"Mahito... Jogo..."
His head bore a deep, gaping wound from Nanami's strike.
Dagon writhed on the floor, tears streaming down his face.
"Hanami..."
Muttering about his companions—one murdered by Zenin Mirai, the others fighting for their lives—the grief within the Cursed Womb erupted completely!
BOOM!
"HOW DARE YOU KILL HANAMI!"
The soft, sweet voice suddenly became deep and hoarse. Dagon burst from his Cursed Womb, revealing his complete form!
He was a massive, muscular humanoid Cursed Spirit. He had two feet, two arms, and a pair of blood-red wings, each half a meter long, on his lower back.
Floating in mid-air, the fully evolved Dagon looked down at the four Sorcerers below. His killing intent was palpable.
"Oh no!"
Nanami ripped off his ruined gray suit jacket, his body tense.
"Fushiguro, Kugizaki, cover me!"
"Maki, attack with me! Take advantage of his molting phase; don't give him time to adjust!"
Nobara reacted with lightning speed.
CLANG!!
Several iron nails, glowing with azure Cursed Energy, shot toward the Special Grade Curse!
Megumi's shadow spread instantly. The Divine Dog: Totality—powerful enough to break through a Special Grade's defense—leaped from the ground into the sky!
As the main attackers, Nanami and Maki leaped into the air alongside the wolf.
Facing the coordinated assault of four Sorcerers, Dagon's eyes turned cold. He casually raised his hands.
Their speed is average, Dagon assessed silently.
He placed his hands horizontally in front of his chest, fingers interlocked.
A massive surge of Cursed Energy formed a closed barrier that instantly enveloped everyone.
"Domain Expansion: Horizon of the Captivating Skandha!"
...
Blue sky, white clouds, warm sunshine, and a sandy beach.
A gentle sea breeze and an endless expanse of azure sea.
This was the Domain created by Dagon's immense Cursed Energy. It was a place constructed from his fondest memories of relaxing with Mahito, Jogo, and Hanami.
But for the Sorcerers, it was hell.
The four members of Team Nanami stood on the soft, golden sand, their expressions extremely solemn.
Not only did Dagon possess Special Grade Cursed Energy, but he had also mastered the pinnacle of Jujutsu.
Nanami gripped the hilt of his cleaver tightly, his brows furrowed deeply.
The guaranteed "sure-hit" effect of the Domain meant they could be instantly ripped apart without warning.
"Fushiguro-kun!" Nanami yelled.
"Yeah!"
Before Nanami could even finish the order, Megumi understood.
He channeled all his Cursed Energy, letting his hands hang down, his fingers interlocked.
"Domain Expansion: Chimera Shadow Garden!"
The golden sand beneath the four of them was instantly covered by a thick layer of pitch-black ink!
"Huh?"
As Dagon floated above the sea, a fleeting look of surprise crossed his face, but he quickly composed himself.
"An incomplete Domain. The advantage lies with me."
Dagon's analysis was correct.
The incomplete Domain Megumi had developed was far less mature and refined than a normal Domain. It lacked a closed outer shell and had to be laid over the existing environment.
In reality, they were worlds apart. Surrounded by azure waters on all sides, the dark ink beneath Megumi's feet was visibly shrinking against Dagon's pressure.
"Fushiguro," Nanami ordered. "Don't think about attacking. Just maintain your Domain's characteristics and neutralize his guaranteed 'sure-hit' effect."
"Leave the Special Grade to us."
Megumi's total Cursed Energy was far inferior to Dagon's, and the refinement of his Domain was severely lacking.
Reducing his offensive output to solely maintain the puddle of ink was the most appropriate solution to keep them alive.
But the situation remained dire.
...
"Cursed Technique Release: Death Swarm!"
BOOM!!
Countless Shikigami formed from Cursed Energy erupted from the sea!
From giant white sharks tens of meters long, to razor-toothed piranhas the size of a palm.
The endless swarm of carnivorous fish charged straight at the ink puddle with the force of a tidal wave.
Dagon's eyes were cold. He didn't rashly approach Megumi's puddle.
He silently adjusted his output. He directed 80% of his Shikigami toward Nanami and Nobara to break their defense, and the remaining 20% toward Megumi to drain his Cursed Energy.
As for Maki, who possessed civilian-level Cursed Energy, Dagon barely paid her any attention.
SQUELCH!!
