Chapter 185: The Battle Begins
Whoosh—whoosh!
Within the forest, several figures darted rapidly through the trees.
"Do you feel it?"
Kaguya's expression had grown grave.
"Besides the presence of cursed spirits, something far stronger is closing in on us."
The two Special-Grade curses placed in the competition area were only newly evolved beings—freshly emerged from the cursed womb stage.
For the participants of this exchange, such Special-Grade curses were hardly a threat.
The true contest lay elsewhere.
It was no longer about whether they could exorcise the Special-Grade curses, but which side could block the other and seize the kill first.
"It's Boses,"
Ria warned softly.
"The strongest of Simurian's younger generation."
His presence was overwhelming—completely undisguised, radiating power without restraint.
In the future, he might even reach the same level as her sister—the strongest warrior among the Simurian Starfolk.
"Showing up this openly…"
Gojo Kamui smirked slightly.
"He's confident, I'll give him that."
After a month of intense training, he had been itching for a real opponent to test his strength.
"So… are we finally clashing?"
Zen'in Kaon felt a surge of anticipation.
She wanted to know—
could the results of her recent training truly stand against a top-tier Simurian warrior?
Seeing the fighting spirit burning in all three of them, Ria's expression tightened with concern.
"Shouldn't we deal with the curses first?" she said cautiously.
"If we clash with them now, both sides might end up badly wounded."
The forest grew heavier with pressure.
The battle was about to begin.
"If this drags on, both sides might end up wiped out by the two Special-Grade curses."
"Judging by the situation," Gojo Kamui said, a faint gleam flashing in his eyes as he focused on the distant movement,
"they're not going to let us exorcise the curses that easily. They're already here."
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh…
Seven figures burst out from the depths of the forest, arriving before them in an instant.
Boses swept his gaze across the group, finally stopping on Ria. He didn't speak.
He already knew she would be representing the human side in this match.
"You three—go deal with the curses," Boses ordered calmly.
"The rest of you, stay with me and hold them back."
Without wasting words, he pointed out three Simurian warriors to handle the Special-Grade curses, leaving the four strongest behind to block the Earth team.
"Yes."
The three selected warriors immediately broke formation and rushed toward the curses.
Seeing this, Kaguya struck first.
His figure blurred as he intercepted them, the long blade in his hand erupting with violent cursed energy as he swung.
A razor-sharp arc tore across the ground, cursed energy surging straight toward the three Simurian warriors.
They all retreated at once, narrowly dodging the strike.
"So all seven of you came straight here," Kaguya said coldly.
"Trying to secure the Special-Grade kills first? Don't think we'll let you pass that easily."
"Four of you plan to stop seven?"
Boses replied coolly.
"Do you really think that's possible?"
"Move!"
With a single command, Boses and three of his teammates charged forward at the same time.
One of the top-tier warriors veered toward Kaguya.
"I'll handle him. The rest of you—secure the points."
"This is getting bad," Zen'in Kaon muttered.
"Ria, protect yourself."
She stepped forward to face Boses directly, warning Ria as she did.
Gojo Kamui intercepted the remaining top-tier warrior.
Ria's pressure eased slightly. After training under Alice, she could at least hold her own for a few exchanges—and given her identity, the Simurian warriors wouldn't dare seriously injure her under public scrutiny.
The battlefield was instantly split.
Kaon's group was pinned down, while three Simurian warriors remained free to hunt the Special-Grade curses.
If those two curses were exorcised first, the sorcerers' defeat would be almost guaranteed.
Facing Boses' overwhelming pressure, Kaon clenched her fist and charged straight at him.
His presence was terrifying—but if he wanted close combat, she wasn't afraid.
Boses froze for a moment.
A girl… charging him head-on with her fists?
So Earth's young sorcerers were this ferocious?
The muscles in his arm swelled as he met her attack.
If this was the kind of opponent that made the High Priest send him into the youth division, then he would see her strength for himself.
Their fists collided—
BOOM!
Cursed energy exploded outward. The shockwave shredded trees and vegetation, cracking the ground beneath them.
Pain surged through Boses' arm. His expression changed instantly.
So strong?!
Crack—crack—
The sound of breaking bone rang out. Boses leapt backward, only then realizing his hand was mangled—flesh torn, bones shattered.
He had lost in raw strength… to a human girl?!
Activating reverse cursed technique, he healed himself and refocused.
The High Priest hadn't exaggerated.
Earth's younger generation truly possessed warriors comparable to Simurian's elite.
Kaon was equally shaken.
If she hadn't reinforced herself with Star's Rage, she would've been the one injured.
But there was no time to dwell on it.
Their entire team was pinned down—and the enemy still had three free fighters.
They had to stall all seven of them until their allies arrived.
Kaon formed hand seals instantly.
"Divine Dogs!"
"Nue!"
Two shikigami appeared in succession, sent to intercept the three Simurian warriors heading for the curses.
She didn't need them to win—just to interfere.
The Special-Grade curses wouldn't sit still, and with her shikigami disrupting them, the enemy wouldn't finish the exorcism anytime soon.
"Fighting me while you're distracted?"
Boses scoffed.
"That's some confidence."
He had already healed and struck again, catching Kaon off guard.
BOOM!
Her hard-earned combat instincts kicked in. She twisted aside as cursed energy obliterated the ground beside her—barely missing her.
"Good awareness," Boses said, eyeing the shikigami fading into the forest.
"That technique… are you related to Fushiguro Megumi?"
"He's my cousin," Kaon replied calmly, retreating deeper into the forest.
The best option now was clear—draw the battlefield toward the Special-Grade curses and seize an opening mid-fight.
"So that's the connection."
Boses pressed the attack, his interest rising. He had wanted to test himself against Fushiguro—but Kaon was proving just as worthy.
Elsewhere—
Todo Joi's group had already exorcised several curses.
Earth's team had accumulated 27 points, while the Simurian side was still at zero.
With real-time score tracking and the violent fluctuations coming from deep within the forest, the three immediately sensed trouble.
"Change of plans," Todo said sharply.
"Rendezvous with them immediately!"
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