After he finished speaking, the group of cursed spirits seemed to suffer some invisible blow. Their pupils were filled with pain, their mouths opened as if they wanted to say something, their bodies trembling mechanically as a red glow emerged from their foreheads.
"Boom! Boom! Boom...!!"
The violent explosions rang out without end. In mere moments, all those cursed spirits were exterminated, falling from the sky and turning to ash before they could touch the ground, scattering into the air.
Looking at the completely destroyed cursed spirits, Yuta Okkotsu seemed to understand why Toge did not speak normally. He was afraid that what he said would hurt others.
Toge Inumaki, who had dealt with the cursed spirits, was feeling awful as well. His throat felt dry enough to smoke as he rasped, "Tuna, mayonnaise." (I feel terrible. My throat is hoarse.)
"Are you okay?"
Yuta Okkotsu asked worriedly.
"Bonito flakes..."
Toge Inumaki shook his head and took some throat medicine from his bag, indicating that he was fine.
As Natsu Hiraku was about to leave, he noticed that the curtain had not disappeared and reminded them, "It's not over yet. For some reason, the curtain hasn't vanished."
"What?"
"Salmon?"
The two came to Natsu Hiraku's side and looked at the still-present curtain. Yuta Okkotsu reached out with his right hand and touched it, only to find that he could not get out.
"Eh! We already exorcised them all. Why hasn't the curtain disappeared?"
At that moment, Shura seemed to sense something. He bared his fangs and barked wildly at the air while saying in Natsu Hiraku's mind, "Master, something is approaching."
"Natsu, what's wrong with Shura?"
Yuta Okkotsu asked in confusion.
"Him..." Natsu Hiraku took off the black backpack slung over his shoulder, calmly unzipped it, and took out the Cursed Tool inside. "He just sensed an enemy coming."
"An enemy!?"
The moment Yuta finished speaking, a cursed spirit fell from the sky. In an instant, it landed before the three of them. Its legs were folded beneath it, its hands resting on its knees, while its body floated in the air. Its huge trunk-like nose extended to its abdomen, and beneath its bell-sized eyes were two tusks. It looked somewhat like a wild boar.
Yet the powerful cursed energy emanating from it gave Natsu Hiraku the same feeling he had felt when facing Mitsuchi Mi's mother. This one was slightly weaker, but it was still Quasi Grade 1!
"Click—"
A blue system panel popped up. Natsu Hiraku glanced at it, then showed a bitter smile. He cursed the system as stupid in his heart before shouting to Shura beside him, "Take him down with me!"
[Quest: Kill a Quasi Grade 1 Cursed Spirit, then find Suguru Geto hiding in the shadows and fight him, regardless of victory or defeat. Quest reward: 20 points, permanent increase of 150 cursed energy.]
Damn it, was it really making him throw his life away, then letting someone dance on his grave?
Did this dogshit system think he had never read the Jujutsu Kaisen manga? Though he had not read much and had forgotten most of the plot, he still knew Suguru Geto was "Special Grade"!
A Grade 3 like him was supposed to go up against a Special Grade?
If things went well, he would be fine. If they went badly, his ashes would scatter across the river while everyone attended his funeral feast.
Even Gojo Satoru would not be able to keep up with how fast he was rushing toward death.
Before Toge Inumaki and Yuta Okkotsu could react, Natsu Hiraku had already charged forward with his sword, Shura at his side.
"Sōba!"
The boar cursed spirit watched the person and dog charge toward it. It raised its left hand and formed a hand sign.
"Buzz..."
A white light lit up before the two of them, predicting their route in advance. Then a pillar of light crashed down.
"Shura!"
Seeing that his dog was unable to dodge in midair, Natsu Hiraku threw a punch at him, using the recoil to retreat.
"Whoosh!"
A white flash streaked past, leaving a deep crater in the ground.
Toge Inumaki reacted as well. He took a deep breath, pulled down his collar, and shouted, "Crush... cough cough cough!"
Before he could finish, the backlash of his power struck him and he spat out a mouthful of blood. His throat had already been hoarse, and speaking had been painful enough.
