A/N: Don't forget to check out my original novel: Can I Magic Please. It's like really good. đ
ANYWHOOO. ENJOY THE CHAPTER
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Dust drifted slowly through the ruined hallway.
Chunks of concrete crumbled from the ceiling while shattered lights flickered weakly overhead.
Maki remained kneeling near the broken pillar, breathing heavily.
Blood ran down the side of her face.
But her eyesâ
Her eyes remained fixed entirely on Oden.
On those eyes.
Black sclera.
Golden irises.
Red vertical slits.
They did not look human.
They looked like something ancient pretending to be human.
A predator wearing skin.
Maki felt a chill crawl up her spine.
'What the hell...'
The pressure in the air itself had changed.
Noâ
It was not pressure.
It was awareness.
It felt like Oden could suddenly see everything.
Every movement.
Every breath.
Every heartbeat.
Then realization struck her.
'That's why he wears the blindfold.'
The curse screeched violently.
The sound shook the entire corridor.
Its massive body twisted unnaturally as the flesh around its arms swelled grotesquely.
Thenâ
BOOOOOM!
It launched forward like a missile.
The floor exploded beneath its feet.
Oden did not move immediately.
His serpent eyes tracked every motion calmly.
The shifting muscles.
The change in weight distribution.
The twitch before acceleration.
Thenâ
He moved.
SWISH!
The curse's fist barely missed his head as Oden leaned aside by mere centimeters.
The impact behind him obliterated the wall completely.
Oden stepped forward smoothly.
His fist slammed into the curse's ribs.
BOOM!
The creature staggered backward.
Several snakes immediately burst from Oden's sleeves.
They shot forward like arrows.
The curse roared as the snakes wrapped around its arms and neck before sinking venomous fangs deep into its flesh.
The curse retaliated instantly.
The walls around them warped grotesquely again.
Living flesh erupted outward.
Massive tendrils shot toward Oden from every direction.
Maki's eyes widened.
'Behind him!'
But before the tendrils could touch himâ
Oden moved again.
Fluidly.
Almost unnaturally.
His body twisted through the attacks with minimal movement.
Every strike missed by inches.
No wasted motion.
No panic.
Like he already knew where every attack would land.
The curse suddenly slammed both hands together.
BOOOOM!
The flesh-covered walls compressed inward violently.
The hallway itself tried to crush Oden alive.
Oden's eyes narrowed slightly.
Thenâ
A snake emerged from beneath his collar.
Its body rapidly split apart into dozens more.
The smaller serpents spread across the walls instantly.
The moment the flesh tried to closeâ
The snakes bit into it simultaneously.
Venom spread rapidly.
The living walls spasmed violently before collapsing apart.
Oden dashed through the opening immediately.
His palm slammed into the curse's chest.
CRACK!
The creature flew backward into a classroom.
Desks exploded everywhere.
The curse roared furiously and retaliated instantly.
Its body convulsed grotesquely.
Then several mouths opened across its torso.
Maki's expression changed immediately.
'Not good.'
The mouths screamed simultaneously.
A concentrated sonic blast erupted outward.
BOOOOOOM!
Windows shattered across the entire building.
The shockwave blasted Oden backward through the air.
But before he hit the wallâ
A serpent coiled around his waist midair.
It yanked him sideways.
Oden landed smoothly on his feet.
His shoes skidded slightly against broken tile.
The curse charged again.
Faster this time.
Maki watched the exchange intensely.
Neither side was overwhelming the other.
Every attack carried lethal force.
Every mistake could mean death.
The curse possessed monstrous physical ability combined with an extremely troublesome technique.
But Odenâ
Oden adapted frighteningly fast.
His eyes constantly moved.
Analyzing.
Calculating.
Predicting.
The curse swung downward violently.
Oden summoned one katana from a snake's mouth instantly.
CLANG!
Steel collided against hardened flesh.
Shockwaves exploded outward.
The curse's strength forced Oden backward several meters.
The floor beneath his feet cracked apart.
Yet even while retreatingâ
Oden's blade suddenly twisted.
Instead of resisting directly, he redirected the impact sideways.
The curse lost balance for the smallest moment.
Oden immediately capitalized.
His sword flashed upward.
SLASH!
One of the curse's arms flew off.
Black blood splattered everywhere.
The curse shrieked violentlyâ
Then the severed limb regenerated almost instantly.
Oden clicked his tongue.
"...Annoying."
The curse suddenly grinned.
Its grotesque face split wider and wider until its jaw nearly tore apart completely.
Then the entire building trembled.
Maki's expression darkened.
The cursed energy gathering around it increased dramatically.
'It's getting serious.'
Oden slowly adjusted his stance.
One sword lowered at his side.
Golden eyes locked onto the curse without blinking.
Thenâ
He smiled slightly too.
Excited.
The curse lunged.
Oden vanished forward simultaneously.
BOOOOOOM!
Their collision shattered the entire hallway apart.
---
The entire floor shook violently.
Concrete exploded outward.
The curse crashed through three classrooms before finally stopping.
Smoke and dust filled the air.
For several secondsâ
Silence.
