NOVEMBER 12TH, AROUND 10:30 A.M.
Three days have passed since entering the colony. The morning light filtered through the cracked windows of the abandoned hotel, casting long shadows across the lavish, yet neglected interior. Dust floated in the air, disturbed only by the rhythmic breaths of the two unconscious sorcerers resting on the beds behind him.
Furōkawa stood near the window, his gaze locked on the scene outside.
Towering, two grotesque rat-like cursed spirits had overrun the streets, their massive bodies crawling over the shattered building and occupying the abandoned streets like an infestation from hell, along with prehistoric giant birds that stalked and shredded anything that entered the skies.They weren't just aimlessly hunting—they were guarding something. A perimeter had formed around the stadium, their movements synchronized and intelligent.
'Like a shikigami.. Dhruv Lakdawalla..' Furōkawa thought to himself.
Furōkawa narrowed his eyes. His perception had sharpened immensely since slaying Sigrun and landing multiple black flashes. Cursed energy signatures—once just nebulous auras—now unfolded before him like ink bleeding through paper, distinct and traceable. The range of his senses also increased dramatically, like being able to sense Kenjaku hundreds of miles from Shibuya.
And beyond the rats, was a cursed energy signature so overwhelming, so unmistakable, it was like a sun burning amidst the gloom.
Yuta Okkotsu.
Furō exhaled.
"The next objective is clear," he muttered to himself.
He had to regroup with Yuta. If they wanted their plans to progress without unnecessary obstacles, every second counted.
Behind him, a sharp inhale shattered the silence.
Rin stirred, her breathing erratic as she jolted upright, her hand instinctively reaching for a weapon that wasn't there. Her golden eyes bore into Furō's back with immediate hostility.
Furōkawa turned slightly, meeting her wild gaze with calm indifference.
She wasn't dead.
Confusion flickered across her face before something more primal took over. She bared her fangs, her body trembling, but still trying to look threatening despite the obvious disadvantage.
Furō's eyes trailed down to her side, and without a shred of sympathy, he stated:
"You're missing an arm."
She hesitated for a fraction of a second—long enough for the reality to settle in—but the fire in her expression refused to die.
"I can still fight."
Furōkawa scoffed, gesturing to the ruined state of her body. She wasn't going anywhere.
"This isn't a place for violence. If I wanted you dead-"
"You would've killed me the first time." Rin gritted her teeth but didn't lash out. Not immediately, at least.
She exhaled sharply through her nose, narrowing her eyes at him.
"…Then what the hell does my survival mean?"
Furōkawa turned fully to face her, his expression serious.
"I need your points."
She stilled.
"You're not allowed to leave until you give them to me."
Rin's claws flexed against the bed, but Furō wasn't finished. He tilted his head toward the other bed, where Retsu still lay asleep.
"Him too. I entered a binding vow with him, so he's not escaping either."
Rin's lips curled in irritation, but she understood the weight of those words. A binding vow with another sorcerer wasn't something to take lightly.
Furō's voice remained steady.
"I'll keep both of you safe until the rule is added, but until then, you're stuck with me. I won't kill you afterwards either."
A tense silence stretched between them. Rin's eyes darted toward her own missing arm, then to Retsu, then back to Furō. She didn't have a choice, and she knew it.
"…Tch. Fine."
She turned her head away, reluctantly conceding.
Furō nodded once. Good.
But before he could return to his thoughts, something small and disgusting scuttled near his foot.
He looked down.
A roach.
His breath caught in his throat.
"Sh—!"
CRUNCH.
His cursed energy surged unintentionally, and his foot obliterated the floor beneath him. A boom echoed through the hotel as the wooden planks and supports collapsed inward, sending debris plummeting into the lower level.
"—SHIT."
A startled yelp erupted from the second bed as Retsu was violently jolted awake, flailing in confusion as dust and broken floorboards rained down.
Rin flinched at the sudden destruction, looking at Furō like he was an idiot.
For a moment, there was complete silence.
Then, Retsu—still half-asleep and completely dazed—slowly lifted his head.
"…What… happened?" His voice was thick with grogginess, blinking rapidly as he tried to make sense of his surroundings.
Furō exhaled, brushing off debris from his shoulder.
"Well," he muttered, staring down at the gaping hole in the floor. "At least you're both awake."
Rin rubbed her temples, already regretting her life choices.
Furō rolled his shoulders, shifting his focus back to the real problem.
"Get yourselves together," he ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument. "We're moving out in thirty minutes."
Retsu blinked, still not fully grasping the situation. "To where…?"
Furō turned his gaze back toward the window, where the giant rat-like curses continued to infest Sendai, and Yuta's cursed energy pulsed like a beacon in the distance.
"To the deadlock," he answered.
Rin and Retsu followed his line of sight, and their expressions darkened with understanding.