In her Nine‑Tailed Fox form, Moxi possessed not only immense destructive power but also the ability to move at extreme speeds, just as she had shown earlier.
She had held back her Nine‑Tailed Jade Curse precisely to force him into using his only means of escape.
Now, without hesitation, she unleashed the attack in full force!
At this critical moment, Shinji — who had just slashed furiously at nothing but empty air — made his move.
He swiftly stored the Executioner's Blade inside his [Shadow Pocket], then pressed his palms together and clapped them hard.
Clap!
An earth‑shattering roar followed instantly.
Moxi's Nine‑Tailed Jade Curse obliterated the abandoned factory the moment it hit the ground. The shockwave rippled outward for miles.
Although Shinji had deliberately chosen a location on the very edge of the Land of Wu, the sheer destructive power of this technique was overwhelming.
Countless buildings collapsed, and people everywhere thought an earthquake had struck, fleeing in panic.
Tamamo Hotaru, who had been too worried to stay put and was already on her way to the factory, witnessed this cataclysmic explosion firsthand.
Before she could react, she was blown away by the terrifying blast wind.
When the smoke finally cleared, a massive crater remained, centered on the western border of the country.
Roughly a quarter of the surrounding structures were destroyed, and the extent of casualties was still unknown.
Tamamo Hotaru stumbled up from the ground, covered in dust and looking utterly disheveled. She stared blankly at the devastation all around her.
Then her eyes suddenly regained focus.
She sprinted toward the very center of the blast zone.
She remembered clearly — that was exactly where Shinji and Moxi were supposed to be meeting.
They're in danger!
---
Meanwhile, deep within the crater…
Shinji, whose body was half‑buried and badly mangled, suddenly opened his eyes wide.
Despite all his earlier preparations, he had underestimated how powerful she had grown since their last encounter. It was a harsh lesson.
But he hadn't gone down without a fight!
At the last possible second, he had used his Cursed Technique — Unjust Game — to swap positions with Moxi instantly.
As a result, she was the one who took the full force of the Nine‑Tailed Jade Curse head‑on!
Shinji himself had only been caught in the aftermath of the explosion.
He had gathered all the blood available nearby, solidified it into crystals, and encased himself inside for protection. Even so, the impact was too great; he had died in the blast.
Fortunately, his efforts hadn't been in vain. His head remained intact, and most of his body was still whole.
Truth be told, if he had wanted absolute safety, he could have wrapped [The Mummy's Bandages] around his head beforehand.
With its ability to grant three seconds of hyper‑fast regeneration, he could have tanked the explosion — though he still would have died once the effect wore off.
It just would have looked cleaner.
But Shinji didn't care about appearances. Once he confirmed he could regenerate fully, he simply lay still and waited.
Reverse Curse Technique — Heal.
Abundant Cursed Energy instantly transformed into positive energy, rapidly knitting his body back together.
In the blink of an eye, Shinji was back on his feet, digging himself out of the crater.
He looked around at the massive hole and clicked his tongue in awe.
When it came to sheer destructive capability, Moxi's techniques were the strongest he had ever seen among all the Cursed Spirits he had encountered so far.
How do you even fight something that attacks with the power of a nuclear bomb? Your options were limited: either stay miles away before it happens, or find a way to drag your enemy down with you.
"No system notification… meaning she's still alive. But I'm certain she must be in terrible shape. Otherwise, she would have tried to finish me off while I was regenerating just now."
After this quick analysis, Shinji estimated his chances of victory were now at eighty percent.
The remaining twenty percent came from one unknown: whether she had already developed her own Domain Expansion.
Most likely, she had.
Shinji took out [The Greed Eye] and fed it with fresh blood drawn from [The Glutton's Stomach].
Soon, the eyeball was full; it even burped contentedly.
While the Greed Eye began scanning the surroundings for Cursed Spirit energy, Shinji thought for a moment and then drew the Serpent‑Skin Sword.
His Strike from the Shadows ability needed time to recharge. Without it, the Executioner's Blade was less effective than the Serpent‑Skin Sword, which was currently fully charged.
"There she is!"
[The Greed Eye] pinpointed her location perfectly.
Actually, this was the only time the Eye had failed to work — and that was when he faced that mysterious Dark Cursed Spirit before.
It just proved that even Cursed Items weren't omnipotent; ultimate techniques could still render them useless.
Red Blood Manipulation: Cross Annihilation Spear!
Shinji didn't rush in blindly. Instead, he chose long‑range bombardment!
A gigantic, blood‑red cross spear, over twenty meters long, materialized and plunged down from the sky, striking its target dead‑center.
The ground collapsed further, and crimson flames burned fiercely in the aftermath of the explosion.
Then, a figure burst through the fire and charged straight toward him.
Without hesitation, Shinji channeled Cursed Energy directly into his throat…
"Halt."
From full speed to absolute stillness instantly. The sheer shock of such abrupt motion made Moxi feel sick to her stomach, as if she were about to vomit blood.
"Bind."
"Sleep."
Three consecutive commands from Cursed Words instantly stripped Moxi of all ability to resist.
She looked utterly miserable: her clothes were shredded, her body covered in wounds, and the beastly tails behind her back had vanished — clearly unable to maintain her transformed state any longer.
Ten‑Stroke Curse Art: Crash Down!
Shinji showed absolutely no mercy. He swung the Serpent‑Skin Sword down hard.
Just then, Tamamo Hotaru finally arrived. Seeing this scene, she instinctively screamed, "NO!"
Shinji heard her — but he didn't waver for a second.
Once he decided to do something, nothing and no one could stop him.
Slash!
The razor‑sharp blade sliced cleanly through Moxi's neck. A spray of blood arced through the air.
Thud…
Her body fell to the ground, completely severed from her head.
Tamamo Hotaru stood frozen, as if stunned into silence. This new friend she had just gotten to know over the past few days… dead just like that?
What on earth was going on?
Had she been wrong from the very start?
Had Shinji asked her to approach and investigate Moxi not because he was interested in her, but simply because he intended to kill her all along?!
She was about to step forward and demand an explanation, when she suddenly realized something didn't add up.
She had rushed here worried that both Shinji and Moxi were in danger. But seeing this outcome now, a terrifying possibility dawned on her.
"Don't tell me… that massive explosion earlier was caused by them fighting each other?!"
As soon as this thought hit her, she stopped dead in her tracks.
It meant Moxi had been lying to her from day one. She was definitely not an ordinary human.
And putting that together with what she knew of Shinji's usual behavior…
Moxi was probably a Cursed Spirit — and a terrifyingly powerful one at that!
But… why did she still feel this ache in her heart?
Tamamo Hotaru's expression twisted with conflicting emotions, her mind in total chaos.
Then suddenly…
The body that had just been beheaded by Shinji transformed instantly into a severed octopus tentacle!
____________________
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