Curse Return: Swordsmith Start

His tone was as indifferent as if he were asking what to eat today.

Maki's pupils contracted sharply; she still couldn't quite believe it.

"It really can..."

"Two choices." Yue Ren held up two fingers, showing no intention of responding to her question.

"First, sever the connection between you at the soul level, completely strip away your magical talent, and hand it all over to Mayi."

His gaze fell on Maki's face.

"You will become the second generation of 'Heaven and Tyrant,' with zero curse power, possessing only pure physical strength and resistance to curse power."

Maki's breath hitched for a moment.

She remembered that Yue Ren had mentioned the man who was her cousin, a man without magical power who had almost killed Gojo Satoru, the strongest sorcerer.

Pure power, pure violence, pure—

free.

"And the second one?" May's voice came from behind, trembling slightly.

"Second," Yue Ren looked at her, "maintain the status quo, pretend I said nothing, and you continue to live half-heartedly like this, dragging each other down, enduring the contempt of others, and none of you will go far."

The room became so quiet that you could hear the air flowing outside.

Maki lowered her eyes and remained silent for a long time.

Zhenyi bit her lip, looking at her sister's profile.

From childhood to adulthood, she has gazed up at her sister's back countless times... Now, can this really solve her troubles...?

"I choose the first one."

Maki raised her head, her eyes showing no hesitation.

"elder sister--"

"What do you think I'd choose?" Maki interrupted her, a nearly provocative smile playing on her lips.

After being enlightened by Yue Ren, Maki realized that the essence of power was not just about becoming a powerful sorcerer. As expected, she made a choice. Her original wish was to become the head of the Zenin family and shut up those people she hated. But now, she has unconsciously given up this ridiculous wish.

Even she herself didn't realize that, for some reason, she longed to become truly "powerful".

"I haven't needed that kind of magical power for a long time."

She had never felt that the power of magic was of any help to her. In fact, after Yue Ren explained to her, she realized that the meager power of magic in her body was one of the reasons that was preventing her from becoming stronger. So you can imagine how much she hated this kind of thing that sorcerers craved.

She turned to look at her sister, her eyes devoid of those complex emotions for the first time.

"I've given you everything that's rightfully yours. In return, don't try to influence me. Even though we're sisters, shouldn't we each have our own lives?"

Zhenyi stood there, stunned.

Zhenyi's eyes suddenly reddened; it turned out that her sister felt the same way she did.

Sometimes, a proper distance is necessary for feelings to flourish. Their relationship was simply "too close," and perhaps a complete separation would be the true relief for them.

"So..."

Yue Ren's aura changed slightly. He raised his hand, and a seemingly ordinary blade appeared in his hand, its blade gleaming with a cold light in the dim light.

"Come stand here."

The two walked to the pedestal and stood there.

The Yue man gripped the hilt of his knife tightly, raising the blade slightly.

The two of them nervously swallowed slightly.

"Don't worry, it won't hurt."

"Ha, why would I care...."

Before he could finish speaking...

The knife fell.

No sound.

Maki's pupils suddenly dilated.

In that instant, she felt as if she had been cleaved by something, as if something that belonged to her body had fallen off. She felt a little uncomfortable and reluctant... but soon, a feeling of relief washed over her.

At the same time, Zhenyi was also shocked.

After experiencing the same sensation as her sister, a massive surge of magical power suddenly erupted from the depths of her body, even completely enveloping her entire body at one point.

Like a long-dried riverbed suddenly flooded, she staggered back half a step, supported by the wall behind her, and tears rolled uncontrollably down her cheeks.

This is not because of pain.

Rather, it was because... she had never felt so relaxed before, and a wonderful feeling of "being independent" arose in her heart.

The feeling of "being reborn" caused her consciousness to tremble involuntarily, which manifested physically as tears of joy.

The blade shattered.

The Yue man withdrew his hand as if nothing had happened, but a fine bead of sweat appeared on his forehead, barely perceptible.

Maki stood still, looking down at her hands.

It seems like nothing has changed, yet it also feels like everything has changed.

The world became clear to her.

