The voice didn't seem to travel through the air; instead, it drilled directly into the brain, carrying a chill that could freeze blood and a strong sense of mental pollution.
No need to turn around; the visual warning of the Vermilion Eyes was already flashing frantically at the edge of his vision—a dangerous red light so dense it almost formed a solid sheet, screaming of the extremely fatal presence behind him!
Ahead, the Rainbow Dragon was still struggling and roaring wildly. Its tail muscles, fixed in place by [Congeal], bulged, and its scales ground together with a tooth-aching creak as it tried to break free from the damned invisible restraint.
The girl was being lifted off the ground by Geto Suguru's cursed spirit, whimpering in terror. But at this moment, a more terrifying, more bizarre existence pressed against his back, its cold touch and putrid breath sickeningly real.
Mujin Nagi's muscles tightened to their limit in an instant. Adrenaline secreted sharply, yet a calmness surpassing that of ordinary humans dominated his brain.
His voice showed no sign of wavering; instead, it carried a coldness of extreme disgust as he responded decisively:
"You're ugly."
Before the words even landed, he moved! Not fleeing forward, but suddenly rotating sideways, turning his body almost brushing against that pale, cold wrist!
His crimson Vermilion Eyes instantly met a terrifying face close enough to be anyone's nightmare—skin pale as paper, a pair of huge but lifeless eyes, and a massive gash stretching from the corners of the mouth to the ears, revealing rows of dense, shark-like sharp teeth inside! In her other hand, she tightly gripped a pair of giant, rusty sewing scissors stained with dark red filth!
Special Grade Imaginary Vengeful Cursed Spirit—Kuchisake-onna!
"Get lost!"
With the cold rebuke, Nagi's fist, already charged with cursed energy and wrapped in thick black-red power, blasted out like a cannonball as he turned!
It wasn't a simple straight punch; within the trajectory of the muscle movement, he superimposed multiple micro-bursts of the Cursed Technique Reversal [Flow]!
[Flash]!
The speed of the fist broke the limit of visual capture in an instant. The air was sharply compressed and detonated, emitting a crisp sonic boom!
Bang!!!
Black-red ominous lightning flashed explosively! Destructive power erupted perfectly!
A precise Black Flash slammed solidly near Kuchisake-onna's left temple!
The powerful impact violently knocked her terrifying head to the right. Her cervical vertebrae seemed to make a sound of being overwhelmed, and her entire body stumbled backward, letting out a sharp, ear-piercing howl of pain!
"Special Grade?! Why is there a Special Grade here?!"
Geto Suguru's exclamation came, filled with incredulous shock. He had just placed the girl safely on the roof of a building. Looking back, he saw this heart-palpitating scene, his heart almost skipping a beat! The Rainbow Dragon was already extremely difficult to deal with, and now another Special Grade had appeared here! This far exceeded the mission estimate!
"Nagi! Careful! It's a Special Grade Imaginary Cursed Spirit!"
Geto Suguru shouted, forcibly suppressing the shock in his heart, and immediately mobilized more cursed spirits. Several Grade 1 cursed spirits with hideous forms and ferocious auras roared and pounced on Kuchisake-onna, who had just steadied herself, while the main force continued to frantically besiege the Rainbow Dragon, which had gone berserk due to its tail being restrained. They had to solve one of them quickly!
Kuchisake-onna let out a screech filled with extreme malice; she seemed thoroughly enraged.
The giant rusty scissors in her hand swung violently, bringing up a shrill wind. With a few cracks, she easily sheared the two pouncing cursed spirits in half like cutting rags! Her movements were so fast that only a blurry white shadow remained, and the intense resentment radiating from her body almost condensed into black droplets falling down.
"Didn't answer... said I'm ugly... unforgivable... I'll cut you to pieces! Cut you to pieces!"
Her slit giant mouth opened and closed madly, viscous saliva dripping from the corners. Those giant, lifeless eyes locked dead onto Nagi, filled with insane killing intent.
On the other side, the Rainbow Dragon, relying on its exaggerated hardness and pure strength, began a frantic death spin! Like a giant drill covered in hard scales, it rammed wildly against the cursed spirits' attacks!
The cursed spirits Geto Suguru sent to besiege it were shattered, torn, and crushed one after another!
