The Cursed Spirit's fingertips crackled with electricity, and black markings spread wildly across its snow-white skin like a waking viper.
Its azure pupils locked onto Maki and Fushiguro Megumi, a cold curve appearing at the corner of its mouth, while the air around it trembled violently from the violent Cursed Energy.
"Human Cursed Tools, they are actually somewhat interesting."
The Cursed Spirit's voice carried the rasp of electricity, as jarring as metal grinding against metal.
Before the words had even faded, it raised its hand abruptly, and several thick bolts of lightning surged from its fingertips, striking at the two like vipers that had been coiled and ready for a long time.
"Dodge!"
Maki roared and dragged Fushiguro Megumi as she dove to the side.
The lightning grazed their clothes and struck the ground, exploding in a cloud of charred dust; the ground was forcibly split with several deep fissures, and the trees affected by the lightning were instantly reduced to nothing.
What terrifying damage.
No sooner had they steadied themselves than the Cursed Spirit's figure turned into a bolt of lightning, appearing instantly behind Maki.
A pale palm, accompanied by crackling electricity, reached out toward her heart.
Relying on her combat instincts, Maki whirled around and held her Revolver horizontally in front of her.
"Clang!"
The crisp sound of metal colliding was ear-piercing; the Cursed Spirit's palm struck the gun, and the immense force caused the web of Maki's hand to split, nearly making her drop the pistol.
Electricity spread along the gun, causing Maki's whole body to go numb, and she stumbled back several steps uncontrollably.
"Senior!" Seeing this, Fushiguro Megumi immediately formed Finger Seals, "Divine Dogs."
Two shadow shikigami, one black and one white, crawled out from the ground and surrounded the Cursed Spirit.
The Divine Dogs brandished their sharp claws and launched a fierce attack on the Cursed Spirit.
But the Cursed Spirit only laughed contemptuously, erupting with a ring of lightning barrier around its body; the two shikigami were instantly knocked away the moment they made contact, dissipating into black smoke.
"You dare to bring out this level of Cursed Spirit to make a fool of yourself?" The Cursed Spirit sneered, its figure disappearing once more.
"Watch out above!" Maki gritted her teeth against the numbness, looked up, and roared.
Fushiguro Megumi immediately looked up to see the Cursed Spirit's figure appearing in mid-air, its hands forming a massive ball of lightning.
The dazzling blue light almost illuminated the entire jungle, and the terrifying Cursed Energy made the air itself twist.
"Thunderstorm!"
The lightning ball smashed down with a boom, the ground exploded instantly, and a massive shockwave sent the two of them flying.
Maki slammed heavily into a tree trunk, coughing up a mouthful of blood, and the Revolver at her waist flew out of her hand, landing in the grass not far away.
Fushiguro Megumi was knocked unconscious immediately, his body half-buried under rubble.
The Cursed Spirit landed slowly and walked toward Maki step by step, its azure pupils full of mockery:
"You arrived just in time; my brother is about to be born, and you will make perfect breakfast for him."
What? Could there be another Special Grade Cursed Spirit?
Thinking this, Maki struggled to stand, only to find that her legs had long been paralyzed by the lightning and she couldn't move.
She watched the approaching Cursed Spirit, a glimmer of despair flashing in her eyes. Is she going to die here today?
At this moment, lightning was already condensing in the Cursed Spirit's hands again.
Just then, a crimson light suddenly streaked across the distant sky, approaching rapidly like a meteor.
The Cursed Spirit keenly sensed danger, whirled around, and gathered a lightning barrier with its hands.
"Boom—!!!"
A black-red cannonball of Cursed Energy smashed hard into the lightning barrier, shattering it instantly.
The Cursed Spirit was forced back repeatedly by the immense impact, black Cursed Energy mist spilling from the corner of its mouth.
It looked toward the source of the light in shock, only to see a figure descending from the sky, a Crimson Sharingan gleaming with sharp light—it was Rin, who had arrived just in time.
"Who are you?"
The Lightning Cursed Spirit's voice was wrapped in the crackling of electricity, its azure pupils filled with wariness, and the electric light coiling around its body surged again, like a thunderstorm cloud ready to unleash destructive power at any moment.
Rin ignored the question, merely shaking his still-numb right arm; the paralysis from the residual electricity of the Cursed Spirit's Cursed Technique had not yet fully faded.