Not only did her enhanced vision allow her to clearly see dust in the air, but she also seemed to have many more channels of "perception," including smell, hearing, and even a sixth sense.

She frowned slightly, the sudden increase in "hardware" making it difficult for her to control for a moment. The sounds of the environment, the pulse of breathing, the chirping of birds and insects, the heartbeat of a person, the flow of blood, all rushed into her senses. The surroundings were really "too noisy".

She clenched her fist, thinking she had just given it a light tap.

The air crackled; it was pure, unadulterated physical power, devoid of any magical influence.

By barely managing to focus her attention using what she had accumulated so far, and with the discomfort properly dispelled, Maki looked up and grinned.

Her smile held both the ferocity of a wild beast and the serenity of a young girl.

The two girls first confirmed, then were surprised, and then burst into tears. The first to break down, Maya, suddenly hugged her older sister.

From this moment on, they are sisters in the truest sense, not two individuals partially mixed together.

Yue Ren leaned against the workbench, watching the two sisters embracing each other.

He curled the corners of his mouth into a smile.

Outside the window, the cherry blossoms are in full bloom.

The workshop door closed behind him with a dull thud.

Maki stood under the eaves, looking down at her hands.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the cherry blossom trees, casting dappled shadows on her palm.

She clenched her fist, then released it, clenched her fist, then released it... Each time, the air emitted a slight popping sound, as if something invisible was being crushed by her.

She suppressed the urge to look back at the workshop behind them, simply because her younger sister was still there. She didn't want her sister to know how she felt at that moment, and she even had a feeling that her sister must feel the same way. The boy in the room behind them had left an indelible mark on the sisters' hearts at that moment.

She will repay this kindness in her own way.

"Maki."

Mayi's voice came from behind, with a slight nasal tone.

Maki didn't turn around.

"Are you... alright?"

"What could it be?" Maki finally turned around, her face showing her usual impatience. "It's just—"

She paused, speechless.

Zhenyi stood at the entrance of the workshop, sunlight shining from the side, outlining a thin halo on her face.

Her eyes were red and swollen, but something in them had changed. Maki couldn't quite put her finger on what had changed, but she knew it was an expression she had never seen on her sister's face before.

For the first time, I saw a genuine look of "happiness" on her face.

"...That's so stupid." Maki turned her face away. "Why are you crying?"

"I didn't cry."

"Tears are still on her face."

Zhenyi raised her hand to wipe it, and then suddenly smiled.

The smile was so faint, as if it would dissipate with a gust of wind. Yet it lingered there, making Maki's heart soften for no apparent reason.

"Let's go." Maki strode forward. "I'm starving."

"Hey, wait for me—"

Zhenyi jogged after her.

Two figures walked one after the other along the sun-drenched stone path, through a shower of falling cherry blossoms. Mai's pace gradually caught up with her sister's, and finally they walked side by side.

She turned her head to look at Maki.

That profile was exactly the same as before—cold, impatient, as if it disdained the whole world. Yet, something seemed different.

"What are you looking at?"

"It's nothing."

Zhenyi looked away, her smile deepening slightly.

So this is what it feels like to stand shoulder to shoulder with my older sister...

Inside the workshop.

Yue Ren leaned against the window, watching the two figures gradually walk away until they disappeared at the end of the cherry blossom grove, and finally nodded slightly.

My idea was correct; to accomplish this, two people needed to be present at the same time, and in very close proximity.

Because he can't see them normally, only when two people stand together can he barely see the 'entanglement' between their souls through the special ability of "Karma Eye". Otherwise, he can't do anything even if he wants to, since he can't expect to "cut" everything that he can't see.

The prerequisite for doing so is the ability to perceive (see). Just like how a certain Queen of Death Perception was able to kill many things that others thought were impossible to "kill," it was largely because she could first use her "Mystic Eyes of Death Perception" to see the "death lines" of these things, wasn't it?

After all, omnipotence is predicated on omniscience.

Getting back to the main point, another matter has now been resolved. Although it took a lot of effort, it was undoubtedly worth it in terms of the result. Whether it was the increase in combat power, the reconciliation of the two sisters, or his own new insights, in his opinion, they all far outweighed the hard work.

