The fifth disaster that shouldn't exist (part two)

"You're actually using that move?!" Suguru Geto smashed several Shadow Wolves lunging at him with his battered Nunchaku. Above them, the Rainbow Dragon fired precise beams of cursed energy, helping them wipe out the summons.

Unfortunately, the already damaged cursed tool couldn't withstand such intensive use. It soon warped and twisted, leaving Suguru Geto no choice but to pull a katana from the frog's mouth and hack away with all his strength.

By now, Chúgǒu had merged into the shadows, making it easier for her to control the wolves attacking the group of four.

Meanwhile, Shoichi Kano simply brought his hands together. Countless sharp threads intertwined into a cage around him. All he had to do was keep feeding it cursed energy to reinforce its structure, and any Shadow Wolves that crashed into the sharp threads would be sliced apart.

Unfortunately, under the Shadow Wolves' relentless assaults, even these cursed energy threads were on the verge of collapse. If Shoichi Kano made a mistake in controlling his cursed energy, the Pack of Wolves could easily tear them to pieces.

The Slit-Mouthed Woman was doing much the same. She used the method she'd employed against Suguru Geto's insect swarm during their battle at the Tombs of the Star Corridor. Her long-handled scythe whirled, unleashing waves of AOE slashes that cut down packs of wolves like grass.

Shoko's situation was rather more interesting. She really was a little afraid of the wolves. Although the spiders Kano had given her allowed her to put up some resistance, Shadow Wolves still broke through the ring formation's defenses and reached her.

In her panic, she went "Whoosh!" and burned her only skill.

A soft white light flashed. The first Shadow Wolf to leap at her was struck by a pure discharge of Reverse Cursed Technique and melted on the spot, like a snowman exposed to blazing sunlight.

Shoko was stunned. The other Shadow Wolves instinctively sensed that she wasn't someone to mess with, and began circling her, looking for a chance to ambush her.

Only then did Shoko remember to control the spider puppets and have them drive the Shadow Wolves away.

"We can't keep fighting like this!" Shoichi Kano sent Shoko a few more spiders to help her, then transformed his thread cage into a close-fitting, shredding vortex and fought his way to Suguru Geto alongside the Slit-Mouthed Woman.

The farther they advanced, the denser the Shadow Wolves became and the more frequently they attacked, until they were almost impossible to hold off.

"Aren't you a summoner? Where's your stock of cursed spirits?!" Even the Slit-Mouthed Woman was getting desperate.

She had considered using her Forced Q&A technique and its accompanying Simple Domain to achieve something, but Chúgǒu's real body was nowhere to be found. Using such a heavily single-target technique on one particular Shadow Wolf would be a terrible waste!

Suguru Geto, who had already slipped into Water Hashira mode, finally remembered that his innate cursed technique wasn't the complete set of Water Breathing sword forms. It was Cursed Spirit Manipulation.

After rummaging through his stock of cursed spirits for a while, he opened another swirling black spatial rift behind himself and released a fresh batch.

These cursed spirits weren't as uniform in appearance as the earlier Centipede Cursed Spirits. Some resembled butterflies with babies' heads, others were lanky, twisted ghostly figures. There were two-headed, deformed fish that looked as though they'd been soaked in nuclear wastewater, and a great buzzing cloud of insects in every color...

At a glance, it really did look like the beginnings of a Night Parade of a Hundred Demons.

Fortunately, poor old Geto's cursed spirit friends were far stronger than the animal friends poor old Megumi would have in the future-apart from Mahoraga-and could actually pull their weight.

Though poor old Geto still felt the loss somewhat, he couldn't afford to worry about that now.

Suguru Geto's "mini Night Parade of a Hundred Demons" effectively impeded the Shadow Wolves' offensive, easing some of the pressure they'd endured along the way.

That also gave them time to regroup and discuss their next move.

"There's no point wasting our time here unless we take out Chúgǒu's real body!" The Slit-Mouthed Woman was frantic. She even removed her mask so she could activate her technique at any moment.

Suguru Geto leaned on his katana, his narrow, foxlike eyes shifting uncertainly.

"Say something, Geto," Shoichi Kano said, choosing to put pressure on his teammate. "Do you have any cursed spirits that can pinpoint her real body?"

"Let me think!" Suguru Geto's expression darkened as he began searching his mind for a way out.

"Oh, no!" His gaze sharpened as something suddenly occurred to him.

Kano and the Slit-Mouthed Woman exchanged a glance, then turned toward Shoko Ieiri almost in unison.

Fuck, we'd gotten so carried away fighting on the front line that we'd forgotten the healer!

As a vicious wolf lurking in the shadows, Chúgǒu naturally wouldn't let such a perfect opportunity slip away. Relying on her "game sense," she sprang from a shadow beside Shoko, intending to deliver a vicious surprise attack on this inconspicuous jujutsu sorcerer!

She also knew her opponent could discharge Reverse Cursed Technique, so she had wrapped a layer of armor made from her shadow cursed energy over her dress to prevent her body from coming into direct contact with the discharged positive energy.

"Shoko! Watch out!" Suguru Geto shouted.

The Slit-Mouthed Woman also swung her long-handled scythe cursed tool, sending a gray arc of blade energy toward Chúgǒu's real body.

After all, while Geto and Kano had been discussing life's philosophy in the men's restroom earlier, she'd exchanged a few words with Shoko. To Auntie Miyano, this young jujutsu sorcerer didn't harbor that intense hatred of cursed spirits. She was also rather cheerful and gentle, like a well-cared-for kitten.

So, instinctively, she didn't want the girl to get hurt.

As for Shoko Ieiri... the moment she sensed murderous intent coming from behind and to one side, her body reacted before her mind did.

