Brothers United, Their Strength Can Cut Through?

"Sure enough, a Special Grade cursed spirit assigned to a Grade 1 mission was on a completely different level from all that trash before."

Even facing a [Domain], Mizuki Makoto still had the leisure to make a quip as he met Todo's completely enraged gaze.

Kill him within three minutes!

[Simple Domain]

In an instant, two invisible barriers abruptly expanded outward, centered on the two of them.

This technique, taught by Tsukumo Yuki and passed on to Mizuki Makoto through Todo Aoi, became the only two sanctuaries within Kuchen Grove at that moment.

Wild Buddha's sure-hit petrification effect was forcibly neutralized the instant it touched the edge of the barrier, like waves crashing against a reef, by this "weakened Domain."

"Full power, Todo! Loser buys dinner."

Makoto raised a hand and clenched it toward the enraged Special Grade cursed spirit. Invisible attraction burst forth. The withered Buddha shrieked as bloodstained stone fragments came whistling toward his fingertips.

You damn capitalist miss, I'll beat you to a pulp!

He threw a punch at the empty balance in his account!

—Clap!!

The crisp clap rang out like a starting gun. At the narrow edge of the Domain, Makoto and Todo began exchanging positions at a pace several times more violent than before.

[Echo Mimicry: Star's Fury]

Boom!

In an instant, the Special Grade cursed spirit was blasted backward.

Two deep fissures were carved across the altar. Wild Buddha's enormous stone Buddha head cracked apart inch by inch, stones spraying everywhere. Dozens of stone tentacles shot from its body toward Makoto in midair.

The speed was clearly impossibly fast, yet on this battlefield, it seemed astonishingly slow.

At the moment of the swap, aided by the vertical acceleration from the [Red] exploding behind him, Makoto became like a collapsing meteor, weaving through the countless converging Buddha statues. A crimson trail carved a sharply turning afterimage through the air.

Everything in his path shattered.

Blood sprayed out, then was immediately vaporized.

"Not done yet! Brother, take the baton!"

Todo appeared behind Wild Buddha as if he had teleported. Makoto flicked his hand behind him, drawing an arc of [Blue] attraction through the air and forcibly yanking Wild Buddha's massive shell toward Todo.

"This is the brothers' combo—WOOOAAAH!!"

Todo's fists became afterimages. Every blow landed precisely on the nodes of [Blue], borrowing force from force as his punches struck flesh—though the opponent's insides contained nothing but cold stone.

Roar—!

Wild Buddha let out its final roar, swinging its remaining stone arms as it frantically tried to drag the two of them down with it before the Domain collapsed.

Amid the fierce battle, several faint whistling sounds brushed past Makoto's cheek.

They were a few drops of dark-red liquid that had splashed out from deep within the core when the stone shell cracked open.

They were cold as ice, carrying an intensely incongruous bloody sweetness, more like some thick, thousand-year-sealed obsession.

Ah, disgusting. Next time, I need to learn from Ino and bring a hood.

Makoto had no time to wipe the red marks from his cheek. All his attention was focused on Todo's final clap.

—Clap!!

The final swap. Makoto appeared at Wild Buddha's core eye, while Todo flashed behind him, his broad palms like steel plates slamming against Makoto's back.

"Turn into... account balance for me—!!!"

All of their cursed energy was forcibly poured into the simulated collapse of [Star's Fury] and [Blue].

It was an extreme pressure capable of warping light, as though it intended to squeeze the last scrap of value out of this monster's existence!

Rumble—!!!

The entire Kuchen Grove shattered like a mirror beneath that blow. The shockwave from the collapsing Domain kneaded the surrounding stone floor into a tangled mess.

As the smoke cleared, the ancient temple returned to deathly silence. Wild Buddha's enormous body had become a pile of rubble, its ominous cursed energy already dispersed.

"Huff... hah..." Makoto slumped onto the ground like a puddle of mud, gasping for breath.

"Brother! The romance of counterattacking inside a Domain... I have indeed received it!" Todo panted as he walked over, his chest covered in scrapes, yet he was as excited as if he had just attended a handshake event.

"...Shut up, Todo." Makoto shoved away the sweat-soaked muscle monster with faint disgust, trembling as he picked up Slaughter Demon. "Six million... I finally balanced this account."

He casually wiped his face with his sleeve.

Hm? It's already gone?

Those drops of blood seemed alive. They had already silently seeped through the lines of his skin and deep into his pores. A chill carrying the scent of sandalwood flashed up his spine.

"What's wrong, Makoto?" Todo looked over sharply.

"Nothing." Makoto frowned.

The discomfort vanished quickly, as if it had merely been an illusion caused by brief overexertion.

"I was just thinking that I definitely need to bring an umbrella next time I go out. Getting splashed by this kind of filthy stuff feels disgusting."

He got to his feet, carrying the cursed tool toward the ancient temple's entrance. In the dim shadows, he failed to notice a faint bluish-gray mark, like a corpse pattern, emerge where the blood had splashed his cheek before swiftly sinking beneath his skin.

"So I'm telling you, brother! If your 'Comet Strikes Earth' move just now hadn't worked with my [Boogie Woogie], it would've been nothing more than slightly heavier free fall. It would've had absolutely no soul!"

On the empty subway platform, Todo Aoi stood bare-chested, enthusiastically promoting his "Takada-chan Combat Aesthetics" to his best friend, spittle flying everywhere. Passing office workers all wore terrified expressions as they pressed themselves against the walls and detoured around him.

Makoto was lowering his head to check the transfer estimate Mei Mei had sent him on his phone. His mood had only just improved a little. "Yes, yes, all thanks to your Takada-chan. But Mei Mei's commission actually went up another five percent? She called it a 'Special Grade cursed spirit psychological damage fee.' Do I have to pay for cursed spirits' mental health these days too?! There's no justice at all!"

"Mei Mei's obsession with money is a kind of charm too, hahaha!"

Todo gave a low laugh, then his gaze abruptly sharpened. A pale-blue-haired woman emerged gracefully from the shadows of the tunnel. Mei Mei waved her folding fan, a perfect smile resting on her lips. "You worked hard, Mizuki. The result was perfect. I believe your debt..."

"Wait."

Makoto had intended to haggle, but a piercing chill suddenly shot up the back of his neck. That sandalwood scent exploded in his nostrils without warning.

—Clap!!

The crisp clap sounded. Makoto's vision flipped violently. Mei Mei, who had been standing to his right, vanished in an instant, replaced by a terrified black-feathered crow.

"...Todo? What the hell are you doing?"

He turned his head in confusion, only to find Todo Aoi wearing an expression of unprecedented gravity. Todo's steel-like arms were trembling slightly, his gaze fixed tightly on Makoto's right hand.

Makoto followed his line of sight, and his heart abruptly stopped.

His right hand had somehow thrown away the heavy bag on its own. As if it possessed an independent soul, its five fingers were pressed together like a steel blade, black-red filthy cursed energy winding around its fingertips as it viciously stabbed into a reinforced concrete pillar in the subway station after missing its target.

It had sunk in a full ten centimeters. That strike had been meant to pierce through a skull.

If Todo had not switched them at that critical moment, Makoto's right hand would have already pierced through Mei Mei's head.

Add Bookmark

Return to Contents

Report Chapter Error

Share with Friends: