Chapter 13: A Desperate Struggle
"SCREEECH!!!"
The newborn Special Grade's scream exploded through the building like a blade made of sound.
Crash!
Every remaining window in the structure shattered at once.
Countless shards of glass rained down in glittering waves, flashing with deadly light under the dim glow filtering through the broken corridors.
"Ugh!"
Megumi Fushiguro let out a muffled groan. It felt as though countless needles had been driven straight into his eardrums.
But what truly made his heart sink was what happened next.
Thud.
A dull, heavy sound.
Divine Dog, which had been standing at his side just moments earlier, burst apart into a splash of black shadow.
"Divine Dog?!"
Megumi's eyes widened in disbelief.
Just a roar.
Just one roar, and his shikigami had been destroyed instantly.
So this was a Special Grade?
Overwhelming.
Utterly overwhelming.
On the other side, Nobara Kugisaki was blasted backward by the sonic shock before she could even brace herself. Her body slammed hard into the wall.
"Cough!"
She hit the ground clutching her chest, a thin line of blood slipping from the corner of her mouth. Her hammer and nails scattered across the floor.
"S-so strong..."
Her voice trembled.
"This is the thing we're supposed to fight?"
Even Yuji Itadori, blessed with absurd physical ability, felt blood rushing violently through his skull. He gritted his teeth and fixed his gaze on the newly hatched monster.
It floated in the air like some malformed nightmare.
Dense cursed energy clung to its body so heavily it looked almost solid. The black aura twisted into countless writhing tendrils, dancing in the air like living tentacles.
"This is bad..."
Yami tightened his grip on his blade.
He had known a Special Grade would be strong.
But facing one head on, feeling that suffocating pressure pressing against his skin, still exceeded what he had expected.
Even with Yoriichi Tsugikuni's template, a long absent chill had crept back into his body.
"ROAR!!!"
The Special Grade seemed pleased with the effect its scream had produced. The twisted faces on its infantile body all split into savage grins at once.
Then it moved.
Whoosh!
A black blur tore through the air.
Fast.
Too fast.
Before Yuji could even blink, a gigantic black tentacle had already appeared right in front of him.
"Watch out!" Megumi shouted.
Yuji reacted on instinct, crossing his arms to defend.
Boom!
The impact sounded like an explosion.
Yuji was sent flying like a cannon shell. He smashed through two walls before finally crashing to a stop.
"Itadori!"
"Yuji!"
Megumi and Nobara shouted at the same time.
"Cough... cough... that hurts..."
Amid the rubble, Yuji forced himself back to his feet.
Both of his arms were twisted at ugly angles.
If not for his monstrous physical toughness, that single blow would have reduced him to pulp.
"So this is a Special Grade..."
Yuji stared down at his shaking hands, and for the first time, real fear appeared in his eyes.
His fists could dent concrete.
But when he struck that tentacle, it had felt like hitting some impossible mass that swallowed all force without breaking.
It was not simply stronger.
It was on an entirely different level.
"It's not over yet!"
Megumi crushed down his fear and threw his hands into another sign.
"Orochi!"
A gigantic serpentine shikigami surged out of the shadows, lunging toward the curse in an attempt to bind it.
But
Rip!
One tentacle flicked through the air.
The giant serpent was torn apart instantly.
No struggle.
No resistance.
Just erased.
"Damn it... damn it!"
Megumi's heart dropped straight to the bottom.
Divine Dog had died in one scream.
Orochi had been destroyed in one strike.
His shikigami were no more durable than paper in front of this thing.
Do I really have to use that?
His fingers trembled as he shifted unconsciously into a forbidden opening stance.
The precursor.
The posture for summoning Mahoraga.
The move of mutual destruction.
Then a hand landed gently on his shoulder.
"Don't throw your life away yet."
Megumi froze.
That hand was steady, warm, and strangely calming.
He turned sharply and met Yami's eyes.
"Yami...?"
"Step back."
Yami did not waste words.
Just those two.
"But..."
Megumi wanted to argue, wanted to say something, anything, but Yami had already moved past him and was walking alone toward the grotesque curse suspended in the air.
Yami exhaled softly, a faint white mist leaving his lips.
"This is going to be rough."
His gaze remained fixed on the Special Grade Cursed Spirit.
"But if I don't fight with everything I have..."
"We really are going to die here."
The curse seemed to understand his intent.
All of its scarlet eyes turned toward him at once.
"ROAR!!!"
With that howl, dozens of writhing tentacles descended from above like a storm of black rain.
There were no blind spots.
No openings.
No route of escape.
It was a killing blow.
"Yami!!!"
Nobara screamed, shutting her eyes in despair.
Then
Thump.
A single heavy heartbeat rang through the corridor.
No.
It did not sound like a normal heartbeat.
It sounded like a war drum.
Yami widened his stance slightly. The hilt in his grasp creaked under the pressure of his fingers.
And his breathing changed.
Not the steady, dance like rhythm from before.
This was hotter.
More violent.
More domineering.
It was as if each inhale ignited his lungs from within.
A massive surge of oxygen flooded into his body.
His blood roared through his veins like molten lava.
His temperature rose sharply.
[The system has detected a powerful protective will within the host, resonating with Yoriichi Tsugikuni's soul.]
[Role playing progress has exceeded 5%.]
[Congratulations. Sun Breathing, Forms One through Three, have been officially unlocked.]
The system's voice echoed through his mind.
At that exact moment, Yami opened his eyes.
In those dark red pupils, it was as if the sun itself had risen.
A magnificent presence burst out from his seemingly slender frame, brilliant and overwhelming, like dawn breaking over a world locked in darkness.
The oppressive chill filling the building was driven back in an instant.
Even the ordinary blade in his hand began to turn red under the fierce heat surging through him, letting out a sizzling hum.
The air itself seemed to ignite.
Faced with the descending storm of tentacles, Yami did not retreat.
He stepped forward.
"Haa..."
A scorching breath escaped his lips in a plume of white mist.
"Since I can't dodge all of them..."
His grip tightened.
Then his voice fell, quiet and absolute.
"I'll cut every single one down."
.....
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