Nue's lightning was the first to arrive.
Purple lightning struck the Demon Cursed Spirit, its body dissolving into black mist.
Next came Tiger Grave's wind pressure blast.
The wind pressure blast detonated upon reaching the area shrouded in black mist, instantly dispersing most of it. The Demon Cursed Spirit's true form was forced to reveal itself.
Eiji, following close behind, swung his sword at the Demon Cursed Spirit's legs.
Their figures crossed paths. Waiting for the Demon Cursed Spirit were dozens of lightning strikes, prepared once more by Nue. Because its legs were injured and its movements were a beat slower, the Demon Cursed Spirit couldn't dodge the lightning barrage.
"We can win!"
Eiji turned, and Tiger Grave also unleashed gusts of wind to complement Eiji's attack.
Lightning, slashes, wind blasts.
Countless attacks rained down on the Demon Cursed Spirit, its aura steadily weakening.
Naturally, the Demon Cursed Spirit wouldn't just sit there and die.
Facing Eiji's Tang Dao, the Demon Cursed Spirit didn't adopt a defensive stance this time. Instead, it swung its hand and grabbed Eiji's sword.
Eiji's heart leaped in surprise, and he immediately abandoned his Tang Dao and retreated.
The next moment, the Demon Cursed Spirit's gaping maw bit down fiercely on the spot where Eiji had been standing just a second before.
Just as Eiji was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he saw the Demon Cursed Spirit kick him in the head.
To Eiji's astonishment, the Demon Cursed Spirit's head, propelled by its long neck, swung like a flail and sent Eiji flying.
"Pfft."
A mouthful of blood sprayed from Eiji's mouth, and intense pain shot through his chest.
"Damn it, at least three ribs are broken."
Feeling the immense pain in his chest, Eiji knew things were not looking good.
Because the incident happened so suddenly, Eiji couldn't channel enough Cursed Energy for defense.
Should he cancel Nue's summoning of Nue to heal him?
No, that wouldn't work. In a one-on-one fight, Tiger Grave wouldn't last long.
If it got dragged into a close-quarters fight with the Demon Cursed Spirit, Tiger Grave wouldn't be able to maintain the wind that dispersed the black mist. Then Tiger Grave wouldn't last long.
If he canceled Ferocious Dog, the people in the auditorium would be in danger. And if the Crimson Figure charged at him, that would also be troublesome.
"Damn it."
In that case, he'd heal himself!
Think, quickly! Recall the feeling of Nue healing, the fluctuation of Cursed Energy.
Eiji's mind raced, desperately trying to remember the Cursed Energy fluctuations emitted by Nue when he summoned it before, and the feeling of the Reverse Cursed Technique flowing within him when he was healed by Nue.
Faster, faster.
As Eiji attempted the Reverse Cursed Technique, the situation on the battlefield changed.
Without Eiji to contain it, the Demon Cursed Spirit began advancing towards Tiger Grave.
Dragged into close combat, Tiger Grave could no longer maintain the wind that dispersed the black mist.
The black mist began to spread widely.
Fortunately, Tiger Grave's combat power was strong, and Nue provided aerial support.
Tiger Grave gathered a vortex around itself, making it difficult for the black mist to approach.
Whenever the Demon Cursed Spirit's figure appeared near Tiger Grave, Nue would immediately unleash lightning.
If the Demon Cursed Spirit's figure dissipated, it was an illusion formed by the condensed black mist. If it didn't dissipate, it was the true body.
While a hit from lightning wouldn't cause significant damage to the true body, it would definitely impede its movements, allowing Tiger Grave to counterattack.
The battle reached a stalemate once more. However, if the deadlock wasn't broken, Eiji's side would be the first to run out of Cursed Energy.
Ferocious Dog also hadn't quickly dealt with the Crimson Figure and come to support as Eiji had anticipated.
A sense of immense crisis enveloped Eiji, and his potential was continuously stimulated at this moment.
Cursed Energy flowed rapidly within his body. Suddenly, a surge of Cursed Energy paused within him, then whooshed in the opposite direction, colliding with another surge.
