The two of them had a smooth plan.
With the efforts of hundreds of Cursed Spirits, the search progress was very fast.
Arms, legs, waist...
As the body in the coffin in the auditorium was gradually reassembled, Eiji's expression grew more solemn.
The body in the coffin was similar in size to Asuka and the others, a high school girl's body, not the Crimson Figure's body that Eiji and Suguru Geto had guessed.
Moreover, the body was wearing a high school uniform.
"So that's it, it's that girl from earlier today."
As another body fragment was placed into the coffin, Eiji was finally able to confirm the identity of the person lying in the coffin.
It was the girl who had asked them for help finding her body after falling from a building earlier that day.
"Only the head is left."
Looking at the body in the coffin, which would be complete with just the head, Eiji began to think about what might happen next.
Since the body in the coffin was not the Crimson Figure's, their previous conclusion that finding the complete body would resolve the issue of the Crimson Figure could not be true.
Now, he needed to consider other possibilities and prepare countermeasures.
Snap, snap, snap.
Strange footsteps sounded, and Eiji turned his head in their direction. A figure, completely red and carrying a rabbit doll, appeared in his vision.
"It seems I won't have to go through so much trouble."
The aura emanating from the figure before him was even more terrifying than when they were in the gymnasium. It held the doll that Asuka and the others had mentioned, so it was clear this was the Crimson Figure's true form.
The Crimson Figure stopped at the entrance, its mouth splitting into a wide, eerie grin on its blood-stained face.
The Crimson Figure clone, wrapped around the Full Elephant's trunk, slowly dissipated. The Crimson Figure's aura at the entrance intensified once more.
"Then, I'll exorcise you first."
He released the summon of the Full Elephant, formed hand seals, and the roaring Tiger Grave appeared behind Eiji.
After retracting its clone, the Crimson Figure charged at Eiji without hesitation.
After summoning the Tiger Grave, Eiji crouched down, drew his Tang Dao from the shadows, and met the charge.
The first to arrive was the wind blade swung by the Tiger Grave.
The Crimson Figure twisted its stance, dodging all the wind blades with Z-like movements, then lunged at Eiji with its fingers curled like five small knives.
Eiji parried the Crimson Figure's claws with a slash from lower left to upper right. Taking advantage of the opening created when the Crimson Figure's arm was deflected, he raised his Tang Dao and brought it down.
Thwack, clang.
The blade bit into flesh, then became stuck on hard bone.
In pain, the Crimson Figure kicked at Eiji.
So hard. Eiji frowned, drawing his Tang Dao and holding it in front of him to block the kick.
Screech~
Eiji's feet dug into the ground, sliding back several meters.
In that instant, Eiji felt as if the Cursed Spirit opposite him wasn't a girl but a muscular man over two meters tall.
No, even a muscular man wouldn't have this much strength. This strength was comparable to a small car crashing into him.
"I see. Although its appearance is different from those big, ugly guys, it's essentially a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit that would require at least a tank to deal with."
Looking at the Crimson Figure battling the Tiger Grave, Eiji's smile widened.
Behind him, two Divine Dogs protected several ordinary people, one in front of the other. Before him was the Tiger Grave. These three Shikigami were the maximum number Eiji could currently summon, so he didn't need to consider summoning any others for now; he could just go in with his sword.
The Tiger Grave was a Shikigami capable of exorcising Grade 1 Cursed Spirits on its own, so it naturally wouldn't fear a mere Grade 1 Crimson Figure.
"And I'm not weak either."
With that, he charged forward again with his sword.
Eiji's physical combat skills were strong. It couldn't be helped; with two physical combat geniuses around him, it was hard for Eiji's skills not to be strong.
Satoru Gojo had his family's inherited combat techniques, while Suguru Geto was a true all-around genius.
When Suguru Geto first awakened his Cursed Technique, not many Cursed Spirits could be controlled, and he relied entirely on his fists and intellect to subdue them.
This guy managed to develop a very practical set of combat techniques through a few months of boxing, sanshou, and karate classes. Eiji often sought advice from Suguru Geto on this matter.
And Eiji was also highly motivated to train his physical combat skills.
You ask where his motivation came from?
Just look at that annoying cat-like Satoru next to him. Was his fist hard enough?
If his fist was hard enough but he still lost, could he stand being mocked to his face?
That's where the motivation came from.
Let's return to the battlefield.
Since it was two against one, Tiger Grave attacked while the Crimson Figure was still off-balance after kicking Eiji away. It had the upper hand, and after Eiji joined, the Crimson Figure was pushed back further and further.
Eiji noticed something strange.
The Crimson Figure had been fighting Eiji while holding onto a cute, ugly plush toy.
At first, Eiji thought the plush toy had some special effect, but now it wasn't helping the fight at all and was even hindering the Crimson Figure's combat ability.
The Crimson Figure kept having to split its attention to protect the plush toy.
This peculiar sight piqued Eiji's curiosity.
At Eiji's command, the Black Divine Dog silently concealed itself near the battlefield.
Seizing an opportunity, Eiji stepped forward and threw a punch. The Crimson Figure dodged by tilting its head.
The next moment, Eiji yanked his arm back forcefully, and his elbow slammed into the Crimson Figure's head.
This was a move Eiji and Suguru Geto had learned from a boxing coach. It was said to be banned from competitions because it was too brutal and could easily be fatal. That time, the boxing coach, drunk and showing off, had used this move, and Eiji and Suguru Geto had naturally accepted the lesson.
However, since most Cursed Spirits were large and distorted in shape, there weren't many opportunities to use it.
The last time it was used was during a friendly match with Satoru Gojo, one without Cursed Techniques.
When this move hit Satoru Gojo's head, he'd remarked that the force was just right, leaving him dazed but unharmed.
The Crimson Figure staggered after its head was struck. The Divine Dog, which had been waiting, rushed forward, opened its mouth, bit down on the plush toy, and pulled with all its might to snatch it away.
The Crimson Figure immediately grabbed the plush toy with both hands, not even paying attention to Eiji beside it.
Eiji, of course, didn't hesitate and severed the Crimson Figure's arm with a single slash.
"Ahhhhhh!"
Like a flashbang exploding right in his face, a deafening roar, a mix of a bellow and a wail, shook Eiji, forcing him to cover his ears and retreat repeatedly.
Fortunately, Tiger Grave, being a Summoned Spirit, didn't react much to this.
Tiger Grave stepped forward and slammed the Crimson Figure into the ground with a palm strike, interrupting the deafening roar.
"Then, next is this plush toy."
Under Eiji's gaze, the Divine Dog sniffed the plush toy. Then, it placed one paw on the toy's body, bit down on its head, and began to tear it apart.
Rip, whirr.
The sound of tearing fabric filled the air, and then a spherical object rolled onto the ground.
"Is this a head?"
Looking at the body in the coffin that was missing only its head, and then at the head that had rolled out of the plush toy, Eiji finally understood why Suguru Geto hadn't been able to find the last body part for so long.
Just as Eiji was about to place the head into the coffin, a black mist erupted from both the plush toy and the Crimson Figure.
The terrifying Cursed Energy caused a bead of cold sweat to trickle down Eiji's temple.
Eiji remembered this feeling; he had directly faced such terrifying Cursed Energy on an overpass a few years ago.
"Hey, hey, no way? A Special Grade Cursed Spirit!"
Within the black mist, a fat Cursed Spirit with a neck three to four meters long slowly emerged.
Black mist continuously spewed from its long neck and gaping maw.
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Translation by: randomtranslator.com
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