
Roy's voice came from beside her—she hadn't even sensed his approach.
A friendly smile spread across his face.
Yet the pressure radiating from him was so overwhelming that Hanami's body locked up completely. As a cursed spirit who surpassed humanity, she now felt like prey staring down a predator far more ancient and monstrous than herself.
"I'll send you to join him right away."
"Gh—!"
Hanami let out a strained grunt, her instincts forcing her to act in the split second before disaster struck.
Her cursed energy spread through her hands, sprouting tree-like orbs the size of human heads. From them, countless branches extended like a cage, sealing Roy within.
"Boring tricks."
Hanami watched as Roy was enveloped by her branches.
But the next moment, she suddenly realized Roy had inexplicably appeared outside her branch prison. He hadn't made any visible movements, yet he naturally evaded her attack—as if she had never aimed at him in the first place.
Boom!
Roy's fist shot out like a mortar and pestle.
Hanami had been on guard against his potential attacks from the start. The moment he swung his fist, her tense nerves reacted at lightning speed, and she dodged sideways.
Her reflexes were undeniably fast—to react at such close range was impressive, and Roy didn't hesitate to acknowledge that.
Immediately after.
Hanami was sent flying with speed no less than Jogo's, crashing through a nearby building like a missile. Her body tumbled like a top across the ground, rolling over a dozen times before barely coming to a stop on another street.
Not far away was the crater left by Jogo's earlier impact.
"What just happened…? I definitely dodged his punch…!"
Staggering to her feet, Hanami clutched her deeply dented chest, utterly bewildered.
Her first attack—the branch cage—she had been certain it had trapped Roy. Even if he broke free, it should have taken time. Considering his terrifying physical prowess, she estimated at least 0.5 to 1 second.
But the reality was, she had never trapped him at all!
Then came his punch. She reacted with the fastest reflexes of her life, putting everything into dodging it.
Yet she was still sent flying!
It wasn't a case of him missing the first strike and landing a second—no, she had been hit by the very first punch. She thought she had dodged it, but she hadn't!
"What is going on? Thinking I hit but didn't, thinking I dodged but didn't… Is this his innate technique? One that creates illusions?"
On the battlefield.
"HAHAHAHA!"
Mahito let out a crazed laugh, swinging his spiked arms like flails, hurling them one after another at Roy, who stood motionless after sending Jogo and Hanami flying.
Roy turned, Mahito's flailing strikes filling his vision—yet he remained unmoved.
BOOM! BOOM!
Two thunderous impacts later, the flail strikes completely missed Roy, smashing into the ground beside him, fracturing the earth like shattered rock.
"Huh?"
Mahito's lips twisted in confusion.
He had been certain his strikes landed, yet somehow, his arms had completely bypassed Roy.
Refusing to accept it, Mahito swung his arms again, reshaping the flail ends into more manageable spheres, relentlessly hammering at Roy.
"You're the least interesting opponent among the three of you."
Roy took a step forward, then another, walking toward Mahito with a dismissive sneer.
Mahito continued his barrage, cratering the ground around Roy with each strike.
But no matter how many times he swung, not a single strike hit Roy.
"What the hell, damn it!"
Seeing Roy unharmed and getting closer, the anger in Mahito's chest flared, and he roared in frustration.
Roy opened the Imaginary Pocket once more.
Right in front of Mahito, he calmly retrieved several Black Keys from the pocket, slipping them between his fingers.
With a sharp shing, magical energy surged, weaving into shimmering silver blades.
"Guh...!"
The moment Mahito saw the Black Keys, his expression twisted into one of sheer dread.
In an instant, terrible memories flooded back, painting his face with a mix of fear, panic, and despair.
If those things pierced him, his soul would be immobilized—leaving him helpless, forced to watch as Roy killed him. It would be game over!
"Hummm—!"
Suddenly, the surrounding temperature skyrocketed.
