Curse Return: Swordsmith Start

This time he saw it clearly.

It's not about speed.

The boy had anticipated his trajectory the moment he made his move, and then, with the most precise aim and the least effort, slashed the same spot on the black rope.

Without any attached spells, the cursed power was only used to strengthen the body; two strikes, at the same point.

Although he was prepared and managed to avoid the remaining black rope breaking in two again by shifting his position, he ended up crashing into a bus, shattering the windows and denting the vehicle.

The scene fell silent for a moment.

"Feed, feed..."

On the curse caster's side, someone swallowed hard.

Laru opened his mouth as if to say something, but nothing came out.

He had seen Miguel fight; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Miguel was the strongest on their side besides Xia You.

That man, relying on that rope, was someone many people couldn't handle in close combat. With his techniques, he could easily deal with almost all unknown techniques, making him extremely difficult to deal with. According to Xia You's estimation, this man could hold off Gojo Satoru for quite a while.

But now, that man was actually knocked away by a teenager with two stabs?

Two cuts... two unremarkable cuts.

Mimi and Nanako stood inside the cursed spirit, watching this scene through its vision, their faces ashen.

"That person..."

"It's that damn guy from last time."

The moment they saw his face, a memory resurfaced in their minds, and an uncontrollable surge of anger welled up in their hearts. They wished they could devour this guy who had publicly humiliated their beloved Lord Xiayou right now.

What upset them even more was that the opponent was so strong.

"He's gotten stronger? Even Miguel isn't a match for him?"

"Perhaps on the contrary..." Mimiko bit her lip, "It's because he wasn't serious last time at all."

Miguel slowly crawled up from the wreckage of the bus.

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes had completely changed. They no longer held that slightly contemptuous look, but instead a serious, even somewhat solemn, scrutiny.

After stretching his body, he realized he wasn't fatally injured and still had the strength to fight. However, he couldn't feel any relief because he had obtained very little information from this confrontation.

Because he discovered that everything he was proud of had no effect on this boy, as if the other was his natural nemesis.

I didn't see what technique he used. Could it be the same type of body enhancement as mine?

"With this level of skill, are you really a student...? Who exactly are you?"

The Yue man did not answer.

He jumped from the rooftop and landed in the middle of the street, the tip of his knife pointing towards the ground.

"I don't need to resort to such shortcuts as revealing the technique."

"You have one more chance," he said. "Use your own spell. That thing in your hand is useless against me. As you can see, my fighting style doesn't rely on spells. Although your thing can interfere with the operation of spells and incantations, its physical defense isn't that high, is it?"

The weapon flashing with a cold light in his hand seemed to be responding. To be honest, putting aside the special effects, what the black man was holding was just a slightly tougher rope. If he hadn't put in a lot of hard work on how to use it skillfully, it would probably be broken into several pieces by now.

Yue Ren didn't even apply any magical power to the blade, because it wasn't necessary. With the strength he had developed in forging weapons, penetrating "armor" was a piece of cake.

Miguel was silent for two seconds.

Then he gathered up the few remaining black ropes, straightened up, and stretched his shoulders.

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure disappeared from the spot.

The next second, he appeared beside Yue Ren, his magical power surging, and he threw a punch.

This is his technique, not incantation, but a pure enhancement of physical abilities. He is known as the strongest sorcerer abroad, not only because of the black rope, but also because of this body.

The spell "Song of Prayer"

Miguel's Life-Giving Technique allows him to dispel curses using the rhythm of his body while simultaneously enhancing his physical abilities. It's a powerful amplification technique that can strengthen oneself and weaken opponents without relying on a domain.

The fist struck with explosive force, sending up a huge cloud of dust. The sound attracted many eyes, the most intense of which were those of two young girls. If Miguel could help them kill that bastard, they would consider treating him to a meal later.

The Yue man dodged to the side, his blade flashing diagonally, slicing through the still-lingering smoke and dust.

Miguel parried with his fist, his arm colliding with the blade, sending sparks flying and producing a metallic clang.

