A sense of confusion and fear instantly filled Jyu's heart. In his mind, questions kept swirling—who would become the sacrifice in the ritual to lift Kuma's curse?
Finally, he thought of sacrificing a mystical creature that was already dying.
"What if we take the corpse of the Arabai?"
Taffie didn't respond to the suggestion at all. She only stared at Jyu with a mysterious gaze. Her eyes were cold, yet they hinted at a deeper meaning.
Of course, the silence only made Jyu even more confused. "Should we sacrifice Mamba's subordinates?"
"Or Sizhi?"
Still, Taffie remained silent, only staring at Jyu with that same mysterious look. Jyu returned the gaze with confusion. Until finally, he realized that the sacrifice that should be offered… was himself.
"What do you mean the sacrifice is me?"
"Grrr." Kuma immediately growled, as if shocked by the words that came out of his master.
Taffie took a deep breath. "There is no one else but you. This is your responsibility."
Jyu could no longer say anything, his heart felt like it had stopped. His body stiffened as he realized that the sacrifice Taffie meant was himself. Suddenly, his legs weakened, and he fell to his knees, his head lowering in despair.
"Is it this soon that I have to die again?" he said softly with a trembling voice.
Taffie approached him and helped Jyu stand back up. "Hurry! We don't have much time."
Jyu's mind was truly in chaos. There was a sense of rejection, but on the other hand, he realized that this was indeed his responsibility. Especially with the critical situation between the Darkent realm and the human world caused by him as well. If only he had been honest with his seniors about his power, perhaps this horrifying event could have been prevented.
For quite a while, Jyu was occupied with the turmoil in his own mind. It was as if he wanted to step into the ritual area, but at the same time, he was afraid of pain and death.
"Hurry!"
Now Taffie even began to act harshly by forcefully pulling Jyu's body into the ritual area. "Hurry! More people will die if we are slow here."
Jyu finally obeyed. Slowly, he entered the ritual area and lay down on a large platform. Meanwhile, Kuma was immediately told to lie down on a smaller platform.
"I'm sorry, but this is the only way to save everyone," Taffie said softly, full of regret.
"I understand. Hurry! Don't make me suffer even more."
Taffie immediately drew her sword. "Prepare yourself!"
Jyu could only close his eyes and prepare to accept the immense pain, just like in his first death.
Then, swiftly, Taffie stabbed Jyu's heart, so forcefully that he screamed in agony. The sound of pain echoed throughout the place where Kuma's curse resided. Blood began to soak the platform where Jyu lay. He coughed up blood, his eyes wide open as he could no longer endure the pain.
"I'm sorry," Taffie said softly, now feeling guilty after killing her own junior.
Slowly, Jyu's groans of pain faded, leaving only his final breaths. Now Jyu's blood flowed into a channel leading to the platform where Kuma lay. Gradually, the blood flooded Kuma, turning his body a dark red.
On the other side, Jyu had died. Taffie immediately closed Jyu's eyes with her palm. "Forgive me. Rest in peace, my friend."
Suddenly, the floor in the ritual area began to crack slowly. Kuma started groaning in pain, his eyes glaring sharply, even his mouth opened wide as Jyu's blood flowed into his throat.
The entire ritual area now shook violently, clear signs that all the walls were about to collapse. Taffie grew quite panicked in this condition—if she didn't get out soon, she might be buried alive along with Jyu.
Quickly, she returned to the corridor, crawling upward with the last of her strength. In the middle of her struggle, a loud whistling sound suddenly rang out.
The sound was like a bomb about to explode. Taffie realized that danger was already upon her, and she wouldn't have time to escape from the dark corridor.
BOOM!
A massive explosion occurred in the ritual area. The corridor where Taffie was collapsed, and she was thrown away by the blast. Everything was over!
---
Kuma's curse could indeed only be lifted by sacrificing a victim. The one who would be sacrificed was Kuma's master—whether they liked it or not, they were the one who had to fulfil this obligation.
When this ritual was complete, when the blood of Jyu and Kuma merged, the two would unite into a new entity.
A second after his death, Jyu's soul seemed to be carried into a dark place. Slowly, a bluish light appeared beneath his feet, continuing to shine until everything became bright.
"Where am I? Is this heaven?" Jyu was confused about where he was now.
Not long after, strange voices appeared.
[Congratulations, you have lifted Kuma's curse]
[Now you will be reborn]
A second later, a rune appeared before Jyu. He was shocked by how terrifying its power was.
---
Name: Kuma
Rank: Supreme
Demon Fragment: 775/1000
Aspect: Bear Monster
Memory: Black Sword
Aspect Description: Kuma is a bear yokai, a giant bear that can walk upright like a human.
Aspect Ability: [Imagination Disruptor]
Ability Description:
Illusion: Kuma can paralyze the imagination and emotions of nearby creatures. As if hypnotized, their souls are in Kuma's grasp. This power can be used once every 15 seconds.
Monster Strike: Kuma has super-powerful punches equal to a giant. This power can be used once every minute.
Dimensional Portal: Kuma can open and close dimensional portals at will. Limited to a distance of 10 kilometers.
Transformation: Kuma can transform according to its previous form.
---
"Yeah! This is my power, I will become the strongest now."
"But wait…"
Jyu observed the rune more closely. There was something strange—his name. Why had it changed to Kuma? His name was Jyu. What happened?
"I was reborn… I was reborn as Kuma, is that it?"
---
After the massive explosion occurred, the situation in the demon palace was completely chaotic. The blast destroyed part of the palace. All battles came to an end, and everyone dropped down to protect themselves from the falling debris.
Taffie survived. It was as if she had received a miracle for not being killed by the explosion. However, the blast still left her with new injuries.
She was thrown quite far, now lying in the entrance area about 10 meters from the throne area where Jyu's ritual had taken place.
"Is this over?" she said softly. Taffie immediately tried to stand and walk out to see the dimensional portal.
"Why? Why hasn't the dimensional portal closed?"
She was shocked to learn this. Whether she liked it or not, the dimensional portal was still not closed. It remained wide open, and many mystical creatures were going in and out of the human world.
"What should I do now? Was the ritual wrong?"
"Grrr."
Taffie's eyes widened sharply as she faintly heard Kuma's growl. She searched for the source of the sound—it clearly came from the pile of rubble in the throne area.
"Grrr."
"Grrr."
"Grrr."
Kuma's growls grew louder. Suddenly, a force blasted apart the rubble once again. Then, a large figure emerged from beneath it, roaring like an enraged giant.
ROOOOARR!
Kuma. He was Kuma, who had been freed from the curse. No longer a stuffed bear, but Onikuma—a bear yokai that could walk upright like a human, possessing monstrous strength.
A second later, he leapt incredibly high and landed right in front of Taffie. Kuma then showed a ferocious gaze that was utterly terrifying.