I've Got It, the Core of Cursed Energy! (No, Wait)

Faced with Kana Shizumi's declaration of peace, Mai Zenin's response was equally straightforward.

"Go die, trash!"

Bang bang bang!!!

Three shots rang out in rapid succession. Amid the distorted yellow flashes, finely crafted bullets tore through the air, flying straight for Kana Shizumi's chest.

Without a word, he staggered half a step back, his hands lifting slightly as though an invisible Tyson had landed a straight punch on him. His head tilted back with the blow.

What was the result?

Mai Zenin gripped the portable weapon, its barrel faintly hot, and stared ahead warily.

"Hiss..."

Kana Shizumi bared his teeth and lowered his head.

The expression on his face had visibly twisted into a grimace. His left hand dropped to tug open his collar slightly as he glanced inside.

A visible layer of crimson crystal had appeared over his chest, beneath both clothing and flesh.

Blood Armor.

It condensed extracted blood over the surface of the body to reinforce it... and the solid material formed this way possessed extraordinarily high defensive power.

In the original story, Choso had relied on Blood Armor to survive a Black Flash during the Cursed Continent serialization without immediately dying. That alone proved how formidable it was.

It was the same move he had used to protect his kidneys just now.

Breathing lightly, Kana Shizumi tensed every muscle in his body, his expression showing a hint of pain.

"Good. Compared to the other applications of Crimson Blood Manipulation... Blood Armor takes the shortest time to form. It can practically be cast instantly."

Perhaps because it was released directly against his body, Blood Armor was probably Kana Shizumi's specialty at the moment.

"Tch... someone who can't be killed with bullets isn't an opponent I can handle."

As she spoke,

Mai Zenin pulled the trigger again. The sound of the emptied magazine reached both of them, making their current situation clear.

She was out of bullets?

Then he had to close in fast and suppress her in one go!

Having realized that, Kana Shizumi suddenly exhaled and took a huge step forward.

My hand-to-hand combat level is 33, above the average Grade 2 level. Mai Zenin wasn't particularly outstanding in the original story. As long as I can get close, I win...

He had already mapped out the equation for victory in his mind.

But then Kana Shizumi's expression froze completely.

Because he saw Mai Zenin free up her right hand and swipe it across her waist... When she raised it again, she was holding a compact standard-issue submachine gun.

"If you can block this, then go ahead and try?"

Fuck!

She pulled the trigger, and a string of explosive pops erupted like beans popping in a pan.

Kana Shizumi could not react at all. Or rather... under these circumstances, even if he wanted to dodge, he couldn't.

An open flatland, a distance of twenty meters, and no cover whatsoever—taking all that into account, Kana Shizumi was literally a living target in Mai Zenin's eyes.

A full sixty 9mm rounds were emptied in less than three seconds.

The torrent of steel woven by sheer firepower swept over him. Kana Shizumi could only barely raise his hands before his face before he was struck head-on.

Visible sprays of blood blossomed, like bouquets clustered together for certain holidays...

Twisted, vivid red outlines burst out one after another, piling atop each other until they formed dazzling blood flowers.

Click, click, click...

As the magazine ran dry, Kana Shizumi's body swayed slightly, and he let out a pained groan.

"Urgh... that really hurts..."

He lowered his hands.

Kana Shizumi revealed a face drenched in blood, his expression twisted in pain.

Mai Zenin's eyes widened slightly, her face full of confusion.

—This guy clearly didn't look that strong. How was he still alive after taking a full barrage of bullets?

For the person involved, the shock was no less than that of a tyrant watching Gojo, covered in blood, standing beneath the setting sun and losing his mind.

"Seriously?!"

Getting showered in submachine-gun bullets was a bit too much for a Grade 3 sorcerer.

After all, at that level, even reinforcing one's body with cursed energy did not mean one could completely ignore bullet damage.

Fortunately, Crimson Blood Manipulation made up for that weakness.

Kana Shizumi lowered his right hand and let out a frightened breath, though an excited expression also appeared on his face.

I've got it—the core of cursed energy!

By condensing blood beneath his skin, he formed another kind of "inner protection."

That prevented bullets from embedding themselves in his body and creating penetrating wounds, or damaging organs and causing cascading effects.

Of course, the price was looking utterly miserable... and potentially developing massive blood clots.

If not for his half-human, half-cursed-spirit constitution, Kana Shizumi would never have dared try something like this.

Out of bullets, right?

Then it was his turn!

Not giving her time to reload or switch weapons, Kana Shizumi charged forward with a savage expression.

Perhaps because his blood was circulating faster, or perhaps because he was simply getting carried away by the fight.

Kana Shizumi felt that the half of his cursed energy still remaining was no longer as difficult to wield as before.

That power flowed with his blood, circulating endlessly through his body and giving him an incredibly subtle sensation... as if something stood before him. He could not see it, yet only a final step separated him from it.

No wonder True Person had suddenly "awakened" and learned a domain after getting beaten up in the original story. Under high-pressure conditions, opportunities for a sorcerer's growth would emerge as well.

And as the user, all he needed to do now was seize that fleeting instant of inspiration.

Kana Shizumi's eyes widened slightly as he watched Mai Zenin retreat in panic, her left hand reaching into the breast of her coat.

The movement was subtle, but it could not escape someone watching her head-on.

She was probably pulling out another gun...

—Just how many bizarre little gadgets was she hiding on her?

Trying to close the dozen or so meters between them before she drew her weapon would be difficult.

But that was fine.

Kana Shizumi could now attempt something further.

He raised his left hand slightly, palm facing upward, and lifted his index finger. After charging up for a brief moment, the blood on his entire forearm drew inward, gathering into a miniature ball of blood at his fingertip.

He couldn't use Piercing Blood.

But even maggots had their own way of fighting.

"Blood Arrow, go!"

He flicked his finger, violently launching the blood sphere gathered atop it. It twisted rapidly through the air before finally forming a curved projectile that tore through the sky.