The air was thick and suffocating. The sky had already taken on a hint of blue. Day was about to break.
A cold, slimy chill crept up Pakura's spine.
"Pakura-sama!"
"Ahhhhh!"
"Monster!"
"..."
The terrified cries of the Sunagakure ninjas behind her gradually faded from Pakura's ears.
She stared intently at the hand reaching out from the purple vortex. It was as if she could see nothing but that hand in front of her. The hand gripped Pakura's arm tightly, its nails digging deep into her flesh.
"Ugh..."
Pakura's movements instantly froze. The light in her eyes suddenly vanished.
This hand, devoid of warmth and bone-chillingly cold, seemed to pierce directly into the depths of her soul through the skin it touched.
"Hoo... hoo..."
Her pupils suddenly contracted to their limit and her body began to tremble violently. A suffocating gurgling sound escaped her throat. She felt her aoul was like a toy laid bare.
Her soul became a piece of play-doh, being kneaded and played with at will by a cold hand.
[Ding!]
[System detected Pakura's fear value +10000]
[Your Cursed Spirit Hanami's rank has increased to 73.7%]
This was the terrifying aspect of Mahito. No matter the difference in strength, as long as one was touched by it unprepared, they were as good as dead.
Mahito's body fully emerged from the purple vortex. He held Pakura's hand, his heterochromatic eyes gleaming with excitement.
It wasn't as if he was holding Pakura's hand, but rather as if he had found an interesting toy. He couldn't bear to let go.
Like a child.
"Ah..."
Mahito let out a sigh of satisfaction that almost trembled. His voice was like a poisonous snake, coiling around Pakura's neck.
"I found it... your soul... what a wonderful shape."
"Your soul is much better than those rough guys."
Mahito tilted its head slightly, feeling Pakura's trembling soul, his joyful smile widening, his lips almost reaching his ears, revealing his pale white teeth.
[Ding!]
[System detected Pakura's fear value +10000]
[Your Cursed Spirit Hanami's rank has increased to 74.7%]
Haruki thought, 'Hanami truly was a Cursed Spirit that won by just lying there.'
Without even appearing, it had companions to boost its strength.
"That's great..."
Mahito's laughter echoed on the battlefield.
Suddenly, he turned his head to look at Haruki, with a hint of grievance in his eyes. "Can I kill her? Last time you took me back so quickly, I didn't even get to have fun."
His tone was almost like a spoiled child's.
Haruki felt a chill. Among all the Cursed Spirits, he only allowed Rika to speak to him in that tone.
Haruki looked at Pakura. Pakura's pupils were wide, unable to move because her soul was being held in Mahito's palm.
"Kill her. After you kill her, take a strand of her hair." Haruki ordered Mahito emotionlessly.
"Okay." Mahito smiled sweetly at Haruki.
The next second, Pakura's body began to twist unnaturally in his hand. Mahito's other hand pulled a lot of hair from Pakura's head and handed it to Haruki. Pakura's bones made a grating, subtle sound.
Haruki carefully put away Pakura's hair. Pakura's body gradually lost its human shape. A monster was born under Mahito's hands.
"Roar..."
The monster let out a roar, and surprisingly, charged towards the Sunagakure ninjas.
"Pakura-sama!"
"What happened?"
"Pakura-sama!"
"It's that person!"
"It's not a person!"
"It's the one who turned Pakura-sama into this..."
"..."
The Sunagakure ninjas were breathing heavily.
Rika's crisis had not yet been resolved. Another Mahito had arrived.
[Ding!]
[System detected Suna Ninja A's fear value +3000]
[Ding!]
[System detected Suna Ninja B's fear value +3000]
...
[Currently, a total of 18000 fear points have been collected, your Cursed Spirit Hanami's rank has increased to 76.5%]
With Mahito there, Haruki recalled Rika. Mahito had a unique talent for collecting emotional values. This kind of thing should be left to him.
"Yuta..."
Rika enveloped Haruki beneath her massive body.
"You've worked hard, Rika." Haruki gently stroked Rika's lowered head.
"Yuta!" Rika's shy voice was filled with excitement.
With Rika standing guard, Haruki confidently began to heal the injuries of the Amegakure ninjas in front of him.
Mahito looked at the vigilant Sunagakure ninjas and spread his arms, a wide smile on his face.
"Here I come!" He let out a cheerful cry.
He leaped up.
Bang!
Mahito's body seemed weightless, leaping nearly ten meters high, and he landed in the center of the Sunagakure ninjas, stirring up the surrounding wind.
The Sunagakure ninjas watched him nervously, breathing rapidly.
"Don't be afraid of him!"
"Attack!"
"But Pakura-sama was not his match."
"We have so many people, what's there to be afraid of..."
"..."
The leading Sunagakure ninja kept comforting his companions but the fear in his eyes contradicted his words.
The Sunagakure ninja gritted his teeth, forming hand signs with all his Chakra, and the yellow sand on the ground suddenly erupted.
The yellow sand, like a giant python, rushed towards Mahito from all directions with a dull whistling sound, attempting to instantly crush him within the heavy sand.
"Ah!"
"How interesting!"
Mahito's smile became even brighter. He was completely unaware of the danger. He treated the battlefield as his playground.
His lips stretched even wider, almost reaching his ears. Instead of dodging, he spread his arms.
The sand flow precisely coiled around his limbs.
The ninjas' hearts tightened. Had they succeeded?
"That's great!"
"This guy is much easier to deal with than the monster just now."
"..."
The ninjas couldn't help but exclaim.
The next second, a sudden change occurred.
Mahito, whose limbs were tightly bound by the yellow sand, suddenly shrank. From the slender figure of a teenager, he transformed into a child of three or four years old. He easily broke free from his restraints and ran wildly across the battlefield.
Clear laughter, like silver bells, echoed on the battlefield.
[Ding!]
[System detected Suna Ninja A's fear value +2000]
[Ding!]
[System detected Suna Ninja B's fear value +2000]
...
[Currently, a total of 12000 fear points have been collected. Your Cursed Spirit Hanami's rank has increased to 77.7%]
"What kind of monster?"
The Sunagakure ninjas cried out in alarm.
Mahito laughed wildly, charging into the Sunagakure ninjas and clapping his hands towards them.
Haruki looked at the Amegakure ninjas beside him. He wanted the Sunagakure ninjas' emotional value, and he wanted the Amegakure ninjas' emotional value too.
"I said I would control the power of the curses and protect everyone."
"This time, I did it!"
Haruki looked at the surviving Amegakure ninjas, his eyes red, and his pupils gleaming with hope.
(End of Chapter)
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