He hurried across the battlefield and walked straight toward the collapsed Maki; a soft glow appeared in his palm, and he injected a pure stream of Reverse Cursed Energy into her body without hesitation.
The numbness receded like a tide, and Maki's stiff limbs instantly regained sensation.
She looked up, and the moment she saw who it was, her eyes welled with unbelievable astonishment:
"Rin? Why are you here?"
Rin did not respond to her question, his gaze quickly scanning the scrapes on her body, his tone carrying a trace of imperceptible concern:
"How are you? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, but Fushiguro, he..."
Maki's voice came to an abrupt halt, and she hurriedly raised a hand to point not far away.
Rin followed her gaze to see Fushiguro Megumi half-buried under rubble, his eyes closed, sleeping with weak breath.
A faint smile curved his lips; he had heard of Fushiguro when he enrolled, but he had been tied up with one mission after another and had never found time to meet, never expecting their first meeting to be in such a perilous way.
"Don't worry, he won't die."
Before the words had even faded, Cursed Energy surged in Rin's palm, and the massive figure of the Special Grade Cursed Spirit Earth Fiend descended onto the ground with a boom, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"You two leave first; I'll deal with his injuries once I finish here."
Without waiting for Maki to say anything more, Rin raised his hand to signal Earth Fiend to act.
Earth Fiend understood immediately, forming Finger Seals with both hands to activate a Cursed Technique; heavy soil surged up as if it had a life of its own, instantly wrapping Maki and the unconscious Fushiguro Megumi inside to form a sturdy earthen shield.
"Be careful..."
Maki's warning was muffled behind the shield, and as Earth Fiend controlled the earthen shield to retreat steadily, her figure soon disappeared into the depths of the jungle.
Rin turned around slowly, his Crimson Sharingan suddenly lighting up as he locked onto the Lightning Cursed Spirit opposite him.
The air around him seemed to freeze instantly, and black-red Cursed Energy, like a waking beast, began to surge and swirl around him; a fierce battle was already on the verge of breaking out.
Rin watched as Maki and Fushiguro Megumi were escorted out of the battlefield by Earth Fiend; the relaxation around him faded instantly, his Crimson Sharingan locked onto the Lightning Cursed Spirit, and black-red Cursed Energy began to surge around him like a rising tide.
"The people in the way are gone; now it's our turn."
Rin's voice was calm but carried an unquestionable sense of oppression.
Seeing this, a flash of ferocity crossed the Lightning Cursed Spirit's azure pupils.
It could sense the terrifying aura emanating from Rin, even more lethal than the threat of that Revolver from before, but as a Special Grade Cursed Spirit, it had no reason to retreat.
Its brother was still gestating in the lake behind it.
And it had to protect it until it could be born safely.
"It seems you are that human brat rumored to hunt Special Grade Cursed Spirits; today, let me test your mettle!"
Before the words had even faded, the Cursed Spirit stomped its foot violently, the black markings on its body lighting up instantly, and countless fine bolts of lightning emerged from the ground, spreading toward Rin like a massive electric web.
The ground was scorched black by the lightning, emitting acrid smoke; wherever the electric web passed, vegetation was instantly reduced to ash.
Rin shifted his feet lightly, his figure moving like a ghost to avoid the blockade of the electric web.
He raised his hand to gather Cursed Energy, a black-red Cursed Energy projectile forming in his palm, and he gently raised his hand toward the Cursed Spirit.
The projectile tore through the air with a sharp whistling sound, aiming straight at the Cursed Spirit's face.
The terrifying power caused the Cursed Spirit's pupils to shrink instantly.
But in the next second, the Cursed Spirit's body turned into a bolt of lightning again, dodging Rin's attack.
Taking advantage of the explosive dust obscuring the view, the Cursed Spirit's figure turned into a bolt of lightning, appearing instantly behind Rin, its pale palm, accompanied by crackling electricity, reaching for his heart.
This strike was extremely fast, almost surpassing the limits of the naked eye.
But Rin's Sharingan had already captured its trajectory.
He turned around abruptly, and at the same time, the Cursed Energy of the Hymn of Prayer formed a barrier in front of him.
With a muffled "bang," the Cursed Spirit's palm struck the barrier, and electricity spread along it, but it was firmly blocked by the white Cursed Energy defense.
"Your speed is indeed not bad, but it's still not enough."
Rin curled his lips into a cold sneer, gathered Cursed Energy in his other hand, and punched hard at the Cursed Spirit's chest.