The battle in the sewers had evolved from the initial probing and quick clashes into a war of attrition and countermeasures.
Using the strange characteristics of his "Idle Transfiguration," Mahito threw the remains of those "modified humans"—whom he had transformed somewhere between life and death—like an arsenal with limitless ammunition, at Kento Nanami from various cunning angles.
Bone spears, tumor sacs, flesh bombs, and even "composites" formed by fusing several remains that could move and bite autonomously for a short time... These "weapons" themselves might not be powerful enough to threaten a first-grade, battle-hardened sorcerer, but their malice, combined with the psychological pressure on Nanami that they were "once human," was constant.
Kento Nanami moved like a sophisticated, efficient machine in the narrow space, dodging the "rain of bullets." His evasions were precise to the millimeter, and with swings of his blunt blade, he blocked or shattered threats that were unavoidable. His breathing remained steady, and his eyes remained cold as ice.
Every time he saw these distorted "weapons" with human features shattered, and watched the last traces of pain or numbness disappear from their empty eyes, Nanami felt something cold settle in his chest.
But his blade hand never trembled.
Pity and hesitation at this moment would be disrespectful to those souls long gone, and irresponsible to potential future victims.
However, passively defending and destroying these "weapons" was not a long-term solution. Mahito continued to wander and bounce in the distance, like a cunning beast, using the modified humans to harass from afar, clearly stalling for time, looking for an opening in Nanami, or waiting for his cursed energy or spirit to weaken.
(The situation needs to change.) Nanami calmly analyzed.
(This cursed spirit's ability is extremely special and dangerous. His 'transformation of humanity' must be stopped. But more importantly... can those who have been transformed be saved?)
A thought flashed through his mind.
About several "special-grade sorcerers" known today. One of them is his junior—Yuta Okkotsu. Rumor has it that this student can "copy" and use others' techniques under certain conditions. Another is his senior, Suguru Geto, whose technique, "Cursed Spirit Manipulation," can absorb and control cursed spirits.
Since it is theoretically possible to "obtain" others' techniques, is there a possibility to utilize this technique?
This thought made Nanami's eyes sharper.
Killing this cursed spirit was certainly the ultimate goal, but if he could capture it, or at least part of its core tissue, it might preserve a glimmer of hope for saving those unfortunate victims. That would be far more valuable than simply eradicating it and destroying all the secrets and possibilities along with it.
To achieve this goal, he couldn't continue to just react to the ranged harassment like this.
He needed to be more proactive, and he needed an environment that could ensure the effectiveness of his attacks, limit the enemy's actions, and create opportunities for himself.
It's time to use it. Although "overtime" was annoying, sometimes one had to invest "additional budget" to achieve more important "work results."
Kento Nanami dodged another screaming bone spear launched violently, and using the recoil, retreated several meters, temporarily opening a small distance from Mahito. He stopped, raised the blunt blade in his hand, and pointed the tip towards the ground.
This action made Mahito's heterochromatic pupils grow even more interested. He stopped throwing and perched on a thick pipe in the distance, adopting a strange, hoof-like standing posture, looking on with interest.
"Oh? Going to show your true skills, Mr. Serious Sorcerer?" Mahito asked with a smile.
Nanami didn't answer. He simply held the hilt of his blunt blade with both hands, pressing it against his chest. The cursed energy, which had been maintained at a high level due to "overtime," began to frantically compress, condense, and construct itself, with unprecedented form and intensity, towards the blunt blade in his hands, and towards himself!
A stronger oppressive feeling, different from previous battles, began to emanate from around Nanami. The sewage water at his feet churned unevenly, and the moss on the walls visibly lost moisture and scorched.
(The effect of the technique disclosure is still...) Nanami calmly calculated in his mind. (Combined with the cursed energy overload from the 'overtime' state and the 'domain' prototype I've already constructed... the consumption and activation speed are within acceptable limits.)
He slowly closed his eyes, then snapped them open. In that moment, there was no trace of his usual fatigue in his eyes, only absolute, mathematical calm and determination.
"When modern sorcerers deploy a domain, the dual rules of 'must strike' and 'will be killed' are usually followed, ending the battle instantly," Nanami's voice echoed clearly in the sewer, as if making a final tactical confirmation. "But constructing and maintaining these dual rules requires extremely high demands for understanding cursed energy, barriers, and techniques, and the consumption after activation is simply astonishing."
"So I did the opposite."
He held the knife with both hands and took a step forward. With that step outwards, with the soles of his feet as the center, a strange scene composed of countless regular grids and scale-like phantoms, shimmering with a pale golden light, rapidly spread in all directions! The sewer space within a radius of dozens of meters, along with Mahito, the debris, and the sewage within it, were completely covered!
Within the grid, countless "7:3" scale marks flowed and flickered like living beings, everywhere, as if the entire length, volume, and even the very "existence" of this space were incorporated into some absolute and mandatory rules of division and measurement!
"My domain doesn't need to 'kill'."
Kento Nanami stood in the center of the domain. The black dividing lines on the blunt blade in his hand disappeared, replaced by the blade itself, which seemed to become part of this domain's rules, flowing with a pale golden halo of the same origin as the surrounding grid.
"Because my 'Ratio Technique' itself—as long as it can hit, as long as it can touch the '7:3' weakness that is forcibly created—"
He looked up, his eyes piercing through the layers of pale golden grids, locking onto Mahito at the other end of the domain, whose expression had become serious for the first time, and enunciated word by word:
"Every attack will be a 'critical hit'."
"Domain Expansion—"
The golden light grid illuminated the entire space! Everything enveloped within it, including Mahito, began to involuntarily have a clear pale golden mark with the "7:3" ratio point appear on the surface of their bodies! This was the domain's rule, forcibly scanning, measuring, and marking their "weak points"!
"—'Yin-Yang Interrupted Twilight'."
Buzz!!
The domain was fully formed! At this moment, within this space enveloped by the pale golden grid, Kento Nanami's "Ratio Technique" acquired unparalleled power and absoluteness!
He no longer needed to laboriously calculate and sense the enemy's weaknesses; the domain's rules would bring all enemy targets within range, and every point was the golden ratio! Whether a cursed spirit, a transformed human, or any other being!
He didn't need to establish a "must kill" rule, because within his domain, if his attack hit those marked "points," the already "critical hit" characteristic of the Ratio Technique would receive a terrifying domain bonus, achieving an almost "lethal" effect!
And all he needed to do was ensure the attack could "hit" those clearly marked points—with the "sure-hit" effect, this was far easier than finding and hitting weaknesses in complex combat alone!
"Now," Kento Nanami slowly raised the blunt blade in his hand, which seemed to have become an extension of the domain's authority, the tip pointing towards the countless pale golden "7:3" weakness marks flickering on Mahito in the distance. His voice was as cold as a judgment:
"Overtime. Time to finish this."