The blade was blocked, but a building behind Miguel and a level-one cursed spirit passing by were instantly cleaved in two. The blade light, capable of easily cutting through reinforced concrete, was broken in front of this guy. This guy's body was actually this strong.

The Yue people were not surprised at all.

After all, he was the kind of guy who could be beaten up by Gojo Satoru for several minutes and still be full of energy, so it wasn't surprising that Echizen had such physical toughness.

With his powerful physique, special weapons that can disrupt spells, and considerable combat abilities, coupled with his unique strength and relatively weak opponents, it's not surprising that this guy could be called the strongest sorcerer outside of Japan, where sorcery is not prevalent.

But that doesn't mean the Yue people can't do anything to him; stacking armor is useless against him.

"Clang clang clang—"

Three consecutive strikes, each hitting the same spot.

A white mark appeared on Miguel's arm.

The black man's eyes changed instantly.

"You..."

The Yue people did not stop.

The fourth cut.

The fifth cut.

The sixth cut.

Every cut is made at the same angle, in the same position, and with the same force.

The opponent tried to disrupt this rhythm, but he couldn't. The boy's figure was like a ghost, always appearing suddenly during the gaps in his attacks to deliver a blow.

Miguel's arm began to feel numb, then tingling, and then at some point...

"Click."

The bone is cracked.

Miguel gritted his teeth and stepped back, creating distance.

He looked down at his bloodied and mangled arm, then looked up at the Yue people, his expression one of horror.

"What kind of monster are you...?"

Miguel only realized the problem at this moment. The difference in combat between the two was not strength, but something much deeper, just like how the same pistol would cause completely different kinds of damage in the hands of an ordinary person and a soldier.

It was a crushing superiority in skill, proficiency, and a profound understanding of the essence. From encountering a difficulty to finding a solution, it took the opponent less than a second, and implementing that solution only took a few cuts...

That boy showed no frustration or hesitation in the face of difficulties, only a calm determination to find ways to overcome and defeat his opponents.

Fighting against someone like that is like watching helplessly as your defenses are gradually peeled away, until you are completely defeated at a certain critical point, suffering a double blow to your body and mind—it's truly terrifying.

Damn it, how could that top-tier instructor produce such a monster? How strong is he himself?

Miguel has already lost. His defeat wasn't physical; his most serious injury was the marks on his hands. What truly defeated him was his heart, which had been terrified by the "truth" and surrendered.

Now he has only one thought in his mind, a desire dominated by the instinct for survival—'escape'.

This is an instinct that arises at the genetic level when faced with an opponent that makes one's biological instincts tremble.

In the middle of the street, Yue Ren sheathed his sword. He ignored the man's figure; the guy with dead eyes was no longer a threat. Yue Ren was also somewhat disappointed. He had thought this guy could give him a surprise, but it turned out to be just a guy with all sorts of special abilities.

Her actual skill level is only that of a relatively outstanding first-level sorcerer, roughly the same level as Mingming, or even slightly weaker. She relies solely on the special nature of her spells and the weapon she wields.

In gaming terms, he's a warrior who stacks armor and has an item that can negate mage damage, making him a big problem for someone whose strength isn't particularly outstanding. But for a six-armor swordsman like Yue Ren, it's just a matter of slashing a few more times.

Scanning the battlefield, everyone is fighting fiercely, and what they wanted has been obtained. Next... should we go check out the vocational college?

That seems like a good idea. Witnessing that guy's fate seems quite interesting, but I wonder if it will unfold as usual...

He was still very interested in the meeting between Xia Youjie and Wutiao Wu, these two sworn enemies, and the famous scene from "Pure Love Warrior," but he didn't know if he could make it there in time.

"Even if you defeat me, it won't matter. There are so many cursed spirits here. You can't possibly kill them all while protecting everyone. Accept reality. No matter how powerful you are, this world is still cruel."

A familiar foreign accent suddenly rang out behind him. The man, instead of taking the opportunity to escape, actually asked this question.

"......"

"Ha ha ha ha......."

