The Second Six Paths Tsuji

Kana Shizumi stood where he was, lost in thought for quite a while.

In the end, he put the box containing the finger back.

He had to.

After all, Kana Shizumi's greatest advantage right now was his familiarity with the plot.

If he changed things right at the start, he couldn't even imagine what kind of chain reaction would follow. With a sigh, Kana Shizumi closed the instrument shelter and gave it a nudge.

"Namu san, see you later..."

With that, Kana Shizumi stepped back, intending to leave.

But he had only taken two steps when he suddenly stopped.

"...?!"

Kana Shizumi suddenly raised his right hand and pressed it heavily against his chest.

A heartbeat.

Just a moment ago, it had throbbed violently and heavily, as if it had suddenly surged and trembled.

This sensation, similar to heart palpitations, was quite profound. If he were an ordinary person, his first reaction might have been, "I didn't even have a Choco-bar or Sprite today," but Kana Shizumi was different.

Because he had experienced something similar before.

"It's not much different from when I sensed the Sky-Covering Jade!"

After a moment of confusion, Kana Shizumi's expression turned resolute.

He was certain... somewhere near this school, there had to be a Six Paths Tsuji-related Cursed Object hidden!

Fortunately, it was already evening, nearing late night. There was no one else in the school, so he could move around more freely.

Kana Shizumi first circled the teaching building, but after realizing this method of searching was inefficient, he made a decision.

He condensed a blood blade on the pinky finger of his left hand and sliced a long, wide gash across his right wrist.

A wound half a pinky-finger long bled profusely. The blood was wrapped in cursed energy, floating beside Kana Shizumi in a suspended form.

This was a technique for Crimson Blood Manipulation that Kana Shizumi had developed after deep research.

"Sensing a Six Paths Tsuji Cursed Object is essentially a resonance of blood. Instead of using my own body, it's better to use a separated medium to act as a proxy for the sensing."

As for the wound that looked like a gaping infant's mouth?

He would just leave it alone; it would heal eventually.

After all, being half-human and half-cursed spirit meant he didn't need to be so delicate. As long as he was alive, it was fine.

Guided by the boiling and calming trends of the blood, Kana Shizumi quickly found the "correct" direction.

The location was actually directly beneath the teaching building...

Kana Shizumi broke in and finally found the "target" in the equipment storage room on the basement level.

It was hidden among a bundle of kendo protective gear. Kana Shizumi snapped the rope and shook it out...

A pitch-black object, only the size of an infant's palm, fell out.

Although there was no prompt, his intuition told Kana Shizumi that this was exactly what he had been looking for.

He subconsciously reached out his right hand, and the moment his index finger touched it... a flood of complex memories and fragments surged into his mind.

A blade sliced through skin and flesh, slipping in like a serpent, and vanished in an instant.

And Kana Shizumi saw it.

A woman fleeing, weeping bitterly by the roadside. In the pouring rain, she stood up in a disheveled state, clutching a blood-stained, crying infant in her arms.

Through decades of changing seasons, constant teachings and tempering allowed the infant to grow into a sturdy, armored samurai.

He carried the banner of "Revere the Emperor, Expel the Traitors," charged with the enemy army, only to be captured...

Another spring arrived.

In white robes with a sash, holding a long sword and pouring wine. By a stream, under the gaze of the crowd, his shoulders were pinned, his head forced down, and he was beheaded with a single stroke.

As the world spun, everything gradually dimmed.

And a man with stitches across his forehead walked toward him at that very moment.

"...Ugh."

Just like the Sky-Covering Jade before, this was the memory associated with the Six Paths Tsuji Cursed Object.

Kana Shizumi narrowed his eyes, silently enduring the influx of information.

"So last time it was a fallen noble, and this time it's a doomed samurai?"

You really only target these miserable souls, damn you, Kenjaku!

But when it came down to it, the logic was sound... after all, only intense emotions could evoke negative energy. By that logic, the more bitter and deep-seated the hatred, the more powerful it would be.

Gently pressing his temples, Kana Shizumi connected this to the subsequent plot and suddenly wore an expression of realization.

Could it be that because two Special Grade Cursed Objects were present, they had overfed a Grade 2 small fry?

After all, that locust was similar in its positioning... considering Fushiguro's limited judgment, perhaps he simply thought the cursed spirit had no technique and subconsciously classified it as Grade 2.

In reality, its level of cursed energy had already been elevated to another tier?

That seemed plausible.

But one couldn't rule out the possibility that this one was a maggot... after all, malicious speculation about strength was ill-advised.

One could only say both were possible; that was the answer!

With a sigh, Kana Shizumi took the opportunity to confirm the follow-up details.

[Acquired Six Paths Tsuji: Abyss-Severing Blade]

[Fusion conditions met, Cursed Energy Output +5]

[Preset: Activating Cursed Tool special effect...]

Looking at this tag, Kana Shizumi wore a subtle expression.

Is this small fragment a blade? Formed by pouring resentment into it...

Considering the Cursed Object itself was slowly toxic and was only a small blade fragment, it was safe to say that aside from him, it was almost impossible for anyone else to utilize it.

Jail Mom was purely here to manufacture nuclear waste materials.

Kana Shizumi stood still, feeling the blade fragment merge into his body, finally settling at his left shoulder.

He felt like the base of a puzzle... these Cursed Objects were settling into his body one by one, embedding themselves into grooves with a seamless fit.

So this was custom-made?

That was pretty cool.

Correspondingly, the bonus from the Abyss-Severing Blade was simple and direct.

Kana Shizumi subconsciously began to channel his cursed energy... as everyone knew, using a cursed technique required the process of invocation.

From usage and formation to the final strike, a sorcerer had to construct and adjust according to the situation...

Those with rich combat experience could even judge the intensity and range of a technique's attack based on the scale of the invocation (like the three domains in Sendai).

And during this process.

Kana Shizumi discovered that the Abyss-Severing Blade could optimize and adjust the very act of invocation itself.

And...

That wasn't all.