Chapter 187: Seizing the Special-Grade Curse
"One down. One left."
By the time Zen'in Kaon burst into the territory of the Special-Grade curse, her shikigami—Divine Dogs and Nue—had already dissipated into shadow.
One of the Special-Grade curses had been completely torn apart, its remains reduced to raging violet flames that burned away into nothingness.
All that remained was a humanoid Special-Grade curse—
and three Simurian warriors standing around it.
Kaon's sudden arrival made the three warriors halt their assault at once.
Their attention shifted simultaneously toward her.
A female Simurian warrior frowned slightly, surprise flashing through her eyes.
"…Did Boses lose?"
"That's impossible," one of the others immediately shot back.
"Brother Boses is far too strong. There's no way he was defeated."
"I can still sense his presence," the third added calmly.
"He's probably been held back by something."
The female warrior took a step forward, studying Kaon closely.
"My name is Yuno," she said.
"With just you alone, there's no way you're stealing our prey from the three of us."
Kaon straightened, her gaze steady and fearless.
"My name is Zen'in Kaon," she replied.
"The future strongest jujutsu sorcerer."
She looked past them—to the remaining Special-Grade curse.
"And that one?"
"It's mine."
Kaon's eyes burned with resolve.
They had to win this match.
Hearing that, Yuno stopped talking. Her legs slammed into the ground as she burst forward like a blur.
"I'll handle her. You two—finish off the curse!"
The two Simurian warriors moved in perfect coordination, charging straight toward the humanoid Special-Grade curse.
Two warriors at quasi–special-grade level dealing with a single Special-Grade curse—
that should have been easy.
Seeing this, Kaon surged forward, her hands flashing through seals at blinding speed.
"Nue. Great Serpent. Round Deer…"
"Merged Beast Agito!"
Cursed energy roared as Kaon forced out her remaining potential, fusing multiple shikigami into a single humanoid monstrosity.
Long antlers.
Patterned, inhuman eyes.
Razor-sharp claws radiating crushing pressure.
The Beast planted itself in front of Kaon and swung a massive claw at Yuno.
Bang!
Yuno instantly shifted from attack to defense, raising her arms to protect her head—but the sheer force still sent her flying more than ten meters, smashing through several trees.
Kaon didn't pause. She sprinted toward the other two warriors.
As long as she didn't stack Star Rage onto her shikigami, she could still keep fighting.
"Watch out!" Yuno shouted, scrambling to her feet and trying to intercept—but the beast immediately stuck to her, refusing to let her disengage.
"Get out of my way!"
Yuno roared as the third eye on her forehead snapped open. The ground trembled violently, splitting apart as stone and soil surged together, forming a massive spear that shot forward with a sonic boom.
The stone lance pierced straight through the beast's torso, blasting a massive hole through its abdomen as purple blood sprayed everywhere.
Yuno ignored the wounded shikigami and charged after Kaon—
Only to be struck the next instant.
Golden lightning erupted from behind.
"AAAAH—!!"
Yuno screamed as her body convulsed and collapsed to the ground, scorched black. She twisted her head back just in time to see the beast looming over her, jaws open, lightning crackling between its teeth.
The gaping wound in its abdomen was already regenerating at a visible rate.
Now she understood why even Boses had been held back.
A summoned creature that regenerates… and uses reversed cursed techniques?
How are you supposed to fight that unless you kill it in one blow?
Gritting her teeth, Yuno forced herself upright and focused solely on the beast.
As for Zen'in Kaon—
she left her to her teammates.
There was no way Kaon could summon another monster like that.
And indeed, she couldn't.
After consecutively summoning multiple powerful shikigami, Kaon was running low. Facing two warriors near her cousin's level, she knew she couldn't defeat them outright in her current state.
I just have to stall.
Kaon attacked using only raw cursed-energy reinforcement.
One Simurian warrior wielding a long staff stepped forward, engaging her directly. The other continued charging toward the Special-Grade curse.
"You're impressive, Earth warrior," the staff-user said as he swung, clashing with Kaon.
"But our plan is still superior. As long as I hold you here, my teammate will finish the curse."
Respect aside, this was a competition. Victory mattered more.
"Is that so?" Kaon replied, veins bulging as she tightened her fist.
"Did you forget—we have teammates too?"
She threw a brutal punch.
The staff warrior roared back, cursed energy wrapping around his weapon as he smashed downward.
Crack—!
Black-and-red lightning exploded through the air as fist met staff. Space warped violently—
—and the staff shattered in half.
The warrior's pupils contracted as he leapt backward.
"Piercing Blood!"
A crimson beam shot out of the forest, punching straight through his shoulder before he could react. Blood sprayed everywhere.
The instant pain registered, his third eye snapped open—
—but before he could activate his technique, a crouched silhouette flashed into his blind spot.
"New Shadow Style: Batto Slash!"
A blade flashed.
A thin red line appeared across the warrior's chest before blood burst outward. His body flew backward, slammed into a tree, and collapsed—completely incapacitated.
He wasn't a top-tier warrior.
Without reversed cursed techniques, this damage ended the fight.
Still, he smiled.
"You're… too late."
His gaze shifted to the distance.
His teammate had beaten the curse to the brink of collapse. One final strike would finish it.
"You've lost this match!"
The remaining Simurian warrior raised his blade, ready to deliver the killing blow and secure victory—
Clap.
A sudden applause echoed.
The Simurian warrior vanished.
In his place stood a towering, muscular figure, a blissful grin on his face.
"To the alien who might become my best friend someday—"
"as a little surprise for our first meeting…"
"I'll be taking this prey."