Not to mention that this cursed spirit possessed more cursed energy than he did. If his own cursed energy was lower than his target's, the words he spoke would inflict varying degrees of backlash on him. That was the side effect of Cursed Speech, the technique that made his words law.
Toge Inumaki knelt on the ground, clutching his throat with his left hand as he coughed up blood.
The boar cursed spirit saw the boy kneeling on the ground and coughing blood. Without hesitation, it activated its innate technique again.
As light appeared around Toge Inumaki, Yuta Okkotsu, who had just reacted, immediately moved. He slid forward and pulled him away.
"Whoosh!"
The white light flashed past, and another huge crater appeared in the ground.
Seeing that its attack had missed again, the boar cursed spirit prepared to continue and finish off the dog whose mind was still foggy.
Natsu Hiraku had punched in a hurry and struck Shura directly on the forehead. No matter how tough he was, he was still dazed.
Just as it was about to activate its technique, a voice rang out from the side.
"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!!"
This cursed spirit was far smarter than Mitsuchi Mi's mother—and it could fucking predict attacks too!
That was what Natsu Hiraku had thought when he sent Shura flying. Though he felt somewhat sorry for hitting Shura in the head, that was all. After all, Shura was his son. He had a decent idea of how much punishment his own dog could take.
That punch would at most leave him dazed for a few seconds before he became lively again.
Sensing the cursed spirit's strength, Natsu Hiraku no longer intended to keep fighting in close quarters. He planted the sword in the ground, rapidly formed hand seals, and prepared to launch a surprise attack with ninjutsu!
"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!!"
Two hundred cursed energy suddenly drained from his body as surging flames swept toward the cursed spirit floating in place like a sea of fire. The rolling heat instantly shattered the glass windows of the shopping district, and the five-meter distance was crossed in an instant as the cursed spirit was swallowed by the flames.
"Boom!!"
The cursed spirit swung one massive hand and directly snuffed out the flames. Though burn marks covered its body, it paid them no mind. It raised both hands, with its index and middle fingers twisted together.
Two pillars of light appeared in the sky, descending even faster than before. The instant they lit up, they fell.
Natsu Hiraku did not look overly panicked. After all, he was a man who had dared to spar with a Quasi Grade 1 Cursed Spirit. There might have been a tiny bit of luck involved in his victory, but he had still won!
His Sharingan activated instantly. He grabbed the sword planted in the ground and dodged while issuing Shura an order to attack. The two light pillars were falling too fast for him to get close. Without a surprise attack, he really could not beat it.
Shura shook his slightly muddled head. Just as he was about to attack, his paw slipped and he slammed headfirst into a wall.
"Awoo~"
"..."
Natsu Hiraku was completely speechless, but he did not say anything. Shura was only a little over three months old, after all. He could not expect too much. For now, he could only place his hopes on Yuta and Toge. With what little he had, he really could not defeat a battle-hardened Quasi Grade 1 Cursed Spirit.
Still, he could stall it for a while. As for that stupid dog, there was no need to make him fight. Better give him an easier task.
"Shura, go sniff around and see if there are any unfamiliar scents here."
"Whine~" (My head hurts QAQ.)
Shura lay on the ground with his paws over his head, tears glistening in his eyes.
"..."
Natsu Hiraku wanted to curse his mother out, but remembering that Shura was still a child, he could only comfort him helplessly. "Good boy. Tonight, Dad will make you a big beef bone, plus double the beef leg meat."
"Master, you should've said there was food earlier! I wasn't pretending to be hurt!"
Shura immediately got up and sniffed the mixed scents in the air. Though there were many lingering smells, their owners had already left. For the double beef leg meat and big beef bone tonight, he had to work even harder to distinguish them!
"..."
That stupid dog only knows how to eat... Aren't you afraid that one day I'll uphold justice by chopping you up myself?
Natsu Hiraku complained inwardly, then stopped getting distracted. After all, Shura was the son he had raised himself, so he still trusted him. What he needed to do now was figure out how to kill this troublesome cursed spirit!
