Blade collided with pale gray skin, letting out a crisp, metallic ring like steel striking iron!
Sparks flew in all directions!
Zen'in Maki's arm shuddered as the webbing of her thumb went numb; she had only managed to leave a shallow white mark on the creature's skin.
The Cursed Spirit split its mouth open, revealing a smile that bordered on mockery.
It raised a hand, sending five sharp bone spurs lunging straight toward Zen'in Maki's heart, faster than her eyes could follow.
"Maki!" Panda roared, his massive frame slamming into the Cursed Spirit!
The bone spurs grazed Maki's arm, sending a spray of blood into the air.
"Ugh!" Maki let out a muffled groan and used the momentum to retreat, cold sweat seeping from her brow.
Something was wrong.
This was absolutely not right.
A Grade 1 Cursed Spirit couldn't possibly possess this level of defense and speed.
"Bonito Flakes!"
Inumaki Toge pulled down his collar, revealing the Cursed Markings at the corners of his mouth.
"Explode!"
The Kotodama took effect in an instant.
The Cursed Spirit's body suddenly stiffened, and several mouths across its surface burst simultaneously, spraying black blood everywhere.
Yet it only staggered for a moment, and then the ruptured wounds began to heal at a pace visible to the naked eye.
"Dried Bonito!" Inumaki Toge's face turned pale as he covered his mouth, a trace of blood seeping through his fingers.
The Cursed Spirit tilted its head, all its eyes rotating in unison to lock onto Inumaki Toge.
"Heehee... heeheeheehee..."
It began to move.
Not by crawling, but by flickering.
Like a television screen with a bad signal, its figure flashed intermittently through the corridor, each blink bringing it one step closer to them.
"Get back! Everyone, get back!" Fushiguro Megumi formed Hand signs once more. "Orochi!"
The giant snake burst from the ground, positioning itself between the Cursed Spirit and the group.
But the Cursed Spirit simply raised its hand and lightly swiped horizontally.
Before anyone could even process what had just happened, the Great Serpent had already collapsed limply to the ground, its body cleaved into several pieces as it melted back into Megumi's shadow.
"This is supposed to be a Grade 1?!" Kugisaki Nobara cursed, clutching her hammer and nails. "This thing is harder to handle than a Special Grade!"
Meanwhile, Itadori Yuji had charged forward, his fists enveloped in Cursed Energy as he smashed them into the Cursed Spirit's face!
Bang!
He landed a solid hit!
The Cursed Spirit's head snapped back, its neck letting out the ear-grating sound of cracking bone.
A second later, it slowly adjusted its head, the split corners of its mouth stretching even wider.
Itadori Yuji's fist was still pressed against its face; he could clearly feel his Cursed Energy being rapidly sucked away by something.
"Wh—" By the time he tried to pull his hand back, the Cursed Spirit grabbed his wrist.
Snap.
A clear sound of bone breaking rang out.
"Aaaargh—!" Itadori Yuji's entire arm twisted at a grotesque angle.
Seeing this, Zen'in Maki charged again, her Katana lunging straight for the Cursed Spirit's eye.
The Cursed Spirit released Itadori Yuji and caught Maki's blade with its other hand like lightning, giving it a powerful twist— and the Cursed Tool easily snapped.
Maki's pupils shrank. Before she could react, the Cursed Spirit kicked her squarely in the chest!
Pfft—!
She sprayed a mouthful of blood, her body flying backward to slam heavily against the wall before sliding to the ground.
"Maki!" Panda rushed over, using his body to shield her from any potential follow-up attack.
But the Cursed Spirit didn't pursue.
It stopped in place, tilting its head as it watched its group of battered prey.
It raised a hand.
In the air above its head, a black hole suddenly tore open.
The hole wasn't large—only about the size of a fist—but the aura surging from it sent a bone-chilling dread through everyone present. Whatever it was intending to do, it only meant worse for them.
The moment that thought resolved in their heads, a viscous black liquid dripped from the crack, falling onto the Cursed Spirit.
"Gurgle... gurgle..."
The Cursed Spirit's body began to swell violently as the liquid seeped into its pores.
Gradually, its pale gray skin turned into a pitch-black carapace, and the dense cluster of eyes fused into three massive, crimson compounded eyes.
Its limbs lengthened, and sharp bone spurs grew from its joints.
Two slits tore open on its back as a pair of wings riddled with holes unfurled.
Its aura began to climb at a geometric rate—
Special Grade!
"Boom—!!!"
Terrifying Cursed Energy erupted, turning into a literal black tide that washed over the entire space!
The walls cracked, the ceiling buckled, and the corridor lights cut out completely, leaving only the ominous, dim glow radiating from the Cursed Spirit.
Its Domain had expanded.
Viscous liquid seeped from the walls, ceiling, and floor, pooling into a swamp.
Countless pale arms reached out from the mire, clawing wildly at the air.
The air echoed with the whispers, weeping, and screams of a multitude, frantically assaulting everyone's mental state.
"Cough... cough..." Zen'in Maki struggled to stand, but a sharp pain in her chest sent her collapsing back down.
