Buzz!
A terrifying surge of pressure instantly wiped the smile off Suguru's face.
"That thing's Cursed Energy is off. And it's not a Cursed Spirit, it's a Shikigami."
Suguru reacted immediately, spreading his hands as a black rift of Cursed Energy manifested behind him. Then, nine Grade 1 Cursed Spirits flew out from the rift.
In the sky above, Rainbow Dragon was rapidly descending.
"Strike first! Whatever it is!"
Renji pushed off with his right foot, shattering the stone slab beneath him as he shot forward like a cannonball.
A cloud of dust instantly obscured everyone's vision.
Clang!
Sparks flew wildly from the blade of Murasamemaru.
It's so hard.
"Renji! Get away!"
Suguru slammed both hands onto the ground, and the Rainbow Dragon in the sky opened its maw, locking onto the space in front of Renji.
Renji immediately pulled back his stance, flipping backwards in mid-air, his right foot kicking against the Shikigami in front of him with a sickening thud. Then, Rainbow Dragon's blazing white body covered the figure within the dust cloud.
"Is it over?" Shoko poked her head out to ask.
"Not yet! Something's wrong!"
Cold sweat trickled down Suguru's forehead. He swore he'd never felt this sense of crisis even when exorcising extremely terrifying Special Grade Cursed Spirits. It was as if someone was watching his every move. That feeling of being completely exposed from head to toe was deeply unsettling.
The next second, Suguru instantly recalled Rainbow Dragon.
The dust had also completely cleared.
At the previous spot, a faceless, golden-haired nun, roughly three meters tall with a glowing halo above her head, floated in mid-air with her hands clasped in prayer. She radiated not a sacred aura, but a terrifying Cursed Energy. Her two legs seemed both real and illusory, hard to make out clearly.
Suguru stared gravely at the nun.
If he had recalled Rainbow Dragon even a second later, something utterly horrifying would have likely happened.
Meanwhile, Renji, standing about five or six meters away from the nun, was already immobilized. A terrifying gaze had locked onto his body, robbing him of control over his own limbs.
"Okkotsu, what's wrong?"
Suguru's right hand formed a gun shape, rapidly firing sharp, bullet-like squid Cursed Spirits.
Bang! Bang! Bang....
"Can't... move..."
Renji could clearly feel that gaze emanating from the nun before him.
Inside Murasamemaru, Murasame was sweating profusely in panic, trying to figure out how to save this master she'd known for less than three days.
"Should I do that thing with master and lend him my divine power?"
Murasame's cheeks flushed red. She hadn't had much time to talk with Renji, so she didn't know his personality well, only sensing that he seemed quite gentle.
Renji took a deep breath, attempting to use his Cursed Energy to break the control.
The nun suddenly moved.
Buzz!
A terrifying surge of Cursed Energy shattered all of Suguru's attacks.
Countless Grade 4 Cursed Spirits, Fly Heads, surged from behind Suguru, flying frantically towards the nun. As the first explosion sounded, the other Fly Heads detonated like bombs one after another around the nun.
"Those Fly Heads aren't ordinary Grade 4 Cursed Spirits. Enhanced by my Cursed Spirit Manipulation, their explosive power rivals that of a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit's attack."
Suguru panted heavily. Mobilizing such a massive swarm of Cursed Spirits in an instant was a terrifying drain on him.
The next second, a chill ran down Suguru's spine.
The nun was completely unscathed.
And now, the nun was only an arm's length away from Renji.
"I think I'm about to die a little." Renji forced a bitter smile.
This nun's body was impervious even to Murasamemaru. Taking a punch from her probably wouldn't be any better than being repeatedly run over by a truck. Although death was unlikely, the pain would be all too real.
After what felt like an eternity, the attack Renji expected never came.
[Ding! Host has unlocked the Inherited Technique – Twelve Torii Technique (The Tenth – Formless Nun). Tome unlock progress increased!]
The nun's body flickered and grew hazy, finally dissolving into a wisp of smoke that flowed into Renji's body.
Whoosh!
Shoko flashed to Renji's side.
Reverse Cursed Technique!
Her hand pressed against Renji's chest. She didn't dare move him, much less stop her technique. If Renji's internal organs had suffered a fatal injury, not using Reverse Cursed Technique in time would mean even a god couldn't save him.
"How's your body? Any abnormalities?" Shoko asked seriously.
As a healer, she knew the tricks of these Cursed Spirits and Shikigami all too well.
If it was a physically attacking Cursed Spirit, they'd try to destroy a Jujutsu Sorcerer's Cursed Energy core—areas like the waist, head, or neck, which are crucial for Cursed Energy flow. Without timely treatment, death was certain.
If it was a soul or Cursed Energy-attacking type of Cursed Spirit, they'd use Cursed Techniques or special abilities to destroy a Jujutsu Sorcerer's internal structure. Once vital organs like the heart were destroyed, the sorcerer would die on the spot.
Renji blinked, then indicated he was fine. "I'm okay. This thing... seems to be something like my clan's family Cursed Technique. It appears the caster died before the technique was released, so it's been stuck here all this time."
Before the trio could discuss further, a terrifying explosion echoed from deep within the Okkotsu Clan Ruins.
"That must be Satoru's doing." Suguru frowned, immediately adjusting his breathing to conserve his stamina.
"Let's hurry over." Shoko said, still applying a protective film of Cursed Energy over Renji's body just in case.
Right at that moment, Renji suddenly remembered something.
"By the way... did we set up a Curtain?"
"Yikes."
"We'll just blame it all on Satoru later. Shoko, Okkotsu, let's go."
Without further delay, the three immediately sprinted towards the depths of the ruins.
At this very moment, Satoru, covered in blood, stood surrounded by five Cursed Spirits. None of these five Special Grade Cursed Spirits were communicative like the previously encountered Tenshi. They seemed like utterly ordinary Special Grades.
Infinity has been running continuously for forty-four hours now. My body's reaction speed is gradually slowing down. This is really not looking too good.
A flicker of killing intent flashed in Satoru's blue eyes. The explosion just now was his attempt to use Blue to instantly eliminate these five Special Grade Cursed Spirits.
However, he had underestimated those Special Grade Cursed Spirits. Though they lacked reason, they were extremely cunning. They were waiting for the meager Cursed Energy left in Satoru's body to dry up completely. Then, this powerful Jujutsu Sorcerer would be doomed.
Satoru was naturally aware of the current situation.
Domain Expansion could only be used once per day. Using it more than twice would cause a Cursed Technique Burnout. Right now, his Cursed Energy had not been replenished. He had also encountered that Shikigami at the shrine, wasting most of his Cursed Energy only to find the damage he inflicted was instantly healed. That's why he had come to the depths of the ruins, trying to uncover the secrets of the Okkotsu Clan.