Chapter 19 — Slashes
Ren couldn't help but laugh wryly. He said nothing, only gently set Nishimiya Momo back on her feet.
Honestly, this was on him.
He'd been too naïve, entertaining the idea of them being evenly matched.
One was a broom.
The other was a sword.
One was made to sweep away trash.
The other existed for the sole purpose of killing.
How could a broom's "slash" possibly compete with a weapon whose entire reason for being was to cut?
The moment Ren released Momo, the curse raised its blade again.
Another invisible slash screamed through the air.
"Watch out!" Momo cried, panic rising as she saw Ren turned slightly away from the curse, his face still angled toward her.
"—Sever!"
Ren swung his hand. Fingers straightened like a blade.
A vivid blue arc of cursed energy shot from the edge of his palm.
Clang!
A thunderous impact exploded as the two slashes collided head-on. The shockwave burst outward as a violent gale, ripping across the dōjō grounds.
Within that roaring wind, Ren remained in a half-crouched posture, completing the motion of setting Momo down.
Not a single step shifted.
Across from him, the sword spirit flickered backward, landing lightly. When it came to a stop, half of the right sleeve of its white training uniform had been sheared away.
It lifted its downcast eyes.
For the first time, a ripple of emotion surfaced in those previously calm, empty pupils.
Ren, however, felt no sense of ease.
His gaze hardened as he looked past the curse—at the shallow gash carved into the wall behind it.
After canceling out the curse's slash, his own attack had lost most of its power.
That was troubling.
He possessed twelve times the cursed-energy output of an ordinary jujutsu sorcerer. In theory, that meant his Slash should carry twelve times the destructive force—assuming an average sorcerer could even release such an attack in the first place.
And yet, against this sword spirit…
He'd only managed to gain a slight advantage.
---
Although cursed spirits and humans couldn't be compared outright, one fact was undeniable:
his cursed energy reserves were superior to this curse's.
That left only one conclusion—
Purely in terms of technique, the curse's "Slash" far surpassed his own.
"Interesting."
A rare spark of excitement curved the corner of Ren's mouth.
He was going to seize this curse and learn from it—personally pry out the true essence of the Slash.
"Momo-senpai," he said in a low voice, positioning himself in front of her, "leave. I'll handle this."
"What?"
"When the timing's right, I'll call you back in."
A sharp sting of humiliation welled up in Nishimiya Momo's chest. She stared at the young man's straight, unwavering back.
She knew exactly what "the timing's right" meant.
It meant waiting until he defeated the curse alone—then calling her in to use Tsukumogami Manipulation to clean up the aftermath.
Humiliating, yes.
But Momo wasn't unreasonable.
Her only tsukumogami was already out of commission. Staying would only become a burden.
She nodded, head drooping, and dragged the broom—now broken in half—toward the exit.
"Oh—right," she added as she walked, concern slipping into her voice.
"Ren… know your limits. If it's too dangerous, don't hold back. Go all out."
Ren nodded. He understood exactly what "go all out" meant.
Ignore the so-called precautions.
Attack the tsukumogami's true body directly.
Forget about preserving it for later conversion into a shikigami.
Her concern warmed him—but it also triggered a powerful urge to complain internally.
Seriously… attacking the core depends on what the core is, okay?
A useless broom? Sure, smash it and it's done.
But this—
His gaze locked onto the gleaming blade in the curse's hand.
A sword.
Forged steel.
If anything, that's probably the hardest part of its entire body.
Momo had only taken a few steps when the curse's brows lifted slightly.
It glanced sideways—toward her.
Shhk—
A flash of silver vanished from sight.
"Watch out!" Ren shouted, his expression changing instantly.
In the next instant, the snow-white figure appeared directly in front of Momo, blade raised high, slashing down without hesitation.
Momo froze.
Clang!
Ren surged forward, cursed-energy blade arcing upward in a reverse cut, intercepting the strike just before it split Momo's skull.
The curse flipped backward, landing lightly—its sword arm trembling.
Ren frowned, eyes fixed on its still form.
Its strength isn't overwhelming…
So what is that speed?
Even with dynamic vision twelve times sharper than an ordinary human's, he hadn't caught its movement at all.
"Don't move," he said, pressing a hand firmly to Momo's shoulder.
The plan had changed.
With speed this overwhelming, the moment Momo strayed outside his immediate reach, the curse would strike—and she wouldn't survive it.
From now on, they stayed together.
The curse slid its blade back into the scabbard, fingers wrapping around the hilt.
The instant the blade cleared the sheath—
Shhk—
It vanished again.
Where—left? Right? No—
As Ren scanned frantically, another sharp shhk rang out behind him.
Turning was too slow.
He yanked Momo toward him and twisted his body—
Srrk.
Pain tore across his shoulder. Blood sprayed, flecking Momo's face.
"Ren!"
"I'm fine," he said through clenched teeth. "Just a scratch."
He steadied himself and looked back at the curse.
Under the moonlight, the white-clad spirit stood silently, sword in hand. Black hair fluttered in the night wind, the blade's cold gleam reflecting off its still form—eerily beautiful, deeply unsettling.
"So that's your technique," Ren muttered, lips curling, light flashing in his eyes.
"In that case… I'll get a little serious too."
His pupils contracted.
In the next moment, an immense surge of cursed energy erupted from his core—like a roaring tide—flooding his entire body.
The torrent wrapped around him completely.
Every cell felt as though it had been immersed in warm spring water—alive, energized, brimming with unprecedented power. But it wasn't just raw strength.
The world itself sharpened.
The darkness thinned.
The sway of grass slowed, crystal-clear.
Crickets sang distinctly in the distance.
He could hear earthworms turning beneath the soil.
He could hear the frantic pounding of the girl beside him—
even the blood rushing through her slender veins with each heartbeat.