That very night as they traveled, Tamamo Hotaru — still refusing to believe it wouldn't work — asked Kagetsu to use its sensing ability again.
The result was exactly the same: after reflection, the moonlight extended only a few hundred meters before fading away completely.
The direction it pointed toward, however, remained unchanged.
This made Tamamo Hotaru begin to wonder if someone had actually taken the Fox Spirit Tokens away.
It wasn't impossible. After all, not long ago the Land of Vegetables had suffered both civil war and Cursed Spirit attacks — anything could have happened there.
But there was one strange coincidence… The direction the moonlight indicated was exactly the same as where they were heading.
No one paid it much attention at the time; they just took it for a coincidence.
According to the map they'd gotten from the Underground Exchange, their final destination was a place called Black Mountain — a place now completely occupied by Cursed Spirits, and where no living human dared to set foot.
One thing that didn't make sense was why these Cursed Spirits had traveled so far just to attack the Land of Vegetables and carry off so many people.
But Shinji was certain of one thing: there had to be a Special Grade Cursed Spirit residing on Black Mountain.
Otherwise, there was no way so many Cursed Spirits would gather there, nor would they act with such discipline and organization.
When they finally arrived, everyone was surprised.
Because the entire mountain was covered and hidden under a "Veil"!
A Veil was a special barrier constructed entirely of cursed energy — a technique used to conceal an area from view.
Right now, Black Mountain was wrapped in what looked like black sludge flowing down from the sky. Ordinary people wouldn't even be able to see the mountain itself.
Even Hidan and the others could only see a pitch-black void, sensing that something was wrong.
"Looks like some kind of barrier," Hidan muttered, then swung his Scythe — Bloody March — straight at it!
BOOM!
Unsurprisingly, the attack bounced right off.
Shinji stepped forward. "Let me handle it."
He took hold of the Executioner's Blade.
Red Blood Manipulation: Leaping Crimson Scales — Release!
Ten-Part Curse Art: Waraku Waraku!
As the familiar, mysterious blood-red markings appeared on Shinji's face, the Weakness Point — the 7:3 ratio — on the Veil instantly revealed itself.
SWISH!
The great blade came down, slicing a clean gash right through the barrier. It looked exactly like someone cutting open a black plastic greenhouse with a knife.
"Quick — get inside!"
Shinji dove through, and everyone followed without hesitation.
By the time Tobi — the last one — had entered, the slit behind them had already closed and healed completely.
"So those monsters are hiding inside here?" Tamamo Hotaru asked, looking up at the unremarkable mountain peak below.
"Your answer will be right here very soon."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean… we alerted the 'owner' the moment we broke in. By now, they've probably sent someone out to… give us a warm welcome."
No sooner had he spoken than rows of mole-like Cursed Spirits burst out of the ground right in front of them, staring fixedly at the group.
Tamamo Hotaru gasped in fright and hugged the tiny white fox — Kagetsu — tight against her chest.
Shinji knew the road ahead wouldn't be easy. He gave his orders:
"Hidan and I will lead the way and clear a path. Sasuke and Tobi — watch our backs. Stay close and don't get separated."
He said the last part looking directly at Tamamo Hotaru.
She knew very well she had no real skills and would only be a burden, so she accepted the arrangement without complaint.
Sasuke, however, burned with the desire to fight at the front, but knowing his strength wasn't enough yet, he had no choice but to hold back.
"Die."
Shinji wasn't in the mood to play games. He simply unleashed Cursed Speech decisively.
Rows of mole-like Cursed Spirits dropped dead instantly — not even a ripple left behind.
The backlash Shinji suffered was negligible. That confirmed his judgment: these were just cannon fodder meant for surveillance and delay — the weakest of all Cursed Spirits: Grade 4.
But their sheer numbers made them valuable. Each Grade 4 Cursed Spirit was worth 100 Curse Soul Points.
With that single word — Die — he had earned himself 2,800 points!
It was true: if you wanted to farm points, wiping out hordes of low-grade spirits was far more profitable than hunting Special Grades.
Special Grades were rare, and extremely difficult to defeat anyway.
This was like cutting grass — satisfying and fast!
But there was a catch: to find such a massive gathering, you first had to find a Special Grade capable of commanding lesser spirits. It all came down to luck.
Shinji felt lucky this time. Even though he had missed out on 20,000 points from the Fox Spirit Tokens, if he could clear out every spirit on Black Mountain, the total would be massive.
And on top of that… he would get his hands on a Special Grade's Eyeball.
Whether or not he could speed up his plans depended entirely on this mission.
"Don't disappoint me now…" he muttered, stepping forward with blade in hand.
And indeed, they didn't disappoint. Very soon, Cursed Spirits of all kinds and bizarre shapes began rushing out from every direction to attack them.
Instead of worrying, Shinji was delighted!
Come on! The more, the better!
---
Deep Inside Black Mountain
Beneath the surface lay a vast, hollow space.
This was where the Cursed Spirits lived, and where the captured humans were held.
Deepest within, everything was pitch black. Just looking into that darkness filled one with dread, as if your very soul were being drawn into it.
Right then, a goat-headed monster stepped respectfully to the edge of the shadows.
"Master — intruders have entered. I have sent the Third Brigade to deal with them."
A cold, chilling voice echoed from the darkness.
"Resolve it quickly. Do not delay the next Transformation Experiment."
"As you command, Master."
The goat-monster bowed again, then backed away with head lowered.
Just as Shinji had suspected, a Special Grade Cursed Spirit did reside here… though perhaps not exactly the kind he expected.
"Bring these ones over there."
The goat-monster walked to the area where humans were penned up. He gestured, selecting about a hundred people, ready to move them elsewhere.
Immediately, several terrifying humanoid Cursed Spirits stepped forward and began grabbing people.
"No! Don't take me! Please!"
"Mommy… I'm scared… waaaaah…"
"I'll fight you monsters to the death!"
"Don't touch my son! Take me instead!"
…
Panic, screams, numb silence, desperate resistance… every possible human reaction played out at once.
But they were far too weak.
There was nothing they could do to stop the tragedy unfolding.
Soon, over a hundred people were herded like cattle or sheep into a separate chamber.
Blood — fresh, not yet dry — stained the walls and floor everywhere. The sight was horrifying.
Realizing what fate awaited them, many began to weep uncontrollably.
____________________
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