The moment Kenmyo "saw" through his psionics that the butcher's body was being swallowed by a sea of Teru Teru Bozu, he knew things had gone south.
Crap! I should have just knocked him out.
Through the [Endless Blood Hunt] item, Kenmyo shared a psychic link with the Flesh Hound and could direct it with precision. Previously, he had commanded the hound to bite the curse user half to death, taking advantage of the Butcher's panic and near-mental collapse.
The hound's teeth were sharp enough to crush the armor of a main battle tank; snapping human bone was child's play. Furthermore, the Brass Collar of Khorne around the hound's neck granted it a degree of immunity to cursed energy attacks. Moving through a sub-space, it was effectively immune to both physical and magical attacks from those who didn't understand its nature.
Killing a curse user who was scared witless and had zero information on the Flesh Hound was easy.
However, Kenmyo had intentionally withheld the final blow. He had left the man heavily wounded, planning to let Yomi deliver the coup de grâce.
In this world, a sorcerer or curse user must be killed using jujutsu. If they die from a non-cursed attack, they can rapidly manifest into a Vengeful Cursed Spirit due to the lingering influence of their own cursed energy.
And that was exactly what was happening.
"Yomi-nee, the curse user is dead."
"But he sacrificed his own body to those Teru Teru Bozu."
Kenmyo relayed what he saw as concisely as possible. "So, next, we're likely to face—"
Before he could finish, a heavy thud—like a giant heartbeat—echoed through the air. A second later, a violent eruption of cursed energy tore through the "Curtain" the butcher had set up during his life.
Without the barrier's protection, a wave of deep malice crashed into them. Kenmyo crossed his arms in front of his face; it felt like being hit by a hurricane. The sheer pressure of the cursed energy storm made it nearly impossible to keep his eyes open.
Judging by the intensity of this burst, it was on par with the lizard-like spirit he'd seen Mr. Akutagawa's team handle. And this was just a newborn spirit. Once the butcher's spirit fully acclimated to its new form, it would become even more terrifying.
The pressure came and went quickly. As Kenmyo opened his eyes, he was drawn to a screeching sound of metal being torn apart in the distance.
Three bone-white spikes, radiating a powerful crimson cursed energy, pierced through the top of a grain silo. Like a giant can opener, they rotated in a circle, carving out the roof. The heavy metal lid crashed to the ground, shattering the concrete and kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
A massive form within the silo slowly straightened up. The iron tank groaned and warped, unable to contain the weight within.
A pair of blood-red eyes glowed like lighthouses in the dark. When they spotted Kenmyo and Yomi on the nearby hillside, the filth-ridden eyes lit up with recognition.
"Sorcerers!"
"I smell... sorcerers!"
The obsessions of his past life fueled the newborn spirit's resentment. It wanted nothing more than to tear them apart.
"I'll kill you!"
The massive spirit let out a deafening roar. With a single swing of its arm, the brute force shredded the already failing silo.
Its main body resembled a black "Teru Teru Bozu," but the gaping maw filled with razor-sharp teeth was anything but benevolent.
Thump—Boom.
Two heavy claws slammed into the ground as the spirit dragged its body out of the darkness. It didn't have legs; instead, its lower half consisted of countless humanoid tentacles that writhed across the ground. With every step, the sheer weight crushed the tentacles into a bloody pulp, only for them to regenerate instantly, leaving a trail of gore in the sand.
It was a nightmare under the moonlight.
Kenmyo's heart hammered against his ribs. He wanted to curse himself; if he had just knocked the bastard out, this mess wouldn't have happened. But it was too late for regrets. Another spirit—one worth a fortune in points but far beyond his current level—stood before him.
"Yomi-nee, for now, let's temporarily—"
Because Mr. Akutagawa had always drummed it into him: if you see a spirit beyond your capability, your only choice is to run, retreat, and wait for backup.
But when Kenmyo felt the terrifying, surging waves of cursed energy beside him, he swallowed his words.
Yomi's youthful, delicate face often made Kenmyo forget that the girl beside him was a Grade 1 Sorcerer at the peak of her power. She didn't need backup. She was the backup.
Yomi stood unfazed in front of Kenmyo. Her violet-hued cursed energy bubbled like boiling water. Her katana cleared its scabbard, and a red flash flickered along the cold blade.
"Roar!"
A bone-chilling lion's roar echoed through the canyon, completely drowning out the spirit's crazed shrieks.
To Kenmyo's shock, a massive black silhouette—far bulkier than the butcher's spirit and carrying the aura of a savage tiger—pounced from the shadows and slammed the enemy into the ground.
The spirit was pinned instantly. Its heavy body crushed two other grain silos as the Nue opened its own jagged maw and began to tear into its prey with primal ferocity.
On the battlefield, crimson and violet cursed energy intermingled. Every collision caused the earth to shake. Solid rock shattered like glass, and the terrain shifted with every blow. It was a scene straight out of a monster movie.
Yomi had fully unleashed the Nue's power, shifting it into its combat form. In terms of size, strength, and speed, it was vastly superior to the "mount" mode Kenmyo had ridden earlier.
"Ken, stay back."
Yomi's pale fingers blurred as she performed a series of hand signs.
"Emerge from darkness, blacker than black. Purify that which is impure."
High above, a dome of pitch-black energy descended, cutting the area off from the outside world. This "Curtain" ensured that the battle remained invisible to ordinary humans—a standard procedure for any sorcerer.
"I will be the one to exorcise this spirit."