The Rainbow Dragon violently whipped its head, smashing away the last cursed spirit biting its neck. Then, its massive body accumulated all its power and suddenly leaped into the air. It didn't pounce on Nagi, but shot straight up toward the vulture cursed spirit that was carrying the girl, trying to fly higher and away from the battlefield!
"ROAR!!!"
The bloody maw opened, and sharp teeth capable of crushing steel clamped down viciously!
Accompanied by the scalp-numbing sound of shattering shell and tearing muscle, one of the vulture cursed spirit's wings was bitten off at the root! The cursed spirit let out a miserable wail, lost its balance, and fell straight down from dozens of meters in the air, spinning like a kite with a cut string, carrying the girl with it!
"Ahhhhhhh—!!!"
The girl's desperate scream tore through the sky, the shadow of death instantly swallowing her.
"Damn it!!"
Geto Suguru's pupils shrank abruptly, his face turning pale instantly. His cursed spirit rescue wouldn't make it in time! The distance was too far, the speed too fast!
In that one-in-ten-thousandth of a second life-or-death moment—
Mujin Nagi's figure moved!
He completely ignored the threat of Kuchisake-onna pouncing again from behind (who was desperately intercepted by Geto's newly released cursed spirits). The power of [Flow] erupted fully within his leg muscle fibers!
Boom!
The ground beneath his feet exploded into a shallow pit. His figure turned into a blurry black line, shooting straight toward the falling point at a near-vertical angle!
At the same time, he strained to extend his right hand, fingers spread wide toward the girl falling at high speed in the air—
"[Slow]! Full Power!"
An unprecedented, powerful, yet soft invisible resistance field unfolded instantly. Like the toughest safety net, it precisely wrapped around the falling girl. Her falling speed slowed abruptly to a degree visible to the naked eye, as if she had suddenly fallen into a thick, elastic transparent gel, largely canceling out the terrifying G-force of the fall.
Nagi himself used [Flash] to continuously micro-adjust his position, his Vermilion Eyes frantically calculating the trajectory, wind speed, and the best angle for the landing point.
Just as the girl was two or three meters from the ground and her speed had dropped to a safe range, Nagi arrived just in time. His arms caught her steadily in a posture resembling a hug to cushion the impact. The massive force still made him drop to one knee, his knee hitting the ground with a dull thud, but he used his body to perfectly receive and dissolve all the force.
The girl in his arms was cold and trembling violently. Her hands unconsciously gripped the clothes on his chest tightly, like a drowning person clutching driftwood. Tears flowed silently and violently, but due to extreme fear, she couldn't even make a crying sound.
All of this happened in the space of a breath!
Kuchisake-onna, having been temporarily ignored, let out a furious shriek. She radiated an even colder aura, and a blurred, twisted, constantly fluctuating irregular force field suddenly expanded with her at the center—Simple Domain!
The movements of the few cursed spirits that rushed into the domain instantly became sluggish and stiff, as if stuck in a mire! Kuchisake-onna waved her giant scissors, easily cutting and tearing them apart one by one like trimming withered flower branches!
Having succeeded in its strike, the Rainbow Dragon circled half a turn in the air, let out a triumphant roar, and dove down again, aiming straight for Nagi, who had just caught the girl and whose old strength was spent before new strength could generate!
Geto Suguru's face was solemn as never before, pushing his cursed energy almost without regard for consumption!
More cursed spirits surged from behind him like a black tide, rushing one after another to stand between Nagi and the diving Rainbow Dragon, trying to pile up numbers into a wall of defense!
"Nagi!"
"Got it!"
Nagi carefully shielded the nearly collapsed girl behind him and stood up quickly. His Vermilion Eyes coldly locked onto the diving Rainbow Dragon and Kuchisake-onna, who was breaking through the siege of cursed spirits and approaching step by step. The battle entered a white-hot stage around this former schoolmate.
Nagi's figure was like a phantom, moving and dodging within a square inch. He turned [Slow] into an invisible barrier to deflect the Rainbow Dragon's claw strikes, used [Flash] for extreme evasion of Kuchisake-onna's elusive scissors, and [Congeal] to precisely freeze the most fatal moments time and again. He even occasionally used Yin-Yang Rotation to instantly switch force fields, throwing the Rainbow Dragon's charge off balance or deflecting Kuchisake-onna's scissors, disrupting their attack rhythm.
