Toge Inumaki quickly retreated and spoke at the same time.
"Stop."
The collapsing mass hesitated for a brief moment, but even more metal debris surged from every direction. As if guided by invisible strings, the scrap fused together into dozens of razor-sharp metal tentacles that shot toward the group.
"Looks like we've been found," Maki clicked her tongue.
Her staff spun in a tight arc, forming a defensive barrier that intercepted the incoming attacks. Even so, the sheer number of tentacles forced her onto the defensive.
Panda relied on his durability, swatting aside many of the metal appendages. However, several sharp tentacles still managed to graze his fur, causing small amounts of Cursed Energy to leak out.
Toge continuously used Cursed Speech to disrupt the attacks.
"Deviate."
"Slow."
With so many targets, however, the strain on his throat was becoming increasingly obvious.
Sol remained slightly behind the others, moving with seemingly casual steps.
Every tentacle directed at him narrowly missed as he shifted aside at the last possible moment. Sometimes he took a single step; other times, a slight adjustment of his footing was enough. His movements were smooth and natural, as though he already knew where every attack would land.
He never bothered to block.
Only occasionally would he flick away a particularly troublesome spike aimed at Panda's neck or Toge's knee.
To the three students fighting on the front line, it looked like nothing more than extraordinary reflexes and incredible luck.
"Sol! Be careful!" Maki shouted during a brief opening.
She had already seen him narrowly avoid several dangerous attacks and couldn't help feeling concerned.
"Salmon!" Toge added, motioning for Sol to move closer.
Sol ignored the warnings and continued his seemingly risky, yet effortless, evasions.
He was observing.
Observing the Cursed Spirit's control patterns.
Observing Maki, Panda, and Toge.
Observing their reactions and teamwork.
Before long, he found the issue.
"Maki, the third tentacle from the front left is a feint. The real attack is aimed at the opening in your lower right stance."
"Panda, you're leaving yourself exposed after every right-handed strike. Tighten your defense."
"Toge, shorten the interval before your next Cursed Speech. Aim toward the three o'clock direction."
His composed voice cut through the chaos of battle.
Every instruction precisely identified an incoming attack or a weakness in his teammates' movements.
Almost instinctively, Maki and the others followed his guidance.
The results were immediate.
Maki blocked the hidden attack before it could reach her.
Panda tightened his abdomen in time to avoid a piercing strike.
Toge adjusted his rhythm, and a single command redirected five incoming tentacles.
The more they fought, the more alarmed they became.
At the same time, combat grew noticeably easier.
Sol's guidance felt almost prophetic, allowing them to resolve every crisis before it fully developed.
Maki spared him a glance.
He was still dodging around the battlefield in what appeared to be a clumsy and barely successful manner.
That strange feeling returned.
Was it really just luck and reflexes?
Finally, after another of Sol's reminders, the battle reached its turning point.
"The Cursed Spirit is five meters directly beneath the debris you destroyed. Its energy is gathering. Prepare for a large-scale mental shock."
The moment he finished speaking, it happened.
Buzz!
A powerful invisible shockwave erupted from underground.
Like a tidal wave, it swept through the entire factory.
Maki, Panda, and Toge immediately felt sharp pain explode inside their heads.
Their vision blurred.
Their bodies became sluggish.
Even simple movements suddenly felt difficult.
The surrounding tentacles seized the opportunity and launched an even more ferocious assault.
"Damn it!" Maki gritted her teeth through the dizziness. "This isn't Grade 1. It's another Special Grade Cursed Spirit!"
She tried to swing her staff, but her arm felt unbearably heavy.
Panda shook his head repeatedly, fighting to stay conscious.
Toge grabbed his throat. The mental shock had amplified the burden on his body, making effective use of Cursed Speech nearly impossible.
Several of the largest tentacles lunged toward the immobilized trio.
At that moment, Sol appeared to finally fail an evasion.
A flying steel pipe struck him squarely in the back.
Stumbling forward, he lost his balance.
The direction of his fall happened to place him directly above the source of the mental shockwave and within the path of several incoming tentacles.
It looked as though sheer bad luck had thrown him into the most dangerous spot in the entire factory.
"Sol!" Maki shouted.
As he fell, Sol seemingly flailed his arm in panic while trying to regain balance.
His fingertip brushed against the floor.
Thump.
A dull sound echoed from deep underground.
It resembled the beat of a massive heart.
The overwhelming mental shockwave stopped instantly.
It was as if an invisible hand had crushed its source.
At the same time, every metal tentacle lost power.
The raging attacks collapsed.
Clang.
Clatter.
The tentacles fell apart and reverted into ordinary scrap metal scattered across the floor.
Silence engulfed the factory.
The crushing pressure vanished.
The pain in Maki, Panda, and Toge's heads rapidly faded.
All three stared at the scene before them.
Sol slowly rose to his feet.
He dusted off his clothes.
His expression remained unchanged, as though he had merely taken an unfortunate fall.
The presence of the Special Grade Cursed Spirit had completely disappeared.
"Is... is it over?" Panda asked blankly, touching the spot where he had been scratched earlier.
Toge carefully sensed his surroundings before lowering his collar.
"Mustard?"
Is it over?
Maki said nothing.
She immediately walked to the spot where Sol had fallen and carefully examined the ground.
There was nothing.
Just ordinary concrete.
No traces.
No clues.
She turned toward Sol.
His expression remained composed, with only the faintest hint of lingering tension from the danger he had supposedly just escaped.
"Are you alright?" she finally asked.
Her tone was complicated.
"I'm fine."
Sol shook his head.
"Good luck."
Good luck?
Maki looked at the motionless metal debris scattered around the factory.
Then she looked at the floor beneath them.
That strange thump.
The instant death of the Special Grade Cursed Spirit.
Could all of it really have been coincidence?
Taking a slow breath, she suppressed the doubts in her mind.
Regardless of the details, the mission was over.
"It looks like the Cursed Spirit's core was unstable and collapsed on its own," she finally said.
Even to her, the explanation sounded unconvincing.
Panda let out a long sigh of relief.
"That's great. The whole thing was pretty weird, but at least it's over."
Toge nodded.
"Salmon."
The group conducted a final search of the factory.
After confirming that no traces of Cursed Energy remained, they left the abandoned plant and began the trip back.
The atmosphere inside the car was noticeably quieter.
Maki sat by the window, occasionally glancing toward Sol, who had his eyes closed as though resting.
Panda, meanwhile, continued replaying the battle in his head.
"Speaking of which, Sol, your reactions are seriously impressive. There were several times I thought you were definitely going to get hit."
Toge also looked at him curiously.
Sol opened his eyes.
"My dynamic vision is a little better than average. I can barely dodge in time."
Maki couldn't help asking,
"Then what happened at the end?"
"I fell," Sol replied before she could finish. "Got lucky. Maybe I hit something important."
His tone remained completely indifferent.
Maki stared at his profile for a moment.
She knew she wouldn't get any more answers from him.
Once again, she buried her doubts.