❥﹒In a world where the fearsome sorcerer Nishimura Riki is known for his dark and dreaded cursed techniques, everything changes when a voice from the past calls out his name.
But this is no ordinary voice - it belongs to his long-lost first love, s...
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𓆝 𓆟 𓆞
Without the slightest hesitation, Riki unleashed his cursed technique: a brilliant shade of blue that engulfed the man, rendering him unable to move. In an instant, Haru called forth her dragon spirit, sending it hurtling towards the immobilized enemy.
As the curse swallowed him whole and he fell into the nearby woods, Haru didn't waste a moment and started running toward her fallen friend, panic surging through her veins. "Riki!"
Raising a hand, Riki signaled for the worried girl to halt as he looked up and shot a small, reassuring smile in her direction. "I'm fine." Riki straightened his posture to emphasize his point, although his black uniform was soaked with his own blood.
"I didn't manage to deflect the blade in time with my technique, but it missed any vital areas."
Haru's breaths were rapid, and she stood her ground, her face displaying a whirlwind of emotions. Riki continued to speak, his eyes shifting to the massive figure of the dragon spirit, as if expecting something to happen. "I reinforced myself with cursed energy, so the blade can't be removed easily. It's like passing a safety pin through a knit sweater, Haru. I'm fine."
He glanced at the large body of Haru's shikigami, his eyes filled with determination, though there were small sticks of deja vu, though he couldn't really point it out. "Prioritize Sunoo first. I'll handle this guy. You two need to get him to Taehyun-sama."
Her eyes narrowed, and her breaths came in short, ragged bursts as every fiber of her being screamed at her not to leave him behind. Haru looked between the pink-haired vessel and Kuroi before turning back to her best friend. "Nishimura...," she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, before exhaling heavily.
"Be careful!" she implored the blonde, her voice trembling with concern, before swiftly turning to join the others. "Let's go!"
They began to run, just as the blade shot up through the dragon's body, slicing it open and revealing the man in a superior fighting stance. He straightened his posture and looked down at the blonde sorcerer, their eyes locking with each other, as Riki had removed his shades.
Studying his opponent, Riki noticed that the blade used was different from the one that had initially pierced him. His sharp eyes also caught sight of a purple, worm-like curse coiled around the man's shoulder and neck, oozing with cursed energy—a normal curse, but seemingly enhanced for greater potency.
houses and spaces around him, hoping that it would hit the villain.
"The Star Plasma Vessel is gone," their opponent mused, his eyes fixed on the spot where they had been standing just moments ago. "I had hoped to take you down with that earlier attack, but I guess I've gotten rusty."
Riki responded, his sharp gaze still analyzing every detail of the situation, "The bounty on Sunoo has already been taken down, you idiot."
The man chuckled, leaning forward slightly as he retorted, "Because I took it down, you prideful bastard." He rolled his eyes and continued, "When facing opponents without openings like you, one must first create ups and downs leading to several false goals."
Riki smirked, putting his hands into a specific formation as his cursed energy surged from him like a powerful gust of wind, aiming directly for his opponent. But in an instant, the man vanished and shot through the air, landing gracefully on the rooftop of one of the massive pillars at the entrance, just behind Riki.
Suddenly, everything became clear to the blonde sorcerer. He now understood that his opponent, who had always seemed a bit off, possessed incredible speed despite lacking cursed energy. With his six eyes, Riki sensed that the man had a Heavenly Pact, bestowing him with enhanced physical abilities.
The black-haired assailant wasted no time, launching himself at Riki with his weapon, but the skilled sorcerer raised a hand, channeling more of his blue energy into the ground, causing it to ripple and surge upward, blowing the man away with tremendous force.
"Is that cursed tool your precious trump card?" Riki taunted as he strode toward the area where he had sent the man flying. "Sorry, but I won't let it get close!"
However, Riki suddenly halted in his steps, his frustration evident as he couldn't detect his opponent's presence due to the absence of cursed energy. This left him unable to rely on his usual instincts.
Utilizing his gifted eyes, Riki focused on the cursed spirit wrapped around the man's neck, tracking its ethereal presence. He swung his arms around, calling upon and wrapping himself with his cursed technique once more. "Cursed technique amplification...," he muttered, his focus solely on himself as he allowed more cursed energy to flow through his veins and envelop him. "Maximum Output...," he continued, and the stones that had been dislodged by the previous attacks began to form a large sphere around the blue orb of his technique.
With a mighty cry, Riki unleashed the full power of his technique, shouting, "Blue!" The unleashed energy radiated outward, engulfing the surroundings and creating a massive shockwave. The resulting destruction left Riki standing in the center of a crater, surrounded by dust and smoke. He closed his eyes briefly, allowing them to rest after the sensory overload.
When he reopened them, he gazed at his handiwork, satisfied that he had created an open space that made it impossible for his elusive opponent to hide or launch any more surprise attacks, which seemed to be the man's advantage.
Just as Riki turned around to face the multitude of fly-headed curses that swarmed him, a disconcerting buzzing sound filled the air. The sorcerer found himself encircled by a relentless horde of insects, curses in the form of grotesque flies. Panic welled up within him as he realized that this swarm had emanated from the cursed spirit he had been tracking.
"So you're using Fly Heads like chaff," Riki tried to taunt, though he struggled to maintain his composure as the relentless insects obscured his vision and senses. He looked around desperately, fully aware that his opponent had created a blind spot, rendering him unable to detect the man's presence. The only recourse he had was to employ his Blue technique once more.
With clenched fists, Riki prepared to generate a new orb of his cursed energy, but then, as if a bolt of lightning struck his mind, he remembered something crucial.
"He's... he's after Sunoo," he whispered to himself, his heart pounding as he was inundated with flashbacks of gruesome images. These scenes depicted Sunoo's lifeless body, and they overwhelmed him like some eerie déjà vu—images of a future that felt both uncertain and terrifying.
Lost in his own thoughts and dulled senses, Riki failed to notice that his dreaded adversary was now right behind him. By the time he realized the peril he was in, it was already too late.
He pivoted around, locking his piercing blue eyes with his opponent's dark, malicious gaze. Riki watched in a horrifying stillness as the cursed sword, gripped firmly in his enemy's hand, violently tore through his Limitless technique and ruthlessly impaled him straight through the neck.
Riki's mouth filled with the acrid taste of iron as he gasped for air. But his assailant, devoid of mercy, merely chuckled darkly. With relentless force, he drove the sword downward, cleanly cleaving Riki's torso in two.
As if that weren't cruel enough, the man retrieved his sword and proceeded to stab both of Riki's legs multiple times, ensuring that no spark of life remained. Without restraint, he savagely dismembered the lifeless body, leaving behind a grotesque tableau of carnage. Panting heavily, the assailant stepped back to observe his grisly handiwork.
A sinister, triumphant smile twisted his lips as he watched the crimson fluid seeping from the once-mighty sorcerer, whose six eyes, once brimming with formidable power, now lay dull and lifeless as if they had been extinguished.
"Special-Grade Cursed Tool, Inverted Spear of Heaven. Its effect is the forced release of any active techniques," the man muttered to himself, absently flipping the sword to rid it of excess blood.
He turned to survey the blood-soaked remains of Nishimura Riki, the mightiest sorcerer who had ever lived. Then, with a twisted grin, Dejun Xiao sighed with satisfaction, remarking, "I'm getting back my edge. Once again."
