Chapter 4: The Special Grade Appears
Previously…
A small cursed spirit crept nervously out of a jagged hole in the hospital wall. Its thin limbs trembled as it peeked around the ruined corridor, its single eye darting left and right as if afraid something might be hunting it.
The creature exhaled a shaky sigh of relief.
For a brief moment, it believed it had escaped.
Then—
THWACK.
A bone spear tore through its skull, pinning the creature to the wall before it even had time to scream.
The cursed spirit dissolved into drifting black particles.
A familiar translucent screen appeared in front of Sanjiro.
---
[System Notification]
Grade 4 Cursed Spirit Eliminated
Reward: 50 Fusion Points
---
Sanjiro grinned.
And then he ran.
He sprinted down the hospital hallway like a silver-haired blur, his hoodie fluttering behind him as bone after bone shot from the air around him.
Spears.
Spikes.
Walls of jagged bone.
Every direction he moved, another cursed spirit fell.
---
[System Notification]
Grade 4 Cursed Spirit Eliminated
Reward: 50 Fusion Points
[System Notification]
Grade 3 Cursed Spirit Eliminated
Reward: 100 Fusion Points
[System Notification]
Grade 4 Cursed Spirit Eliminated
Reward: 50 Fusion Points
---
The notifications stacked endlessly in the corner of his vision.
His Fusion Points climbed higher and higher.
Sanjiro's grin widened until it bordered on manic excitement.
"Hehehe…"
A quiet giggle escaped his lips.
"Jackpot."
Behind him—
Shoko Ieri was struggling badly to keep up.
"Sanjiro-kun, wait!"
Her voice echoed down the hallway, but Sanjiro was already far ahead.
She stopped running and bent over slightly, catching her breath.
"…seriously?"
She pulled out her phone and tried calling Geto.
No signal.
She tried again.
Still nothing.
Her brow furrowed.
"Where did those idiots disappear to…?"
Behind her—
Something moved.
A long black tail slid silently across the cracked tiles.
Shoko never noticed.
In an instant—
The tail snapped forward.
It wrapped around her body and clamped tightly over her mouth.
"Mmmph—!"
Her eyes widened.
She struggled violently, trying to break free, but the creature behind her was far stronger.
The one-eyed cursed spirit slowly stepped into the light.
Its pale scaled body towered above her.
Its single eye stared at her with cold hunger.
Then—
Something horrifying happened.
A massive mouth split open across its chest, revealing rows of jagged teeth.
A long tongue slithered out.
It slowly dragged across Shoko's face.
Saliva smeared across her cheek.
Her entire body trembled with disgust and fear.
The cursed spirit began lowering her toward the mouth.
Preparing to swallow her whole.
Then—
SHRRRKKK!!
A barrage of bones exploded through the air.
They slammed into the creature's chest, forcing the mouth to snap shut.
Another bone—this one glowing orange—burst from the ground beneath the curse.
It sliced cleanly through the tail holding Shoko.
The severed limb fell limp.
Shoko collapsed to the floor.
The curse roared and lunged to grab her again—
But a wall of bone spears erupted between them, blocking its path completely.
A moment later—
Sanjiro burst into the hallway.
Two long bones spun in his hands like batons, their tips glowing with concentrated blue cursed energy.
"Get your filthy hands off her, you mutt!!"
He charged forward.
The cursed spirit snarled in fury, abandoning Shoko entirely as it rushed to meet the new challenger.
The two collided in the center of the hallway.
CLANG!
Bone batons smashed against razor claws.
The impact cracked the surrounding tiles.
Sanjiro gritted his teeth as the creature's strength pressed against him.
"Argh…"
The cursed spirit tilted its head slightly.
"So…"
Its voice echoed strangely inside the room.
"You offer yourself as sacrifice in her place?"
Sanjiro smirked despite the pressure.
"Nah."
He shoved harder against the creature.
"You've eaten enough already."
He flashed a crooked grin.
"Any more and you'll turn into a ball."
The curse chuckled darkly.
"What if I want to become a ball…"
"…after eating the both of you?"
Sanjiro's grin widened.
"Well…"
He kicked the creature square in the chest.
"…too bad."
The force pushed the curse backward several meters.
Sanjiro immediately hurled the bone batons.
They spun through the air like deadly boomerangs.
But the cursed spirit's tail regenerated instantly, snapping forward to deflect both weapons.
