"'In this world... the only bond I had left is shattered.'"
A cold whisper, devoid of any human emotion, echoed faintly within the Punishment Room filled with the roars of Cursed Spirits.
Maki, who had been plunged into a desperate frenzy by Mai's near-death state, had grown eerily quiet.
She remained in the same position, cradling Mai in her arms.
However, the aura surrounding her underwent a qualitative change at that moment, one so profound it seemed to freeze time and space.
"*Vroom—!*"
An invisible yet suffocatingly heavy pressure erupted violently with Maki at its center!
This wasn't cursed energy.
Nor was it any kind of cursed technique.
It was pure, absolute pressure exerted on the surrounding space by a physical body at the very apex of biology!
Yoru was kneeling nearby, his hands pressed firmly against Mai's chest, his face as pale as parchment.
To forcibly intervene in this fatal twin bond, he had exercised a will to 'rewrite reality' that far exceeded the load his current Synchronization Rate could handle.
An intense weakness, as if his very soul were being drained, left him without even the strength to stand.
Yet, he kept his Transparent World active, staring intently at Maki.
Within Yoru's vision...
That trace of weak cursed energy belonging to Mai, which had clung to Maki's heart like a terminal disease, was now completely gone.
In its place was a terrifying vitality—every cell in her body pulsed wildly, every atom burned with intensity!
The invisible shackles that had always shrouded Maki, restricting her innate talent, had shattered.
Completely shattered!
"*Roar!!!*"
The dozen or so Special Grade and Semi-Special Grade Cursed Spirits nearby, driven mad by their instincts, seemed to sense this deeply unsettling change.
They lunged from all directions with a roar, pouncing toward the seemingly defenseless girl.
Reeking maws, razor-sharp claws, twisted tentacles...
Each attack was enough to instantly tear a Grade 1 sorcerer to shreds.
However...
"Too slow."
Maki slowly opened her eyes.
Gone was the old anger and resentment, gone was that stubborn spark.
All that remained was an absolute indifference, as dark as an abyss, looking down upon all living things like a god.
In her sight, the movements of the Cursed Spirits—once lightning-fast—now appeared as slow and comical as a snail's crawl.
Every muscular contraction, every current of air, even the fear deep within the souls of the Cursed Spirits was laid bare to her.
"*Swish!*"
Maki moved.
No—in Yoru's perception, she hadn't even exerted any visible effort.
She simply vanished from where she stood.
A split second later...
"*Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!*"
A rapid series of dull impacts, sounding like a sledgehammer striking hide, echoed through the Punishment Room.
The Cursed Spirits leaping through the air froze mid-flight.
Then...
"*BOOM—!*"
Their bodies simultaneously exploded from the inside out!
It was a horrific sight—the structural integrity of their bodies shattered by nothing but pure physical violence.
No cursed energy was involved, no flashy techniques used.
It was merely the shockwave from Maki's casual strikes as she stood up.
Blood, shredded meat, and twisted cursed energy residue poured down like rain, staining Maki's already tattered clothes a deep crimson.
Expressionless, she stood in the center of the bloodbath and reached down to pick up the katana lying on the ground.
Pseudo-Soul Splitter Katana.
It was the cursed blade Mai had forged for her—before Yoru's intervention—carrying all the despair and expectations of the twins.
Not only that, her other hand gripped the Dragonbone cursed tool that had been dropped earlier in the fight.
One long, one short—she held two peerless weapons of slaughter.
"'This feeling...'"
Maki cracked her neck, her bones popping with a sharp, crisp sound.
She felt the physical strength surging through her like a vast ocean, seemingly infinite.
This was a freedom she had never known.
It was as if she had been living in thick sludge her entire life, and now, she had suddenly emerged from her cocoon as a butterfly, soaring into the vast blue sky.
Her senses were heightened to a near-godlike level.
She could hear the arrogant conversations of the sorcerers in the Zenin main residence hundreds of meters away.
She could smell the musty scent of the decaying elders deep within the storehouse.
She could feel the foundations of the entire Zenin family—rotting through beneath a shroud of hypocritical glory.
Right then...
"*Thud!*"
Outside the Punishment Room, two figures crashed down like cannonballs, kicking up a gust of air.
"Yoru!"
Suguru Geto, dressed in his gojo-kesa, stood with a terrifying Special Grade Imaginary Vengeful Spirit hovering behind him, his eyes filled with anxiety.
Choso's hands were covered in blood—evidence of the slaughter he had just left behind outside.
"Your state... Could it be..."
Suguru Geto's pupils constricted as he saw Yoru's deathly pale face and extremely weakened state.
As a Special Grade Sorcerer, he knew all too well the terrifying price one had to pay for forcibly shaking the very rules of reality as Yoru just had.
"I'm fine... I won't die."
Yoru gasped for air, barely managing to stand steady with Choso's support.
He waved them off, signaling that they shouldn't worry.
Then, his gaze shifted past Suguru Geto's shoulder to Maki, who stood in the center of the bloodbath.
"Senior."
Maki turned her head toward Yoru, who was shielded by Suguru Geto and Choso.
Her voice was soft, yet it carried an unquestionable authority.
"I'm leaving Mai in your hands."
Looking into Maki's emotionless eyes, Yoru understood that the girl who once threw tantrums over missing out on limited-edition skirts was gone forever.
Now...
She was one of only two tyrants standing at the physical peak of this world.
She was a god of slaughter capable of standing side-by-side with Toji Fushiguro—perhaps even more threatening due to the pure killing intent in her heart.
"God of Slaughter!"
"Go."
Yoru nodded weakly, a relieved smile touching the corners of mouth.
"There is nothing left here that can stop you."
"Do whatever you wish to do."
"Mm."
Maki nodded.
She held Dragonbone and the Pseudo-Soul Splitter Katana, dragging them against the floor with a harsh, grating screech.
One step, two steps.
She walked toward the shattered exit of the Punishment Room.
Outside, the Zenin family's Kukuru Unit had already arrived after hearing the commotion.
This was a combat unit specially trained by the Zenin family, composed of male members without cursed techniques; they numbered over a hundred, each equipped with high-quality cursed tools.
"Maki! How dare you slaughter the Cursed Spirits kept by the Head of the Family?!"
"Kneel and surrender now! Or be cut down where you stand!"
The unit captain shouted his rebuke, dozens of cold, gleaming blades pointed directly at Maki's throat.
Yet Maki didn't even blink.
She simply raised the Pseudo-Soul Splitter Katana and took a deep breath.
"Kill."
Only a single word.
In the next instant, the corridor outside the Punishment Room was transformed into a horrific meat grinder.
Protected by Suguru Geto, Yoru picked up the deeply unconscious Mai.
He watched the corridor where the so-called 'elites' were being carved up like vegetables, unable to delay Maki's progress for even a second.
"Let's go, Senior Geto, Choso."
Yoru took one last look at this thousand-year-old clan reeking of decay.
"We'll evacuate first and leave the battlefield to her."
"Because next..."
The reflection of bloodlight filled Yoru's eyes.
"The revenge is only just beginning."
Under this blood-colored moonlight, the second Sorcerer Killer officially began her journey of annihilation.
One can only wonder what kind of despair the high-and-mighty Zenin elders will feel when they face the monster they once branded a disgrace.
[ Author's Note : If you're loving the story, a power_stone, review or comment means the world!
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