As the claw of Gakuganji Kuga, wrapped in lightning, grazed Kenjaku and passed by, his neatly pressed monk’s robes tore and blood splattered through the gap.
The moment he evaded by a hair’s breadth, Okkotsu and Rika pressed in from both sides.
A flawless pincer attack that left him no room to throw himself to the ground and escape.
As Kenjaku tried to summon a winged curse spirit and launch himself upward, Gakuganji Kuga’s snake tail coiled around his ankle and yanked him back down.
Thwack!
Okkotsu’s fist smashed into Kenjaku’s side,
and Rika’s hammer-like fist drove down into his head.
Lightning burst from Gakuganji Kuga’s body as he whipped the staggering Kenjaku around with his tail and hurled him away.
Crackle crackle crackle!
"Kuh!"
Kenjaku clenched his teeth as his body was roasted golden and smoke rose from it.
Unlike Rika, who had backed off to a distance to avoid getting caught in the lightning, Okkotsu charged in on faith in his immortal mode and kicked Kenjaku in the abdomen.
Just as Kenjaku rolled away with a crash and tried to get back up, the air grew heavy and Okkotsu’s upper body was slammed into the ground.
"Gravity! What a pain!"
Even immortal mode doesn’t give you the strength to withstand gravity itself.
Gakuganji Kuga and Rika both had their heads pressed down, straining under the pressure.
By the time the duration ended, Kenjaku had already put plenty of distance between them.
"With one more body in the mix, close combat doesn’t hold up."
Claws that would tear something off if they landed, a tail that kept extending, and lightning on top of that.
His movements were inferior to Rika’s or Okkotsu’s, but he made up for it with a much wider range of attack options.
Anyway, even if he attacked, Okkotsu was in immortal mode right now, and Rika was sturdy enough to tank a few whirlpools, so he’d deal with this one first.
Setting his top priority as Gakuganji Kuga’s destruction, Kenjaku shot up into the air.
Flap!
Gakuganji Kuga, wings spread, pursued him quickly.
Faster than Rika, who could float but not fly at high speed, and faster than Okkotsu, who couldn’t fly at all.
Okkotsu probably wasn’t directly controlling this thing.
"Even if it’s Copy, there’s no way he’d summon something this strong for free."
Getting it away from him was good, but what now?
After a brief moment of thought, Kenjaku grinned and drew out the maximum he could summon at once with cursed spirit manipulation.
Dozens, no, hundreds of black holes opened at the same time, and all kinds of curse spirits poured out.
The greatest strength of cursed spirit manipulation was its overwhelming numbers.
Countless curse spirits, from grade 3 to grade 1 without distinction, poured out and filled the barrier from end to end.
"This is...!"
"This should be enough as a smokescreen."
No matter how many there were, the number of curse spirits meant nothing in front of Okkotsu and Rika.
He hadn’t expected that much, anyway.
Just enough to tie them down for a moment would do.
"I can’t see where he is!"
At Kenjaku’s command, the curse spirits all formed a wall among themselves and surrounded Okkotsu and Rika.
Even as they were swept away every time swords flashed and Rika shook her body, there was no sign of their numbers decreasing.
The mountain of curse spirits blocked their vision, making it hard to sense Kenjaku’s presence.
"Grrr!"
The emergency alarm went off in Gakuganji Kuga’s behavior algorithm as he fiercely chased Kenjaku.
Should he help Okkotsu wipe out the curse spirits, or keep pursuing the enemy in front of him?
After quickly judging the situation, Gakuganji Kuga made his decision according to the risk level he had already calculated.
Crunch!
Folding his wings and spinning through the wind, Gakuganji Kuga’s teeth bit off one of Kenjaku’s arms.
Even with blood pouring from the severe wound, Kenjaku smiled through a cold sweat.
He could feel his cursed energy draining away, but if giving up one arm was the price of dealing with this annoying thing, that was a cheap deal.
