Faced with Kenjaku's fanatical, almost bewitching invitation, Natsume's response was nothing but undisguised mockery.
"Forcing all of humanity to evolve? Which shonen manga did you crawl out of as the final boss?" he said calmly. "I have zero interest in your cringe, late-stage chuunibyou world-domination plan."
"Throwing the existing order into chaos, dragging countless ordinary, innocent people into carnage and death, all just to satisfy your personal idea of 'fun'? Sorry, but your taste is unbelievably low."
This merciless refusal, laced with thinly veiled contempt, did not anger Kenjaku. His smile actually grew brighter, as if he had expected this answer from the start.
"Is that so? What a pity," he spread his hands, his tone as casual as if he were talking about the weather. "But it's fine. We have plenty of time. I believe that one day, you will come to understand my grand vision."
With that, he turned as if to leave. But before his figure vanished completely into the darkness, he seemed to remember something and tossed back a malicious reminder.
"Oh right, Natsume-kun. You 'regenerated' Hanami. Even I can't fully understand that divine trick. But her fellow special grade curses, like that bad-tempered walking volcano Jogo, and that brat who loves to toy with souls, Mahito, they are not going to appreciate your little bit of 'kindness'."
"They will come for you soon, either for revenge, or to… reclaim their comrade. Good luck."
With a strange laugh, Kenjaku's figure melted into the shadows and vanished without a trace.
Only after he left did Natsume lower his gaze to the newly reborn Hanami, who was still kneeling before him in silence.
"Hanami, tell me, who put Sukuna's severed finger here in the first place?"
"Reporting to my lord," Hanami's voice was crisp and reverent. "It was Mahito. He sealed the finger here and used the curse energy leaking from it to breed evil spirits. His only purpose was to observe the difference between 'evil spirits nurtured by human fear' and beings like us, who are born from the curses of nature itself."
"…Just for that?" Natsume's brows knitted together.
"Yes," Hanami answered without hesitation. "Mahito never acts for some grand overarching scheme. He only moves on whatever he happens to find 'interesting' in that moment."
Hearing that, Natsume could not help swallowing back a sigh.
A special grade curse who follows no logic, who judges everything solely by whether it is 'fun'. A perfect embodiment of chaos.
There was no doubt that he had been marked by the most troublesome one of the bunch.
...
By the time they returned to his office in the middle of the city, it was already deep into the night.
Yuigahama and Utaha had long since been drained mentally by the repeated shocks and horrors they had witnessed. Natsume settled them in the guest rooms to rest. Only Hozuki Yashiro was still wide awake, sitting on the sofa and staring at him with the kind of gaze one might reserve for a god.
He ignored her burning stare and sank his mind into the system panel.
[Current total Curse Points: 20,000.]
Looking at this unprecedentedly generous number, he immediately dropped the idea of distributing the points evenly. He decided to place one big bet.
"System, I want to do an Advanced Lottery."
[Ding! Advanced Lottery will consume 10,000 Curse Points. There is an extremely low chance of obtaining a Legendary reward, and an extremely high chance of obtaining a Rare reward. Confirm?]
"Confirm."
As soon as he willed it, ten thousand points vanished from his total. On the system panel, a gigantic wheel formed from countless runes and blazing with golden light began to spin at high speed.
Natsume actually felt a rare flicker of anticipation in his chest.
He did not know how long it spun for before the wheel gradually slowed. Finally, amid a burst of dazzling golden radiance, the pointer clicked to a stop on an icon shaped like an ancient, mysterious manual written in an unknown script
[Congratulations, Host! You have obtained a Legendary reward: Ancient Energy Refinement Manual (Part One)!]
[Ancient Energy Refinement Manual (Part One): A supreme fundamental method originating from an ancient supernatural world, containing the ultimate principles of transcending the mundane and pursuing ultimate mastery.. The first part includes the complete methods for five stages of spiritual refinement: Energy Control, Internal Circulation, Sustained Vitality, Deep Trance, and Core Manifestation.]
"…A real, bona fide training method?"
Natsume's breathing halted for a moment.
The instant he obtained this technique, a sudden change erupted within him.
The vast energy within him, formed from pure cursed energy, seemed to be pulled by an unseen force, surging wildly out of control.
The manual's knowledge engraved itself deep into his mind like blazing symbols.
His cursed energy began to compress, refine, and transform in an incredibly profound way.
What had once been nothing more than raw power was now infused with a kind of "spirituality", becoming purer, denser, and brimming with vitality.
An invisible shockwave burst out from him, spreading violently in all directions.
In the very moment the technique began to operate on its own, his mastery surged upward at an astonishing pace.
Energy Control, complete.
Internal Circulation, complete.
Sustained Vitality, minor progress… major progress… peak.
In the span of just a few seconds, his progress surged straight to the peak of the Sustained Vitality stage.
He could clearly feel the earthshaking changes in his body. From now on, he could go long periods without food or water, sustaining himself by drawing energy directly from the surrounding world. More importantly, the recovery speed and purity of his cursed energy had increased several times over, at the very least.
"This… this is a completely new level of power."
He slowly opened his eyes. For an instant, a thread of golden divine light flashed across the blue of his Six Eyes.
Feeling the unprecedentedly vibrant and surging power flowing in his body, Natsume was deeply satisfied.
He glanced at the remaining ten thousand Curse Points on the panel and did not hesitate to spend every last one of them.
[Consume 8,000 points to upgrade Heavenly Sight to LV.5!]
[Consume 2,000 points to perform two Basic Lotteries. Rewards obtained: Advanced Curse-Breaking Talisman Crafting Method, Advanced Invisibility Talisman Crafting Method!]
After emptying his points completely, Natsume exhaled a long, slow breath. Bathed in the quiet satisfaction of his newfound strength, he leaned back against the sofa and closed his eyes.
Tonight, he could finally sleep soundly.
...
A full night's rest restored everyone's spirits to their peak.
The next morning, Natsume politely turned down Utaha, Yui, and the others when they offered to accompany him. Instead, he only took this incident's client, Eiko, and the two of them set off together for Chiba University to collect his exorcism fee.