Chapter 14: Is This Thing Very Strong?
The twisted aluminum window frames and masses of broken glass lay scattered everywhere, a scene of utter devastation.
It looked nothing like a peaceful school campus; an outsider would think it was a war-torn zone.
The incident happened so suddenly that Shinomiya Kaguya's mind hadn't even registered what had occurred.
"Are you okay, Shinomiya?"
Hikigaya Hachiman shook his body, shedding large amounts of glass shards from his shoulder. The roaring sound wave from the Cursed Spirit had directly shattered all the glass in the entire hallway.
Fortunately, they chose a time when the first-year students were at gym class to search Ogino Ko's personal belongings. Otherwise, the earlier impact would have caused considerable student casualties.
Hikigaya Hachiman's phone vibrated, receiving a new message from Fujiwara Chika.
She had also attached a photo.
"Hachiman, the TG Club called me to eat cake."
Clearly, after Fujiwara Chika called the two teachers, she was immediately called away by her own club.
Shinomiya Kaguya, who was protected and shielded beneath Hikigaya Hachiman, finally snapped out of her mental short circuit. She looked at the dusty boy.
"Hikigaya-kun, are you alright?"
Hikigaya Hachiman shook his head. He quickly moved his fingers, and immediately, a complete "Curtain" appeared in the entire first-year hallway, completely isolating the area from the surroundings and the floors above and below.
This way, even if ordinary students or teachers rushed over, the Curtain could keep them separate and prevent the casualties from escalating.
Hikigaya Hachiman shook his head.
'Are the sorcerers stationed at Shuchiin by the Sorcerer Association really that unprofessional?
It was merely a matter of retrieving a cursed object, yet they managed to mess it up and cause this situation.'
Just then, a roar filled with malice sounded again, and the entire wall in front of them collapsed.
Hikigaya Hachiman saw the aftermath: a figure that had been struck by the Cursed Spirit. After the sorcerer was attacked by the Cursed Spirit, a large amount of blood sprayed into the air. Three hideous wounds were clearly visible on his chest, and he finally crashed heavily near Hikigaya Hachiman and Shinomiya.
Only then did Shinomiya Kaguya clearly recognize one of the two teachers who had entered the classroom earlier.
"Hikigaya... hurry and take Shinomiya-san and flee..."
Yasukawa-sensei coughed up blood. His severe injuries made his speech fragmented.
'This time, he really failed.'
Yasukawa-sensei and his colleague had retrieved a cursed straw doll that looked like it was bound from Ogino Ko's school bag—the very cursed object Hikigaya Hachiman had sensed earlier.
Their solution was quite simple: they came in a hurry and didn't bring a container to store the cursed object, so they decided to destroy it on the spot.
But who knew that this bizarre cursed straw doll sealed a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit, nearly reaching Grade 1 level?
As soon as this Cursed Spirit was revived, it displayed extreme fighting power. Yasukawa and Jigen, both Grade 3 Sorcerers, were completely overwhelmed.
Sorcerers usually have the ability to fight opponents ranked higher than themselves, but these two, working together, didn't even last two rounds before Yasukawa was nearly killed.
The remaining Jigen was also struggling alone and probably wouldn't last much longer.
But to Yasukawa's surprise, Hikigaya Hachiman did not follow his advice to leave with the Shinomiya family's young lady.
"Shinomiya, wait for me here. I'm going in to deal with what's inside."
Hikigaya Hachiman said to Shinomiya Kaguya, his tone extremely relaxed.
"Absurd!"
Yasukawa was overwhelmed with emotion and shouted.
"You are just a student! Even if you are a Kamo Clan genius, facing a near-Grade 1 Cursed Spirit at this age is completely impossible!
You will die!
Young Lady Shinomiya, you should also try to convince him."
Yasukawa-sensei wanted Shinomiya Kaguya, who was standing nearby, to help persuade him.
Otherwise, if all three of them were defeated, Shinomiya Kaguya would also die here.
But Shinomiya Kaguya's answer once again surprised Yasukawa.
"I trust him."
Shinomiya Kaguya blurted out directly.
Shinomiya Kaguya completely trusted Hikigaya Hachiman, just like the last time she faced the threat of the Mud Cursed Spirit; only he answered her cry for help and came to her rescue.
"He has never let me down."
Hikigaya Hachiman heard the Young Lady Kaguya's words from behind and said nothing, only allowing a slight smile to curl his lips.
Inside Ogino Ko's classroom, there was a monster about two meters tall, covered entirely in straw. This grotesque thing possessed four stout arms, its surface completely covered in hard bone spurs, and its sharp claws could easily tear through steel.
That was the revived Cursed Spirit. It was huge yet incredibly agile, with exceptionally strong destructive power.
Yasukawa was disabled, and Jigen's Cursed Energy was nearly depleted. They were truly at their wits' end.
Just then, the monster's attack followed quickly. Jigen desperately tried to twist his body to avoid it, but being utterly exhausted, he was willing but powerless.
"Switch out."
Hikigaya Hachiman grabbed Jigen's shoulder, pulling him back, while simultaneously taking the broken sword-shaped Cursed Tool from his hand. He then turned to face the massive bony hand directly.
He made a simple upward slash with the sword in his grip, slicing upward through the air.
An unbelievable surge of blood-red, terrifying, violent energy erupted and enveloped the Cursed Spirit.
In the eyes of Jigen and Yasukawa, who looked like they were "seeing a ghost," the Cursed Spirit's indestructible bony arm was instantly and violently eradicated from its connection point to the body.
The black-red slash, like a boning knife, cut cleanly through the Cursed Spirit's fist, from the fingertips to the shoulder, as if it had been thrown into a meat grinder.
Dense, fine cuts appeared on three-quarters of the Cursed Spirit's body. Such extreme injuries made it let out a horrifying howl of agony.
After delivering the strike that severely wounded the Cursed Spirit, the Cursed Tool in Hikigaya Hachiman's hand disintegrated into dust, as if unable to withstand his power.
But having a weapon or not was all the same to Hikigaya Hachiman; it just meant the opponent would have even less of a gaming experience.
Hikigaya Hachiman's eyes instantly transformed into the fierce, scarlet vertical pupils of a demon. He spread his fingers and made a grasping motion towards the Cursed Spirit.
Immediately, the heavily injured Cursed Spirit was lifted into the air by a powerful, irresistible force. The brutal Cursed Spirit remained motionless, no matter how violently it struggled.
Hikigaya Hachiman squeezed tightly. In the next second, the terrifying, straw-covered Cursed Spirit, which had been writhing with a miserable, ferocious expression, was violently crushed into a bloody pulp, like a paper toy.
From the moment he made his move to the resolution, it didn't take more than ten seconds, by a conservative estimate.
If he hadn't saved Jigen initially, he could have finished it in a single strike.
Hikigaya Hachiman turned back to look at the two men, whose eyes were nearly popping out. He didn't speak, but they understood the confusion conveyed in his eyes.
"Is this Cursed Spirit very strong?"
Shinomiya Kaguya, meanwhile, breathed a sigh of relief. Although she couldn't see perfectly, having dealt with Cursed Spirit incidents before, she could see a little more clearly.
The terrifying Cursed Spirit was virtually defenseless.
"I told you he wouldn't let me down."
Hearing the Young Lady Kaguya's unique tone, the two sorcerers felt even more bitter.
'Damn it, he really managed to show off this time.
Why didn't they have an opportunity to demonstrate their formidable strength in front of the school's most beautiful girl during their own youthful student days?'