"A dog that bites people needs to be euthanized."
From the moment Gakuganji Kuga charged in, Kenjaku had been preparing a counterattack.
Whirlpool
Boom!
The whirlpool he had already formed in his other hand exploded at point-blank range, blowing Gakuganji Kuga’s head off.
Right after that, as if sensing Gakuganji Kuga’s disappearance, a beam of cursed energy flew from Okkotsu’s side, where he had been buried in the curse spirits and out of sight.
Before the beam of light, fired through the wave of curse spirits, could blind him, Kenjaku pulled out one of the curse spirits he had kept in reserve and held it up as a shield.
Ping!
"I’ll give it back."
The beam was absorbed into the mirror curse spirit’s body, which absorbed and reflected projectiles.
The mirror’s surface cracked with a sharp crack, flashed for an instant, and then the same attack power was fired back toward its source, only with its direction reversed.
After the mirror curse spirit shattered from absorbing more than its limit, Kenjaku pulled out the next curse spirit.
Bang!
As the mountain of clustered curse spirits was shaved away by the returning beam of cursed energy that had bent its path, a curse spirit in the shape of a gate to hell fell down over it.
Kuuuuung!
Everything within range was flattened, and a gust of wind mixed with the disappearance of curse spirits and dust rose up.
For a while, silence fell, with nothing moving.
If they were immobilized by that, it would be nice, but Kenjaku didn’t think things would go that easily.
"No way they’d just get crushed and die like that."
As expected, the hell-gate curse spirit split in half, and Okkotsu and Rika burst out from between it.
They were a little dirty with dust, but otherwise looked fine.
Through the shadow that had fallen over his eyes, burning eyes stared straight at Kenjaku.
"Haha."
Like before, he was looking his opponent directly in the eye.
The only difference was that the innocence and passion he had shown a year ago had cooled a great deal.
The foolish look he’d had when he brought down Geto Suguru was gone.
Okkotsu, who had become a proper sorcerer before anyone knew it, now had a gaze filled with hard emotions like boredom, disgust, and duty.
"You really are a sorcerer after all."
People who pursue goodness while living closer to curses and sin than anyone else.
People who cannot escape the instinct to curse one another in incomprehensible situations.
That isn’t a trait unique to sorcerers; it’s a common thread among all humans struggling against fate.
Watching someone who was more human than anyone else become steeped in curses and drift away from humanity is also quite an enjoyable sight.
"Looks like neither you nor I have anywhere left to retreat to."
That is why I love humans.
In place of my barren heart, which can no longer feel anything, savoring their lives became my hobby.
Their varied emotions and the banquet of curses they show in the midst of hardship are, to put it metaphorically, a fresh painting.
The tragedy of losing tenderness before an unavoidable calamity is exhilarating, and if by some chance a miracle of mutual understanding were to happen, my head might explode from ecstasy.
"Looks like it’s about time for the end, huh?"
"I’ll give it everything I have. Without holding back."
Ugly, and deeper still.
The narrative that blooms when we curse each other.
"I’m glad I did it, the Culling Game...!"
So please, entertain me even more.
To the point where I’d think it would be fine to die right now.
Swish, swish, swish!
He poured out all the remaining curse spirits except for the few he needed.
Things like curse spirits that can be replenished anytime are utterly worthless compared to the pleasure he felt now.
Slash! Swish!
Amid the countless streams of curse spirits pouring down, Okkotsu didn’t even bother defending his body and instead pressed the attack.
Even when his eye was cut and his leg was bitten, he kept swinging his sword in silence and met the incoming attacks head-on instead of dodging.
The overflowing cursed energy automatically repaired his body, and when an opening appeared in the front, Rika grabbed Okkotsu.
"Now!"
Whoooosh!
Rika, who had been pounding the curse spirits down with one hand, swung her arm and hurled Okkotsu like a cannonball.
Okkotsu, now a human projectile, flew in with fierce momentum and stabbed his sword into Kenjaku’s stomach.