Then heavy footsteps echoed slowly through the destruction.
Oden emerged from the dust cloud calmly.
One katana rested loosely in his hand.
His serpent eyes glowed faintly beneath the dim emergency lights.
Gone was the laziness from before.
Gone was the playful attitude.
The atmosphere around him had changed completely.
Cold.
Focused.
Predatory.
The curse rose again with a distorted screech.
Its body rapidly regenerated.
Flesh twisted unnaturally as new muscle formed over exposed bone.
Then dozens of eyes across its body locked onto Oden simultaneously.
BOOOOOM!
The curse attacked first.
Its massive fist shattered the floor as it swung downward.
Oden sidestepped effortlessly.
The instant he movedâ
His sword flashed.
SLASH!
The curse's arm separated cleanly.
Before the severed limb even hit the groundâ
Oden had already appeared beside it.
His serpent eyes tracked every microscopic movement in the curse's muscles.
Every twitch.
Every shift.
Every flow of cursed energy.
Nothing escaped his vision.
The curse opened multiple mouths again.
Preparing another sonic blast.
Butâ
Too slow.
Oden's hand sign formed instantly.
"Rabbit."
A tiny blur exploded forward.
The Lethal Rabbit appeared for only a fraction of a second.
BOOOOM!
The curse's torso imploded inward violently from the impact.
The sonic attack died before activation.
The creature staggered backwardâ
Then Oden was already there.
His swordsmanship flowed seamlessly now.
No hesitation.
No wasted movement.
One slash became three.
Three became ten.
Silver arcs flashed endlessly through the hallway.
SLASH!
SLASH!
SLASH!
The curse's flesh was carved apart repeatedly faster than it could regenerate.
Black blood painted the walls.
Maki watched silently from the rubble.
Her eyes widened slightly.
'He's completely overwhelming it now.'
The difference from before was obvious.
Earlier, Oden had been testing it.
Learning.
Adapting.
Nowâ
He understood it completely.
The curse screamed furiously.
The surrounding walls expanded grotesquely again.
Its technique activated at full output.
The entire floor transformed into living flesh.
Massive spikes erupted from every direction simultaneously.
Oden exhaled softly.
Then his eyes narrowed.
Suddenlyâ
Snakes flooded outward from beneath his clothes.
Hundreds.
They spread across the environment instantly.
Every surface.
Every wall.
Every ceiling.
The moment the flesh constructs emergedâ
The snakes struck.
Venom spread everywhere.
The curse's technique destabilized immediately.
The living flesh began rotting apart violently.
The curse realized too late.
Oden had already appeared directly in front of it.
The serpent eyes reflected clearly in the curse's many pupils.
Thenâ
One clean slash.
SHIIIIIING.
Silence.
The curse froze.
A thin line appeared across its neck.
Thenâ
Its head slowly slid from its shoulders.
Black blood sprayed across the destroyed hallway.
The massive body collapsed heavily onto the ground.
Moments laterâ
It dissolved completely into smoke.
The mission was over.
Silence filled the ruined building.
Oden slowly exhaled.
Then casually spun his sword once before storing it inside the mouth of a snake.
The serpent swallowed the blade whole before disappearing beneath his sleeve.
Afterwardâ
Oden reached up quietly.
And wrapped the blindfold back over his eyes.
The monstrous golden gaze disappeared once more.
The atmosphere lightened immediately.
Maki stared at him for a moment.
Then Oden suddenly spoke.
"...Do my eyes disgust you?"
Maki blinked slightly.
Oden kept facing away from her.
His voice sounded unusually quiet.
"...Do you think less of me because of them?"
For a brief momentâ
Maki simply stared.
Then she scoffed.
"Your eyes don't change anything."
Oden remained silent.
Maki crossed her arms despite her injuries.
"You were already a piece of shit before I saw them."
A pause.
"And you'll still be a piece of shit after."
Silence lingered briefly.
Thenâ
Oden laughed softly.
Genuinely.
"...You're pretty cool, Maki."
He pulled his hood up afterward and began walking away casually.
Maki's eyes widened slightly.
A faint blush appeared across her face instantly.
"...Huh?"
She immediately looked away aggressively.
'Why the hell am I blushing?!'
Outside the veilâ
Ijichi paced nervously near the vehicle.
Sweat dripped down his forehead.
His phone remained tightly clutched in his hand.
'Maybe I really should call for backup...'
The building in front of him shook again violently.
Ijichi nearly screamed internally.
Thenâ
The veil suddenly lifted.
Moments laterâ
Two figures emerged from the school entrance.
Ijichi froze.
Maki looked terrible.
Bruised.
Bloody.
Exhausted.
But alive.
Beside herâ
Oden looked completely untouched.
Not even his uniform was damaged.
He stretched lazily as he walked.
"Ooooi, Ijichi-san."
Ijichi immediately rushed toward them.
"Are you two alright?!"
Oden pointed toward Maki.
"She needs medical attention."
Then he rubbed the back of his head.
"...I'm hungry too."
Ijichi stared at him blankly for a second.
Then relief flooded his face.
A tired smile appeared immediately.
"...Right away."
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