But his smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared. His slit pupils dilated, and he brought a hand to his face, as if he had just felt an invisible pain.
At that moment, the colossal foot of the giant, the one that was supposed to have annihilated Ryosuke, disintegrated before the stunned eyes of the cursed being.
The titanic creature stumbled backward, unbalanced, a howl of pain and surprise tearing through the air. Black shards, like ashes, swirled around the spot where Ryosuke still stood.
He, still standing despite his condition, slowly lifted his eyes. His face was pale, his nostrils and eyes bloodied. His hands trembled, and his breathing was labored. Yet, he spoke, his voice broken but tinged with a strange resignation.
"It seems… unfortunately… it's time to stop."
He wavered, dropping to one knee.
The cursed being, its features twisted in panic, roared in a hoarse voice:
"Finish him!"
The colossus, despite its precarious balance, managed to fully straighten. Its massive dark fist cut through the air with a force that shook the surrounding debris. Ryosuke, still kneeling, seemed barely able to move, his heavy, ragged breaths resonating in the suffocating atmosphere.
As the shadow of the crushing blow fell upon him, something unexpected happened.
With a muffled, dull sound, the entire colossus froze. Then, without warning, it disintegrated into a cloud of dark particles. These particles swirled briefly in the air before vanishing, as if they had never existed.
The cursed being, eyes wide, stepped back several paces, stunned by this turn of events. "Impossible…" it whispered in a trembling voice. Its gaze darted frantically from the void left by the colossus to Ryosuke, still kneeling.
But instead of charging the weakened young man, the cursed being pivoted sharply toward the black wall of the shadow curtain. It gathered all its strength and slammed its claws against the barrier, producing a deafening crash. The echoes reverberated through the ruins, but the curtain remained perfectly intact, absorbing the blow without showing the slightest sign of weakness.
Ryosuke, staggering but still upright, slightly lifted his head.
"Too bad you didn't have your lackey hit the barrier from the start. Maybe that would've given you a chance to walk out of here alive."
The cursed being turned slowly, its face contorted with a terror it no longer tried to hide. Its eyes, once filled with arrogance and cruelty, were now full of visceral fear.
"No… wait…" it stammered, raising a hand in supplication.
But instead of surrendering, it summoned new monstrosities, using the last scraps of its power. Gaunt and grotesque creatures emerged from the shadows, but they were far fewer and far smaller than before.
Ryosuke began to advance slowly.
The monstrosities, despite their fearsome appearance, didn't even have time to attack. As soon as they approached him, they disintegrated into ashes.
"What a pity. You could have become something truly interesting. But I guess you had to waste most of your energy stopping your transformation. I could have waited, you know?"
He paused, observing the cursed being retreating further, its claws desperately seeking a gap in the shadow curtain.
"Not to mention that little demonstration earlier. Designing that colossus… that must've really drained you."
The cursed being struck the barrier again with all the strength it had left. "It's not fair!" it bellowed, its hoarse voice breaking the silence. "I can't die now! Not when perfection was within reach!"
But as its rage erupted, the monstrosities ceased to appear.
Ryosuke, now just behind it, murmured calmly:
"It's over."
The cursed being froze, sensing the overwhelming presence behind it. Trembling through its entire body, it turned slowly. But before it could speak, Ryosuke, eyes sharper than ever, locked his gaze onto the monster's.
The cursed being, drained of all strength, collapsed onto its knees, claws scraping desperately at the ground. "Mercy… I beg you…" it stammered, voice broken, its former arrogance replaced by abject fear.
Ryosuke stopped a few steps away, slightly raising his hand.
He stared at the cursed being for a moment.
'This cursed being… where could it have come from?
In a manga, it made sense that not everything was shown, but a creature of this caliber would surely have made a name for itself.
And if its mutation went wrong?
What if it was me? If my existence, my actions, caused this change?'
The thought made him flinch. If the plot itself could deviate without him noticing, it could complicate his plans.
Then he shrugged, a faintly amused sigh escaping his lips.
'Well, it'll be more entertaining.'
Ryosuke then extended his hand, a black, gleaming orb shining in his palm. The cursed being, seeing the object, shrank back further, its reptilian eyes fixating on the strange object with terror.
"Rest assured," Ryosuke said in an almost soothing tone, though a slight smile played on his lips. "You will reach perfection. But… it will be my way."
Before the cursed being could respond, an invisible force engulfed it, its massive body twisting into a whirl of shadows, drawn into the small sphere. In seconds, nothing remained of the creature except an oppressive silence and the faint echo of its final scream.
Ryosuke closed his hand around the orb and slid it calmly into the inner pocket of his coat. "That's settled," he murmured, his tone casual.
His gaze fell on the smoking ruins of the factory, a weariness in his eyes. The chaos around him was merely a trivial detail. Yet a thought suddenly returned to him. He squinted.
'Mechamaru.'
Without hesitation, he leapt with natural grace toward the place where he had last seen his ally. The rubble was heavy, the flickering flames casting ominous shadows on the collapsed metal walls.
"If you're still in one piece, now's the time to show yourself."
A faint metallic groan answered his call. Ryosuke rushed forward, moving a massive beam blocking the way. Beneath it, Mechamaru lay, his armor smoking and dented.
"Hey, I see you're still standing. Well, almost," Ryosuke said with a smile, extending a hand to help.
Mechamaru weakly lifted his head, eyes flickering faintly. "That's the second avatar out of service because of you," he growled, his voice distorted by interference.
Ryosuke laughed heartily. "Always complaining, Mechamaru. But don't worry, this time I'll fix it."
He placed his hand on the smoking shell of his mechanical companion. In an instant, Mechamaru's dented armor began to reconstruct. The plates realigned with precise clicks, the cables reconnected as if by magic, and the sparking joints repaired themselves until the surface was as smooth and shiny as a mirror.
When the transformation was complete, Mechamaru, standing upright, looked brand new, as if he had never been touched by flames or debris.
Ryosuke stepped back, satisfied, hands slipping into the pockets of his coat. "There, good as new. No more sulking, right?"
Mechamaru raised an arm to inspect the adjustments, his armor emitting a faint hum.
"Impressive." He paused, his mechanical eyes fixed on Ryosuke. "But seriously, your power… it's both fascinating and terrifying. What you can do is beyond comprehension."
Ryosuke shrugged, a mysterious smile lingering on his face. "Terrifying? Maybe. But as long as I'm on your side, you don't have to worry."
"That doesn't make it any less unsettling."