Thud!
Kenjaku grabbed the blade with his bare hand as it burst out through his back, then put strength into his grip and snapped it.
The stalling time for cursed spirit manipulation was over. Since he’d closed in to range, switch again.
Gravity
Kuuuuung!
Okkotsu, hanging onto Kenjaku’s body, was dragged down to the ground by gravity.
But before he hit the ground, some unknown force acted on him and Okkotsu’s body regained its balance.
It looked almost like... resisting gravity...
"!"
Anti-gravity system.
You copied my technique?
Before he could even be startled, the technique reversed and Kenjaku’s waist bent backward.
Thud!
"Guh!"
Before the duration ended, Kenjaku reversed the technique with [Cursed Technique Reversal] and escaped the range, but a sharp pain shot through his stomach and stole his breath.
Rika, who had closed in in an instant by some unknown means, had driven her fist into his solar plexus.
An unknown pulling force had made their bodies press completely together, and in that state Rika began hammering fists into Kenjaku’s stomach.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
"How. The distance should have been pretty far...!"
As Kenjaku coughed up blood from his crushed organs and turned his head, he saw a star-shaped mark on the severed end of his shoulder.
The same mark was attached beneath Rika’s jaw.
Interstellar Flight
Hoshi Kirara’s technique that draws together those who bear the same mark.
Having grasped the principle, Kenjaku jerked his body backward to slip past Rika’s fist and formed a whirlpool in his other hand.
Just before it could pierce her head at close range, the mark beneath Rika’s jaw changed and the distance between them instantly widened.
"Same marks attract, different marks repel...!"
When the whirlpool struck empty air, Kenjaku’s brow furrowed.
After confirming that Rika was safe, Okkotsu picked something up in one hand and shouted to Rika.
"Rika!"
[Got it, Yuta!]
Rika immediately responded, baring her chest as she passed Okkotsu a pointed, awl-like cursed tool.
Okkotsu caught it lightly, then brought it down with force onto the object it had been held with.
It was the arm of Kenjaku that had just been severed by Gakuganji Kuga.
Straw Doll Technique - Resonance
Thud!
As the awl slammed down and pierced through the palm, the cursed energy that had been injected flowed through the medium and into its owner.
Sharp cursed energy exploded inside Kenjaku’s chest and shook his insides.
"Aaagh!"
Even if you’re used to pain, pain exploding from inside is hard to endure.
Kenjaku let out a scream before he knew it, his body staggering, and Okkotsu and Rika, who had thrown away the arm they were holding, both targeted him.
By now, Okkotsu had a Japanese sword in his hand, created with a construction technique.
Slash! Thwack!
Okkotsu’s single strike cleanly cut off one of Kenjaku’s legs, and Rika’s fist smashed into Kenjaku’s jaw.
Kenjaku endured the pain and struck back with a heavy blow to Okkotsu’s chest, but it had little effect.
Okkotsu, whose immortal mode still hadn’t ended, ignored the impact and pushed his body in, pressing Kenjaku hard.
He had no fear, since any injury would heal quickly. He didn’t even try to dodge, taking everything and giving it back twice over.
Okkotsu’s headbutts, knees, and sword tore and crushed Kenjaku’s entire body.
"Ahh... this is fun."
In the midst of vivid pain, Kenjaku laughed.
The sensation traveling through bone and flesh was unbearably vivid. It made him feel truly alive.
It was fun. As fun as when he played with Takaba.
"But if this keeps up, I’ll lose."
No matter how enjoyable it was, he couldn’t forget his objective.
I wasn’t wandering through the Culling Game looking for a place to die like those other fools.
There was still work to do, and until then he had to cling to life, however miserably.
Puhwah!
From the center of Kenjaku’s body, curse spirits burst out as if exploding and shoved away Okkotsu and Rika, who had been beating him enthusiastically.
Without taking his eyes off them as they flew away, he gathered them all together and prepared a maximum whirlpool.
