In the center of the charred black crater, the kneeling figure of the woman looked particularly disheveled and miserable.
The skin and muscles of her right forearm had been charred and peeled away by the terrifying explosion of cursed energy, exposing the arm bones, which glowed with a dull gray light. The pulsating death blade in her hand was now as dim as a candle in the wind, with even a few fine, dazzling cracks on the blade, as if it could shatter at any moment.
However, just as Genji was about to make his next move, and Mahoraga was quietly adjusting its posture—
Mutation and resurgence.
Within the woman's broken body, the cursed energy, deep as an abyss, cold and deathly still, suddenly flared up in an abnormal, almost "boiling" manner! Instead of bursting outward, it frantically compressed inward, condensing and concentrating on those terrible wounds.
Squirm... squirm...
A gruesome sound, as if flesh and blood were being reorganized, emerged. On the charred wound of the woman's right arm, the dead, burnt flesh quickly fell away, and the gray, inactivated muscle fibers and blood vessels beneath madly squirmed, intertwined, and regenerated like living gray snakes! Brand new, pale gray skin spread and covered the wound at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Not only her right arm, but the other burns and cracks on her body, some so deep the bone was visible, also healed and closed in the same strange manner. Even her tattered white haori was pulled back by some invisible force, the fragments returning, sticking together, and restoring itself!
Within just a few breaths, the woman staggered to her feet.
Her complexion had become even paler and more translucent, her long hair still singed and disheveled, her breathing somewhat unsteady, but the physical injuries had healed! Even the strange bones of her right arm were wrapped in new flesh and blood. Only the cracks on the death blade proved that the explosive baptism just now had not been an illusion.
"Oh?" A clear trace of surprise and investigative interest finally appeared in Genji's deep indigo eyes, breaking through his calm. He murmured to himself, his voice calm but thoughtful:
"Such rapid physical recovery... Is this the basic resilience granted by the body of a cursed spirit? No, ordinary special-grade cursed spirits, or even stronger ones, receiving such injuries mixed with a large amount of positive cursed energy, couldn't recover this quickly."
His gaze was like the most advanced scanner, analyzing the flow of cursed energy within the woman's body and the special energy fluctuations during her wound healing.
"A cursed spirit alone couldn't dispel these positive energy residues so quickly and complete such... regeneration."
Genji frowned slightly, an amazing hypothesis forming in his mind:
"The curse of death... The embodiment of the fundamental concepts of 'death' and 'ending'."
He recalled another special existence.
"It resembles the 'immortality' technique of Lord Tengen? This..." Genji stared at the woman below, whose breathing was gradually steadying.
"It seems she cannot be killed by ordinary means."
"It would likely take Mahoraga more time to adapt to her very 'existence,'" Genji made an instant decision. Mahoraga's adaptation required a certain amount of processing time for a single target. The woman's "immortality" was far more complex than ordinary techniques or physical abilities, requiring more data and time to analyze.
During that time, her ability to recover would remain a problem.
In that case...
The last trace of questioning in Genji's eyes vanished, replaced again by absolute calm and indifference.
He wouldn't wait for Mahoraga to adapt, nor would he summon other shikigami or use long-range cursed techniques.
He decided to descend personally and end the battle, which was beginning to seem a bit "unexpected," in the most direct way.
He slowly raised his right hand. I noticed that his right forearm was wrapped in a series of special bandages, which looked old but faintly traced with dark gold. The bandage was wrapped around a long sword, like the Sword of Extermination on Mahoraga's right arm.
Another Sword of Extermination.
Zen'in Genji indeed had a "Sword of Extermination"!
As a user of the Construction Technique, and possessing the Sword of Extermination from Mahoraga, Genji could naturally create another one.
He slightly twisted his wrist, and the dark silver long sword traced an elegant arc in the air, emitting a low, pleasing sword hum. The man and the sword together radiated an absolute sense of danger, returning to basics.
At the same time, as if echoing its master's fighting spirit, the hovering Mahoraga beside him suddenly jerked its severed right shoulder. A brand-new right arm, different from the previous one, along with its Sword of Extermination, was also restored and formed within a few breaths!
At this moment, above the crater floor, one man, one shikigami, and two Swords of Extermination locked onto the white-haired woman below.
