Special Grade Cursed Spirit

The two of them were proceeding according to plan.

With hundreds of Cursed Spirits searching, their progress was extremely fast.

An arm, both legs, a waist...

As the body inside the coffin in the Great Hall gradually became complete, Eiji's expression grew increasingly grave.

The body in the coffin was similar in build to Asuka and the others. It belonged to a high school girl, not the Crimson Figure Eiji and Suguru Geto had suspected.

It was even wearing a High School Division uniform.

"So that's it. It's that girl from earlier today."

Another body part was placed into the coffin, and Eiji finally confirmed the identity of the person lying inside.

It was the girl who had fallen from the building during the day and asked them to help find her body.

"Only the head is left."

Looking at the body that only needed a head to be complete, Eiji began considering what might happen next.

Since the body in the coffin did not belong to the Crimson Figure, their earlier conclusion—that gathering the body would resolve the Crimson Figure—could not be correct.

They needed to consider other possibilities and prepare countermeasures.

Slap. Slap. Slap.

Strange footsteps sounded out. Eiji turned toward them and saw a blood-red figure carrying a Rabbit Doll in its hand.

"Looks like we won't have to go through all that trouble."

The figure before him gave off an even more terrifying aura than it had in the gymnasium. It also held the doll Asuka and the others had mentioned. Clearly, this was the Crimson Figure's true body.

The Crimson Figure stopped at the doorway, its lips stretching wide to either side as a bizarre smile appeared on its blood-soaked face.

The Crimson Figure's clone, wrapped around Max Elephant's trunk, slowly dissipated. The aura of the Crimson Figure at the doorway rose another level.

"Then I'll exorcise you first."

He dismissed Max Elephant, formed a hand sign, and Tiger Funeral appeared behind Eiji with a low growl.

After reclaiming its clone, the Crimson Figure charged at Eiji without hesitation.

Having summoned Tiger Funeral, Eiji crouched down, drew a Tang Dao from his shadow, and rushed forward to meet it.

Tiger Funeral's wind blades arrived first.

The Crimson Figure twisted its steps, moving in an erratic Z-shaped pattern that dodged every wind blade. Then it curled its five fingers like five small knives and clawed at Eiji.

Eiji swung his blade from lower left to upper right, knocking aside the Crimson Figure's claws. As its arm was knocked away and its center opened wide, he raised the Tang Dao and brought it down.

Squelch. Clang.

The blade cut into flesh, then caught against hard bone.

With a pained reaction, the Crimson Figure kicked at Eiji.

So hard. Eiji frowned, pulled out the Tang Dao, and held it horizontally before himself to block the kick.

Screech—

Eiji's feet scraped against the ground as he slid several meters back.

In that instant, Eiji felt as though the Cursed Spirit before him was not a girl, but a muscular giant over two meters tall.

No, even a muscular giant wouldn't have that much strength. It felt like getting hit by a sedan.

"So that's it. It may not look like those big, ugly things, but at its core, it's still a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit that needs at least a tank to deal with."

Eiji's smile grew ever more unrestrained as he watched the Crimson Figure fighting Tiger Funeral ahead.

Behind him, two Jade Dogs guarded the ordinary people from the front and rear, while Tiger Funeral stood before him. Three Shikigami were already the maximum Eiji could currently summon, so there was no need to consider summoning any others. He just had to charge in with his blade and fight.

Tiger Funeral was a Shikigami capable of exorcising a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit on its own. Naturally, it would not fear a Crimson Figure that was merely Grade 1.

"And I'm not weak either."

With that, he raised his blade and advanced again.

Eiji's hand-to-hand combat skills were formidable. He couldn't help it—with two martial arts geniuses beside him, it was impossible for his skills not to improve.

Satoru Gojo had inherited martial arts passed down through his family, while Suguru Geto was a true all-round genius.

When Suguru Geto had first awakened his cursed technique, he did not have many Cursed Spirits he could control. He had relied entirely on his fists and wits to beat Cursed Spirits into submission.

The guy had somehow developed an extremely practical fighting style through just a few months of boxing, sanda, karate, and other classes. Eiji often sought Suguru Geto's guidance on it.

Moreover, Eiji was highly motivated when it came to training in hand-to-hand combat.

You asked where that motivation came from?

Just look at that obnoxious Gojo cat over there. Were his fists hard enough?

If your fists were hard enough but you still lost, could you stand being mocked right in your face?

Wouldn't that fill you with motivation?

Back to the battlefield.

Because it was two against one, Tiger Funeral had launched an attack while the Crimson Figure was still unsteady after kicking Eiji away. It had firmly taken the upper hand, and after Eiji joined in, the Crimson Figure was forced back step by step.

Eiji noticed something strange.

The Crimson Figure had been fighting Eiji while constantly holding that ugly-cute doll.

At first, Eiji thought the doll had some special purpose, but it had not only failed to help in battle—it was actually hindering the Crimson Figure's combat ability.

The Crimson Figure had to constantly spare attention to protect the doll.

This strange sight piqued Eiji's curiosity.

At Eiji's command, the Black Divine Dog silently concealed itself beside the battlefield.

Seizing an opportunity, Eiji stepped forward and threw a punch. The Crimson Figure tilted its head and dodged.

The next moment, Eiji fiercely pulled his arm back, driving his elbow hard into the Crimson Figure's head.

Eiji and Suguru Geto had learned this move from a Boxing Coach. Apparently, it had been banned from competition because it was too dirty and could easily kill someone. That time, the Boxing Coach had gotten drunk and used the move to show off. Naturally, Eiji and Suguru Geto gladly learned it.

However, most Cursed Spirits were huge and grotesquely shaped, so there were not many chances to use it.

The last time he had used it was during a Friendly Match with Satoru Gojo—the kind where cursed techniques were forbidden.

When the move hit Satoru Gojo's head, it perfectly embodied one phrase: just the right amount of force—enough to daze, not enough to hurt the brain.

The Crimson Figure's body swayed after its head was struck. The Jade Dog, which had been waiting for this moment, rushed forward, opened its jaws, bit down on the doll, and tried to drag it away.

The Crimson Figure immediately grabbed the doll with both hands, completely ignoring Eiji beside it.

Eiji naturally did not hold back. With one slash, he severed the Crimson Figure's arm.

"Aaaahhh!"

It was like a flashbang had detonated point-blank in his face. The tremendous roar, half howl and half wail, shook Eiji so badly that he covered his ears and staggered backward.

Fortunately, Tiger Funeral, as a Shikigami, was barely affected.

Tiger Funeral stepped forward and slammed the Crimson Figure into the ground with one paw, interrupting the deafening roar.

"Then next is this doll."

Under Eiji's gaze, the Jade Dog sniffed at the doll. Then it pinned the doll's body down with one paw, clamped its jaws around the doll's head, and began tearing.

Riiip. Roll, roll.

The sound of fabric tearing rang out, followed by a spherical object rolling across the floor.

"Is that a head?"

Eiji looked at the body in the coffin, which only lacked a head, then at the head that had rolled out of the doll. He finally understood why Suguru Geto had spent so long unable to find the last body part.

Just as Eiji was about to place the head into the coffin, black mist burst from both the doll and the Crimson Figure's body.

The terrifying Cursed Energy made a drop of cold sweat trickle down Eiji's temple.

Eiji remembered this feeling. Years ago, on the overpass, he had faced Cursed Energy just as terrifying.

"Hey, hey, are you serious? A Special Grade Cursed Spirit!"

Within the black mist, a Cursed Spirit with an obese body and a neck three or four meters long slowly emerged.

Black mist continuously poured from that long neck and its split-open mouth.