Under the afternoon sun, Lake Biwa in Nara Prefecture shimmered with ripples, its vast surface like a giant sapphire embedded between mountains and forests.
A gentle breeze swept across the water, stirring up layers of ripples. Beneath the seemingly calm scene, a heart-pounding Cursed Energy fluctuation lay hidden.
In the center of the lake, a strange figure stood silently.
It was a humanoid Cursed Spirit, its bare upper body as white as porcelain, forming a stark contrast with the deep blue of the lake water.
Its body was covered in winding black patterns like lightning, which subtly wriggled with its breathing, emitting a chilling Cursed Energy.
The black pants on its lower body were mostly soaked by the lake water, clinging to its slender legs. Its bare feet lightly touched the water's surface, yet did not sink at all, as if it were standing on solid ground rather than water.
Its deep blue eyes, like a frozen lake, stared intently at the water below, its gaze focused and cold, as if waiting for a target about to emerge from the depths.
Just then, a faint rustling of leaves came from deep within the forest by the lake.
Two figures, like agile leopards, quietly emerged from behind the dense bushes. They were Maki Zen'in and Megumi Fushiguro, who had been ordered to carry out the mission.
Maki Zen'in slightly bent her knees, lowering her body. The blade of the long sword on her shoulder reflected the sunlight, but she deliberately kept it hidden behind the tree to avoid revealing their presence.
Her gaze was as sharp as an eagle's, fixed on the Cursed Spirit on the lake. Her brow furrowed almost imperceptibly; the Cursed Spirit's aura was far more unsettling than the Second-Grade Cursed Spirit described in the intelligence. The oppressive feeling emanating from its black patterns and deep blue eyes raised a hint of vigilance in her heart.
Megumi Fushiguro followed closely behind Maki Zen'in, his hands naturally hanging down, but his fingertips were already poised for action.
His gaze swept back and forth between the Cursed Spirit and the lake, sensing the surrounding Cursed Energy flow, and he whispered to Maki Zen'in:
"Senpai, something's wrong. This Cursed Spirit's grade is probably more than Second-Grade."
Maki Zen'in didn't turn around, only nodded slightly, her voice extremely low: "I feel it.
Be careful, observe its movements first, don't act rashly."
She instinctively touched the Revolver at her waist; the cold metal touch slightly reassured her.
This special grade cursed tool, gifted by Rin, was her confidence for this mission. But facing this Cursed Spirit of unknown identity, she dared not be careless in the slightest.
The Cursed Spirit on the lake seemed unaware of the activity on the shore, maintaining its standing posture, its deep blue eyes still fixed on the water below.
The black patterns on its pale skin became clearer, and the Cursed Energy around its body slowly climbed. The originally calm lake surface began to show subtle whirlpools, as if something underwater was being drawn to it, about to break through the water.
Maki Zen'in and Megumi Fushiguro held their breath, hidden in the shadows of the forest, quietly waiting for the best moment to strike.
The wind on Lake Biwa gradually stopped, and the ripples on the lake surface also subsided, leaving only the Cursed Spirit and the chilling Cursed Energy spreading around it, as well as the tense nerves of the two people by the lake.
Even the wind over Lake Biwa seemed to stop at this moment.
Maki Zen'in's finger was on the trigger of the Revolver, its silver-white barrel gleaming with a cold light, the muzzle steadily locked onto the Cursed Spirit standing on the lake.
She was confident that this special grade cursed tool, imbued with Rin's Cursed Energy, could inflict heavy damage even on a Special Grade Cursed Spirit. Against this seemingly static Cursed Spirit, it would surely be a one-shot kill.
Megumi Fushiguro held his breath, his gaze tightly following the direction of the muzzle.
He still remembered the tragic sight of the arrogant Grade 1 Cursed Spirit instantly turning into blood the last time Maki Zen'in pulled the trigger.
At this moment, he was already prepared to welcome victory.
"Bang!"
A crisp gunshot broke the tranquility of the lakeside, and a deadly flame erupted from the muzzle.
A black and red bullet, imbued with violent Cursed Energy, shot out like an arrow from a bowstring, tearing through the air with a sharp whistle, speeding towards the Cursed Spirit.
The instant the bullet was fired, Maki Zen'in's pupils constricted. The Cursed Spirit on the lake slowly turned its head, its deep blue eyes precisely catching the bullet's trajectory, and a strange curve seemed to appear at the corner of its mouth.
But the bullet was too fast, so fast that Maki Zen'in thought it was impossible for the opponent to dodge.
A flicker of joy appeared in her heart, and just as her finger was about to release the trigger, the smile on her face instantly froze.
"Boom!!!"
Above the lake, a violent burst of Cursed Energy, far beyond imagination, suddenly erupted.
The black and red bullet, at the instant it touched an inch in front of the Cursed Spirit, was violently repelled by this force, and then detonated.
Water splashed dozens of meters high, like a giant water curtain covering half the lake, and white mist filled the air, obscuring their vision.
"We succeeded! We hit him!" Megumi Fushiguro exclaimed excitedly, his eyes full of joy.
But the next second, a strong hand suddenly grabbed his collar, and the immense pull almost lifted him off the ground.
"Run!" Maki Zen'in's voice was filled with an unprecedented urgency and gravity:
"That's no Grade 1 Cursed Spirit, I didn't hit him at all!"
Before Megumi Fushiguro could react, Maki Zen'in dragged him and turned, sprinting towards the forest behind them.
His mind was in a state of chaos, completely unable to understand why such a powerful attack had failed. He could only instinctively follow Maki Zen'in's steps, weaving through the dense bushes.
In just over ten seconds, the two had covered hundreds of meters.
Thanks to the already distant gap between them and the Cursed Spirit, they had a chance to temporarily escape danger.
But the unease in Maki Zen'in's heart did not dissipate; instead, it grew stronger. That Cursed Energy fluctuation just now was clearly of genuine Special Grade level!
Just then, a dazzling bolt of lightning suddenly streaked past their side, accompanied by a deafening explosion that violently shook the air.
Maki Zen'in abruptly pulled Megumi Fushiguro to a halt, looking forward with a pale face.
The lightning gathered and condensed on the ground, eventually forming the Cursed Spirit's body.
Still the pale skin, still the lightning-like black patterns, it stood in the center of their inevitable path, its deep blue eyes full of mockery and coldness.
"Special Grade Cursed Spirit..." Maki Zen'in muttered through gritted teeth, finally confirming the opponent's grade.
She finally understood what had happened: the moment the bullet was about to hit, this Cursed Spirit had transformed into a bolt of lightning, completely disappearing from the attack's trajectory. The explosion on the lake was merely the aftermath of the bullet missing.
Megumi Fushiguro finally reacted at this moment, the joy on his face instantly replaced by horror.
He instinctively took a step back, quickly forming hand signs, and the Cursed Energy around him began to surge:
"Senpai, what do we do?"
Maki Zen'in shielded Megumi Fushiguro behind her, raising the Revolver again, its muzzle aimed at the Cursed Spirit, but cold sweat was seeping into her palms.
Facing a Special Grade Cursed Spirit that could control lightning and move at extreme speeds, this gun might be their only hope, but she wasn't sure if she would have another chance to pull the trigger.
The Cursed Spirit slowly raised its hand, small currents swirling around its fingertips, and the black patterns on its skin rapidly wriggled.
A desperate battle with a vast disparity in strength was now unavoidable.