Don't be fooled by the fact that he only made a single, fleeting strike; the micro-management required for that instant was absolutely superhuman.

The two souls were like dyes of similar color mixed together. Although it was only in the initial stage and the mixing was not serious, you must know that they were souls. Even a slight injury could have irreversible consequences for the person. It was as if he had performed a superb surgery at the nanometer level in a very short time.

Therefore, the difficulty is self-evident. If it weren't for his current "profound level", he probably wouldn't have been able to do it.

As for the other party's gratitude?

He doesn't need to be thanked.

Ultimately, it was all for his own sake; he simply didn't want to see more people grieve after their deaths.

Both girls are kind at heart, so they deserve to have a normal life. It would be a pity if either of them died, so he took action.

He wasn't entirely a good person. This experience gave him a deeper understanding of what a "soul" is. In a way, those two people were his "test subjects," so it can be considered an offsetting effect.

Yue Ren raised his hand and rubbed his temples.

tired.

Although there's still a lot left to do, let's leave it at that for today. He needs to rest first...

-

The morning mist had not yet dissipated.

Deep in a forest near Tokyo, Japan, a figure strolls along a path.

Walking along the path, its surface dappled with light, the man appeared completely relaxed, like a traveler on a leisurely trip. However, his monk's robes contradicted this assumption.

A sudden gust of wind brushed against her cheek, stopping the man before it could ruin her hair.

Xia Youjie lowered his eyes, as if nothing had happened, and continued on his way. But the footsteps changed from one person to two, and a figure suddenly appeared behind him.

"Thank you for your hard work. I hope you weren't discovered."

Not surprised by the appearance of the figure, Xia Youjie greeted him gently.

The newcomer did not conceal his appearance; he was Laru, one of Xia Youjie's gang members.

The man, dressed in revealing and bizarre clothing, looked relaxed.

"Of course, you should know better than anyone that the subordinates of those higher-ups are all incompetent. Compared to them, the people from the vocational college might be a bit more difficult to deal with, but... don't worry, there won't be any problems."

Hearing this, Xia Youjie nodded. He knew exactly what kind of people the higher-ups in the sorcery world were: conservative, traditional, and incompetent. He could tolerate it in the past, but if he were in Wu Tiao's situation now, he would never let these guys sit on his head and boss him around.

"That's good. So, what were the results? Did you find anything?"

"There are no leads yet, but there is a question that I'm not sure if it counts as a question."

"What?"

Xia Youjie, who was initially somewhat disappointed, was slightly taken aback and even unconsciously turned to look at his capable partner.

He knew the man's character; he was steady yet meticulous. Any problems he could sense were definitely traceable, which was why this matter was entrusted to him.

"I always feel that the cursed spirits are getting stronger and more numerous..."

Upon hearing this, Xia Youjie continued forward while unconsciously stroking his chin with his fingers, lost in thought.

"Speaking of which, do cursed spirits with 'soul modification' techniques really exist? Jay, you seem to have changed a bit since that last failure..."

"Hehehe, I won't deny that."

"But don't worry, I'm fine. It's just that after 'knowing' some 'truths' about this world, I realized how many shortcomings I had before. You can think of it as me 'improving' or having my 'worldview' refreshed."

Knowing that the man was worried about his condition, Xia Youjie smiled and explained slightly, saying that this should put everyone at ease. As "family," it was his responsibility to prevent everyone from worrying about him.

Sure enough, after hearing what he said, the man breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief.

"I see. In that case, it's a good thing."

"I'm sorry to have worried you. Let's get back to the point. I hope you will continue your search throughout Japan. That will be the key to creating the ideal 'paradise' for humanity's future. As for whether it exists... it certainly does!"

"Because, as you just said, the cursed spirit is getting stronger, which is exactly what he said, it's just that the time hasn't come yet."

Xia Youjie couldn't help but sigh, and this performance successfully aroused the interest of those around him.

"Him? Who?"

"You know him, the boy who defeated Miguel, Kawasaki Koshito, who is also my 'savior'. If it weren't for him, I probably wouldn't be back."

"......I see."