After a moment of silence, the boy suddenly burst into laughter, laughing unrestrainedly and unable to stop.

Miguel was stunned. He didn't understand why the boy was laughing. Didn't he care about those people's lives? He really was just a guy with strength all he had. Xia You was right; the sorcerers trained at the advanced college were all...

The laughter also attracted the attention of the sorcerers and curse masters in the vicinity.

While some were focused on fighting the enemy, others were in charge of the overall situation, and the "commanders" of both sides were the first to notice the anomaly on this side.

"Why don't you look around before saying these things? Why do you think they need my protection?"

The Yue man's words startled the foreigner, who hadn't yet formed his judgment. He then turned to look at the battlefield. The sorcerers were fighting the cursed spirits, but contrary to his expectation of overwhelming numbers, the sorcerers were easily dealing with the vast number of cursed spirits. When did highly skilled sorcerers become so powerful...?

More than two thousand cursed spirits. Even though the area was divided into two parts because of the attack on Kyoto and Tokyo, there were still more than a thousand cursed spirits in each part. Even if dozens of sorcerers were divided equally, each of them would have to kill hundreds of them. Even if they were to stick their heads out and let each one of them be killed, it would still take a lot of time and effort. What's more, these were even more dangerous cursed spirits. Being surrounded could easily result in death.

But these guys... haven't suffered any casualties so far?

The next moment he discovered the key: the weapons in their hands, which were like peerless divine weapons of unparalleled sharpness. The cursed spirits were easily killed and scattered under the attack of those things... What exactly is going on?

"The plans of the reckless will always end up like this."

Seeing the still enormous number of cursed spirits, Yue Ren stood in the center of the battlefield, his cursed power radiating a terrifying aura for the first time.

Thanks to his reminder, Yue Ren also realized that this number was somewhat excessive for highly skilled sorcerers. Since that was the case, he decided to lend a hand, as it was also a good opportunity to demonstrate his strength.

The immense power instantly enveloped most of the battlefield. All the creatures fighting in Shinjuku, whether they were sorcerers, curse masters, or cursed spirits, paused for a moment, and then all looked toward where Yue Ren was.

"These guys are so numerous it's unbearable, so next, I'll show you something good."

On the sorcerer's side, Mingming and Ye'e, who were familiar with the Yue people, widened their eyes as they looked at the boy's immense aura and surging magical power. A terrifying possibility exploded in their minds.

"Is this guy going to...?!"

Meanwhile, amidst the horrified expressions of Miguel and the other curse masters, Yue Ren slowly spoke.

"Domain Expansion - Sword Formation Without Elements"

Centered on the Yue people, the sky collapsed and the earth split open, and then the world turned white.

At one point, the ground beneath everyone's feet disappeared.

What followed was the scorched soil.

Miguel snapped out of his daze and looked down. The ground beneath his feet was no longer the cement floor, but the barren soil. The soil looked as if it had been burned countless times by fire, its surface cracked, and dark red light lingered in the cracks, like the residual heat of a dying ember.

"What—"

He raised his head.

Then his voice caught in his throat.

The sky is shattered.

No, it wasn't broken, it was replaced by something.

The night sky, which should have been pitch black and covered by "tents", was now a place with clouds and sunlight.

All around, the concrete jungle typical of big cities was gone; instead, countless swords hung upside down, their blades pointing downwards into the ground, densely packed and stretching to the horizon.

As a foreigner who had specifically studied the history of this country, some of the swords were familiar to him—tachi, katana, tanto, Ōdachi; others were unfamiliar—strange-shaped, like things that only appeared in legends; and still others, he couldn't even describe in words, only vaguely recognizing that they were the shape of "swords".

They were quietly placed there.

It didn't move, it didn't make a sound, it just existed.

But it was this very existence that sent chills down the spines of the curse masters who were also imprisoned there.

Mimiko and Nanako sat inside the mouth of a toad spirit, staring in disbelief at the completely transformed world around them. As Natsuyu-sama's personal maids, they had naturally learned about this power from him, but they never expected that their first experience would be with their enemy.