"Third floor's all good too!"
As the group ventured deeper, the initial tension eased slightly.
Though the number of Curses remained high, they posed no threat against Yoru's absurdly skilled swordsmanship.
Often, just as Megumi Fushiguro released his Divine Dogs to scout and Yuji Itadori took his stance, Yoru had already sheathed his blade.
This left Nobara Kugisaki, who was eager to show off her skills, feeling extremely frustrated.
"Hey! Yoru!"
"Could you leave a couple for me to practice on?"
"I specifically bought new nails, and I haven't even used them yet!"
Nobara grumbled, huffing as she kicked a pebble at her feet.
She felt like she was on a field trip, with zero sense of participation in exorcising Curses.
"Sorry."
Yoru offered a sheepish smile.
"My body just moved on its own."
He wasn't just humble-bragging.
As his synchronization level increased, Yoriichi Tsugikuni's combat instincts were gradually seeping into his very marrow.
At the sight of those foul-smelling Curses, his muscles would react before his brain could—a demon-slaying instinct etched into his DNA.
"Tch, stop acting like you're doing us a favor."
Nobara rolled her eyes and prepared to check the corner ahead.
Suddenly, something changed.
Without warning, a pale arm lunged out from the shadows of an empty wall.
The arm was spindly like a dead branch, but its claws were sharp as razors, silently swiping at the back of Nobara's neck.
This was a Grade 2 Curse with a degree of intelligence!
It had been lurking in the shadows, using the deaths of its kin to dull their senses, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
And now, that moment had arrived.
"Nobara! Behind you!"
Megumi Fushiguro, bringing up the rear, widened his eyes and shouted in terror.
But it was too late—the distance was too short, the speed too great.
Nobara Kugisaki didn't even have time to turn around before a bone-chilling cold washed over her.
'I'm going to die...'
The moment the thought crossed her mind, those sharp claws grazed the skin of her neck.
At that critical split second—
*Whoosh—*
A gust of wind.
A scorching wind suddenly whipped through the narrow corridor.
Nobara's vision blurred.
Yoru, who had been standing several meters away, vanished instantly without a trace.
Then, a flash of red light erupted in the darkness.
Like the first ray of dawn, it tore through the shadows.
*Slash!*
The pale arm that was about to pierce Nobara's throat was severed cleanly at the shoulder.
Before the black blood could even spray out, it was vaporized by the intense heat clinging to the wound.
"Gaaaaah—!!!"
A wretched scream echoed from the shadows.
The Grade 2 Curse clutched its stump and recoiled in terror, but it was already out of chances.
Yoru appeared before it like a ghost, his blade now held in a reverse grip.
"Since you reached out, you can leave your life behind."
*Thwack!*
A flash of steel, and the massive head went flying into the air.
Even as its body hit the floor and crumbled into ash, the Curse's face remained frozen in terror.
It didn't understand until the very end how a human with no Cursed Energy could be so fast.
So fast that even a Curse's senses couldn't keep up.
Silence returned to the corridor.
Yoru stood in front of Nobara, his back to her, slowly lowering his sword.
His school uniform didn't have a single wrinkle, as if the heart-pounding moment just now had been nothing more than an illusion.
"Are you hurt?"
Yoru didn't turn around, his voice remaining calm and gentle.
But to Nobara's ears, it sounded like heavenly music.
*Thump, thump, thump...*
It was the sound of her heart racing wildly.
'Is this that Suspension Bridge Effect people talk about?'
In that moment, with the shadow of death looming over her, the back of the person shielding her seemed so...
...towering, reliable, and maybe even a little handsome?
"I-I'm fine!"
Nobara Kugisaki took a deep breath, trying to steady her racing heart, refusing to act like a fangirl.
"Hmph, I guess your reflexes are decent."
"But that Curse was just being sneaky. I only let my guard down!"
She spoke stubbornly, though the hand gripping her hammer was still trembling slightly.
Yoru turned around, a slight smile playing on his lips as he saw her trying to act tough.
"Yeah, I know."
"But for the rest of this, stay close to me."
"What's up ahead might be even more dangerous than this."
No sooner had he spoken—
*BOOM—!!!*
The entire building suddenly shook violently.
A deafening roar thundered from the direction of the roof.
Immediately after, a suffocating, terrifying pressure descended from above, as heavy as a falling mountain.
"This Cursed Energy..."
Megumi Fushiguro's face went pale instantly, his breathing becoming labored.
"No way..."
"Residual Cursed Energy of this level..."
Yuji Itadori clutched his chest, the nauseating sensation making him want to gag.
Only Yoru remained calm.
He looked up, his gaze seemingly piercing through the layers of the building to find the source of that malice.
"Finally losing your patience?"
He whispered, the hilt of his sword creaking under his grip as the blood in his veins began to boil.
It was the thrill of facing a powerful foe—the excitement of a hunter spotting its prey.
"A Special Grade, huh...?"