Jianxia had thought shattering the wooden structure with Black Flash would give him an advantage.
But now the fragments scattered across the ground, along with debris too small to see, actually made it easier for the Long, Thin Cursed Spirit to activate its cursed technique.
Apparently, it had deliberately used his attack to set up favorable terrain on the battlefield.
This was the first time since crossing over that he had faced an enemy so much stronger than himself. If he had known, he would have brought Megumi Zenin along.
"Beautiful cursed spirit, why don't we reveal our cursed techniques to each other?"
Jianxia looked at the cursed spirit, which seemed a little puzzled.
"Revealing your cursed technique improves its performance, you know-for example, mine is Cursed Spirit Manipulation. It lets me subjugate and control cursed spirits."
As Jianxia disclosed that information, he felt both Banquet of Fated Remnants' strength and its cursed energy efficiency improve.
He even felt that subjugating cursed spirits had become easier. Now, all he had to do was severely injure the Long, Thin Cursed Spirit, and he could claim it for himself.
The Long, Thin Cursed Spirit had initially doubted this whole business about revealing cursed techniques. After all, it had only been born a few days ago, and no one had told it about this.
When it noticed that Jianxia and Banquet of Fated Remnants really had grown stronger, it stared in disbelief.
Wait, man, if your technique is Cursed Spirit Manipulation, what was that weird ability just now?
In the Long, Thin Cursed Spirit's simple mind, even if that strange technique belonged to Banquet of Fated Remnants, Jianxia himself should not have been able to use it.
Jianxia seized that instant of distraction to attack.
Although his earlier joint attack with Banquet of Fated Remnants had failed, it had successfully closed the distance between them.
Now, barely a dozen meters separated Jianxia from the Long, Thin Cursed Spirit. For a jujutsu sorcerer sprinting at full speed, that was only a breath away.
Jianxia deliberately avoided any route littered with wood fragments. Even if his opponent wanted to use its technique to stop him, it was already too late.
Jianxia's fist was only ten centimeters from the Long, Thin Cursed Spirit's featureless face. No one could stop this blow now.
Rip!
Blood sprayed onto the ground, but it was not the purplish red of a cursed spirit. It was the bright red of a human.
Jianxia frowned at the wooden wall that had abruptly risen from the ground and sliced through his wrist, then activated Light Returns at Dusk to heal the wound.
"You really do love saying weird things to draw attention, then suddenly attacking."
The Long, Thin Cursed Spirit poked its head out from behind the wooden wall. A slit appeared where its mouth should have been, seemingly imitating Jianxia's earlier vicious grin.
"You're stronger than me. I freely admit that. I can't beat you without using tactics."
Looking at the hand the wooden wall had severed, Jianxia flexed his wrist. As he answered, a plan took shape in his mind.
As he had suspected, the ability to manipulate buildings it had displayed earlier was merely a secondary application. This move was probably the core effect of the Long, Thin Cursed Spirit's technique.
Creating buildings out of thin air, just like the Construction Technique.
Jianxia also noticed that the wooden wall it had created gave off no cursed energy whatsoever-even the Long, Thin Cursed Spirit standing behind it seemed to have a weaker presence.
With that, Jianxia had a pretty good idea of what its technique did.
"Hee-hee. In that case, let me use a few tactics too."
The Long, Thin Cursed Spirit exerted force with both hands, quickly splitting the wooden wall in two.
The two halves of the wooden wall transformed and reassembled in its hands until they became a pair of long, slender wooden swords.
"My cursed technique is called Clumsy House. It has two effects. The first is manipulating buildings. Changing their shape or material is effortless."
The Long, Thin Cursed Spirit raised the sword in its right hand and pointed its tip at Jianxia.
"The second, as you've seen, is creating entirely new buildings with my cursed energy. These buildings can also perfectly conceal the cursed energy inside them."
With its technique revealed, the Long, Thin Cursed Spirit's already immense cursed energy surged even more fiercely.
Jianxia had intended to coax information about its technique out of it. He had not expected it to reveal its technique just when he had more or less figured it out.
Although this confirmed Jianxia's suspicions, compared with the situation at the start, he had already gained something for nothing.
"I've eaten so many humans by lying in wait for them, but you went and destroyed the trap I worked so hard to build."
Although the Long, Thin Cursed Spirit did not say it outright, Jianxia could more or less guess that constructing a mansion with its technique was on an entirely different level of difficulty from constructing a straw house.
"I'm going to eat you, then make an even bigger, better house to lure in more humans!! Then I'll eat them one by one!!"
The moment it finished speaking, the Long, Thin Cursed Spirit rapidly closed in on Jianxia, swinging the long swords in its hands. Its fan-sized palms did not hinder its movements in the slightest.
Under the influence of Clumsy House, the wooden swords had become even sharper than steel blades.
Jianxia dodged just a fraction too slowly, and a sword tip grazed his face, leaving a bloody cut that marred his looks.
Over the next few exchanges, Jianxia gradually came to understand something.
Although the Long, Thin Cursed Spirit could be called special grade in terms of its total cursed energy and technique performance, its hand-to-hand combat skills were not much better than his.
Light Returns at Dusk could heal all his injuries in an instant. Once he got used to its movements and counterattacked, he would undoubtedly gain the advantage.
But his technique could not lessen the pain he suffered, so Jianxia would much rather take fewer hits than be chopped into mincemeat and restored.
"Can't you control cursed spirits? Why don't you summon more of them to fight!"
The Long, Thin Cursed Spirit had thought it could defeat Jianxia in an instant, only to be dragged into a battle of attrition. Naturally, its temper flared.
Out of the corner of its eye, it saw Banquet of Fated Remnants dodging the attacks of two straw houses while darting and leaping around the battlefield. It had no idea what Banquet of Fated Remnants was doing.
"If I served the main course right away, where would the surprise be?"
One second, Jianxia's head was split open. He activated his technique with his remaining consciousness, and the next second, he was fully restored. He even seized the chance to punch his opponent in the abdomen.
As long as the Long, Thin Cursed Spirit did not activate its technique, he was in no hurry at all. Dragging things out worked in his favor.
"Don't tell me you think I haven't figured out what you're planning-you want to wear down my stamina, then seize the chance to defeat me, right!"
But the Long, Thin Cursed Spirit once again demonstrated an exceptionally high combat intelligence. From the moment Jianxia showed no urgency to strike back, it had guessed what he was thinking.
"There's only one reason I've stayed here trading blows with you up close-I wanted to see what kind of surprise the so-called King of Curses could give me."
"But clearly, this is all you've got. It's time to end this boring farce."
From the moment it had scattered wood fragments across the battlefield, victory had already belonged to the Long, Thin Cursed Spirit.
Like a tiger toying with its prey, it relished the pleasure of giving its opponent hope, then crushing it utterly.
Such were cursed spirits: monsters born from humanity's negative emotions, naturally suited to every negative label.
The Long, Thin Cursed Spirit kicked Jianxia in the chest, then used the recoil to return to the center of the battlefield. It plunged both wooden swords into the dirt before it and slapped its hands against the ground.
By then, Banquet of Fated Remnants had dealt with the two animated straw houses, tearing them to pieces.
But the Long, Thin Cursed Spirit did not care. If anything, that helped its next move.
"Every last fragment on this battlefield is a target for my cursed technique."
"And when they all erupt into spikes at once, how will you defend yourselves?"
The Long, Thin Cursed Spirit activated its technique, ordering the wood and straw debris to multiply immediately and become hardened weapons.
As long as it could kill them in a single blow, that strange technique would have no chance to activate, and victory would naturally be its.
"Clumsy House Manifestation-full power!"
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