Don't steal my kill!

Thick black mist poured wildly from his mangled corpse, churning and rising as his once-meager cursed energy began to surge and condense.

His human body lost every trace of life, but the extreme resentment, bitter hatred, and accumulated cursed energy he had held before death did not dissipate with his life. Instead, his overwhelming negative emotions catalyzed, compressed, and restructured them.

Within the roiling cursed energy, an outline gradually became clear. Limbs, a torso, and a head slowly took shape. His formerly human build twisted and mutated, his skin turning a dull gray-black and his nails growing long and sharp.

In life, Wengu Che had only been a lower-to-middle-tier Grade 1 sorcerer, far from the strongest, but his resentment and cursed energy at the moment of death made the cursed spirit he became very powerful.

In just a few seconds, the black mist dispersed, leaving an upper-tier Grade 1 cursed spirit standing firmly atop the ruins.

It had shed all traces of a human physique. Its overall appearance resembled a mole, and it was nearly the size of an adult male lion.

This cursed spirit had inherited Wengu Che's cursed technique, Earth Manipulation, and was even stronger than he had been alive.

Compared with the limited cursed energy of its human form, it could draw on the power of earth and stone throughout almost the entire stretch of ruins, freely making soil and rock liquefy, harden, gather, and collapse.

A fierce, low roar erupted from deep in the mole cursed spirit's throat. Its tiny scarlet eyes locked onto the three people before it as malicious cursed energy swept across the ruins.

Naturally, Satoru Gojo had not stood idly by while the cursed spirit took shape. He had already been charging Blue.

Azure cursed energy compressed in his palm, carrying terrifying gravitational suction. The surrounding air warped violently, and rubble and sand were pulled together by an invisible force.

Seeing that the mole cursed spirit had fully formed, Satoru Gojo gave a slight flick of his fingertips.

Blue flew toward the newly formed mole cursed spirit before it could take so much as half a step.

The newborn cursed spirit instantly sensed danger. Its scarlet pupils contracted sharply, and it instinctively fled.

The ground beneath its feet instantly liquefied, and its thick body plunged downward, trying to burrow underground to escape Blue. At the same time, it formed layers of thick earth-and-stone barriers around itself, attempting to withstand that terrifying suction.

But all its struggles were futile.

The violent gravitational force instantly shredded the barriers. Layer after layer of thick, solid rock collapsed and shattered, unable to resist at all.

The mole cursed spirit hiding just beneath the ground took the full force of Blue. Its bulky, squat body shuddered violently, and its tough, thick gray-brown hide cracked and crumbled inch by inch as countless bloody gashes tore across its entire body.

An agonized shriek rang through the ruins. Its body was sucked out of the ground and slammed hard onto the rubble-strewn surface, leaving it a bloody mess.

The battlefield fell quiet, leaving only devastation and the severely wounded mole cursed spirit.

Seeing the mole cursed spirit still struggling, Satoru Gojo raised his brows slightly and clicked his tongue in mild dissatisfaction.

"That tanky?"

He had held back to keep Blue from exorcising the mole cursed spirit outright. He had not expected it to still have enough strength to fight back.

Azure cursed energy gathered in Satoru Gojo's palm again as he quickly began charging a second Blue.

While Satoru Gojo was charging, a dark figure darted out.

Seeing Qingxiao running toward the cursed spirit, Satoru Gojo realized something and immediately wailed, "Qingxiao! Don't steal my kill!"

Qingxiao ignored him and rapidly closed in on the critically wounded mole cursed spirit. Before it could unleash earthen spikes to fight back, he drove a heavy, powerful punch squarely into its head.

Thud! A muffled impact rang out!

The mole cursed spirit, which had still been struggling violently, went rigid. The savage scarlet color faded completely from its eyes, and its massive body slumped to the ground, no longer capable of any resistance.

Satoru Gojo froze mid-charge. The azure cursed energy in his palm dispersed, and he turned toward Qingxiao, who had landed and steadied himself. "Hey, hey, hey! That's going too far, Qingxiao! You stole my kill! Didn't I charge that for nothing?"

Qingxiao raised an eyebrow, looking utterly speechless. "What do you mean, I stole your kill? That cursed spirit could clearly still fight back. I was just finishing up for you.

"Besides, you were only halfway done charging. By the time you fired, it might've already escaped underground."

"I was already halfway through charging Blue! Finishing it off would've only taken a second!" Satoru Gojo planted his hands on his hips and pouted, looking aggrieved, as though he had suffered a tremendous loss.

"The result's the same. As long as it's exorcised, that's all that matters." Qingxiao spread his hands, completely ignoring his complaints.

Qingxiao gestured toward the dying mole cursed spirit on the ground, then turned his head and teased with a smile, "Looks like you're about to add another powerful fighter to your ranks. This cursed spirit is pretty strong, and its ability is good too. Hurry up and take it. Remember to treat Satoru and me to a meal afterward."

The moment he finished speaking, Satoru Gojo immediately leaned over and eagerly chimed in, "Exactly! I did a lot of the work here too. I want to try every dessert in Kyoto! We can't skip a single fancy dessert shop!"

Watching the two play off each other, Suguru Geto nodded in helpless indulgence and agreed, then looked up at the mole cursed spirit lying on the ground with a breath still left in it.

He raised his hand and gently drew it inward, gathering every strand of cursed energy. The cursed spirit's battered body rapidly turned insubstantial, compressed, and condensed. In an instant, it was completely molded into a round, pale blue Cursed Spirit Orb with a smooth, translucent texture, floating quietly in his palm.

His gaze settled on the pale blue Cursed Spirit Orb, and he was very satisfied. For him, currently so short on cursed spirits, this one was truly a timely gift.

As the words fell, he did not hesitate. Tilting his head back slightly, he slowly brought the Cursed Spirit Orb in his palm to his mouth and swallowed it.

The next second, an overwhelming wave of nausea swept through his entire body.

Still weak after only recently recovering from serious injuries, Suguru Geto could not withstand that nauseating taste at all. His stomach churned, and his face went deathly pale.

Only after a while did Suguru Geto slowly open his eyes. A faint trace of gloom still lingered in his expression as he said reflectively, "Not bad. I'm much more used to it than last time."

Seeing that Suguru Geto had settled his nausea and fully steadied himself, Qingxiao and Satoru Gojo stopped joking. In unspoken agreement, they stepped forward and gently supported his arms, one on either side.

Without any need for further words, they quietly helped bear his weight and stayed beside him as he rested and recovered. The entire stretch of ruins became peaceful once more.

P.S. Thanks to Flying Koi for the support through "Generate Power with Love." Here's another bonus chapter for Flying Koi.