Curse Reply: After choosing Nawa, the cursed spirit cursed me for being cruel.

Masamichi Yagami appeared out of nowhere and landed a precise punch on Gojo Satoru's head, creating a large, steaming bump.

After Gojo Satoru squatted down to the side, clutching his head, Yagura Masamichi turned his gaze to Duanmu Yan, his brows furrowing slightly: "Seriously, is it really okay for you to come here now? Isn't it still going on?"

Duanmu Yan leaned back, put his hands behind his head, looked at the peaceful sky that did not belong to any battlefield, and smiled slightly: "Ah, it seems so, but there is still some time."

Gojo Satoru sprang up from the ground and leaned close to him. "By the way, how's the King of Curses feeling?"

Duanmu Yan thought for a moment and gave an evaluation: "Very strong. Although not as strong as me."

"Then why are you still here! Hurry up and defeat it, then come back and have the final showdown with me!" Before Gojo Satoru could finish speaking, Yomotsu Seimei's iron fist smashed another symmetrical bump onto his head.

"Don't put so much pressure on Duanmu."

Night Moth Zhengdao withdrew his fist, looked at one of his proudest students, and his tone softened for once: "Duanmu, do as you decide."

Xia Youjie sat down next to him, smiling gently: "We will all support you."

Shoko took the cigarette out of her mouth and lazily added, "If you run out of healing power afterward, remember to come find me."

Nanami straightened up, her voice as steady as ever: "I believe you won't lose, senpai."

Haibara clenched her fists. "Senpai is so strong, he'll definitely be alright! Remember to come back and tell us what happened!"

Duanmu Yan looked at the faces in front of him and nodded heavily: "Ah, yes."

At that moment, an airplane slowly landed on the runway in the distance.

The hatch opened, and a young girl, escorted by a maid, walked down the gangway.

Masamichi Nobi looked in that direction, his tone returning to its usual official conciseness: "They've arrived. This is your target for this mission... the Starsoil-like Heavenly Riko."

The maid, Kuroi, bowed slightly to Duanmu Yan: "I entrust the young lady to you."

After saying that, the figures of the college students began to become transparent and slowly disappeared from the edge.

Haibara was still waving, Nanami adjusted her glasses, and as Shoko turned around, the hem of her white coat fluttered gently.

Then there's Masamichi Nobi and Kuroi.

Gojo Satoru and Natsumi Yuuki stood side by side at the back, one grinning and giving a thumbs up, the other quietly nodding.

Only Duanmu Yan and Tian Lizi remained in the vast place.

She was wearing the same clothes he had worn when he first met her, her face still showing a hint of youthful naiveté and wariness as she tilted her head to look him over.

She said, "Are you the one who's responsible for protecting me this time?"

Duanmu Yan looked at her. He had been looking at this face for more than ten years, from the Hōsei-gū Palace to the beaches of Okinawa, from the hot spring hotel to the Federation office, from when she was fourteen years old until now.

He took a few steps forward, stopped in front of her, and then extended his hand. "Ah, it's me. I will protect you...this time, and every time after that."

Duanmu Yan held Li Zi's hand, and the two of them slowly walked forward along a road whose destination was unknown.

There were no ruins around, only a quiet wind and faint light in the distance.

Riko's hand, initially slightly stiff, gradually relaxed in his palm, and finally gently grasped his fingers.

"Are you alright?" she suddenly asked.

"It's nothing. It's just a minor injury. I'll treat it after the treatment." Duanmu Yan glanced at her, her profile appearing soft in the light.

"Will he come back?" she asked again.

“Yes,” he said, without any hesitation.

She asked some very ordinary questions: "The weather is nice today. Have you eaten yet? I went to that dessert shop you mentioned last time. The strawberry mille-feuille is definitely ten times better than the cream puffs Wu recommended."

Duanmu Yan answered each question, occasionally chuckling and sometimes shaking his head.

They continued walking.

As Duanmu Yan walked, his college uniform began to change slowly. The cuffs became longer, the shoulders became wider, and the blue of the school uniform gradually faded, replaced by the well-tailored formal suit worn by the president of the federation.

Riko is also changing. Her height is changing, her hairstyle is changing, and the youthful innocence on her face is gradually fading away.

From the girl who tilted her head and looked him up and down, she became the woman he would see every morning when he opened his office door.

They stopped when she had fully transformed into her current form.

The road ahead was no longer deserted.

Yuji Itadori stood there, his face still bearing the bloodstains from the battle, but he was smiling.

Megumi Fushiguro stood beside him, along with Maki, Yuta, Nobara, Panda, Inu-maki, as well as Libra and Kirara Hoshino, and also Shozo, Meimei, Zenin Naohito, Ijichi, and Kokichi... hundreds and thousands of people.

They are all the people he knows, the faces he has protected during every battle, every choice, and every time he stayed up all night in the office approving documents over the years.

Chapter 309 I Can't Lose!

Looking at these familiar faces before him, Duanmu Yan was at a loss for words.

Tiger Staff was the first to rush forward, and without saying a word, he slapped Duanmu Yan on the shoulder with such force that it made a crisp sound: "Teacher! Your Heaven and Earth Slash was so cool!"

