Bonus chapter for reviews ;)
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"Yes… once you return to our Lord, everything will be made whole again!"
"Return to our Lord's embrace!"
"Return to our Lord's embrace!"
The cult leader stood at the altar, face smeared with blood, his voice loud and righteous. The pity in his gaze was almost divine—so much that it made one forget that beneath his feet lay corpses, not blossoms.
The echoing chants filled the air, drawing Momo Ayase and Hitagi Senjougahara into a trance-like daze. Noticing it immediately, Takumi raised his hand and released a wave of magic that enveloped both girls.
The moment the cursed energy's influence was cut off, they snapped back to their senses.
"What was that just now? Why did I almost walk toward them!?"
"They… they're monsters! Mom! Dad!!"
Momo trembled in fear while Hitagi broke down completely, crying uncontrollably. Her mother's madness and her father's mutilated corpse had shattered every last piece of her composure.
"Hey, hey, hey—don't go calling them demons. That's offensive!" Takumi snapped, his tone sharp as his eyes turned cold.
"I want you to apologize to all the real demons!"
He pointed forward. "Rain of Light Spears!"
At his command, countless lances of light materialized above, descending like a divine storm.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The horde of cultists was skewered in an instant—each one, including Hitagi's deranged mother, impaled through the chest and pinned to the floor.
But Takumi didn't relax. From among the corpses, the cult leader's mouth split unnaturally wide—stretching all the way to his ears.
"Fallen angel…! You dare to interfere with me!?"
A shrill roar tore through the church as a tidal wave of cursed energy erupted from his body.
Takumi glimpsed him swallowing something—a finger—and then his form began to swell grotesquely, his cloak shredding apart.
In moments, a towering, four-meter-tall abomination appeared before them—eight arms, three faces, a grotesque parody of a Buddha fused with an Asura.
[Name: Ryohei Toyota / Cursed Spirit of the Cult Leader]
[Rank: Special Grade Cursed Spirit]
[Traits: Power of Faith (Purple), Cursed Object Augmentation (Blue), Spirit Consumption (Blue)]
[Power of Faith (Purple): Draws immense strength from the belief of his followers.]
[Cursed Object Augmentation (Blue): Gained massive cursed energy by consuming a powerful cursed object.]
"What a damn mess of abilities… of course it's a Special Grade! No wonder the moment I stepped in, the space shifted—it's a Domain Expansion."
It was Takumi's first time facing a Special Grade Cursed Spirit head-on, and even he couldn't help but curse under his breath.
The instant the abomination appeared, the entire church twisted. Blood began dripping from the ceiling; the corpses that Takumi had pinned to the floor twitched and began to move.
"[Cursed Technique: Procession of the Wronged Dead]!"
The cursed spirit's deep, guttural voice echoed as one of its hands pressed against Hitagi's mother's face. Something writhed beneath her skin, and grotesque, earthworm-like tendrils tore their way out.
Before Takumi, Momo, and Hitagi's horrified eyes, the dead cultists' bodies merged together—forming a massive, writhing human-faced centipede!
"Hitagi! Come back to Mommy!"
"It's them, isn't it? They're the ones keeping you away! I'll kill them for you!!!"
The centipede's shrill voice pierced the air like nails on glass, crawling straight into their souls. Human limbs jutted grotesquely from its sides, scuttling across the ground with terrifying speed.
Its massive, fanged mouth lunged straight at Takumi.
"Boosted!"
The crimson gauntlet of the [Boosted Gear] flared to life on his arm, Ddraig's voice echoing sharply.
Takumi didn't even blink. He simply raised his hand and swung.
"[Infernal Flame]!"
The ultimate fire roared forth, igniting the centipede the moment it made contact.
Its flesh writhed and twisted as the inferno consumed it completely, reducing it to ash.
Through the swirling flames, Takumi advanced, closing the distance between himself and the cursed spirit in an instant.
"The one who defies the divine shall suffer the plagues of body and mind!"
The cursed spirit's words thundered like a divine decree as one of its massive hands fell toward him like a mountain.
Takumi tried to dodge—but within the Domain, there was no escape.
BAM!
The strike sent him flying back, the force alone strong enough to shatter mountains. It only left shallow wounds across his body, but something felt wrong.
An unnatural weakness spread through him—pain, fatigue, illness, all hitting at once.
"Tch… he's transmitting disease through touch. That's his technique!"
Before Takumi could react further, the cursed spirit extended another hand—pointing toward Momo and Hitagi.
"As my disciples, you too shall share in this suffering!"
In an instant, the same agony flooded their bodies.
"Wha—what's happening!?"
"It hurts! Ahhh!!"
The girls collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood.
Unlike Takumi, their bodies couldn't withstand a Special Grade's technique.
"[Boosted Area Heal]!"
Without hesitation, Takumi activated the Boosted Gear again. The gems on the gauntlet flared brilliantly, bathing the room in pure, cleansing light.
Within seconds, the girls' wounds vanished—their strength returning as if nothing had happened. Even Takumi's injuries healed completely, his torn clothing restored.
"We… we're okay!?"
Their voices trembled with disbelief as they looked up at the man standing before them.
"Boosted! Boosted! Boosted!"
Each repetition made his power soar. Takumi grinned, his aura flaring like wildfire as he faced the trembling cursed spirit.
"You like showing off fancy tricks, huh? Let's see how you handle this!"
"[Gravity Magic: Field Collapse]!"
He opened his hand, compressing overwhelming gravitational energy into a single point—a microscopic black hole simulation.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The moment it formed, the entire Domain began to twist and distort. Takumi slammed his hand down, driving the miniature black hole into the ground.
The church—and the Domain itself—shattered apart. In an instant, they were back in the dim apartment room. But the destruction didn't stop there.
BOOM!!!
The entire building crumbled as the black hole expanded, devouring everything—walls, floors, concrete, air—grinding it all into dust. Even the cursed spirit hovering in midair was dragged helplessly toward the swirling void.
"You… you bear sin—"
"Sin your damn head off!!"
Takumi's fiery fist smashed into one of its faces, blowing it apart. Cursed energy burst out violently as its eight arms came crashing down on him.
"[Corrupt]!"
A low whisper echoed in the air—and the moment its limbs neared him, they went limp and brittle.
Takumi lunged forward, tearing off all eight of its arms bare-handed before hammering its three faces into a pulpy mess.
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