We're companions, after all

"Die, you disgusting monster!!"

Kugisaki's fury reached a breaking point. Even as Niezaki's presence grew stronger, she charged at him without a trace of fear.

Rihito followed close behind.

Killing Niezaki was now their only option. There was no other way.

"Hairpin!"

Before the word had even left her lips, three nails imbued with cursed energy shot out in a flash.

"Zero Coffin!"

Azure flames of cursed energy burned around Rihito's fist, now carrying the effect of his cursed technique as well.

Clink!

Bam!

The nails struck the monster Niezaki had become with a sharp metallic ring, but they failed to so much as break his skin.

Rihito's fist slammed into his chest a moment later, but all it did was make him sway.

When their attacks failed, both immediately leaped back.

"His cursed energy is too strong. It's spilling over his skin and forming a defensive layer. The technique I put into that punch was canceled out by his cursed energy." Rihito's brows knitted tightly.

The same went for Kugisaki's nails. With their cursed energy canceled out, their momentum alone was nowhere near enough to pierce Niezaki's skin.

"Rooar!!!"

"It's all... your fault. Die!!"

Niezaki turned, his inhuman face looking toward Rihito and Kugisaki as an equally inhuman roar tore from his throat.

Then-

Boom!!

Niezaki vanished, leaving only two basin-sized craters where he had stood.

"Watch out!" Rihito's pupils contracted as he shouted a warning.

Before he could finish, Niezaki's twisted, grotesque body had already appeared in front of Kugisaki.

"Don't underestimate me! I'm Nobara Kugisaki!"

"Take this-Resonance!!"

There wasn't the slightest fear on Kugisaki's face as she pulled out a Straw Doll soaked in Niezaki's blood.

She raised her cursed tool high, pushing her cursed energy output to its limit.

Then she brought it down.

Clink!!

With a crisp ring, the nail plunged straight into the blood-soaked Straw Doll.

"Urgh-aaah!!"

Niezaki let out an agonized scream.

But his fist never stopped. It slammed viciously into Kugisaki.

Having just activated her technique, Kugisaki barely had time to raise her arms in a hasty block. The punch sent her flying like a torn burlap sack.

"Kugisaki!"

Rihito's heart sank, and he rushed toward her.

Everything had happened too fast. Less than two seconds had passed between Niezaki vanishing and Kugisaki being sent flying.

But Niezaki gave him no time to rescue her. With a bang, he vanished again and appeared right in front of Rihito.

Damn it! He's too fast!

Rihito raised his arms to block. Fortunately, he had been prepared this time. He was only driven back two steps and suffered no injury.

"Withering!"

Seeing how dire the situation was, Rihito used another cursed technique as Niezaki's next punch came hurtling toward him.

An instant later, their fists collided head-on.

This time, however, Niezaki's cursed energy failed to protect him.

As their fists separated, Niezaki's arm began to visibly rot and crumble.

Yet the sight brought Rihito no joy at all.

Has his cursed energy swollen to this extent? Even Withering's decay can't keep up with his regeneration.

This is as far as my current mastery of Withering can take me. If I want to defeat him, I'll have to use that...

"Kugisaki!" Rihito suddenly turned his head.

Nearby, Kugisaki sat in a battered heap on the ground, clearly badly injured.

Hearing Rihito call, she slowly raised her head and looked at him.

"Take the girl and move farther back."

Kugisaki froze for a moment, but when she met Rihito's calm gaze, she said nothing more.

Then she struggled to her feet and headed toward the girl.

Meanwhile, after being struck by Rihito's Withering, Niezaki was trapped in a constant cycle of decay and regeneration, unable to launch another attack at him.

The mountain wind blew once more, dispersing most of the dark clouds in the sky.

Sunlight streamed through gaps in the leaves, dappling the side of Rihito's face.

"Rooar!! Die!!"

In the blink of an eye, Niezaki had fully recovered. Rather than diminishing, his cursed energy continued to grow at a terrifying rate.

Rihito glanced to the side. Only after seeing Kugisaki move the girl to safety did he turn back and fix his gaze on Niezaki.

"You waited sixteen years, only for it to end like this. I can understand you."

As he spoke, Rihito raised his right hand, azure cursed energy surging at his fingertips.

"I understand wanting to survive. I once wanted to survive, too. To stay alive, I was willing to gamble even my own life! But..."

Rihito's voice turned cold. "You shouldn't have killed people or hurt the innocent. And you certainly shouldn't have pinned your hopes of survival on a cursed object brimming with curses."

"So you have to die!"

As he spoke, one stream of freezing cursed energy and another of scorching cursed energy began winding around his fingertips.

Their terrifying power made the space around him warp slightly.

"I... I just want to live... What's wrong with that???!!!"

Rihito's words seemed to restore a little of Niezaki's reason, but all that brought was an even fiercer blaze of fury.

"I'm not wrong... I'm not wrong... I want to live!!!"

A shrill, anguished howl poured from Niezaki's throat.

The next second, his skin began peeling away layer by layer, revealing an unnerving, emerald-green surface beneath, like a cicada pupa.

Then he raised both hands before his chest and formed an extremely complex hand sign.

This is bad!

Alarm surged through Rihito's heart at the sight, and the cursed energy flowing at his fingertips accelerated.

This was unmistakably the sign of a breakthrough on the brink of death-the precursor to a Domain Expansion.

If he couldn't stop it in time, the fate of himself, Kugisaki, and everyone in the village needed no explanation.

Even death might become a luxury.

Faster! Come on, faster!!!

Realizing the danger bearing down on them, Rihito broke into a cold sweat and frantically urged his killing move to take shape.

But because he had yet to fully master this ability, it still wasn't quite

complete. He needed a few more seconds.

Those few seconds had become the most dangerous stretch of all.

By now, Niezaki's hand sign was complete, and a purple-black mist appeared in the air without warning.

A chilling smile spread across Niezaki's inhuman face. In another second, perhaps even the next instant, his domain would successfully unfold.

"Domain Expansion-"

Clink!

At the critical moment, a crisp ring interrupted Niezaki.

The surrounding purple-black mist instantly dispersed, and blood slowly trickled from Niezaki's mouth and nose.

Kugisaki stepped out from the side, hammer in hand, still clutching the Straw Doll soaked in Niezaki's blood.

"Rihito, we're companions, after all!"

At those words, Rihito suddenly smiled.

"Yeah. We are companions."

The next second, Rihito raised his right hand and aimed his fingertips at Niezaki.

"Zero Coffin: Disintegration!"