"Roar—!!"
That Quasi-Special Grade Imaginary Vengeful Spirit didn't give Lynn any room to breathe.
Its three heads, burning with eerie green ghost-fire, roared simultaneously. Its massive body, like an out-of-control heavy tank, surged toward Lynn, carrying a suffocating heatwave and deathly aura.
At this speed, the old Lynn would have certainly been sent flying.
But now.
"Too crude."
Lynn stood his ground, his feet rooted firmly to the floor.
Facing a collision powerful enough to crush rock, he simply shifted his body slightly, his black cane tilting upward at an incredibly tricky angle.
"Clang—!!!"
A thunderous boom, like a giant bell being struck, echoed through the cavern.
An unbelievable scene unfolded.
The giant Cursed Spirit, several times Lynn's size, seemed to hit an insurmountable wall the moment it collided with that slender cane.
The massive impact didn't send Lynn flying; instead, a visible ripple appeared at the point of contact, and then... it vanished eerily.
The shaft of the cane grew slightly hot, a faint dark red glow shimmering beneath its black surface.
"Good strength."
Lynn adjusted his glasses, the fabric of his suit sleeves tightening as his muscles momentarily surged.
The next second.
Lynn's wrist flicked violently.
The monstrous strength of his Special Grade Physique erupted without reservation at this moment.
"Get back!"
As if swinging a golf club, the heavy cane in his hand whistled through the air and slammed hard into the Cursed Spirit's central head.
"Bang!!!"
Like a watermelon bursting.
The head burning with ghost-fire was shattered by the strike, turning into a shower of green sparks. The massive Cursed Spirit wailed as it was sent flying backward, collapsing a stone pillar.
"Oh?"
In the distance, Kenjaku / Juan Suo narrowed his eyes, his previously nonchalant expression finally taking on a hint of solemnity.
"Pure physical strength? No... that Cursed Tool is also absorbing the impact."
"Interesting."
Kenjaku / Juan Suo smiled.
He cracked his neck with a crisp snap.
"Since Cursed Spirits are nothing more than toys, then..."
"I'll do it myself."
Whoosh!
Kenjaku / Juan Suo's figure vanished instantly.
So fast!
Lynn's pupils constricted.
This was... the martial arts of one of the strongest Special Grade Curse Users! Inherited from Geto Suguru / Suguru Geto's tempered body!
A vicious wind attacked from behind his head.
Lynn instinctively turned and raised his cane to parry.
"Clang!"
Kenjaku / Juan Suo's whip-like kick slammed heavily into the cane.
The massive force numbed Lynn's arms, sending him sliding back several meters.
Before he could steady himself, Kenjaku / Juan Suo was already upon him like a shadow.
"A Special Grade Physique... what a fine specimen."
Kenjaku / Juan Suo's voice rang in his ear, tinged with a morbid excitement.
Fists, feet, elbows, knees—every strike aimed for Lynn's vital points.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Two figures collided frantically within the narrow confines of the cavern.
This was a raw, unadorned melee.
Although Lynn possessed a Special Grade constitution, he was clearly outmatched in skill by the thousand-year-old Kenjaku / Juan Suo.
Lynn's current strength had reached the Special Grade, but among those in that grade, he was still outclassed.
His suit was torn, a bloody gash marked his face, and his glasses were knocked askew.
But he didn't collapse.
On the contrary, he was smiling.
Every time he blocked a blow from Kenjaku / Juan Suo, the [golden law] in his hand would flicker.
Accumulating.
Accumulating.
Still accumulating.
"What are you waiting for?"
Kenjaku / Juan Suo threw a punch at Lynn's face while simultaneously controlling the injured Quasi-Special Grade Cursed Spirit to ambush him from behind.
Lynn tilted his head to dodge the punch, allowing the Cursed Spirit's claws to tear through the clothes on his back.
Using that momentum, he suddenly put distance between them.
By now, the cane in his hand was so hot it was almost impossible to hold.
"I'm waiting for..."
Lynn came to a halt, his left hand gripping the scabbard and his right hand grasping the gold-carved snake-head handle.
He watched the charging Kenjaku / Juan Suo and the regenerating Quasi-Special Grade Cursed Spirit.
The "merchant" look in his eyes shattered instantly, replaced by a slightly excited madness.
"I'm waiting for this."
Form Switch: [Settlement Mode].
"Click."
His thumb pushed open the latch.
Drawing the blade.
"Clang—!!!"
At this moment, time seemed to stand still.
A dazzling amber-gold light erupted from the black scabbard.
It wasn't just a sword light.
It contained a portion of the previously absorbed impact, kinetic energy, and Cursed Energy, compressed, amplified, and then... exploded!
Cursed Technique Release!
Overlaid with Ten Shadows Technique!
Lynn's figure turned into a bolt of golden lightning, instantly passing through the 3:7 ratio point of the Quasi-Special Grade Cursed Spirit's body.
Weak point critical hit!
In an instant, the Cursed Spirit was sliced in half by the blade, green blood splattering all over Lynn!
Lynn's momentum didn't slow as he charged straight for Kenjaku / Juan Suo!
"Oh?!"
Kenjaku / Juan Suo's pupils narrowed slightly.
This explosive power... interesting.
He instinctively summoned a defensive Cursed Spirit to block his front while twisting his body backward.
"Slash—!!"
A golden sword light flashed.
The highly defensive Cursed Spirit, along with the rock wall behind it, was sliced through as cleanly as tofu.
Despite being weakened through layers, the power of that strike didn't stop.
However.
"Squelch."
The sharp blade was caught by a single hand, unable to advance even another centimeter.
Rumble—
Only then did the delayed sonic boom explode within the cavern.
The entire underground space shook as if it were about to collapse.
The dust cleared.
Lynn held the blade with one hand.
Kenjaku / Juan Suo's blood dripped from the translucent amber-gold longsword.
Yet Kenjaku / Juan Suo, holding the sharp blade, seemed unbothered as he revealed a faint smile.
Lynn breathed heavily, reaching out to straighten his crooked glasses.
He actually... caught it with his hand.
Despite both being Special Grade, the gap in strength was actually this massive.
"Damn it..."
Lynn pulled the blade out.
Kenjaku / Juan Suo didn't react, watching indifferently as Lynn pulled away.
Lynn quickly retreated to a safe distance.
Since things had come to this, if he wanted to win, he had to give it his all!
...Kenjaku / Juan Suo looked down at his hand.
That blade... that Cursed Technique... "Haha... Hahahaha!"
Kenjaku / Juan Suo suddenly burst into laughter, his shoulders shaking.
He looked up, his narrow eyes no longer filled with playfulness, but with a genuine, recognizing fervor.
"Good!"
"Very good!"
Kenjaku / Juan Suo knew.
About two months ago, at the Juvenile Detention Center, Kenjaku / Juan Suo had already taken notice of Lynn.
This person who seemed to appear out of thin air, without any background.
This person who was only at a Grade 4 level two months ago.
This person who, as if knowing the "plot," always used the most ingenious methods to gain the maximum benefit.
To have actually reached Special Grade strength in just two months and even wounded him.
Hum—
The Cursed Energy on Kenjaku / Juan Suo's body began to climb frantically.
He no longer held back.
Boom!!
A gravity field terrifying enough to crush bones instantly descended upon Lynn's head.