Meanwhile, inside the curtain.
Shibuya Station, Inokashira Line, Avenue Gate.
"My suggestion is that Zenin and Kugisaki return to the surface now and help the Death Painting brothers rescue the trapped civilians while dealing with the transfigured humans."
Just before entering the stairs that led downward, Nanami gave his final advice.
"There are probably more than one special grade cursed spirits below. With your current strength it would be very difficult to participate in battles of that level. A battlefield like that requires someone at least at my level."
His expression was serious, and his words carried a clear warning.
If possible, he did not want the young students to face such danger so soon. But this was a special situation. All he could do was explain the risk and let them make their own choice.
As for Megumi, setting aside the fact that he still had a backup plan, just his ability to deploy a domain meant he could help greatly by staying beside him.
"Don't worry, Nanami-san. We can definitely help too!"
Maki spun the naginata in her hand. She had already decided to fight alongside her teacher.
"My close combat isn't as good as yours, but my technique might still be useful!"
Nobara raised the nails and hammer in her hands.
Facing the unknown danger ahead, the young sprouts showed no fear.
"Then let's go."
Nanami stopped trying to persuade them when he saw their determination. Being a sorcerer was a profession full of danger. The only thing he could do was walk ahead of them as long as possible until the day they could stand on their own.
The four of them continued underground together. According to the survivors they had met earlier, Satoru was most likely sealed somewhere on one of the lower floors.
"Wait."
But just after descending one level, Nanami suddenly raised his hand and stopped the students behind him. Right here, there was a strong fluctuation of cursed energy.
"Over there! Divine Dog Totality!"
Megumi immediately formed a hand sign. From his shadow, a gray wolf rushed out and charged toward a thick stone pillar.
Boom!
The Divine Dog that inherited the power of its fallen counterpart now possessed strength comparable to a normal semi-grade 1 sorcerer.
With just one strike against the pillar, cracks spread through the stone and forced the cursed spirit hiding behind it to reveal itself.
It was a small octopus.
"This is…"
Even though Nobara and Maki had prepared themselves to face powerful cursed spirits, they still froze when they saw him. No matter how they looked at it, this creature did not seem strong at all.
He was even timid enough to shrink back in fear when faced with the Divine Dog. Yet the cursed energy radiating from him could not be mistaken.
Startled by the wolf's attack, the octopus trembled and suddenly spat out a massive pile of bones that stacked up like a hill.
"You've got to be kidding. Did it eat everyone on this floor?!"
Witnessing this sight, the two girls immediately raised their guard.
"I'm so scared… Jogo… Hanami… Mahito…" The creature muttered the names of his companions while slowly climbing to the top of the pile of bones.
But when he spoke the name "Mahito," he suddenly froze.
'Dagon~'
A lively smile appeared in his mind. That person was his family. But now he was gone, and worse, he had been turned into an ability that the curse user could exploit.
"You actually killed Mahito… you…"
Blood vessels filled his eyes and his voice became hysterical.
The next moment, the small octopus body exploded, and a completely new form broke out from within. He still looked like an octopus, but now the cursed spirit had a body roughly the same size as Nanami. A pair of small wings had also grown on his back.
Floating in the air, the cursed energy he released was far stronger than before.
"I see. Just now it was only a cursed womb…"
Nanami finally understood. The opponent before them now was the true, fully formed special grade cursed spirit.
And this pressure… it was stronger than any special grade he had fought before. It was on the same level as the one who once rescued the stitched-face curse.
"Die, humans."
Dagon raised one finger.
A sphere of water formed at the tip of his finger, and in the next instant it turned into a raging tidal wave that crashed down toward the group below.
"What?!"
Nanami jumped away at the last moment, but the three students were completely swallowed by the ocean formed from cursed energy.
"Ratio Technique: Collapse!"
Nanami flipped through the air and swung his tonfas toward the curse.
Boom!
The weapon slammed into Dagon's crossed arms, and space twisted again.
For the third time today, Nanami triggered Black Flash.
Dagon was blasted out of the air and embedded into the wall. The ocean that had swallowed the others vanished the moment his cursed energy output was interrupted.
"Damn it…"
Maki and Nobara gasped heavily after escaping the danger, their eyes filled with frustration. If Nanami had not been there, just a moment longer and that attack would have killed them.
Even Megumi looked shaken. Against an opponent of this level for the first time, they were clearly far too inexperienced.
'It had no effect? No… its defense is simply absurd. Its durability is unbelievably high…'
Watching the arm he had shattered regenerate instantly, Nanami made his assessment.
The creature's cursed energy reserves were enormous. Far beyond an ordinary special grade. But Nanami did not care much about that. In a short battle, cursed energy only needed to last long enough.
Having a large amount of cursed energy did not mean the instant output would be equally large. The total amount determined endurance in long battles, while instant output was what mattered most in normal fights.
The real problem was the cursed spirit's technique. It was troublesome and had poor compatibility with Nanami's own technique. In such a confined space, with several students behind him, he could not fight freely.
"It's useless. As long as I stay in the air and avoid your attacks, I can slowly wear you down until you die."
After pulling himself out of the wall, Dagon raised his finger again, clearly planning to repeat the same attack.
"Nue!"
Megumi formed a hand sign.
Nue, wrapped in crackling lightning, shot into the air and rushed toward the curse. At the same time, Nanami bent his knees and prepared for the next attack.
"So slow…"
Just as Dagon was about to dodge Nue's attack, a sharp voice suddenly echoed from another staircase.
"Mirror Binding Technique!"
Dagon immediately felt his body freeze.
Haibara had arrived, and the moment he stepped into the hall, he used his technique on Dagon.
"Now!"
Nanami, Maki, and the others launched their attack together.
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