Curse Returns, a gamble from the start, I awaken dual spells

Chapter 148 A Brief Calm

Deep in the alley, the sound of the three people's footsteps echoed in the narrow space.

Rito ran in front, his eyes quickly scanning the area ahead, searching for a safe hiding place.

Urajimaru and Fushiguro followed closely behind.

"Has he caught up?" Itachi turned his head to try and observe the situation through the corner behind him.

Rito shook his head.

It's impossible to confirm Fuheishen'er's zero curse power by sense alone.

The three walked through a small alley and saw a half-collapsed convenience store with the door ajar, revealing a dimly lit space inside.

"Go in first."

Rito raised his hand and lifted the roller shutter door slightly, and the three of them quickly slipped inside.

The convenience store was in a mess, with shelves overturned and cans, drinks and broken glass bottles scattered on the floor.

An emergency light on the ceiling flickered, casting dappled shadows.

After confirming that there were no pursuers at the door, Li Ren pulled down the roller shutter.

"We're safe for now." He turned around and looked at the two people behind him.

Itachi plopped down on the ground, panting heavily. His tattered school uniform was stained with blood, but most of the wounds had stopped bleeding.

Fukuro Megumi leaned against the wall, breathing slightly heavily, her forehead covered in sweat.

When he looked up, his gaze met Rito's, a hint of weariness barely perceptible.

"Tell me, what exactly happened?" Rito spoke first.

"How did you get in? Where is the others?"

Itadori and Fushiguro Megumi exchanged a glance, both with expressions that said, "Where do we even begin?"

In the end, it was Huzhang who spoke first.

"Since the third day of your journey into the Annihilation Realm, there has been no news from the outside world." Itachi's voice was low, tinged with a hint of self-reproach.

"Bel-senpai, Blok-sensei, and you, it's like you've all vanished into thin air."

"We tried to contact you, but all means of communication have failed. Some even say that the barrier inside the Death Return has undergone unpredictable changes."

Li Ren's brows furrowed slightly.

He did notice the communication difficulties when he came in, but he didn't expect the situation to be so serious that he was completely cut off from the outside world.

"And then?" Rito asked.

"Then—" Itadori clenched his fist, "I couldn't sit still anymore."

Fu Hei pushed up his glasses, tacitly agreeing with this statement.

"How did you get into the barrier?" Rihito pressed.

Haddō abandoned his relaxed demeanor and his expression turned serious.

"We found some information: the 9th barrier of the Death Return has an open entrance, which opens briefly every now and then in the middle of the night."

"It was left by a man named Hikari Kanken," Fushiguro Megumi added.

Li Ren's heart skipped a beat.

Hirokazu Nichisha —

That man definitely had a backup plan.

"Where is that entrance?" Rito asked.

"When we found the entrance in the abandoned subway station on the east side of the 9th barrier, it was about to close. There wasn't time to notify anyone else, so we had to rush in," Itadori said.

Li Ren's brows furrowed even more.

Hirokazu Hirokazu — that man is indeed unfathomable.

He left a contingency plan before entering the Death Return, and this contingency plan happened to point to the 9th barrier.

"How did you encounter Fuheshen after you came in?" Li Ren continued to press.

Itachi's expression became complicated.

"We encountered him not long after we entered the barrier." Itadori clenched his fist. "It seems he's been waiting for us, or rather, he's been waiting for Fukuro."

Rito's gaze shifted to Fushiguro Megumi.

Fushiguro leaned against the wall, his face expressionless, but his body was slightly tense.

"His target is me," Fushiguro Megumi said, her tone somewhat confused.

He didn't know why he had become that man's target, and even why he had implicated Itachi.

If it weren't for Rito's appearance, he might have used that move again.

Demon Void!

Li Ren fell silent; he knew the reason.

Fukushige is Fukushige's father.

But he is already dead; this one is merely a puppet named Fuheshel.

A puppet that only knows how to kill.

The emergency lights in the convenience store emitted a faint humming sound, their flickering light dancing on the faces of the three people.

Rito sat down against the shelf, took a bottle of water out of his pocket, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip.

He closed his eyes, quickly processing the information he had gathered.

Tong remained near the mall, responsible for monitoring the surrounding area.

Hiromi Nichisha and Shikaro Lai should have already begun reconnaissance on the other side of the city.

The sudden appearance of Itadori and Fushiguro Megumi disrupted his original plans, but also brought new variables.

"Riri." Itadori's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Rito opened his eyes and saw Itadori looking at him intently.

"Who is that man? Why did he attack us?"

Rito remained silent for a moment, then turned his gaze to Fushiguro Megumi.

Fushiguro Megumi leaned against the wall, her head down, her expression unreadable.

But his shoulders were slightly tense, clearly waiting for the answer as well.

Liren opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed back the words that were about to come out.

He knew the answer.

Fukushige is Fukushige Megumi's father, the man who left behind countless legends in the world of sorcery.

But what stands before them now is merely a puppet controlled by a spirit summoning spell, a killing machine devoid of self-awareness.

"I don't know," Rito finally said.

He could see the disappointment in Fushiguro Megumi's eyes, a look that was a mixture of confusion and some indescribable emotion.

Fushiguro never mentioned his father, but how could he remain unmoved when that face, so similar to his own, appeared before him?

"But I know one thing," Rito added, "His target isn't just you, but everyone who wants to stop the return of the dead."

Megumi Fushiguro looked up at Rito, her eyes seeming to ask, "Are you lying?"

Rihito avoided his gaze.

It's not that he doesn't want to speak, it's just that now is not the right time.

Learning during the battle that her opponent was her own father only plunged Fushiguro Megumi into an even more difficult choice.

Just then, a loud crash came from outside the roller shutter door.

boom!

The entire roller shutter door sags inward, the metal groaning mournfully.

The rivets on the door flew off, bounced a few times on the ground, and rolled down under the shelf.

All three of them tensed up at the same time.

"They're here."

Tiger Rod leaped up from the ground, clenched his fist, and the magical power within his body began to boil.

Li Ren raised his hand to signal Hu Zhang not to act rashly, his gaze fixed on the deformed roller shutter door.

boom!

Another loud bang.

A crack appeared in the center of the roller shutter door, and through that crack, a tall, dark figure could be vaguely seen standing outside.

"Step back." Rito's voice was deep, and he had already begun to gather magical power in his palm.

Although unwilling, Fushiguro Megumi and Itadori quickly retreated and found cover behind the convenience store.

The next second, the entire roller shutter door was torn apart by a terrifying force.

The sheet metal made a screeching tearing sound, flying to both sides and smashing bottles and jars on the shelves.

Fuheshchen stood at the door.

His gaze went straight past Rito and landed on Fushiguro Megumi.