Naoya picked up Suguri in his arms and flashed away, pulling her out of the range of the open domain.
Kenjaku tried to intercept them when the Demon Exterminating Sword suddenly extended from Mahoraga's hand, forcing her to stop.
She looked at Mahoraga with narrowed eyes, who only smiled wildly in return.
Naoya carefully placed the injured Suguri down on the ground, then summoned the Round Deer to heal her.
As he was about to leave, Suguri weakly grabbed his hand and muttered in a faint voice.
"Gravity… her technique is gravity manipulation…"
She coughed up blood but continued speaking.
"Her domain… targets the organs… using two extreme forces to kill the person…"
Naoya tightly held her hand and lightly kissed her forehead before reassuring her.
"Thank you. I will keep it in mind."
Suguri released a small breath as she saw his figure flash away at a crazy speed.
'Naoya… he looked so relieved just now…'
A face she had never seen him make before.
Was he that worried? For her?
It seems he cared after all…
Naoya's figure flashed as he appeared right beside Mahoraga.
Kenjaku had already seen his Projection Sorcery when he arrived at the scene to save Suguri, so it was useless to hide it.
Turning her gaze away from Mahoraga, Kenjaku smiled at Naoya and said,
"I didn't think you'd come back so soon. It must be a remarkable revival technique…"
Her gaze turned back to Mahoraga as she continued,
"A wheel that signifies balance. You managed to subdue it, unlike any previous Ten Shadows Technique user."
She lightly clapped her hands as if to congratulate Naoya, whose face only darkened in response.
From the story, he knew that Kenjaku's technique was anti-gravity manipulation, not gravity manipulation.
With the tip from Suguri, he also came to understand the domain's effect.
Kenjaku calmly analyzed Naoya's information in her mind.
'Ten Shadows, Projection Sorcery, and an unknown revival technique…'
Three techniques in total.
'Has subdued Mahoraga, knows reverse cursed technique, and has most probably awakened his domain.'
Understanding the pros and cons, she quickly came to a conclusion.
'This is a losing battle for me.'
Even with the crushing effects of her domain, she doubted she would be able to kill Mahoraga in one go, who had a crazy regenerative ability.
And if she couldn't, then the shikigami would simply adapt to it, making her lose even faster.
Naoya must have heard about her technique's effect from Suguri as well, so the element of surprise was no longer in her favor either.
"Hm, how about we call a timeout? We don't necessarily have to fight. You should know I only attacked you because your clan members asked me…"
Kenjaku lied with a calm look on her face.
"Shut up," Naoya cut her off in a cold tone and took out a cursed spear from his inventory.
"Sigh, it seems negotiations have fallen through…"
Kenjaku shrugged her shoulders.
They both looked at each other in silence.
Then Naoya made a hand sign, and countless rabbits appeared all around Kenjaku.
Kenjaku clicked her tongue and expertly moved around, killing the rabbit shikigami all around her.
But as she was fighting, her danger senses screamed. She quickly jumped to the side, and a giant snake's mouth bit down on the place she had just been.
At the same time, a jet of high-pressured water rushed toward her, forcing her to break the ground before her and use the gravel for defense.
*Roar*
The loud cry of an ox rang out as the earth started shaking.
The water jet disappeared, and the head of an ox clashed into the gravel Kenjaku was holding, breaking it apart and going straight for her chest.
At the same time, a large snake's mouth was coming toward her from behind.
Not to mention, Nue was in the sky charging up his lightning attack.
"Troublesome indeed…"
Kenjaku muttered helplessly, then finally used her reversed cursed technique.
Gravity.
The shikigami ox and snake were instantly crushed into bits under her technique's power.
Kenjaku stared at Naoya with a smile, only for her expression to freeze.
Mahoraga, who had been standing beside Naoya, had half of his hand stuck inside a shadow.
So… where was that hand peeking out from?
The answer was instantly revealed.
Right beside the crushed snake was a large broken hand, which had been affected by her gravity.
Mahoraga, grinning, pulled his broken hand out from the shadow and healed it in an instant.
At the same time, the wheel behind his head started trembling.
The adaptation had begun.
Now, it became a battle against time.
With a dark look on her face, Kenjaku put her hands together and activated her power.
"Domain Expansion: Weightless Cradle."
Behind her, an inverted, spinning spire appeared, hovering just above the ground.
Just as the domain's attack was about to begin, Naoya and his shikigami simply disappeared into the shadow.
"..."
Kenjaku stared at the scene with a blank look in her eyes.