The bones shattered against the scales.
Then the creature's single eye closed.
When it opened again—
It glowed.
A beam of condensed cursed energy erupted from its eye like a laser.
Sanjiro's body reacted instantly.
He flipped backward, twisting through the air with surprising agility.
The beam carved through the hallway behind him.
He grabbed Shoko with one arm and rolled sideways as the attack chased them.
Chunks of the hospital walls exploded around them.
"That thing's skin is tough…"
Sanjiro muttered while sprinting across the room with Shoko in his arms.
"…and it regenerates fast."
The beam followed him relentlessly.
"…and it has ranged attacks too."
After several tense seconds, the beam finally stopped.
The cursed spirit charged again, claws raised for a killing strike.
But before it could reach him—
SKREEEE!
Blue bones erupted from the ground and pierced straight through the creature's torso.
The curse froze mid-charge.
Then more bones burst from every direction.
From the floor.
From the walls.
From the ceiling.
They stabbed into its body repeatedly, pinning it in place like a grotesque sculpture.
"ARRRHHHH!!"
The creature shrieked.
Sanjiro gently set Shoko down.
"Well…"
He conjured a final bone.
This one shaped like a long spear, completely coated in cursed energy.
"That should take care of things."
He raised his hand.
"Time to finish you."
The spear launched forward.
The trapped curse thrashed wildly.
But just before the weapon could strike—
Its horn began glowing purple.
Its eye followed.
A strange energy rippled outward.
---
Cursed Technique: Blank Moment
---
Everything stopped.
Time froze.
The falling dust.
The flying spear.
Even the flickering lights.
Everything became perfectly still.
Then—
Reality shifted.
Sanjiro suddenly gasped.
His body jerked violently.
He looked down in shock.
A thick black tail was wrapped around his neck.
He was being lifted into the air.
His mind struggled to process what had happened.
A moment ago he had been winning.
Now—
He was trapped.
Shoko lay several meters away, unconscious.
The cursed spirit stood before him completely free.
Its horn and eye still glowing purple.
The creature laughed.
"Did you enjoy that little trick?"
Sanjiro struggled desperately.
He summoned a bone sword and stabbed at the tail—
CRACK.
The weapon shattered instantly.
The curse tilted its head mockingly.
"At first…"
Its voice slithered through the air.
"I planned to eat you alive."
Its claws sharpened into deadly points.
"But now…"
It raised its arm slowly.
"…there's no reason to keep you alive."
Sanjiro's vision blurred.
The claws aimed directly at his heart.
"Bye bye."
The strike came down—
Then—
CRASH.
A black portal exploded open above the curse.
A figure dropped from it like a falling comet.
A foot coated in cursed energy smashed directly into the creature's face.
The impact slammed the curse into the ground with tremendous force.
The floor cratered beneath it.
Standing above the creature was Gojo Satoru.
His eyes burned with fury.
"DON'T YOU DARE LAY A FINGER ON MY LITTLE BROTHER!!!"
He grabbed Sanjiro midair, tearing him free from the tail.
Then he leapt backward—
Firing a Lapse Blue behind him as he moved.
The technique slammed into the fallen curse, blasting it deeper into the crater.
Satoru landed near Shoko.
Geto arrived at the same moment, helping her sit upright.
Beside him floated the portal-using curse they had defeated earlier.
Now all four of them stood together again.
Satoru immediately crouched beside Sanjiro.
"Are you okay!?"
His normally playful voice carried genuine panic.
He inspected the boy quickly.
Bruises.
Cuts.
Blood on his hands.
Satoru's expression darkened.
"Oh my god…"
His voice lowered.
"You're hurt pretty badly."
He slowly stood up.
Then turned toward the crater.
The cursed spirit rose slowly from the rubble.
Its single eye glared at them.
Satoru removed his sunglasses.
They clattered softly to the floor.
His Six Eyes opened fully.
Glowing.
Cold.
Terrifying.
"You're going to pay for that."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
Beside him, Geto summoned two cursed spirits.
A massive dragon-like curse coiled through the air.
A grotesque octopus creature slammed its tentacles onto the floor.
Geto stepped into a martial stance.
"You dared to harm our friends."
His voice carried deadly intent.
"Now repay that debt with your life."
The cursed spirit hissed.
The hospital trembled under the pressure of their cursed energy.
And the real battle—
Was about to begin.