The two surges of Cursed Energy didn't explode upon impact; instead, they generated a completely new surge of Cursed Energy.
"So this is what Reverse Cursed Technique feels like! It really goes 'whoosh' and then 'hoo-hoo' haha!"
Feeling his injuries healing, Eiji laughed maniacally and charged back into the battle with his sword.
In the auditorium, Ise Takahiro, Asuka, and the others watched the battle inside and outside the hall. Mustering their courage, they placed the severed head that had fallen on the ground into the coffin.
Soon, the figure in the coffin opened its eyes.
"We've found all your body parts for you. You should let us go now."
Ise Takahiro shielded Asuka behind him as he spoke to the girl rising from the coffin.
"Your turn."
"What?"
The girl's words made Ise Takahiro and the others feel a sense of dread.
"It's your turn to lie down and start the next round of the game."
"What do you mean?"
Asuka trembled, her voice filled with disbelief.
"Hurry up and decide, who's going to lie down next?"
The girl, her face pale, looked at everyone in the auditorium.
"Don't panic, Asuka, we still have a chance."
After speaking, he looked at the Crimson Figure being overwhelmed by the Ferocious Dog.
"As long as they finish dealing with the Cursed Spirit, we can all go back."
Ise Takahiro's words had a good effect.
The panic on the faces of the others lessened considerably.
At this moment, Kenji, who had been silent all along, suddenly stood up and grabbed Urushi Shota, who was hiding at the back, with both hands.
"What are you doing! Let go of me."
Urushi Shota frantically struggled against Kenji, but the frail Kenji exerted a strength he couldn't break free from.
A phantom figure vaguely appeared behind Kenji.
If Eiji were here, he would definitely say, "I knew people who were left alone in horror movies and were fine must be up to something."
Seeing this, Ise Takahiro and the others immediately rushed to help.
Ise Takahiro quickly reached Urushi Shota's side, trying to pry Kenji's hands apart.
Asuka and Rie were just about to move when they were grabbed by the girl behind them. The immense strength made it impossible for them to break free.
The chaos by the coffin attracted the attention of the Ferocious Dog.
The order to protect ordinary people had not been lifted, but the current situation was beyond the Ferocious Dog's comprehension.
Because, from the Ferocious Dog's perception, everyone on the scene was an ordinary person, all objects it should protect.
But the people who needed protection were attacking other people who needed protection.
That's right, after the girl in the coffin had her body pieced back together, she had also become a living person.
The already not-so-intelligent Ferocious Dog was even more confused after using the Berserker Chess Piece to go berserk.
Dog brain overload.
Because of this, the Crimson Figure got a moment of respite.
"Stop it."
A female voice echoed through the auditorium, drawing everyone's attention.
The girl in the coffin, Kenji who seemed to be possessed, and the Crimson Figure all stopped their actions.
Seeing that the ordinary people were no longer in danger, the Ferocious Dog intended to continue exorcising the Crimson Figure, but the Crimson Figure disappeared and reappeared at the auditorium entrance.
Two people were walking into the auditorium there.
"You can control the Crimson Figure?"
"Within this Barrier, I can influence the Crimson Figure's actions, but I cannot influence 'it'."
"As long as we deal with it, everything will be over?"
Under the auditorium lights, Ise Takahiro and the others could clearly see the figures of the newcomers.
One was Suguru Geto, in whom they had placed their hopes, and the other was a girl who was as ethereal as a ghost, with an appearance very similar to the Crimson Figure.
"That's right, as long as we deal with 'it', my sister and I can be freed."
"You're the Crimson Figure's sister?"
Suguru Geto wasn't too surprised. The first time he saw her, he felt she looked very much like the Crimson Figure.
If they were sisters, it wasn't entirely unexpected.
"Mm."
The ghost-like girl nodded, then patted the Crimson Figure's head and turned towards the sports field.
"Finally, can I be free?"
The ghost-like girl murmured softly.
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Translation by: randomtranslator.com
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