But Genji seemed to think this wasn't enough. In other words, to deal with the troublesome "ordinary immortality" of the Naraku woman and her potentially hidden trump cards, he decided to annihilate all her possibilities in the shortest time with absolute force.
He raised his free left hand and pinched a seal before him. The incantations he chanted were short but heavy, each syllable causing the surrounding air to vibrate.
"Nine Spirits Divine General, manifest!"
Boom—!!!
An even more complex and magnificent cursed energy erupted from Genji's body, pouring into the shadow beneath his feet! The shadow instantly expanded and boiled, its color deepening to an abyssal darkness, as if connected to an ancient wasteland where all spirits dwelt!
Within the shadow, a colossal figure slowly rose, condensed, and appeared!
Its size was immense, rivaling Mahoraga's, and even thicker and more majestic.
It had a fierce tiger's head, amber vertical pupils burning with a wild hunting light, its large mouth slightly opening and closing, revealing dagger-like fangs. Below the neck, it connected to a tiger's body, covered in black and yellow magnificent fur and tense muscles, filled with explosive power.
However, from the waist and abdomen down, the body suddenly changed, transforming into the elegant and lithe body of a deer, covered in dark brown short hair, with four pillar-like hooves confidently stepping on the void with the agility and calm of mountain and forest animals.
The most striking thing was its four human-like arms, each with the physiological characteristics of an ox, wolf, tiger, and elephant.
And on its broad back, it unfurled a pair of wings that could cover the sky and sun—radiating a majestic momentum that could burn the heavens, boil the seas, and soar for nine days!
The Nine Spirits Divine General! Based on the Ten Shadows Technique, Genji combined the characteristics of the Jade Dog, Crane, Great Snake, Toad, Ox, Deer, Tiger, Rabbit, and... and finally created the ultimate combined shikigami, possessing nine different biological characteristics and cursed energy attributes! It was a perfect blend of strength, speed, defense, flight, elemental control, and hand-to-hand combat.
The moment the Nine Spirits Divine General appeared, it let out a strange roar that shook the four fields, a mix of tiger roars, deer calls, ox moos, wolf howls, eagle cries, and phoenix songs!
A violent beastly aura and divine coercion swept out like a tsunami, forming a suffocating, multi-faceted wave of destruction.
In the center of the crater floor, the woman, who had just slightly recovered and was secretly gathering strength, trying to turn the tide, suddenly looked up. Her chaotic gray eyes instantly constricted to the extreme!
Her eyes met three pairs of "eyes."
Genji's eyes—deep indigo and calm, like an ancient well.
Mahoraga's eyeless head "looking," as if seeing through all rules.
The Nine Spirits Divine General's amber vertical pupils burning with pure, wild warfare.
One man, two shikigami. Three threads of killing intent and power, equally terrifying but with completely different qualities, were like three collapsing primordial sacred mountains, crashing down upon her with a roar!
At this moment, the woman finally clearly understood what kind of existence, beyond common sense, she was facing.
However, amidst the despair, a darker, more insane flame quietly ignited in the depths of her chaotic gray eyes.
Genji gave her no respite. The dark silver long sword in his hand pointed forward.
"Destroy."
A simple syllable—like a declaration of war.
Mahoraga took the initiative, its heavy Sword of Extermination trailing a silver-white afterimage, slashing down again!
The Nine Spirits Divine General raised its head to the sky, roaring, its four arms swinging wildly! Its brutal bull hooves smashed through the void, shockwaves heading straight in.
And Genji himself—his figure seemed to dissolve into the wind, instantly vanishing from its spot.
The next moment, he appeared like a phantom in the blind spot behind the woman, the dark silver Sword of Extermination in his hand quietly thrusting into the back of her heart!
A trinity—a kill box.
The woman's pupils reflected the deadly attacks from three sides and three attributes, and the dark, insane flame within her suddenly burst forth!
She screamed, no longer holding back, her remaining "deathly stillness" power frantically infused into the cracked death blade. The gray light of the blade surged again, temporarily covering the cracks. She slashed a desperate, gray wheel of death in all directions, intent on mutual destruction!
"Get out of my way!!"
The gray blade, the silver sword, brute force, wind and fire, thunder... The madness of destruction collided within the charred crater!
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