She instinctively tightened her grip on the threads Kano had given her. The spider puppets, each about the size of a house cat, immediately leaped up to block Chúgǒu's pounce.

At the same time, the Slit-Mouthed Woman's blade energy skimmed past Chúgǒu's back, missing its target.

The barrier formed by spider puppets with strength comparable to Grade 1 Cursed Spirits offered little protection. Clad in shadow armor, Chúgǒu easily shredded the spiders with a pure discharge of cursed energy, then swung her wolf claws at Shoko herself.

"Aah!" Panicking, Shoko squeezed her eyes shut and threw a punch. Her discharged Reverse Cursed Technique activated instantly. Soft white light flashed, canceling out most of the claw marks formed from shadows.

By the time the attacks reached her, only a little residual force remained, barely enough to tear a few holes in her clothes.

Suguru Geto's Rainbow Dragon slipped between Chúgǒu and Shoko first, blocking the follow-up attacks with its tough body. It quickly coiled around Shoko and took to the air, carrying her to safety.

"What kind of tough guy goes after a girl?" Shoichi Kano raised his hand and fired a dense web that flowed and shredded like a vortex.

"Come at us if you've got the guts!" Suguru Geto raised his katana, coated it in cursed energy, and charged forward to cut off Chúgǒu's head.

Chúgǒu remained motionless, merely forming two Shadow Wolves in front of herself. Kano's cursed energy thread net shredded one, while the black streak trailing Suguru Geto's blade split the other vertically in half, leaving it to dissipate into the air.

"Geto, spare me a sword, will you?" Shoichi Kano found a moment to ask.

Suguru Geto ignored him, staring gravely at the chips in the blade of his Jujutsu High standard-issue katana. This cursed spirit's summons really were absurdly strong. The cursed tool was wearing out a little too quickly.

Shoichi Kano quickly replenished his spider puppets. Some harassed Chúgǒu to stop her from immediately slipping into the shadows, while the others returned to serve as Shoko's guards.

Chúgǒu's Shadow Wolves had whittled down some of Suguru Geto's earlier cursed spirit army, but a considerable number remained. He quickly ordered the survivors to regroup and advance in formation, working with Kano's spider puppets to break the stalemate.

Although the two belonged to different factions, those divisions had faded in the face of such a powerful enemy, and a bridge of cooperation was taking shape!

Chúgǒu likewise hastily gathered her remaining Shadow Wolves to meet the motley army Geto and Kano had assembled. But even the most careful plans had gaps. Preoccupied with directing the wolves against the enemy's cursed spirit legion and spider puppets, she momentarily forgot to station enough defenses behind her flanks.

The Slit-Mouthed Woman naturally caught that detail.

She exchanged a brief glance with Shoichi Kano, then raised her hand and pointed lightly. Kano understood what she meant. He created another batch of spider puppets and even charged in himself to fight the Shadow Wolves hand to hand, intent on putting enough pressure on Chúgǒu from the front.

Although Suguru Geto didn't know what Kano was planning, seeing him charge straight into the wolf pack with a swarm of spiders stirred his blood as well. Wielding his slightly rolled katana blade and relying on his cursed energy-enhanced physique, he hacked a path through the wolves by sheer force.

Chúgǒu couldn't understand why these two summoners would stop relying on their summons and insist on fighting in person. She therefore pulled as many Shadow Wolves as she could from her flanks and rear, hoping to withstand the pressure from the front.

As for why she didn't summon more Shadow Wolves, it was naturally because she was still only a cursed womb. Her cursed energy reserves weren't as great as they would be in her fully developed state. If she created more Shadow Wolves, she wouldn't have enough cursed energy left to protect her real body.

This was exactly the opportunity the Slit-Mouthed Woman wanted!

Suppressing her cursed energy presence as much as possible, she swiftly killed the Shadow Wolves waiting behind Chúgǒu's flank and approached her real body like an assassin.

By the time Chúgǒu sensed something was wrong, it was already too late!

"Am I beautiful?"

Forced Q&A activated! The framework of a Simple Domain rapidly took shape!

Chúgǒu felt her connection to the Shadow Wolves severed in an instant. Within this space, there was only her and the female humanoid cursed spirit facing her!

She tried to struggle, tried to batter the Simple Domain's framework with her cursed energy, but failed.

Seeing the female wolf cursed spirit's somewhat panicked expression, the Slit-Mouthed Woman couldn't help curling her densely stitched lips into a faint smile.

Outside the Simple Domain, Kano and Geto also noticed that the Shadow Wolves had suddenly become disorganized, as though they'd lost their command center. They decided to go all the way, combining their remaining spider puppets and cursed spirits to swiftly slaughter the summons that had lost their master's orders.

"Using some sort of binding vow..." Chúgǒu began rapidly recalling countermeasures. Memories of battles from her previous cycle and the one before it gradually surfaced. "...to create an Inviolability effect?"

Thanks to her unique constitution as a disaster cursed spirit, she could carry some of her battle memories into her next cycle even after being exorcised.

"It looks like... the technique's effect won't trigger until I answer the question." Chúgǒu gradually worked out a countermeasure.

She stopped struggling and began slowly accumulating cursed energy. She planned to build up a massive burst and shatter the restraints of this Simple Domain in one go.

The Slit-Mouthed Woman wasn't in a hurry either. She simply leaned on her scythe and waited quietly.

After a while, Chúgǒu finally grinned, baring her wolf fangs. "You're... very ugly."

"There's nothing wild about you. No fur, no fangs, no claws."

"You're just a copy of those... feeble humans."

The technique embedded in the Simple Domain triggered. Countless invisible cuts erupted across Chúgǒu's body, and the intense pain drew a muffled grunt from her.

At the same time, she unleashed the cursed energy she'd accumulated, intending to seize this opportunity to blow the Simple Domain apart!