Annoyed.
Eichi was extremely annoyed right now.
His shadow surged wildly, expanding in all directions.
The pitch-black shadow transformed into the Abyssal Dark Garden, threatening to swallow everything in sight.
At the far edge of the Domain stood the Shadow Crocodile's Domain—Purgatory Shadow Hell—a place devoid of sunlight, drenched in darkness.
The surging Abyssal Dark Garden and the lightless Domain clashed violently.
At their boundary, countless Shikigami and Shadow Crocodiles tore into each other in a never-ending slaughter.
"Tch, did I just run into someone with the same kind of stand?"
Both Domains were clearly of the same type.
Both were constructed from shadow-based techniques. Both granted shadow summoning abilities.
In Eichi's Abyssal Dark Garden, he could bypass the limits of the Ten Shadows Technique. As long as his Cursed Energy held out, he could summon Shikigami without restriction.
And the Shadow Crocodile's Purgatory Shadow Hell worked similarly.
It was a shadow-filled hell with no escape, a space overflowing with countless Shadow Crocodiles ready to rip intruders apart.
Shadow against shadow.
Shikigami against Shadow Crocodile.
Although achieving Domain Expansion at his age was worthy of praise...
And although, given time, Mahoraga would surely defeat the Shadow Crocodile's main body...
Eichi was annoyed.
Incredibly annoyed.
This was his trump card. Why was this unknown Cursed Spirit still struggling so hard?
Why wasn't it lying down obediently, waiting to be exorcised?
Even if it surrendered, Eichi might not even exorcise it right away. He could have left it for Suguru.
But Eichi's current state was far from calm. Unlike his usual composed self, now he was overwhelmed by unstable negative emotions.
He didn't want to wait.
He just wanted to rip the Shadow Crocodile apart with his own hands.
Cursed Spirits are born from negative emotions.
Which is why most Jujutsu Sorcerers have abnormal personalities.
Eichi had never cared much about this.
He'd simply grown used to maintaining a certain level of negativity during combat to stay in peak condition.
But this time, after channeling all his knowledge and emotions into one burst, he'd overdone it.
"So annoying. Damn it, I need to let this out."
Bottling it up was dangerous.
At that moment, Eichi suddenly thought of Satoru.
Someone who always stayed true to himself, no matter what.
At least, he did before turning into a clown.
"I suddenly want to complain to Satoru about the newest manga chapter. Then the three of us, including Suguru, can go hang out at the beach again."
Memories of time spent with his friends resurfaced.
The manic smile on Eichi's face softened slightly.
He looked toward the Shadow Crocodile, which was now dodging desperately after Mahoraga had adapted to its every move.
His lips curled up further.
"I've decided. I'm still going to tear you apart, since you don't know when to quit."
Having made up his mind, Eichi began to retreat.
Soon, he reached the edge of the Domain.
"Here we are."
With his back against the outer edge, he carefully sensed for the entrance.
"Found it."
Eichi located the passage he had used to enter the cave.
"By my Command Spell—Saber, come to me immediately."
The crimson Command Spell on the back of his hand flashed.
Artoria, riding in a car at the time, immediately sensed the summons.
"I'll go on ahead."
She spoke to the Assistant Supervisor driving, then disappeared from the vehicle.
"Eh? Please wait, Young Miss Saber..."
The Assistant Supervisor blinked, staring at the now-empty rearview mirror in confusion.
"Not good."
Screech.
He slammed the brakes and pulled over, staring helplessly at the empty back seat.
---
On the other side, Artoria entered combat mode as soon as she landed.
Her blue-and-white dress armor and invisible sword were fully equipped.
"Attack this barrier?"
She received Eichi's message.
The Invisible Air shrouding her Holy Sword faded, revealing its golden blade.
Artoria raised the sword, pointed the tip at the Domain's outer wall, and stabbed forward with force.
Ssshhhk—
A grating screech echoed, like metal scraping glass.
The tip pierced the barrier.
A golden light enveloped the entire blade.
[Mana Burst.]
Boom.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
A massive hole was torn through the Shadow Crocodile's Domain.
Domains focus heavily on internal sealing, granting the caster enhanced effects like sure-hit techniques.
But the more they reinforce the interior, the weaker their outer barrier becomes.
Unless special measures are taken, most Domains can be broken through from the outside.
The instant the Domain shattered, Eichi immediately expanded his own.
The Abyssal Dark Garden surged through the rupture, consuming and collapsing the Purgatory Shadow Hell entirely.
Mahoraga stepped forward, pinning down the struggling Shadow Crocodile.
"Hahaha, finally."
"Let the feast begin."
Eichi stopped forming hand signs and stretched both arms outward, waving them gracefully like a conductor with a baton.
The Shadow Crocodile was swallowed by the abyss.
Then came the Shikigami.
The Divine Dogs ripped off its fins.
The Qiongqi bit into its tail.
The Giant Elephant rammed its tusks into the Shadow Crocodile's wide-open maw.
Then, with brute force, it snapped the lower jaw in one direction, shattering it.
Even Rabbit Escape and the Toad joined in the feeding frenzy.
Before long, the Shadow Crocodile was completely devoured within the Abyssal Dark Garden.
The Shikigami returned to their nests, waiting in silence for the next intruder.
The Domain began to fade.
Suddenly remembering something, Eichi clapped his hands against his face.
Slap!
The sharp sound echoed through the cave.
He had hit himself so hard, the skin on his face rippled. Red handprints immediately appeared.
His manic smile twisted in pain.
But Reverse Cursed Technique activated immediately.
The red marks vanished, and his pained expression returned to normal just as the Domain dissipated.
The next moment, Eichi—sunny, cheerful, bright—turned to Artoria with a brilliant smile.
"It's done. Let's go, Ria."
That was close. If Ria had seen that face just now, she'd think I was some twisted villain, wouldn't she?
No, I need to work on expression management from now on. Satoru is one thing, but I absolutely can't let Ria see that perverted look again.
"Are you... alright?"
Artoria asked, a little hesitant.
She had sensed something off about Eichi the moment she broke through the barrier.
It made her a bit concerned.
"Haha, I'm fine, I'm fine. Don't you trust in my strength? The Reverse Cursed Technique already healed everything."
Eichi laughed, brushing it off while hiding the panic in his heart.
She didn't notice, right?
"Oh, and that fight really burned a lot of energy. Let's get something to eat."
The moment food was mentioned, Artoria perked up.
"Let's go."
She decided to bring up what she sensed earlier... after lunch.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)