The temperature at the center of the crater was intense. If anyone stepped onto this scorched earth in rubber-soled shoes, they would likely melt instantly.
Kenmei channeled his psychic power into the blade. Upon contact with the evil Cursed Energy surrounding him, it sizzled like hot iron plunged into coolant, emitting white smoke as the malice gradually dissipated.
Before him lay a charred lump of flesh, barely breathing, blending in with the blackened earth. This was what remained of the Grade 1 Cursed Spirit after being thoroughly wrecked by Ishihara's [Scorched Heaven].
Don't let its immobility fool you. Given enough time, Cursed Spirits possess regenerative capabilities beyond imagination. It would recover.
That was why finishing it off was crucial.
Having located his target, Kenmei's gaze sharpened. He reversed his grip on the katana and stabbed downward with all his might.
The hard exoskeleton had already been shattered by Iwata's earlier attacks, so the blade met no resistance as it pierced straight into the charred flesh.
Kenmei poured high concentrations of psychic energy—poison to Curses—down the hilt and into the blade. The semi-dormant Curse, busy regenerating, reacted as if splashed with concentrated sulfuric acid. It woke from its slumber with a shriek, emitting countless overlapping, bone-chilling screams.
"Still not dead?"
Kenmei frowned. The vitality of a Grade 1 Curse exceeded his expectations. The amount of psychic energy he just injected would have been enough to kill nearly 4,000 low-level Curses, yet it seemed to lack the lethal punch needed here.
It even had enough strength left to fight back.
The blackened surface of its body suddenly split open to reveal a mouth filled with sharp teeth, aimed directly at Kenmei.
Kenmei was instantly illuminated by a blinding black-and-white light. Deep within the mouth, a small sphere of mixed light particles was rapidly forming.
Facing such a high-energy reaction at point-blank range made Kenmei's scalp tingle with dread.
"Damn it."
Kenmei realized the Curse's intent immediately. It was using the last of its Cursed Energy to condense another Cursed artillery blast for a zero-range shot.
"Is it crazy?"
Real life wasn't a game with friendly fire turned off.
"At this distance, even if it hits me, it'll blow itself up too."
The situation was critical. Kenmei decisively cut the psychic energy supply to the sword and pulled it out. Instead, he quickly gathered a glowing blue orb of concentrated psychic matter in his right palm.
Ignoring the disgusting slime, Kenmei shoved the psychic orb deep into the Curse's gaping mouth.
His movements were rough.
Was that my imagination?
As Kenmei reached down, he felt the Curse gag slightly.
No time to worry about that. Ignoring everything else, Kenmei turned and sprinted away without hesitation, taking steps three at a time and practically vaulting up the slope of the crater.
When Ishihara saw Kenmei rushing up from the pit, he assumed the job was done.
"Yo, finished?"
To Ishihara's surprise, Kenmei looked frantic and shouted just one thing:
"Run!"
"Run? Why run?"
Ishihara was confused. But when he saw Mr. Akutagawa's expression darken after hearing Kenmei's warning—and watched him grab Kiyono and Iwata one by one and bolt—he realized something was very wrong.
"Hey, hey, hey, you gotta be kidding me."
Ishihara finally panicked. He didn't know what the danger was, but seeing everyone running away from him while he was the one who couldn't run was terrifying.
"Look behind you."
Kenmei called out as he ran.
Ishihara forced his stiff neck to turn. His back was instantly soaked in cold sweat. He realized then that his inability to sense danger was purely because his Cursed Energy was completely drained.
A disastrous scene was unfolding in the crater. After swallowing Kenmei's psychic orb, the Curse underwent a grotesque mutation. Its form twisted, shifting from a rectangle to a fleshy sphere, and then went through three cycles of rapid expansion.
Each time, it grew larger.
As the first white crack appeared on the bloated surface of the Curse, more cracks followed. Terrifying, searing energy was brewing inside.
Ishihara took one look and nearly had a heart attack. The energy contained within that black sphere was more terrifying than his own full-power output.
If that thing exploded this close to him, he was toast.
"Holy crap! I'm wounded! I can't move!"
"Don't forget me!!!"
Fortunately, Kenmei's conscience kicked in. He ran back, grabbed the screaming, despairing red-haired uncle, and threw him over his shoulder.
"Wait, Kenmei! My hammer! I didn't grab it!"
"Forget the damn hammer!"
Kenmei was already being a saint by carrying Ishihara; there was no way he was hauling that giant hammer too.
"Bro, if we go back, we're dead."
Cursed artillery required a stable Cursed Energy structure to form a beam of death. Psychic energy, however, was anything but stable.
It also had a suppressive effect on Cursed Energy. By mixing a concentrated psychic orb into an unformed Cursed attack...
It was like throwing a large chunk of pure sodium into a calm river. It was going to be a disaster.
Coincidentally, just then, a ball of light descended from somewhere at high speed, landing right near ground zero.
Arriving late to the party. It wasn't hard to guess—this must be the backup responding to their earlier distress signal.
"Utahime, get your foot off my face!"
There seemed to be a lot of people inside. The voices were chaotic. First, an exasperated male voice, followed by a sharp retort from a female.
"Maybe if your technique wasn't so trash, Gojo."
"Couldn't you make the space a little bigger? It's too crowded."
"I can't help it! It was an emergency! Besides, I designed this technique for solo use!"
"Forget that. Satoru, release the technique. I'm suffocating."
Another male voice spoke up—gentle, but currently filled with resentment.
"Alright, alright, I got it, Suguru."
"Don't rush me."
The white film of light dissipated, revealing a group of what looked like students in the center of the other crater. Boys and girls, quite a lively bunch.
"Punishing a little Grade 1 Curse."
Leading them was a young man with white hair and small sunglasses. He pushed his shades up the bridge of his nose in a cool gesture. Even the shoe print on his face couldn't diminish his arrogant, confident smile.
He shouted loudly:
" The Great Gojo Satoru is here to eliminate you!"
But very quickly, not just the white-haired youth, but everyone with him froze.
Because they found the Curse, alright. But judging by its body expanded to the breaking point, covered in cracks, and the terrifying Cursed Energy fluctuations...
Anyone could tell.
Right now, that Curse was just a bomb about to go off.
Kenmei, sprinting away with Ishihara on his shoulder, suddenly heard a piercing shriek from behind—a layered scream that sounded like a woman and a baby crying together. He knew the bloated Curse was blowing.
Sure enough.
In the next instant, a massive pillar of fire shot into the sky, displaying a suffocatingly terrifying power. The shockwave from the explosion rippled out in all directions.
Although they had fled the immediate blast zone, Kenmei and the others clearly weren't far enough. They were tossed around by the shockwave like dolls in a washing machine.
Maybe it was a hallucination.
But Kenmei could have sworn he heard:
"Gojo, you bastard!"