With a single slash, Nanami sliced an attacking shark to pieces and shouted the order.
"Everyone, protect Fushiguro!"
Having devoted all his focus to maintaining the Domain, Megumi's movement speed was nonexistent. And without the protection of Megumi's Domain neutralizing the sure-hit effect... they would all die instantly.
Nanami hadn't expected Dagon to be so cautious. The Curse had no intention of fighting in close combat.
Ten cuts per second.
Maki stood guard on Megumi's left, weaving a dense, impenetrable web with her Naginata.
Pools of purple blood splattered everywhere as she shredded the endless stream of Shikigami!
Nobara, guarding Megumi's right, violently swung her hammer.
Her silver hammer was dyed a vibrant purple in seconds. But she didn't have enough nails, and their vision was completely obscured by the endless swarm of sea monsters.
They could only defend passively. There was no time to counterattack.
Megumi, protected in the center, was panting heavily, his clothes soaked in sweat. He hunched over, maintaining his hand seal, his expression growing increasingly desperate.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his three seniors bleeding from numerous glancing bites.
Megumi hesitated, wondering if he should drop the Domain and summon Mahoraga to end this.
But unlike the outside world, the space inside a closed Domain was incredibly solid. He had tried to open a small hole in Dagon's barrier so Nanami and the others could escape, but Dagon's barrier was too strong. Megumi didn't have enough Cursed Energy to bore a hole.
Nanami, guarding the front alone, had a gloomy face.
Hundreds of cuts. Thousands of cuts. Tens of thousands of cuts.
In just a few dozen seconds, Nanami could barely feel his sword arm anymore.
Through the gaps in the swarm of fish, he saw Dagon floating safely a hundred meters away.
The puddle of ink was gradually being squeezed and shrunk. The three fighters were forced to retreat step by step, pressing themselves tightly around Megumi.
This can't go on!
Nanami realized they couldn't delay any longer. The CPU in his brain ran at full speed, calculating the odds.
To deal with the Cursed Spirit a hundred meters away, he had to step out of Megumi's protective ink.
However, doing so meant accepting the unblockable, invisible "sure-hit" attacks of Dagon's Domain.
He would have to cross a hundred meters, withstanding a swarm of invisible Shikigami tearing at his flesh for nearly three seconds.
Only with immense luck would he survive the run, severely injured, to reach Dagon.
Then, he would have to assassinate the Special Grade before bleeding out.
It was an impossible task. A suicidal gamble.
But it was the only way. None of them could use Reverse Cursed Technique. The best outcome was to sacrifice one person to destroy the Domain caster.
To gamble or not to gamble?
...
BOOM!
Nanami's full-force slash created a brief opening in the swarm ahead!
"Maki! Kugizaki! Take my place!"
With a roar, Nanami charged out of the ink puddle, sprinting against the tide of fish!
Without gambling, the entire team would be wiped out.
Betting offered a one percent chance of success. It was a multiple-choice question with no other options.
Surrounded by azure flames of Cursed Energy, Nanami charged toward the terrifying Cursed Spirit!
"NANAMI-SENPAI!!"
With their shoulders, thighs, and waists already bleeding, Maki and Nobara were suddenly put under even more pressure!
They couldn't help but look at Nanami's back, their hearts clenching tightly.
"Madness," Dagon commented coldly.
The moment Nanami stepped out of the ink, Dagon's sure-hit effect activated.
CHOMP.
Nanami instantly felt the tearing sensation of serrated teeth sinking into his waist from thin air!
A splash of bright red blood fell onto the sand. But Nanami ignored the excruciating pain and continued forward!
Two steps... three steps...
Invisible sharks and eels manifested directly on Nanami's body. He was instantly dyed red with his own blood!
"SENPAI!"
Seeing Nanami being mauled to death, Megumi lost his composure for a split second.
The ink puddle collapsed!
Dagon smiled. A gigantic, dragon-shaped sea serpent, hundreds of meters long, suddenly manifested directly above the three remaining students!
A chill ran straight up Megumi's spine.
The three of them, with no time to react, stared blankly at the colossal beast that blocked out the sun as it opened its blood-red maw to devour them!
—SNAP!
At the critical moment of life and death, a familiar voice echoed, shattering Dagon's barrier from the outside.
"Domain Expansion..."
"Thousand Burials of the White Spirit."
.....
.....
.....
Support me and read advance chapters on patreon.com/ImmortalDaoWriter