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

Chapter 164 The Black Tower

The winds of the wilderness, carrying sand and gravel, howled across the open land.

Li Ren stood at the edge of the teleportation array, his gaze fixed on the distant black tower.

The patterns on the surface of the tower shimmered with a faint dark red light under the daylight, like veins that transported some kind of power to the top of the tower.

"This place—" Itachi looked around, his brow furrowed, "feels even worse than that previous area of ​​the sea."

Fushiguro Megumi crouched down, her fingertips touching the ground.

"The concentration of cursed energy is very high, but can normal organisms survive here?"

Sayo stood beside Rito, the light that hadn't belonged to her eyes fading, revealing her original clear amber pupils.

She looked up at the tall tower, her body trembling slightly involuntarily.

"That tower—" Xiaoye's voice carried a hint of unease, "I feel something inside calling to me."

Rito turned his head, his gaze landing on Saya: "Are you sure you were called?"

Xiaoye nodded, her hands clasped tightly to her chest: "It's a very vague feeling, like someone is calling me over."

Rito was silent for a moment, then reached out and patted her shoulder: "Don't be afraid, we'll go together."

"That tower should be the end of this level." Rito turned to Itadori and Fushiguro Megumi.

"Following the previous pattern, each level has a core objective; destroying it will open the path to the next level."

"So what's the core of this?" Itadori asked.

Rito shook his head: "I don't know, but since Sayo can feel the summons, it means that the tower may be related to her background."

Fushiguro Megumi frowned slightly: "You mean, the layout of the Death Return Barrier might have been deliberately arranged by someone?"

"Very likely." Rihito's gaze was deep. "The location of the sealing nodes, the design of the levels, and even the people we encounter may all be controlled by some kind of will."

"That Hitomi—" Fushiguro Megumi pondered, "What exactly is she?"

"I don't know," Rito answered honestly, "but she helped us, and at least for now, she didn't seem to have any ill intentions."

After discussing for a moment, the group decided to head to the tower first.

There were no roads in the wilderness, only rolling sand dunes and jagged rocks.

They proceeded along a dry riverbed, the rocks on both sides of which were covered with ancient carvings, like variations of some kind of script, but so blurred that they were unrecognizable.

After walking for about an hour, it gradually got dark.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the empty wilderness.

Li Ren suddenly stopped and raised his right hand to signal everyone to stop.

"Something's approaching." He said in a low voice.

The rustling sound grew closer and closer, like the sound of countless legs crawling at the same time.

The next second, the sand dune in front suddenly exploded, and countless fist-sized black beetles surged out like a tide. Each beetle had blood-red patterns on its back and its eyes emitted a ghostly green light.

"Another cursed spirit!" Itachi gritted his teeth and assumed a fighting stance.

Without hesitation, Li Ren quickly formed hand seals, and a ball of gray light condensed in his palm.

"Entropy-free".

He read it out softly and pushed his right hand forward.

The gray orb of light slowly drifted toward the center of the beetle swarm, then suddenly spread out, turning into a gray mist.

The moment the black beetles came into contact with the gray mist, their bodies began to turn transparent, as if they had been erased from the physical dimension by some force. They didn't even have time to struggle before they completely disappeared into the air.

In just three seconds, hundreds of beetles vanished without a trace, leaving behind an eerie silence.

Itadori's eyes widened: "That's an exaggeration—"

Fushiguro Megumi frowned even more deeply: "Rito, you look terrible."

The person in charge did not deny it.

He could feel that every time he used the power of "entropylessness", the curse power in his body was being pumped away like water, and the rate of consumption was far beyond his imagination.

He had already consumed nearly one-fifth of his spell power by eliminating just a few hundred small curse spirits.

If he were facing a more powerful enemy, he would probably only be able to withstand two or three full-force attacks.

"This technique is very energy-consuming, so it should be used sparingly whenever possible," Rito readily admitted.

"What if we encounter a powerful enemy?" Itadori asked.

Rito was silent for a moment, then gave a wry smile: "Then we can only rely on you."

Itadori patted his chest: "Leave it to me! I'll protect everyone until Rito recovers!"

Fushiguro Megumi didn't say anything, but his gaze held a firm sense of agreement.

The group continued onward.

As night deepened, the temperature in the wilderness plummeted, and a cold, damp air filled the air.

The black tower was getting closer and closer.

When they finally stood at the base of the tower, they truly felt the grandeur of the building.

The tower's base is at least fifty meters in diameter, and the tower itself extends straight upwards, piercing the clouds, making the top completely invisible.

The surface of the tower is covered with dense patterns that emit a faint dark red glow in the night, pulsating in a certain rhythm, as if breathing.

At the base of the tower is a huge stone door with no handles or keyholes, only a deep groove in an irregular shape.

Li Ren stepped forward and reached out to touch the surface of the stone door.

Icy.

Rough.

The moment his fingertips touched the stone door, the patterns suddenly began to flash violently, and the entire tower trembled slightly.

A deep voice came from inside the tower, like something was awakening.

"Come in----"

Li Ren's pupils suddenly contracted.

That voice—it was Hitomi's voice.

Rito took a deep breath, exchanged a glance with Itadori and Fushiguro, and then placed his hand on the groove of the stone door.

The stone door slowly opened, and a putrid smell wafted out.

Behind the door was a dark passageway, and the patterns on the walls on both sides gradually lit up with their footsteps, as if some ancient ritual was welcoming the guests.

At the end of the passageway was a huge circular space, with countless translucent spheres of light floating in the air, slowly rotating and emitting a faint glow.

In the center of the space, a figure stood with his back to them.

It was a woman with long hair that reached her waist, wearing a white robe.

She slowly turned around, revealing a face that was extremely familiar to everyone.

"Saya--" Rito subconsciously looked at the girl beside him, then at that figure, "No, you are--Hitomi?"

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The woman smiled slightly, her deep eyes gleaming with an ancient light.

"I am the guardian of this tower, and also the gatekeeper of the third level." Her voice was calm and gentle.

"But more importantly, I've been waiting for you all!"