'He's going to wait inside the shadow until Mahoraga adapts…'
The corners of her mouth twitched violently as she opened her mouth and shouted,
"Is this how you are going to play, Naoya Zenin? Acting like a coward?"
She tried to provoke him.
"Don't you want to kill me? Aren't you angry that I almost killed Suguri Geto? How long will you keep hiding…?"
'He's not coming out.'
Kenjaku's eyes became calm as she turned toward Suguri Geto's direction.
Unfortunately, she had already healed and was vigilantly watching the battle at all times.
Attacking her would not be possible from this range.
Not to mention, she could simply retreat.
Kenjaku's expression hardened. She was about to close her domain and try to run away when suddenly a shadow appeared beside her leg.
A large white hand tried to grab her, but she quickly jumped away in time.
Not minding that the little sneak attack had failed, Mahoraga silently jumped out of the shadow and stood right inside Kenjaku's open domain.
He had adapted to Kenjaku's gravity.
Now only anti-gravity remained.
"Damn…"
Kenjaku cursed. The effect of only anti-gravity was not enough to kill Mahoraga anymore.
The Extermination Sword extended from Mahoraga's hand as he put force into his legs and rushed at Kenjaku at high speed.
Kenjaku raised her hands to defend, but Mahoraga suddenly passed her and rushed straight toward the core of her domain behind her.
'He knows about the core…?'
Kenjaku's eyes widened in shock.
But it was too late.
Mahoraga swung his sword at the hovering core and sliced it apart, breaking Kenjaku's domain.
Instantly, she was hit by a mind-numbing pain and staggered backward before falling onto the ground.
Naoya silently stepped out from the shadow and walked toward her.
Kenjaku silently healed her brain using reverse cursed technique and quickly moved her hands to open her domain again.
But before she could, a spear flashed forward and cut off both of her arms.
Kenjaku looked at Naoya with a calm gaze as the spearhead was placed against her neck.
"You want me to beg or something? Heh, keep dreaming."
She smiled widely. Her hands regenerated, and she grabbed the ends of the spear.
"Remember this, you were not the one who killed me."
With that, she swiped the spearhead and separated her neck from her body.
Her body and head fell back onto the ground, appearing as lifeless as they could be.
Meanwhile, hidden inside Kaori's head, a brain was silently doing its best to conceal its traces.
It was Kenjaku, trying its best to play dead.
'After he leaves, I will need to quickly find a new body—'
"I know you are in there, Kenjaku."
'???'
Before he could understand what was happening, the stitches on Kaori's head were pulled out, revealing a disgusting brain with a mouth.
Naoya silently pulled the brain out of Kaori's head and threw it onto the ground.
Kenjaku fell silent for a moment before asking,
"How did you know?… Was it Tengen?…"
Naoya ignored the question and asked,
"Any last words?"
"Wait! Listen to my plan! You must know about the cursed spirit—"
"Too long."
The spear moved at 24 frames and turned the talking brain into a gooey mush.
Mahoraga, standing beside him, suddenly stomped on the remains before silently stepping back.
Naoya looked at his shikigami, then pulled Kaori Itadori's body, along with her open head, into the shadow.
With Kenjaku finally dead, Naoya turned around. His figure flashed and arrived before Suguri.
"She's dead," Naoya said in a plain voice.
Suguri saw that he wasn't injured and let out a small sigh of relief.
Naoya raised his hand and touched her face.
"Are you alright?"
Suguri leaned her head into his hand and replied,
"Yes."
"That's good."
Suguri silently stared at Naoya's calm face, feeling a sense of anxiety building up in her heart.
Something was wrong.
There was something wrong with Naoya.
She could tell, as she had observed him for a long time.
"Naoya… are you alright?"
Naoya didn't reply.
Instead, he lightly pinched her soft cheek before retracting his hand and turning away.
"Go back to your home… I have something to do."
Wings spurted from his back. He was just about to take to the sky when Suguri hugged him from behind.
"Let me come with you."
She said it while tightly holding onto his waist.
Naoya shook his head and tried to free her hands.
"You don't have to."
Suguri remained adamant, not letting go, silently hugging him with all her strength.
"Fine then."
Naoya agreed, then picked up Suguri in his arms before flying back to the Zenin Clan's residence.
----
Inside a traditional Japanese room,
Naoya stood in front of Kiyo, who wore the same expression as always.
He had caught her as she was leaving the Zenin Clan's land along with the other servants.
Kiyo had just taken a step back when Naoya grabbed her by the neck and pulled her close before asking,
"You… why did you poison me?"
Kiyo opened her mouth with difficulty and said,
"Master's command."
Naoya lifted her off the ground, making it difficult for her to breathe.