He would draw out enough power to destroy the entire barrier from the inside.
"What I need to watch out for at the end is Fire of the Game."
If he aimed at a single point, he might get countered by a position swap.
He’d definitely be caught in it too if he erased all escape routes, but what else could he do?
He would have to blame his own weakness for dragging the situation into this state.
"With a binding vow that even I get caught in it, I’ll push the power and range to the limit."
This one blow will end the battle.
Whoosh...
"...."
Just then, 4 minutes and 11 seconds had passed, and Okkotsu’s immortal mode also came to an end.
That meant the five-minute limiter release was also nearing its end.
Judging that this was the chance, Kenjaku used his own body as the domain and detonated his cursed energy.
Maximum Output-
Whirlpool
KWAaaaaang!
A 200% self-destructing whirlpool that cared nothing for others or himself.
Feeling the limbs he had barely restored with [Cursed Technique Reversal] twist out of shape, Kenjaku smiled bitterly.
The black wave spreading from the center darkened his vision, and the high-density cursed energy made from compressed curse spirits spread out and swept everything nearby away.
"Cough..."
The body of Kenjaku, revealed after the whirlpool ended, was a complete wreck.
His leg was broken, one arm was bent in a strange direction, and one eye had been crushed.
A crater of enormous size had been carved out around his collapsed body.
"Can’t do that twice."
At this rate, Okkotsu couldn’t have come out unscathed either.
He squeezed out the little cursed energy he had left to heal his body and stood up, then lifted his head and was horrified.
Shrrrk...
"...?"
Okkotsu had not taken any damage at all.
As if he had never been caught in it in the first place.
His cursed energy was running low, but he was in far better shape than Kenjaku, who looked half-dead.
"I thought I wouldn’t need to use this."
In Kenjaku’s now-blank stare, he saw a black jellyfish of mist with soft tentacles hanging down.
"Ha... so that’s what it was. Cheat players are such bastards."
Okkotsu’s final copied technique.
The one he had tested once, only to have the cursed energy backlash from it be so severe that he had sealed it away as a last resort.
Sea God art
Akasha anuttara mapari.
For Kenjaku, who manipulated curse spirits, it was the worst possible natural enemy.
Zzzzz...
"It’s over."
He no longer had room to use [Cursed Technique Reversal]. He had also used up almost all his curse spirits except Tengen.
Block that with gravity?
He wouldn’t even try something that insane.
"Haha..."
"Any last words?"
After finishing its charge, the mapari swayed with blue flames and pointed this way.
No matter what he did, there seemed to be no way to escape.
With a hollow laugh, Kenjaku closed his eyes humbly.
"I lost."
I didn’t know you could use that too.
Whirlpool.
Okkotsu Yuta.
Your victory.
As the medium of the barrier shattered, the siege barrier that had trapped them began to fade.
A dungeon returning to its original form from a space that had slipped outside reality.
As the boundary separating them crumbled, the familiar faces of their comrades came into view.
"Maki!"
"Yuta."
"You’re safe!"
"It was dangerous, though. Did you win?"
"Yes."
While Maki and Okkotsu shared an emotional reunion, Choso stood at a distance and watched them.
"....."
"Oh, you were alive too."
"I’m only alive because I couldn’t die."
"We won nicely, so do you have to keep ruining the mood?"
"...Fair enough."
Their gazes landed on a figure far away in the distance.
"Is that thing even alive?"
Kenjaku’s condition was miserable.
Not only had half his body burned away, but both arms had vanished and his legs were bent in the wrong direction.
Even after controlling the power, he was hanging on by a thread.
"Choso?"
"Yikes, he talked!"
He seemed more intact than expected, since he could still talk just fine.
It looked like there was no need to worry.
As Choso frowned, Kenjaku let out a rasping laugh and asked a question.
"Who was your opponent?"
"Some white-haired monk bastard. I’m pissed I couldn’t meet you."
