Before the curse lunged, Sora suddenly shot his hand up, stopping Yuji and Megumi in their tracks.
"Both of you."
His voice came out rough, like he was forcing each word.
"Find Kugisaki and get out of here."
Yuji's brow furrowed immediately.
"What?!"
Megumi's gaze went razor sharp.
"And what about you?"
Sora glanced at the massive curse looming ahead, its misshapen mouth twisting into a wider grin, as cursed energy pulsed so violently that you could feel it even from here.
He gave his answer, almost too casually.
"I'll survive somehow."
Yuji snapped back, "That doesn't sound convincing at all."
Sora let out a faint snort.
"It doesn't need to."
The curse took another lumbering step. The corridor shuddered.
The sight made Megumi clench his fist tight.
"You cannot fight that thing alone."
Sora looked right at him, then at the busted metal construct beside him.
"…I can stall it for enough time."
Megumi's answer came cold.
"You're barely standing as it is."
"Useless details."
Yuji made a quick step forward.
"Then we'll help"
"No."
Sora cut him off, sharp and tired, eyes suddenly sharper.
"If you stay, you'll just make it harder."
The curse's presence spiked again, violent and hungry. Sora already pictured what would happen if they stuck around: too many targets, too many chances for the curse to tear them apart.
He exhaled, slowly.
"…Go now."
Megumi clicked his tongue.
Yuji still hesitated.
"But"
Sora's fingers twitched. Liquid metal burst out from the smashed floor beside him. Before they even realized—
Metal bands whipped around Yuji and Megumi's waists.
"Wait!"
"Aye!!"
And then—
Sora snapped his hand sideways. The metal hurled them hard down the corridor.
WHOOSH!
Yuji crashed against the floor and rolled a few times. Megumi hit harder, but bounced right back up.
"SORA!"
The metal zipped back toward Sora instantly. Megumi tried to bolt forward again—
But Sora's voice echoed through the battered hallway first.
"Find Nobara," he called out. "Then leave the building. I will meet you outside."
The curse behind him let out a guttural growl. Sora didn't even turn.
"…That's your job now."
Megumi locked eyes with him for another brief second, then his expression hardened.
"…Tch."
Yuji clenched his fists. But finally, both of them disappeared deeper into the corridor.
Away from the monster Sora was about to face alone.
Only then did Sora turn, face the curse straight on.
The Special Grade smiled.
And the fight kicked off.
The curse struck first, its body streaking through the corridor like a black missile, its cursed energy punching sparks beneath its feet so hard that the floor cracked and shattered.
"KTHAAAGHH!"
Its roar shook the walls.
The metal construct moved. Not because of instinct or automation but because of Sora.
His trembling fingers twitched upward.
"Raise your arms."
The metalloid obeyed in a blink, forearms crossed just as the curse's fist smashed into them.
BOOOOM!
The explosion rocked the corridor. Concrete blew apart. The construct slid several meters back, metal feet grinding over busted stone, sparks screaming from its limbs.
Sora's breath was already uneven, every move dragging cursed energy out of him like hooks in his flesh.
Still, he raised a shaking hand.
"Push forward."
The metalloid stepped in, deliberate and heavy.
Its metallic fist shot toward the curse's chest.
The curse twisted fast, almost impossibly quick. The punch only grazed its side, smashing through the wall.
CRAAASH!
Night air, cold and snowy, blasted into the hallway.
The curse retaliated. Its clawed arm stretched long, swinging towards the metalloid's head.
Sora's pupils narrowed.
"To the right."
The construct leaned enough so that the claw could miss it by a fraction.
The shockwave of the force split the wall behind them.
'Fuck it's fast.'
Sora gritted his teeth. The curse wasn't just strong, it was smart enough to learn. Every exchange made it aware of its own and its weakness and it became more aggressive.
The curse vanished, then reappeared above the construct. Its fist dropped like a meteor.
Sora's eyes widened.
"Kick the abdomen."
The metalloid moved instantly, leg shooting up in a brutal arc. The liquid metal spreads out in an elongated pole.
BOOM!
Metal slammed into flesh midair. The curse's body twisted sideways, launching it through three pillars.
The whole building rocked.
Blood started running from Sora's nose. His fingers shook worse. Every command drained him.
The metalloid was strong, but controlling it against a Special Grade felt like trying to drag a mountain with a dying engine.
Dust erupted as the curse appeared again, angrier, grin stretched even wider despite the damage.
"KRRRHHH…"
Its cursed energy surged, dark tendrils branching across the ceiling and walls like veins. Then—
It attacked, faster than before.
Sora inhaled sharply.
"Left arm forward."
CLANG!
The metalloid blocked one strike.
"Rotate torso."
Another claw missed by centimeters.
"Grab the wrist."
The metalloid seized the curse's arm. For a second, it held it down.
Sora clenched his fist tight.
"Drive the knee upward."
BOOOOM!
The construct's knee slammed into the curse's abdomen hard enough to bend the floor. The curse screeched, but instead of backing off—
It grinned wider.
The second arm shot straight through the metalloid's shoulder.
SHKKK!
Metal ruptured. Blue streaks lit up across the construct.
Pain flashed through Sora's nerves. He staggered back, like his own body had taken the hit.
The connection hurt. The construct wasn't alive, but it was tangled up with him.
And the curse was not slow to notice that. The curse ripped its arm free. The metalloid stumbled, movements slower, less fluid.
Blue lines flickered weakly.
Sora forced his legs to stand.
"…Stand...straight..."
The construct obeyed, barely.
The curse pressed its attack now, no hesitation. Its claws tore into the metalloid over and over, each hit denting and splitting the metal.
Sora's commands came rough, his voice fading.
"...Turn..."
"Block low..."
"Counter with the right fist..."
"Step...back..."
"Push... the elbow upward."
Each order got rougher, his cursed energy drying up.
But the construct kept fighting, even battered, even breaking. It kept moving, like a knight refusing to surrender.
Then—
The curse grabbed the metalloid's head. Sora's eyes went wide.
"Move!"
Too slow.
The curse slammed the metalloid down.
BOOOOOOM!
The corridor collapsed. Metal shrieked. The construct's left arm snapped clean off.
Sora coughed hard, blood spattering the floor. His vision blurred.
The construct tried to rise—
But it was slower than a snail.
The curse loomed over it, victorious now, its grin warped, cursed energy building around its arm for a killing strike.
Sora pushed himself upright. One last command.
"…Get up."
The metalloid moved barely. Its broken frame shook as it struggled upright.
The curse roared and struck. Its fist punched straight through the metalloid's torso.
Silence.
Then-
CRACK.
Blue lines shattered all over the machine.
The construct froze, body falling still.
Then crashed onto the floor.
Dead metal.
Sora's knees gave out. The connection severed from his construct and pain roared through him.
He caught himself on the wall, breathing rough, vision fading into darkness.
The curse turned, grinned even wider.
Now, the creator himself.
The curse started toward Sora, slow, savoring the moment. Its cursed energy leaked out like poison.
Sora tried to raise his hand again.
Nothing. No metal moved, no cursed energy came out, just emptiness.
"…Damn."
The curse lifted its claw, ready to finish it.
Then—
A voice blasted through the corridor.
"SORAAA!!"
The hallway trembled. Even the curse paused, just for a second.
And there it was. Yuji who leaped into the air with demon slaughter in hand.