"Are you okay?" Knowing that he was outmatched, Yuta Okkotsu helped Toge Inumaki behind a stone pillar. Looking at Natsu Hiraku entangled with the cursed spirit, he said quietly,
"Hiraku-kun is really amazing. His decisions are always so firm. He charged in without even thinking."
"Cough... bonito flakes..."
Toge Inumaki shook his head to indicate that he was fine, then took out the throat medicine from his bag, unscrewed it, and drank it. Though it could not heal the backlash, at least he could speak again.
"That's good. But I'm going to help Hiraku-kun now. Inumaki, rest here for a while."
Yuta Okkotsu was about to rush out after speaking, but Toge Inumaki grabbed him and shook his head, telling him not to go. He himself stood up, pulled down his collar with his left hand, walked out from behind the stone pillar, took a deep breath, and shouted at the cursed spirit fighting Natsu Hiraku.
"Be... crushed!!"
The words successfully took effect. The boar cursed spirit seemed to be crushed from both sides by an irresistible force, its bloated body instantly bursting apart.
Red blood splattered all over Natsu Hiraku, but he did not care much. He calmly wiped the blood from his face. After all, he could not beat that thing, while Toge Inumaki could kill it with a single sentence.
"Thanks!!"
"Cough cough cough!!!"
Toge Inumaki knelt again and spat out another mouthful of blood. He slowly raised his right hand and made an OK gesture at Natsu Hiraku.
"Inumaki! Why did you do that again? Your body clearly can't take it anymore."
Yuta Okkotsu carried Toge Inumaki on his back, guilt written all over his face. In this battle, he felt like he had been the one slacking off the entire time, utterly useless.
As the Quasi Grade 1 Cursed Spirit dissipated, the curtain was lifted as well.
After sniffing for a long time, Shura finally found the other person hiding in the area and barked fiercely at the elevator on the raised platform.
"Good job. Extra food tonight!"
Having learned the exact location, Natsu Hiraku charged toward the platform. Was it not just exchanging one move and running?
He was good at that!
Whether he died or not, he had to go make contact. Otherwise, the System Quest would get stuck, and having his strength stop growing would make him uneasy. Compared to that unease, he would rather go crazy for once!
"Hiraku-kun! Where are you going?"
Faced with Yuta Okkotsu's concern, Natsu Hiraku only replied, "I'm going to the bathroom," before leaving directly. If he was going off to die alone, how could he drag his friends along?
After crossing the maze-like roads, he finally saw Suguru Geto sitting on the stopped elevator, waiting for him.
As though he had known Natsu Hiraku would come, he merely sat there with a calm smile, looking at him. His words were filled with concern, like those of an older brother.
"Hello, my name is Suguru Geto. You were clearly very weak when I saw you last time, yet in just over two months, you've grown so quickly.
"How did you discover I was here? Was it because of that dog? That's truly impressive. Special eyes, a Shikigami, decent hand-to-hand combat skills, and a passable technique. If you learn Reverse Cursed Technique too, you'll be well-rounded. Hasn't Gojo taught you yet?"
"..."
Why do I suddenly want to defect?
It felt like he would grow even faster under Suguru Geto's guidance than under Gojo Satoru.
At the very least, Suguru Geto had immediately seen through his entire current situation.
"N-No."
"No? That's a real shame." Suguru Geto spoke with some regret. "Then again, Gojo is always so unserious. How about coming over to my side? I believe you'll be very interested in my plan."
"Uh..."
This plot was going a little off track. Never mind that—he should complete the System Quest first.
Natsu Hiraku swallowed, slowly extended his right hand, and said, "My name is Natsu Hiraku. How about we shake hands first? Increase our friendship a little?"
"Of course."
Suguru Geto readily stood up and extended his right hand, shaking his.
But Natsu Hiraku was no longer calm. He frantically urged in his heart, Dogshit system, this counts as fighting, right? Can't you see we're already holding hands? Hurry up and settle my quest reward. Don't you dare deny it!
A blue system panel popped up.
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