"You? Beat me? I’m surprised you beat Uraume."
The crease between Choso’s brows deepened even more.
"Can’t I just kill him now?"
"Sorry, but no. We went through all this trouble to catch that thing."
"Well, that was meant as a compliment. I was disappointed in you more than I expected. I’m just glad my prediction was wrong."
"You sure do run that mouth. You’re the one who should be waiting for your execution."
He couldn’t keep talking to that monstrous bastard any longer.
What was he trying to seduce now with that snake-like tongue?
His body and mind were both exhausted. All he wanted was to avoid him and take the bastard back quickly.
"Heh, khuhuhuh."
After laughing, Kenjaku said nothing more.
Just as they were about to gather him up and leave before he could do anything else,
Thump
"...!"
"There was another comrade?"
One person was caught by their cursed energy sense.
With no attempt to hide himself and approaching this place so casually, Okkotsu’s group did not let down their guard.
Before long, a man appeared around the corner.
"Hero entrance!"
"....?"
A ridiculous half-and-half bodysuit, and slicked-back hair held in place with pomade.
He was a middle-aged man with unusual sideburns.
"No, I’m Joker, so does that make me the villain instead?"
He looked ordinary.
His outfit was absurd and he had a fair amount of muscle, but there was nothing else remarkable about him.
The amount of energy he gave off wasn’t that great either. At best, he was barely at grade 1 sorcerer level.
And yet,
"Keh, bwahahahah!!"
the moment the man appeared, Kenjaku started laughing like a madman.
Even if he tried to reassure himself that the man was nothing special, he couldn’t shake the unease.
"Whoa, partner! Why did you turn into a one-eyed Daruma!"
"I lost."
"How was modern psychic power?"
"Sorry I couldn’t make everything collide. And honestly, I was thinking of you as some kind of funny plant. Hurry up and bring the car. We need to get to the airport to catch the flight south."
"A plant? That’s a little harsh! And the Culling Game minor gallery is supposed to open three days after applications. Even if we go now, nobody’ll be there."
The man, who suddenly exchanged a ridiculous skit with Kenjaku, struck a confident pose and stepped forward in front of them.
"You bastards! How dare you do that to my comrade!!"
The man suddenly had tears welling in his eyes as he raged.
Everyone was dumbfounded, and then the lying-down Kenjaku picked it up too.
"Ahh... you mean ‘me’?"
"A... ahhh..."
"Koisuwwwww, you got beaten so disgracefullywwwww"
"Kisamaaa!!"
"Heh... impossible. You’re weak."
"That’s not true! Kenjaku is! Living together in my heart! I’ll inherit that guy’s will!"
"Ohhh... then go ahead and try."
Then, as if he were really some kind of manga hero, explosive cursed energy began pouring out of the man’s body.
Scouters had somehow appeared over Okkotsu’s group’s eyes.
The numbers displayed in front of them rose without any sign of stopping.
"120,000, 200,000, 300,000... 530,000? Kyaaaagh!"
Crash!
Once the battle power exceeded 530,000, the scouter shattered and a shockwave burst out.
As Okkotsu was blown backward with a cartoonish reaction, Maki was at a loss for words.
"That guy suddenly got stronger... no, more importantly, what was that just now?"
It felt as if reality were being overwritten according to whatever that guy imagined.
What kind of ability was that, to make something that absurd...!
"Partner. For the last time, please give me the words of victory."
"Your mom’s a third-rate comedian. She’s a total loser in life who failed at raising kids and got eliminated in the first round of every survival show. And you, a grown man over thirty still taking allowance from that mother, are even more of a human piece of trash!"
"That’s too mean!!"
The man, bouncing up and down, vanished in an instant, and before anyone knew it, Maki was flying backward after getting kicked in the foot.
"...!"
"I’ll show you! The miracle of a third-rate comedian making everyone burst out laughing!"
Joker.
Takaba Fumihiko, joining the battle.
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