Faceless Cursed Spirits

The iron door was two meters tall and one meter wide, its surface covered in dark red rust.

Its handle had long since fallen off under the ravages of time, and the entire door gave off an air of decay.

Nanami stopped five or six meters from the iron door and went no farther.

He stared at the gap in the half-open door, then slowly drew a short-handled, broad-bladed machete from his waist.

"Get ready to fight!"

"Tch! Cursed spirits still stink as badly as ever." Kugisaki pulled out her hammer and took a fighting stance.

Fushiguro said nothing, but he was just as ready for battle.

"Did this place naturally spawn these cursed spirits? Or..."

Through the narrow gap in the door, Rihito saw a blurry figure seemingly moving behind it.

Although he couldn't tell exactly what that thing was, that didn't stop Nanami from deciding to eliminate it.

Boom!

Nanami raised his leg and kicked the door clean off, instantly exposing the scene behind it to all four of them.

It was a workspace resembling a factory workshop, with a massive steel machine standing in its center.

A dozen or so bizarre-looking cursed spirits wandered through the space.

They stood two meters tall, with long, slender limbs and basketball-sized heads that were completely blank, without any facial features.

Upon discovering the intruders, the cursed spirits let out a jumble of piercing cries from their bellies, as though declaring war on the group.

"Quite a few of them. Let's finish this quickly, or I'll have to work overtime again." Nanami raised his cursed tool and charged at the nearest cursed spirit.

"Die, you disgusting cursed spirits!" Kugisaki raised her hammer, and in the blink of an eye, three nails imbued with cursed energy shot forward.

"Divine Dogs!" A moment later, two wolf-shaped shikigami, one black and one white, appeared beside Fushiguro.

Watching the others charge toward their respective opponents, Rihito rolled his shoulders. Once he was sure they were fine, he turned toward a cursed spirit ahead.

"I can't fall behind, either!" Before his words had faded, Rihito shot toward the cursed spirit like a cannonball.

His few days of intensive training had been brief, but his physical fitness and reflexes had improved considerably.

Seeing these humans suddenly appear and attack them, the cursed spirits twisted their bodies as though expressing their anger.

Then they charged at the group.

Bam!

Rihito dodged an attack, turned sideways, and punched another cursed spirit.

The cursed energy-infused punch sent it staggering back several steps before it slammed into the workshop wall.

Before he could catch his breath, a third cursed spirit leaped up with a vicious rush of air and lunged at Rihito's back.

"Divine Dogs!"

Seeing this, Fushiguro immediately directed Black Dog to support Rihito.

These cursed spirits were fast. The instant Rihito drove one back, another pounced, as though they were coordinating their attacks.

Yet Rihito's expression didn't change as the attack came from behind.

He tensed every muscle, crouched, and leaned back.

A moment later, the cursed spirit's body skimmed overhead, narrowly missing him.

Looks like he doesn't need help, Fushiguro thought. He called Black Dog back and focused on his own opponents.

My control over my body really has gone up a level. I'll have to properly thank Maki when we get back.

With that thought flashing through his mind, Rihito returned his attention to the cursed spirits before him.

He now faced three cursed spirits in total.

Two in front, one behind.

I've never fought three at once before. Come on! As soon as the thought formed, Rihito charged at the cursed spirit on the left.

Cursed energy surged, igniting brilliant blue flames around his fist.

The other two cursed spirits let out piercing shrieks and charged at Rihito again.

Remaining calm in the face of danger, Rihito advanced instead of retreating, rushing straight toward the cursed spirit.

Bam!

The cursed spirit directly ahead took Rihito's punch squarely. A thin layer of frost instantly formed where his fist met its body.

After dodging another cursed spirit's claws, Rihito raised his leg and kicked.

The powerful impact sent the cursed spirit flying into the one that had just charged back from the wall.

Within two exchanges, Rihito had completely overwhelmed all three cursed spirits.

Before the cursed spirits could get back up, Rihito glanced at the others' "battlefields."

Using the Ratio Technique, Nanami had already dispatched two with clean efficiency.

Kugisaki and Fushiguro had each successfully eliminated one using their respective cursed techniques.

Looks like I'm the one dragging everyone down.

Bringing his attention back, Rihito looked at his enemies, who had already risen and were preparing to attack him again.

"I'll finish all of you in one go!"

A moment later, Rihito raised both hands and took the initiative, charging at the three cursed spirits.

"Heat Blast!"

Boom!

Terrifying heat erupted from Rihito's palms, igniting the air and forming two fireballs that struck two of the cursed spirits in an instant.

With the workshop wall behind them, the two cursed spirits had nowhere to retreat after Rihito hit them with Heat Blast.

Both were struck by his palms without a hitch.

"Freeze!"

Crack!

With two sharp cracks, Rihito cleanly finished off the two cursed spirits.

Then he looked at the last one.

"Kee, kee, kee, kee..."

Just then, the seven remaining cursed spirits suddenly stopped in unison, their bellies emitting strange, piercing sounds.

The sounds tangled together, echoing endlessly through the abandoned workshop.

"Cover your ears!" Nanami shouted, then raised his hands and clamped them tightly over his ears.

Rihito and the other two followed suit without the slightest hesitation.

Yet even through their hands, the piercing sound penetrated their palms and stabbed into their heads like steel needles.

Damn!

The stabbing pain in his head made Rihito's expression shift slightly.

Although it wasn't life-threatening, continuing to fight in this state would undoubtedly be extremely difficult.

"Protect your ears with cursed energy!"

Rihito looked toward the voice and saw that Nanami had actually lowered his hands. After a brief pause, he charged at the cursed spirits again.

Protect my ears with cursed energy?

Rihito had learned this method of using cursed energy at Jujutsu High. He had used something similar during his earlier assessment at the psychiatric hospital.

He just hadn't had a chance to apply it since.

Without the slightest hesitation, Rihito immediately mobilized his cursed energy.

With his precise

control, he drew out thin strands of cursed energy and covered both ears with pinpoint accuracy.

A moment later, the stabbing pain in his head vanished.

When he looked again, Nanami had already eliminated four of the seven remaining cursed spirits.

"They're trying to escape!" Kugisaki shouted, raising her hand and firing two nails.

Fushiguro also directed both Divine Dogs to give chase.

But they were a step too late.

The cursed spirits' sonic attack had slowed their movements, preventing them from launching their attacks in time.

And because the targets were too scattered, Nanami couldn't eliminate them all at once, either.

In just a few seconds, the three surviving cursed spirits rushed into an abandoned passage and quickly disappeared.

"Mr. Nanami?"

Seeing the cursed spirits disappear, Rihito turned his gaze to Nanami.

Nanami was in charge of this operation, so all critical decisions had to come from him.

Looking into the dark, unlit passage, Nanami fell silent for a few seconds, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"After them!"