"Master's command?! I am your master!" Naoya said through gritted teeth.
"Master… Ogi…"
Naoya's grip loosened as Kiyo fell onto the ground.
Grabbing her clothes, he tore them apart, revealing her familiar, fair, plump body in his view.
But ignoring it all, he grabbed her arm and moved her around, scanning her for any curse mark or even some sort of cursed energy technique residue.
When he didn't find anything, he forced her to do a binding vow and asked again, only to receive the same reply.
Finally, Naoya let go of her and sat down on the chair, holding his head in his hand.
Kiyo ignored the red marks on her neck and crawled up to his legs before saying.
"Naoya-sama, is Master Ogi dead?"
His corpse was eaten by the rabbits, so she couldn't confirm it.
Naoya didn't look at her and replied in a plain tone.
"Yes, I killed him."
"Understood, then from now on you are the new master."
Kiyo said in a calm tone while kowtowing to Naoya.
Naoya tightly clenched his fists before relaxing them.
He finally understood.
This was the true nature of the Zenin family.
Every servant here was a brainwashed pawn who had been trained from a young age.
And his maid, Kiyo, was simply one of them.
She only ever did what she was trained to do.
Naoya raised his head and said.
"You said I am your new master?"
Kiyo raised her head, making her big breasts jiggle.
"Yes."
Naoya grabbed the glass filled with water on the side.
Then he took out Kaori's body from his shadow, placed his hand inside her breast pocket, and took out a small bottle before sending the body back into the shadow.
Naoya silently opened up the small bottle, then dropped the transparent liquid inside the water cup and looked at Koyo.
"As your master, I command you, drink it."
Kiyo calmly stood up from the ground, held the glass with both of her hands before silently drinking it, without making a sound.
After she finished, she placed the glass in its original place and stood before Naoya with a subservient posture.
Naoya looked at everything in silence.
He saw Kiyo weakly fall on her back, her arms and legs flailing around in pain as her entire skin turned blue within seconds.
Finally, with a jerk, she stopped moving, her body powerlessly lying on the ground.
Seeing her dead body.
The only thing Naoya felt.
Was a sense of emptiness.
There was no feeling of satisfaction.
Only an empty void created in his heart.
After some time, Naoya turned his head away and exited the room.
Suguri, leaning against the wall, turned to him and asked,
"Is it done?"
Instead of replying, Naoya said,
"The Time Vessel Association that worships Tengen… isn't their headquarters nearby?"
"...Yes? Why do you ask?"
"Since so many people have died, it wouldn't matter if I add a few more."
Suguri's eyes widened slightly. She wanted to say something but froze after seeing Naoya's eyes.
They were empty.
Not furious.
Not hysterical.
Just empty...
"Burn this room up with a cursed spirit."
Naoya told her, then started walking away.
Suguri summoned a grotesque third-grade cursed spirit and set the room ablaze before quickly following behind Naoya.
----
Time Vessel Association Headquarters.
It was filled with ordinary people who worshiped the true form of Tengen.
They were the ones responsible for hiring Toji to kill Riko.
And now—
*Arrghhh—!*
A one-sided slaughter was underway.
Naoya's shikigami tore through the halls like divine punishment.
Rabbits swarmed corridors, dragging down fleeing believers.
The Divine Dogs ripped throats apart.
Nue's lightning split the ceiling and electrocuted entire rooms.
Bodies fell, blood splattered against the walls and screams echoed through prayer halls.
Suguri stood in silence at the side, staring at the scene of carnage with a worried expression.
Her eyes were not fixed on the dying people.
They were fixed on Naoya.
He sat in the center of the hall, surrounded by corpses, one elbow resting on his knee, chin propped lazily against his hand.
There was a decadent look on his face.
Detached.
Unmoved.
Completely unlike his usual arrogant, lively expression.
In less than an hour, every member of the Time Vessel Association was dead.
The hall fell silent except for the crackle of burning wood and dripping blood.
Naoya stood up, ignoring the gore around him.
"I remember there was also a cursed user group who went after Riko… let's end them as well."
He was about to move when Suguri suddenly grabbed his arm.
Naoya turned back to her in confusion.
"What is it?"
Suguri looked up at him.
Her fingers trembled slightly.
"Naoya… your anger…"
She said in a soft voice as she reached up and grabbed the neckline of her dress, loosening it slightly revealing her fair plump breasts.
"You can take it out on me."
Naoya's eyes widened.
----
Note: Don't be pissed at the npc's death, look at the bright side, he'll get to fck Suguri now.
And damn a lot happened in a single night huh.