It is a forbidden sanctuary where the most dangerous and evil cursed objects in the jujutsu world are stored.
Normally, it is double-guarded by Tengen's barriers and elite sorcerers.
But at this moment, in front of the heavy iron gate, the two Grade 2 sorcerers responsible for the watch lay in a pool of blood, their fates unknown.
"Hm-hm-hm..."
A light humming broke the deathly silence.
Mahito hummed an unknown tune, stepping out from the shadows of the forest with the cheerful, skipping gait of a child.
He was in a very good mood.
It had been a bit embarrassing to be outsmarted by that guy named Hayashi En and then have to be saved by Hanami.
But today, if he could just secure the six fingers and the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings from inside the vault, it would be a major success.
"Once I have those fingers, that Hayashi En guy..."
Mahito licked his lips, a cruel light flashing in his heterochromatic eyes.
"I'll mold his soul into the most interesting shape imaginable."
He reached the entrance of the vault and prepared to raise his hand to destroy the seal.
Suddenly, his movements stopped.
For in front of that heavy, ominous iron gate, something new had appeared at some point.
An exquisite mahogany tea table.
A comfortable armchair.
And a teapot with steam rising from it.
A young man wearing a waistcoat and gold-rimmed glasses sat in the chair, elegantly lifting a teacup and giving it a soft blow.
"Whew..."
Hayashi En took a sip of tea, then looked up at the stitched-face spirit frozen in place.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Mahito."
Hayashi En set down the cup, revealing a gentle smile that made one want to punch him in the face.
"In such a hurry? Why not sit down for a cup of tea?"
Mahito's face contorted instantly.
It was him again!
That persistent, shady merchant!
"You..."
Mahito glared at Hayashi En, his eyes filled with caution and killing intent.
"How are you here?"
Hayashi En stood up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and blocked the entrance to the vault.
"Why am I here?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
"The road is closed. Unless you pay the toll."
"A toll?" Mahito laughed in anger.
Although he was wary of Hayashi En's strange rule-based ability, the man was alone.
There was no pink-haired brat who specialized in souls, nor that annoying Grade 1 sorcerer.
"Just you?"
Mahito's body began to change. His arms swelled violently, transforming into massive bone blades wrapped in sickening cursed energy.
"Since you've delivered yourself to me..."
"Then don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Killing intent exploded.
Without another word, Mahito kicked off the ground and lunged at Hayashi En like a cannonball.
He was incredibly fast, showing the full explosive power of a Special Grade cursed spirit in an instant.
However, Hayashi En showed no fear.
Sorcerer grades are assigned based on the level of cursed spirit they are guaranteed to exorcise.
In other words, a Grade 2 sorcerer is significantly stronger than a Grade 2 curse, and a Grade 1 sorcerer is far superior to a Grade 1 curse.
Now, with his strength enhanced to Grade 1 by the system, Hayashi En's combat power had reached the pinnacle of that rank.
He was even slightly stronger than Todo.
Hayashi En reached for his waist and instantly drew a pitch-black kunai.
The cursed energy circuits within his body surged—a massive amount of energy consistent with a Grade 1 sorcerer.
Buzz!
Hayashi En's figure vanished instantly.
His movement speed was pushed to the absolute limit.
"What?!"
Mahito was startled. His bone blades struck nothing but air, shattering the mahogany tea table instead.
Then, a sharp gust of wind rushed at him from the side.
"Over here."
Hayashi En's voice rang in his ear.
The kunai in his hand flashed with a black ruler light, precisely striking the 7:3 ratio weak point on Mahito's neck.
[RATIO TECHNIQUE]!
Squelch!
A black flash streaked past.
Although Mahito twisted his neck with extreme reflexes, he was still left with a deep gash that exposed the bone.
"Argh!"
Mahito retreated while clutching his neck, his eyes wide with shock.
"This cursed energy..."
"Weren't you only as strong as a Grade 2 sorcerer?!"
When they last met, this man clearly only had Grade 2 strength and could only rely on long-range attacks to wear him down.
How had his physical body and cursed energy reached this level in just a few days?
"I'm a merchant, after all," Hayashi En said with a smile as he flicked the purple blood off his kunai.
"As long as you have the money, you can buy anything."
"Including power."
Hayashi En lunged again, his kunai turning into black afterimages that enveloped Mahito.
Supported by a Grade 1 sorcerer's physique, the [INFINITE KUNAI POUCH]'s endless ammunition, and the critical strike attributes of the [RATIO TECHNIQUE], Hayashi En now possessed the means to face a Special Grade cursed spirit head-on.
"Damn you!"
Mahito was forced into a retreat, step by step.
His body constantly shifted shapes as he tried to counterattack, but every strike was either nimbly dodged by Hayashi En or precisely parried by the kunai.
"Don't get cocky!"
Mahito roared as his body suddenly ballooned into a massive orb of flesh, shooting countless spikes from within.
[IDLE TRANSFIGURATION: SOUL MULTIPLICITY - BODY REPEL]!
It was an all-out attack with no blind spots.
"You can't dodge this!"
However, Hayashi En didn't dodge.
He drew two kunai from his waist and crossed his arms over his chest.
A massive amount of cursed energy poured into them, forming a black barrier.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The moment the spikes touched the kunai, their points of impact were precisely severed, causing them to fall harmlessly to the ground.
This was a defensive technique Hayashi En had developed himself.
By infusing a large amount of cursed energy, he forced the technique's engravings on the kunai to run at high speed.
This created a barrier capable of shattering the weak points of an opponent's attack.
The dust settled.
Hayashi En still stood in the same spot, completely unharmed.
He looked at the panting Mahito and smirked mockingly.
"Is this the strength of a Special Grade?"
"If this is all you've got..."
Hayashi En pointed to the vault behind him.
"Then you can forget about ever stepping through this door."
Despite his sharp tongue, Hayashi En was well aware of the reality.
Mahito hadn't fully recovered from their previous encounter, which had wounded his very foundation.
His current strength was barely a tenth of what it should be.
According to the original plan, Mahito wasn't supposed to face a strong opponent; he just needed to steal the cursed objects.
This was why Hayashi En could confront Mahito so easily.
If Mahito had been at full strength, Hayashi En certainly wouldn't have been so relaxed.
"You bastard..."
Mahito was completely infuriated.
The humiliation of being toyed with by an insect made him lose his mind.
"I'm going to kill you!!"
"I'll kill you for sure!!"
A terrifying wave of cursed energy erupted from Mahito's body.
He was ready to get serious.
Hayashi En tightened his grip on his kunai, his expression becoming solemn.
Though he had been provocative, he knew the truth.
That was just the warm-up.
The real battle was starting now.
[Support the story with Reviews, Power Stones, and Comments—they mean a lot and keep me going! 30+ chapters waiting on patreon.com/elite_reads]