The girl's sapphire-like eyes shimmered with tears, like a helpless little animal caught in a storm.
"Ren, what's going on? Did that ring just... fly on its own?!"
Kurosawa Ren furrowed his brow and examined the ring closely.
"Yeah. This thing is probably what people call a 'cursed object.'"
He slid the trembling ring onto his finger.
As if reacting to some unspoken cue, the red-eyed ring adjusted itself to fit perfectly. It embedded itself firmly, releasing a sudden wave of vibrant pink energy.
"Mmh... why do I feel... dizzy? It's getting hot... I need to take my clothes off..."
Kirisu Mafuyu, caught in the ring's aura, slumped into a dreamy daze. Her long legs shifted restlessly, and her fingers started fumbling with the buttons of her collar.
"Sorry, Sensei. You need to lie down for a bit."
Without hesitation, Ren knocked her out with a gentle but precise strike to her neck.
"This thing doesn't just charm women," he muttered, staring at the ring. "It's also draining my life force. I can't wear it for long."
Even with the heart of a red dragon and the body of a heroic vessel, Ren could feel the artifact greedily sucking at his life essence, like marrow being drawn straight from his bones. If worn for too long, it would consume him entirely—turn him into a creature ruled by desire.
The ring was no ordinary cursed object. It wasn't meant for women at all—it seemed useless or even dangerous for them—but it latched onto men like a parasite.
Yet still, it wasn't hostile. It was... calling for help?
"Looks like it wants me to follow it," Ren said to himself, his expression hardening.
The stars glittered high above, and the cool night wind swept across the city.
Dressed in dark, sleek clothing, Kurosawa Ren moved like a shadow across the rooftops, unnoticed among the towering buildings. Guided by the ring's pull, he soon arrived at a place veiled in ancient power.
"A barrier?" he murmured.
Before him stretched an enormous dome of darkness, like a curtain made from solid shadow. It blanketed an entire district in the city.
Standing on the rooftop, Ren watched as pedestrians below unknowingly steered clear of the area. The magic field must have instinctively repelled them.
"How did something this big end up in the middle of the city?"
He recognized the technique. Both Type-Moon and Jujutsu Kaisen lore described barriers like this. Araya Sōren, a master of barrier magic from the Kara no Kyōkai universe, could move freely inside his static barriers, making him nearly immortal. And in Jujutsu Kaisen, "Curtains" were fundamental techniques to hide areas from non-sorcerers.
But Ren? He couldn't use either technique.
Yet...
"I do have this."
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a card.
"Assimilation—activate."
The card lit up in his palm, and in an instant, his body's internal mana system transformed into pure cursed energy, drawn from humanity's darkest emotions.
The transformation surged through him like a tide. The red dragon's blood in his veins stirred wildly, sending thunderous pulses through his chest. His arms buzzed with cursed energy, dense and powerful.
"No need for incantations."
With one punch, the cursed energy condensed in his fist and—
BOOM!!
The impact shattered the barrier like glass.
Wind exploded outward, howling into the night sky. Space itself rippled from the force, as if the world had momentarily turned to liquid.
"Cursed energy feels way more physical than magecraft," Ren muttered.
"Someone broke the barrier! Who is it?!"
Iwanaga Kotoko spun around, alarmed. She squinted at the figure stepping calmly through the shattered remains.
"Princess, stay back!" cried one of the women behind her.
A regal woman in a white kimono was throwing freezing mist toward a creature lumbering toward them—something grotesque, with a bull's head and a towering, muscular body. Another woman stood by her side, dressed in modern fashion but bearing a striking resemblance.
"Wait… two Yuki-onna?" Ren muttered.
He could feel it. These two weren't human. They were actual snow women—legendary beings from folklore. In the modern world.
"How strange…"
"Who are you?" a sharp, youthful voice demanded.
Kotoko stepped forward, her white dress catching the moonlight. Despite her small stature, she had the authority of someone used to giving orders.
"The name's Kurosawa Ren," he replied, pulling the red-eyed ring from his pocket. "This little thing brought me here."
Her eyes widened in recognition.
"That's the cursed ring!"
She gave him a suspicious look.
"You're not planning to use it on innocent girls, are you?"
"Not my style," he shrugged. "It drains life force—hard pass. But I'd like to know why it led me here."
Kotoko crossed her arms and explained, "That ring was originally part of a protective curse from the Yuki-onna clan. It probably sensed that someone from the clan was in danger and reached out."
Ren blinked. "Wait, this thing targets men but comes from a clan of women?"
"Don't be stupid," she snapped. "Artifacts don't behave the same way for humans and yokai. For us, it's a beacon, not a trap."
"Princess! You need to run!"
The cry came too late.
The bull-headed monster shattered the ice barrier restraining it and roared forward. Shards flew like razors as it charged at inhuman speed, knocking aside debris like a runaway truck.
"Cursed spirit? Or something else?" Ren wondered.
He couldn't feel normal cursed energy... or divine energy.
But there was no time to speculate.
CRACK!
Ren's fist collided with the creature's chest in a thunderous blow, black lightning erupting on impact.
The monster was thrown back, limbs flailing, crashing into a nearby wall.
In that moment, the cursed energy inside Ren shifted. Sharpened. Became smoother—more focused.
Something had changed.
"…Did I just use Black Flash?"
He held his hand out, watching the residual energy spark along his knuckles.
Black Flash wasn't a technique. It was a phenomenon—a moment when cursed energy and a physical strike connected within 0.000001 seconds, creating a distortion in space. Only elite sorcerers could use it, and even then, only with perfect timing.
And Ren had triggered it—on his first punch.
Kotoko stared, stunned.
"Black Flash? You're a sorcerer?!"
Her cherry-pink lips parted slightly in awe. She blinked, as if unsure she was seeing correctly.
That level of cursed energy—impossible.
[Congratulations. You've slain the Bull-Headed Monster. You've earned 8 Saint Crystals.]
[Trophy acquired: Evil Bull Horn — stored in your personal space.]
Later that night, Ren and Kotoko sat together on a rooftop, the city lights sparkling beneath them like a galaxy brought to earth. A soft breeze ruffled their hair.
"So you're really a monster princess?" he asked.
She smiled, eyes glittering with pride.
"You could say that. I'm the God of Strange Wisdom. I mediate disputes between yokai and humans. Kind of like a shrine maiden... but for monsters."
She sat gracefully, her white dress fluttering like cloud silk around her knees. Her slim legs were folded neatly beneath her, and despite her small frame, she held herself with unshakable confidence.
PS: (Note for readers) Yukino's backstory has been revised to better support the flow of the main plot.
Chapter 25 Preview: Kotoko Falls for Yukino the Maid at First Sight
Ren turned his gaze toward the girl again.
She wore a pure white princess-style dress. The lace frills at the edge shimmered under the rooftop moonlight like floating clouds...
(To be continued)