Curse Return: Demon Void Girl Doesn't Want to Be a Weakling

At Meiji Jingu Station, on the fifth basement level, Itadori found the last nail.

He lifted his foot and stepped on it, a crisp sound of metal shattering came from beneath his feet, and fragments of the cursed nail bounced off.

A few seconds later, Itadori felt a surge of magical energy above his head; the tents outside Meiji Shrine Station were beginning to dissipate.

Huzhang wiped his hand on his pants; the cuts on his fist had healed, leaving only a few specks of blood.

He looked up at the ceiling and exhaled.

Okay, let's report this to Mashiro-nee.

As Huzhang placed his hand on the headset, about to connect to the channel, he heard footsteps behind him.

It came up the steps, going down one by one, and there was more than one!

Could there be a cursed spirit?

His heart tightened suddenly, his fists clenched, and he quickly turned around.

At the top of the steps, the bloated figure slowly descended, his back smeared with filth and blood.

The three people stood in the dim light on the fourth basement level, about ten meters away from Huzhang.

Zhang Xiang stopped in his tracks, looking at Hisahito Itadori, and had a strange feeling.

"Are you Hisahito Itadori?" Zhang Xiang asked after a moment's hesitation.

Although it was a question, the tone was not as doubtful as when he asked Mashiro before.

He was quite certain that this person was Hisahito Itadori, and asking was just a formality.

"Yes," said Tiger Rod, seeing the grotesque figure and bloodstains behind the swollen face. "You're the leader they're talking about?"

"My name is Zhang Xiang." Zhang Xiang took two steps forward, approaching Hu Zhang. "These two are my younger brothers, Huai Xiang and Xue Tu."

His strides were small, and his movements were not aggressive at all.

But Itachi did not let his guard down, because Zhang Xiang's eyes had never left him from the beginning.

The wicked man chuckled and said to Huzhang, "Kid, we meet again."

Itari, unsure whether they were friend or foe, simply nodded and asked, "How did you know I was here?"

"We met a silver-haired sorceress at Shibuya Station, and she said you were here," Zhang Xiang said softly.

"Silver hair?" Itadori was taken aback. "Did Mashiro send you?"

"Although I don't know her name, she said she was the one who made you say we were brothers."

"That's it." Itajimaru relaxed a little, retaining only basic vigilance.

If Mashiro sent them, they wouldn't have harmed him, but they might have lied to Mashiro.

Better safe than sorry.

Looking at his bloated expression, Huzhang nodded. "So, what brings you here?"

Zhang Xiang was silent for two seconds. He felt that Hu Zhang was related to them, but the feeling was not very strong.

Sparse and indistinct, hazy and unclear.

He has a certain sensitivity to all his brothers, especially at the time of their deaths.

But you can't just beat Haddock half to death and then try to understand him, right? Even if they were true brothers, all you'd get would be the words, "We're no longer brothers."

"I have something I want to ask you."

"Speak."

The man with the swollen face asked, "Who is your mother?"

Haddō frowned. "I don't know. He was born and then passed away."

"And what about Father?"

"I don't know either. I grew up in Sendai, and my grandfather raised me."

"..."

Zhang Xiang didn't respond immediately after hearing this, which only increased the possibility of a misunderstanding between the parents.

He raised his right hand from his side, palm up, and extended one finger.

A drop of blood seeped from his fingertip, hovering in the air above his palm, slowly swirling.

The dim light shining on it made the blood appear slightly luminous.

"My technique is called Crimson Blood Manipulation." He hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Can I have a drop of your blood? If there's a reaction, then we're truly brothers."

Tiger Stick stared at the drop of blood floating in the air. After thinking for a while, he bit his finger, and blood slowly flowed down from his fingertip.

As Zhang Xiang felt the blood from the detached tuberculus root, the sensation intensified.

Seeing the dazed, swollen face, Itachi said, "Hurry up, or the wound will heal."

"Oh, okay." Zhang Xiang came to his senses, caught a few drops of blood with his hand, and then used his own blood to cover it.

The two types of blood merged and mixed together.

The swelling phase activated the spell's power, and the Crimson Blood Manipulation Technique was activated. The fused blood floated up without any sense of rejection.

Zhang Xiang was overjoyed; Hu Zhang was truly a brother!

He stepped forward, stretched out his arms, and happily tried to hug Tiger Staff.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Itajō was startled and quickly backed away.

"Hirujin, we're brothers!" the swollen-faced man exclaimed excitedly. "Blood doesn't lie!"

The villains behind him, Bad Look and Bloodstained, exchanged a surprised glance.

Unexpectedly, it was true; they had another brother besides the Nine Phases Diagram!

"Oh..." But Itadori, to be honest, hadn't quite accepted this premise yet, and waved his hand, saying, "Calm down first."

Upon hearing Hu Zhang's words, Zhang Xiang realized that he had frightened him.

He stood there for a moment to catch his breath. "Although I don't know your parents' situation, the fact that we are brothers is genuine."

The villain spoke up from behind the swollen one, his voice much more relaxed than his elder brother's: "The three of us are the Nine Phases of the Cursed Embryo Diagram. Although we don't know why, you share the same blood as us; you are our younger brother."

Bloodstains peeked out from behind the swollen figure, its huge mouth opening and closing.

Although he didn't really like the person who hit him so hard, he couldn't help it if it was his younger brother.

"Little brother..." Itari stood there, rubbing his brow.

He remembered what his grandfather had said before he died.

Grandpa wanted to talk to him about his parents, but he interrupted him.

Now it seems that my background is quite unusual.

I regret it a little; I should have listened more carefully back then.

He looked at the three people in front of him. Apart from the bloated appearance, the other two were obviously not normal people.

What should I do if I'm reluctant to acknowledge this relationship...?

Furthermore, he is Mashiro's younger brother.

Although they weren't actually siblings, this identity gave him a place to stay when he had no one to rely on at the time.

The thought that three people were about to affect this relationship made him feel a bit resistant.

But now is not the time to be reckless; with a major battle looming, they urgently need combat power.

If his inner conflict causes harm to others, he will definitely regret it.

"I don't quite understand what you're talking about." Itari took a deep breath and then spoke, "What bloodline, what common origin, what Nine Phases of the Cursed Embryo Diagram?"

Zhang Xiang stared at him, waiting for him to finish speaking.

Haddock looked smug. "If we were brothers, wouldn't you help me?"

"right."

"Even if we have to fight against other cursed spirits?"

"It doesn't matter." Zhang Xiang smiled and said, "Youren, we brothers are one. Whatever you want to do, we will help you."