Mujin Nagi had to dedicate more than half his attention to protecting the immobilized classmate behind him; the battle was exceptionally difficult and perilous.
Geto Suguru also exerted his manipulation to the extreme. The army of cursed spirits split into two waves: one wave entangled and drained Kuchisake-onna at all costs, while the other frantically attacked the openings exposed by the Rainbow Dragon when Nagi fixed it with [Congeal].
During this, cursed spirits were constantly torn apart, and constantly replenished.
This two-on-two fierce battle was tragic. The Rainbow Dragon's hardness far exceeded expectations, and Kuchisake-onna's Simple Domain and instant-death Q&A rules were impossible to guard against effectively.
But Geto Suguru and Mujin Nagi—one possessing a nearly infinite sea of cursed spirits for containment and suppression, the other possessing extreme control for precision killing, interference, and defense—found their coordination becoming increasingly tacit under high pressure, like precision-meshed gears.
Finally, an opening appeared. After the Rainbow Dragon shattered several cursed spirits in a full-power dive, Nagi saw the timing and used an overloaded [Congeal] to precisely fix its neck again! Although only for a split second, it was enough!
"Haaah—————!"
At this moment, Mujin Nagi's pupils flickered like flames, veins bulging on his arms. He controlled the anchor point of [Congeal] fixed on the Rainbow Dragon's neck and yanked violently—
"Break!"
"ROAR——————"
Amidst a miserable scream, the Rainbow Dragon's neck was abruptly torn open!
The flesh torn by the Rainbow Dragon's own momentum was fixed within the [Congeal].
Opportunity!
A sharp light flashed in Geto Suguru's eyes. A cursed spirit with a strange shape, like a giant drill—a Grade 1 cursed spirit he had recently subdued, characterized by extreme penetration—shot out from the shadows.
Taking advantage of the moment the Rainbow Dragon's movement stagnated, it drilled ruthlessly into the weak point on the neck that had been repeatedly attacked and was now wide open!
"ROAR—!!!"
The Rainbow Dragon let out another earth-shattering wail. Its massive body convulsed violently, and its rainbow light dimmed rapidly.
Almost at the same time, Kuchisake-onna was distracted for a split second by the Rainbow Dragon's near-death state.
Nagi immediately captured this fleeting opportunity. He continuously displayed [Slow] and [Flash], restricting her movements smoothly like a loach, and deliberately sold an opening.
Kuchisake-onna took the bait, her Simple Domain subconsciously shifting toward the opening. Just as her domain moved and a gap appeared in her defense—
Another of Geto Suguru's cursed spirits, one skilled in sneak attacks and binding that had been lurking in the shadows for a long time, lunged out and tightly entangled Kuchisake-onna's arms and scissors from behind!
"Now!" Geto Suguru roared low.
Nagi didn't hesitate. The power of [Flow] poured into his whole body. He instantly dashed in front of the temporarily bound Kuchisake-onna and delivered a full-power straight punch wrapped in black-red lightning, slamming hard into her lower abdomen! It wasn't a fatal wound, but it was enough to cause massive pain and disorder in her cursed energy.
Kuchisake-onna let out a shrill scream, and her struggle weakened significantly. Geto Suguru seized the opportunity, outputting cursed energy with full force, and finally subdued her completely.
The battlefield finally quieted down, leaving only the black smoke of dissipating cursed spirit remains and a messy street.
Geto Suguru walked forward panting slightly, his face a bit pale. Continuously controlling a large number of cursed spirits, especially against Special Grades, was a huge drain on him.
He extended his hand. The dying Rainbow Dragon and the heavily injured, restrained Kuchisake-onna turned into two pitch-black cursed spirit orbs that constantly twisted and wriggled, emitting a thick ominous aura, falling into his palm.
Geto Suguru looked at these two beads that caused mental discomfort just by looking at them—especially the one Kuchisake-onna had turned into, which contained filth and resentment that seemed ready to overflow—with a very complicated expression.
Nagi confirmed there were no more threats around, and his Vermilion Eyes slowly extinguished. Only then did he gently release the hand that had been shielding the girl behind him and whispered.
"It's over, Kobayashi. It's safe."