The Cursed Spirit spread its tattered wings and slowly rose into the air.
Its three compound eyes looked down at the dying prey below. The corners of its mouth split open, revealing a satisfied smile.
"Hee... heeheehee—!!!"
The piercing laughter echoed through the Domain.
It was clearly enjoying itself, savoring the despair of its prey.
Zen'in Maki spat out a mouthful of blood-stained saliva, her teeth gritted so hard they creaked. "Damn it... this thing is torturing us on purpose..."
The Cursed Spirit seemed to understand.
It laughed even more joyfully. With a flap of its wings, it dove straight down!
Its bone spurs were aimed directly at Inumaki Toge, who had already lost the ability to resist.
"Toge—!" Panda's eyes nearly split from strain as he tried to lunge over, but his body couldn't keep up with his mind.
It was over.
That thought flashed through everyone's minds.
But just before the bone spurs could pierce Inumaki Toge—
Tap.
There were faint footsteps.
The Cursed Spirit's movements came to a dead stop.
Its three compound eyes then turned simultaneously toward the direction of the sound.
As if drawn by its gaze, the others also looked over in the same line of sight with great difficulty. At the end of the corridor, a figure slowly walked out.
Relief seemed to wash over the group, for they recognized the lithe figure...
That exaggerated bow swaying with every step...
Her rose-colored eyes swept over the wreckage on the floor before settling on the Cursed Spirit in mid-air.
It was Kama.
And with that sweet smile still plastered on her face.
However, as long as one weren't dense enough, anyone in the room could feel that her current mood was very, very, very displeased.
Deep in her eyes was a cold, nearly concealed irritability.
"Really now..."
She spoke, her voice soft and sweet, as if she were acting spoiled.
"Such an eyesore."
She raised her right hand.
Pinkish-violet light condensed, stretched, and took shape in her palm.
A crystalline Longbow appeared in her hand once more.
The bowstring hummed softly with a faint vibration.
Sensing danger, the Cursed Spirit stared fixedly at Kama with its compound eyes, yet it found itself unable to move under her gaze.
Kama nocked an arrow and drew the string.
"And here I thought that broken Holy Grail would be here..."
She tilted her head, the Cursed Spirit's twisted figure reflected in her rose-colored eyes.
"So it was just you."
The string released.
Whish—!
After pulling the string taut, she let the flower arrow go.
There were no magnificent light effects or brilliant spectacles of blooming lotuses like during her fight with Zen'in Maki.
It was just a slender streak of flowing light, fleeting enough to miss if one didn't pay serious attention.
The Cursed Spirit didn't even have time to react before that light pierced through its core mercilessly.
Puch.
Came a sound so faint it was almost inaudible.
The Cursed Spirit's three compound eyes froze simultaneously. The mania and cruelty within hadn't even had time to fade before they were replaced by bewilderment.
It looked down at its own chest.
There was now a gaping hole peeking from front to back.
"Gah... gah..."
Starting from that hole, its body disintegrated inch by inch, drifting away into the air.
Still, the trajectory of the flower arrow didn't stop.
After piercing through the Cursed Spirit, it continued forward, slamming into the boundary of the Domain—the Curtain enveloping the hospital.
A web of cracks instantly appeared across the surface of the barrier.
They spread with frightening speed, covering the entire inner wall of the Curtain in the blink of an eye.
"Boom!!!!!"
Unable to withstand the blow, the Curtain shattered.
High in the sky, the arrow exploded like a magnificent firework.
In an instant, everything that had been distorted by Cursed Energy was forced back to its original state under the power of that single arrow.
Sunlight poured down once more.
Kama slowly lowered her bow. The weapon dissolved into countless particles of light, fading away into the air.
She cast a brief glance at the people scattered across the ground. There was no emotion in her eyes as she turned and began to leave.
After taking a few steps, she suddenly paused.
Tilting her head slightly, she cast a sidelong glance back at the group still "playing dead" on the floor.
"How much longer do you plan on staying there?"
Her voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.
"..."
Itadori Yuji blinked once, then twice.
He looked at Kama, then back at the spot where the Cursed Spirit had just disappeared.
"It... it's over?" His voice was a bit airy.
Kugisaki Nobara used her hammer to prop herself up; her legs were still a bit weak.
"What else? Didn't you see that thing didn't even leave any ash behind?"
Fushiguro Megumi clutched his chest, his gaze following Kama's back with a complex expression.
That arrow just now...
He hadn't felt any fluctuations of Cursed Energy, nor did it feel like a Cursed Technique.
Distinctively, it was something else.
Zen'in Maki stood up with Panda's support. She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and looked at Kama. "Thanks."
Kama didn't bother to respond, simply continuing toward the exit.
Why? She was very frustrated right now.
The feeling of being played by a broken Cup made her extremely disgruntled. As expected, her compatibility with that thing wasn't very good.
Behind her, the group exchanged glances and hobbled after her.
—
Outside the hospital, Gojo Satoru adjusted his blindfold with slightly trembling hands.
I see... You really are something else, Kama-chan...
Two streaks of blood slid down, which he casually wiped away.