Maki grabbed Itachi's collar from behind and pulled him aside, squeezing herself in front of Duanmu Yan, arms crossed, "Teacher, remember to go home."

Yuta, standing to the side, added with a smile, "Teacher, Gojo-sensei has also settled things. We'll have a good chat when you get back."

Wild Rose poked her head out from the crowd, pointed at the wound on Duanmu Yan's chest, and shouted, "Uncle, you're injured! I told you I should have gone with you. At least I'm a level two mage, I could have helped you out!"

Fukuro Megumi stood at the edge of the crowd, his expression still cold, but his voice was a few decibels softer than usual when he spoke: "Moxu Luo is ready, if you need..."

The panda's massive body pushed through the crowd, and it pulled Duanmu Yan into its arms, patting his back with its furry paws: "Teacher Duanmu! I knew you would win!"

Dog Roll stood next to the panda and offered his blessings in his own unique way: "Salmon, kelp, and mentaiko!"

Zhang Xiang stood a little distance away, his arms crossed in front of his chest, and nodded to Duanmu Yan.

Mingming fiddled with her phone, a slight smile playing on her lips: "I've staked a lot on you, don't let me lose money."

Zenji Naokijin's voice was steady: "The Federation is waiting for you to come back and take charge."

Ichiji squeezed through the crowd, carrying a stack of documents, his glasses askew: "Chairman! Please come back safely! The documents are piled higher than the table!"

Standing next to him, Yukichi's mechanical arm gleamed in the sunlight: "Senior Duanmu, when you come back, I have a new design I want to show you."

Duanmu Yan looked at the group of people, and the corners of his mouth slowly curled up.

He raised his hand and waved to everyone. "Alright, stop acting like it's a life-or-death situation. I'll be right back."

Then he turned around and walked in another direction.

There's still a fight going on over there, and an opponent who hasn't been defeated yet.

He needs to go back and settle this matter.

……

Su Nuo's remaining right hand was still in the hand seal position as he stared intently at the slash that he had traded his left arm for in exchange for, which was flying toward Duanmu Yan's throat.

This strike ignores all defenses and is enough to kill any opponent with a single blow.

Then he saw Duanmu Yan's body lean backward without warning. The angle was extremely tricky, his spine bent at an almost impossible angle, and the slash grazed his nose, leaving only a shallow line of blood on his body.

Blood seeped from the thin line and trickled down her neck; that was all.

Su Nuo's four eyes widened simultaneously, and his pupils contracted violently.

impossible.

From the moment he discovered that Duanmu Yan possessed dual domains, he had been laying the groundwork for this attack.

This strike was reinforced with binding, ignoring defense and distance.

How could Duanmu Yan possibly dodge it? He paid the price of losing an arm, but in the end, he couldn't even inflict a fatal wound.

Duanmu Yan did not give him time to process this fact.

He exerted his strength directly from his backward leaning posture, pushed off with his feet, and his whole body crashed into Su Nuo head-on like a golden lightning bolt.

His right fist was already brimming with power during the sprint, and the light of the four elements intertwined wildly on the fist, with the outermost layer wrapped in a black flash that Su Nuo was all too familiar with.

"Black Flash".

The punch landed squarely on Su Nuo's chest, sending him flying.

Su Nuo's body bounced several times on the ground before stopping.

Duanmu Yan followed up and threw another punch.

He punched Su Nuo in the face, slamming his head, which he had just raised, back into the ground.

Su Nuo struggled to stand up, but Duanmu Yan stepped on his chest, stomping him back to the ground.

Duanmu Yan threw another punch, knocking Su Nuo's face to the side. A mouthful of thick blood spurted from his mouth and splashed onto Duanmu Yan's body.

Duanmu Yan paid no attention to the bloodstains. In his view, this was just a sign that Su Nuo was exhausted and no longer used his magical power for defense, and his wounds were no longer healing.

Duanmu Yan looked down at him, his voice calm, "You lost, Su Nuo."

Su Nuo was trampled on the ground, his four eyes burning red with humiliation and rage.

He had never been trampled underfoot before, nor had he ever been humiliated like this.

A thousand years ago, he was the King of Curses who struck fear into the hearts of the entire Heian period. A thousand years later, he reappeared in his complete form, which should have been a grand feast for him.

As a result, he was unable to move, like an insect pinned to the ground.

"Duanmu Yan! You insect! How dare you... how dare you treat me like this!"

His voice was no longer the composed and unhurried King of Curses he once was.

This was the first time in a thousand years that he had truly lost his composure.

"You're nothing but a mortal born in an era without me! You think you can defeat me like this?! I'll kill you! I will definitely kill you! Let me go, Duanmu Yan!"

Duanmu Yan looked down at the once invincible King of Curses at his feet, his heart unmoved.

"Su Nuo, it's time to end this."

"Heh... Is it really over?"

"You're so confident! Didn't you notice you're covered in my blood?!"

Because of the battle just now, Su Nuo's blood kept splattering out, splashing onto Duanmu Yan's armor, but Duanmu Yan didn't care about the bloodstains.

Suddenly, Duanmu Yan had an idea and began to condense water elements.