The girl named Kobayashi was as pale as paper, her body still trembling slightly, but her eyes were no longer blank with fear; they were slowly focusing. She looked around at the mess in shock, and finally, her gaze landed on Nagi's crimson eyes—different from ordinary people, yet giving her infinite peace of mind at this moment. She finally recognized him completely, her voice choked with the feeling of surviving a disaster and disbelief.
"It's... is it Mujin-kun?! How... how did you..."
"Wait a moment."
Nagi signaled her to be at ease, his voice slowing down without him even realizing it. He walked toward Geto Suguru.
He looked at the two sources of mental pollution in Geto's hands that radiated negative emotions just by existing, especially Kuchisake-onna's orb, from which countless wails seemed to be heard.
After a few seconds of silence, Nagi suddenly asked, his tone as calm as if discussing an academic issue: "How does it taste?"
Geto Suguru was stunned for a moment, seemingly not expecting him to ask this question at such a time.
He looked down at the cursed spirit orbs in his palm, his Adam's apple rolling up and down. He remained silent for a moment, as if recalling that terrible experience.
Finally, he looked up, his brows furrowed deeply, his face showing obvious physiological disgust. He answered with a heavy and bitter tone:
"...Disgusting beyond description. If I had to use a metaphor... it's like swallowing a rag used to wipe up vomit, raw."
Especially Kuchisake-onna's orb; the twisted taste formed by the extreme jealousy and resentment regarding "beauty," as well as the countless urban legends stemming from it, was a hundred times stronger, rushing straight to the soul and making one want to vomit.
Nagi listened seriously, then nodded, as if he had really recorded this important information in a notebook in his heart: "Mm. Understood."
He turned and walked back to the girl named Kobayashi. The two walked to a relatively clean open space nearby. Nagi took out a pack of tissues from his pocket and handed it to her.
Kobayashi took it, wiping the tear stains and dirt from her face. Her emotions gradually stabilized, though her fingers still trembled slightly. She seemed a bit embarrassed as she tidied her messy hair and clothes, taking several deep breaths before speaking intermittently with Nagi, asking about his situation and expressing her gratitude and lingering fear.
Although Nagi's facial expression didn't change much, he listened patiently throughout, occasionally responding with a brief sentence or two, his gaze peaceful.
Finally, Kobayashi looked at the unique Jujutsu High uniform on Nagi, then at the extraordinary-looking Geto Suguru adjusting his breath not far away, and seemed to understand something. She bowed deeply and solemnly to Nagi.
"Thank you, Mujin-kun. Really... thank you so much. I didn't expect to see you again in a situation like this... Please take care of yourself!"
"Mm, you too. Go home quickly."
Nagi nodded. His tone remained flat, but his eyes softened slightly for that instant.
This might have been a reunion full of shock and chaos, but it was also a complete farewell.
Mujin Nagi stood where he was, watching Kobayashi leave the range of the [Curtain] safely under the comfort and arrangement of the hurriedly arriving Assistant Director Ijichi Kiyotaka, looking back every few steps.
Mujin Nagi's gaze followed her figure until it disappeared. The slight ripples in his eyes slowly subsided, buried deep in his heart, finally returning to a deep pool-like calm.
Mission completely over.
Iori Takasuke confirmed there were no more cursed spirit reactions at the scene and lifted the [Curtain].
The afternoon sunlight poured down without obstruction, instantly dispelling the previous gloom and darkness. The street became bright and warm again, as if the thrilling supernatural battle before was just a collective hallucination.
Only the damaged buildings around and the cracks on the ground silently told the truth of what had happened.
In the distance, on the edge of the rooftop of an abandoned commercial building, a figure stood quietly, the wide sleeves of his kimono swaying gently in the breeze.
On his forehead, the mark of a distinct stitched scar looked somewhat eerie in the sunlight. His gaze was deep as an ancient well, crossing the distant space, landing precisely on the area below where the Curtain had just been lifted, on the backs of Geto Suguru and Mujin Nagi who were meeting up to leave. The corners of his mouth slowly curved into a complex and elusive arc, a smile mixed with interest, calculation, and some kind of deep anticipation.
"Cursed Spirit Manipulation... and a marvelous technique that manipulates 'resistance'... truly an increasingly interesting development..."
The low self-muttering was like a sigh, quietly dissipating in the warm afternoon wind, leaving no trace.
"By the way, have you ever tried dipping it in sugar or something?"
"Huh? Why?"
"Maybe it could mitigate the taste."