Gen Naoto stood amid a ground littered with indistinguishable fragments, her hand gripping Dōjigiri so tightly that even loosening her fingers felt difficult.
She had never experienced anything like this.
Growing up, the most she had ever seen were minor curses—things no more threatening than fly-heads. Even the cursed spirit from the recent curse user incident had been the most dangerous entity she'd encountered until now.
But this—
These curses came in waves.
Individually, they weren't strong, but she had to cut them down one by one.
Unlike before—when she had merely wounded an enemy and driven it off—the sight of flesh and severed limbs scattering across the ground was something she wasn't prepared for.
Tokiya Shingen, standing off to the side, barely needed to intervene.
Once the area was cleared, the doors along the corridor stopped opening.
He tried walking toward the pitch-black end ahead, but the corridor seemed endless—the darkness remained at a constant distance, neither approaching nor receding.
Eventually, Naoto disappeared from view behind him.
Shingen paused, thought briefly, and continued forward.
Not long after—
Two figures appeared from the darkness ahead.
Naoto, holding Dōjigiri.
And White Wolf crouched beside her.
Hearing footsteps behind her, Naoto turned in surprise.
"Shingen?! Weren't you ahead of me? How did you come from behind?"
Shingen didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he activated his technique.
Like a ghost slipping between cracks in time, he moved both forward and backward along the corridor.
Each time—
He ended up facing Naoto again.
Returning to his original position, he deactivated the technique.
Naoto blinked, slightly disoriented.
"Did you just… move?"
"This domain is structured like a ring," Shingen said calmly.
"No matter which direction you go, you'll return to the same point."
Naoto thought for a moment.
"Then what about the doors? If the corridor is a loop… where do they lead?"
Shingen stopped in front of one.
"That's what I'm about to test. Stay alert."
He turned the handle and opened the door.
Prepared for danger—
He instead saw his own back.
Shingen spun around and opened the door behind him.
Again—
His own back.
These weren't physical constructs.
It felt more like looking into a mirror—
Except the reflection wasn't facing him.
Naoto stepped closer, staring in confusion.
Her mind was clearly struggling to process what she was seeing.
After a moment of thought, Shingen said:
"Stand still."
He began backing toward the door while facing her.
In his vision—
The "other him" did the same.
Step by step, the mirrored figure retreated—
Until it reached Naoto.
At the same time—
Shingen felt something touch his back.
"…Spatial folding," he murmured.
"These two doors are connected."
"Crossing one brings you to the other."
"What we're seeing are projections."
He paused.
"…Then what happens if we keep opening them?"
Like placing two mirrors face-to-face—
In theory, the reflections should be infinite.
But in reality, imperfections and light loss eventually reduce everything to darkness.
What about this curse?
Click.
Shingen opened another door.
Naoto watched as yet another Shingen appeared.
Then another.
And another.
White Wolf tilted its head curiously.
Then spun in place—
Only to see a dozen identical wolves doing the same.
As Shingen continued opening doors—
Naoto's field of vision expanded again and again.
Each time—
Another Shingen passed by her.
"…Too slow."
Wheel of Time — Rotation.
With a distorted tearing sound—
Shingen blurred into motion.
Like mist slipping through space.
In an instant—
The chain extended far beyond the limits of sight.
Then—
A section suddenly shattered.
Shingen stared at the broken segment.
Though it quickly reconnected, he sighed.
"1,364… so that's the limit."
"I was hoping for true infinity."
He turned to Naoto.
"Get ready. I'm breaking this place."
"W—what?!"
Before she could react—
Shingen blurred again.
A piercing, distorted sound rang out.
The world began to collapse.
Naoto felt as though she were standing on something being twisted and wrung like a soaked cloth.
The ceiling shifted—
Now to her left.
The world spun.
She began to fall—
Toward what had become the "floor."
A hand shot out and grabbed her arm.
Shingen.
Holding Naoto with one hand and White Wolf with the other, he leapt into the air.
He activated his technique midair—
Then drew his bow.
In one fluid motion—
He nocked, drew, and fired.
A streak of blue cursed energy tore through the distorted corridor—
Blasting open a hole.
Grabbing both of them again—
He deactivated the technique.
They leapt through the opening.
The world snapped back.
They were back in the school corridor.
The moment Shingen set them down—
A violent gust came from behind.
A massive chunk of wall hurtled toward him.
BOOM!
Shingen punched forward.
The wall shattered into fragments the size of eggs.
Under his controlled cursed energy, the debris scattered harmlessly aside.
From the hole in the air—
A grotesque mass began pouring out.
"Get out of the building," Shingen said calmly.
"Take White Wolf with you."
Naoto didn't hesitate.
She handed Dōjigiri back to him, grabbed White Wolf, and leapt out the window.
The creature fully emerged.
Its enormous body burst through walls and staircases alike.
"Good thing I set up a Curtain," Shingen muttered.
"Cleanup would've been a nightmare."
The curse had six frog-like limbs.
Its face—
A vertical maw lined with spiraling rows of fangs.
Behind it trailed a massive, reptilian tail.
Shingen didn't activate his technique immediately.
Instead, he sighed.
"…Curses really are ugly. One worse than the next."
"Good-looking ones are basically extinct."
Still complaining—
He charged forward with Dōjigiri in hand.
Outside—
Naoto had just caught her breath—
When a series of explosions erupted.
She turned—
Windows shattered across multiple floors.
Then—
Three entire floors of the building were smashed open.
A figure shot out through the debris.
Tokiya Shingen.
Covered in dark, purplish fluid.
The curse followed—
Fully exposed under the moonlight.
Two of its limbs had already been severed.
A deep gash split its chest, exposing writhing flesh.
"Woof!"
White Wolf barked suddenly.
Naoto's instincts flared—
But too late.
A shadow lunged from her blind spot.
Pain exploded in her abdomen.
Something like a rope wrapped tightly around her neck and torso.
"Hey, kid!"
A cold voice rang out.
"Throw me that sword if you don't want her dead!"
Shingen landed.
Looked over.
A gaunt, sinister man held Naoto hostage.
The thing binding her—
A long, fish-like shikigami.
Nearby—
A massive toad restrained White Wolf.
Behind Shingen—
The giant curse charged.
Front and back.
Enemies on both sides.
Shingen smiled.
"You want this?"
He raised the sword.
"Here. Catch."
The curse user relaxed slightly—
But something felt off.
"…Why… does it hurt?"
"My hands… my legs…?"
He collapsed.
The fish shikigami disintegrated.
His final thought—
I've been tricked…
Shingen stood behind him.
Dōjigiri in hand.
The man's limbs were gone.
Shingen crouched.
Used reversed cursed technique to stabilize him—just enough to keep him alive.
"…I've got questions for you."
What happened was simple:
Shingen had imbued the thrown blade with his technique—
Pierced the man—
Then instantly switched the technique back to himself.
After retrieving the blade—
He severed the man's limbs and destroyed his shikigami.
Why the extra steps?
"Well," Shingen muttered lightly, "I did give him what he wanted."
"Just… not in the way he expected."
He glanced back.
"Oh. Right. One more."
The giant curse.
"You're interesting."
"Too bad you're not special grade."
One-handed seal.
Technique activated.
He leapt onto the creature's head.
The blade flashed in the moonlight.
A thin line appeared—
From head to tail.
Then—
The body split open.
The massive form sagged—
Still barely connected.
"…Let's not drag this out."
One final strike.
The head fell.
Exorcised.