A brilliant blaze erupted, illuminating the entire street that had dimmed after the neon lights faded.
"Heh heh!"
Mahito grinned, relief flashing across his face, and without hesitation, he bolted into the distance.
"Recovered this quickly?"
Roy sensed the locked-on presence and didn't chase Mahito. Instead, he looked up at the sky.
There stood Jogo, short and hunched like an old man, his injuries completely healed—though his energy had diminished slightly.
And now.
Above his head, he held aloft an enormous fireball, nearly twenty meters in diameter, its flames blazing like the sun, radiating scorching heat and blinding light.
"Maximum Technique—"
Jogo glared at Roy with bloodshot eyes, brimming with murderous intent.
"I'll prove that cursed spirits are the superior lifeforms, far surpassing humans! This strike will take your life—now die! Meteor!"
With a furious roar, Jogo swung his arm down.
The sun-like fireball descended like a meteor, tearing through the air, howling winds pressing people to the ground, unable to lift their heads.
"Run!"
"What the hell is happening?!"
The overwhelming heat felt like it would vaporize them in an instant. Even civilians a hundred meters away panicked, fleeing in all directions.
"Maximum Technique—the ultimate secret of all innate techniques, the most destructive strike!"
Hanami rode a tree orb up to a nearby high-rise, watching from above.
Though the attack was devastatingly powerful, unease gnawed at her.
"If this human's innate technique is creating illusions, then wide-range attacks are the most effective against him. But... can we really win with just this?"
That human was unnaturally strong—more like a monster than any of them, the cursed spirits.
A strange unease settled in Hanami's heart.
Unlike the frenzied Mahito or the impulsive Jogo, she was the rational one among them. Through this series of battles, she sensed something deeply wrong.
Before coming, she had thought three Special Grade cursed spirits against one human was a guaranteed victory.
After arriving, a single human was overpowering three special-grade cursed spirits, causing her confidence to plummet to rock bottom.
Roy's strength was so overwhelming that it even made her consider retreating.
"No, for the future of this planet, this human cannot be allowed to live!"
The hesitation in Hanami's heart lasted only a moment. To fulfill her ideals, she swiftly crushed that fleeting thought of escape.
With her resolve firm, Hanami clapped her hands together fiercely.
Crackle—!!
A series of rustling branches erupted like firecrackers.
From both sides of the street, massive roots thicker than buses surged from the ground, extending in all directions—up, down, left, right—intertwining and stretching, forming a pit of countless thick roots. Like a volcanic crater, it encircled the surroundings, leaving only the sky above as the sole exit.
This happened almost simultaneously with the meteor's descent.
The moment the enormous meteor fell, the thick roots sealed off all escape routes.
It was clearly meant to prevent Roy from using his astonishing speed to escape the meteor's impact range. With his speed, evading the strike before the meteor landed would have been effortless.
But those roots, as if by fate, blocked every possible path at that moment, trapping Roy inside the crater-like enclosure, forcing him to face the massive meteor Jogo had summoned.
The coordination between the two cursed spirits was seamless, their synergy so perfect it could be likened to that of a long-married couple.
"Tch."
Roy clicked his tongue in irritation—this was indeed troublesome for him.
His current strength was immense, his physique among the top-tier of Servants, rivaling even Heracles. With Okita's training memories, his combat skills were nothing to scoff at—Absolute Sword could pierce through all phenomena...
The only thing he lacked was a decisive, one-hit-killing trump card.
Originally, the Sword of the Black Furnace had filled that role. This demonic sword, capable of burning and severing all things, possessed an unstoppable force that could cut through any defense. By invoking Meteor Art, it could even expand to massive proportions, serving as a high-powered finishing move.
But now, the Sword of the Black Furnace was broken—completely unusable.
This dealt a significant blow to Roy, akin to having his sharpest fang ripped out, rendering his ultimate technique useless.
The result? Roy had no way to counter a killing move with another killing move.
"No choice..."