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Yuta, panting and pale, forced himself to look up. "Who… are you?"
Geto smiled, looking almost amused. "Suguru Geto. A pleasure. I must admit, your connection to this curse is fascinating. I'm not here for you—at least, not yet. But this curse? A true masterpiece. If it were mine…"
He didn't have time to finish. Rika, blazing with rage, unleashed her full power, shattering the debris around her in a devastating shockwave. Her claws dug into the ground as she lunged toward Geto with unimaginable speed.
The remaining curse, wounded but still functional, blocked her path once again. Rika slammed into it with tremendous force, each strike sending out brutal waves of energy. The cracked walls of nearby buildings collapsed entirely, and the street seemed to shrink under the pressure.
Geto, still nonchalant, raised a finger toward Rika. The humanoid curse counterattacked, releasing waves of wind aimed at the Queen of Curses. Rika absorbed part of the assault, the winds dissipating against her monstrous body. Once again, she grabbed the enemy by the throat and tore its head off in an explosion of dark smoke.
As the creature faded, Geto clapped again, this time more softly. "Magnificent. Rage without limits, power without equal."
He looked Rika in the eyes and stepped forward, completely unshaken. "You and I will accomplish so much more."
Rika, blinded by fury, leapt at Geto once again. Yet, a meter away from him, her body froze in place, as if trapped in time. Her screams echoed distantly as she struggled to move.
Geto remained calm, raising an eyebrow, clearly entertained. "Such spirit. You truly are extraordinary, Queen of Curses. I would have loved to test you a little more…" He sighed, shrugging slightly. "But lingering here is becoming dull, and I wouldn't want to spoil all the fun to come."
His gaze shifted to Yuta, still on his knees, his face twisted in pain, blood staining his uniform. A narrow smile curved Geto's lips.
"Good news, young man," he said, his voice dripping with icy irony. "You no longer have to bear the burden of a curse. A normal life awaits you. Isn't that wonderful?"
Yuta clenched his teeth, pain and exhaustion mixing with a rising anger. "What… do you mean?!" he shouted, his voice trembling.
Before he could move, a black light burst from Geto's hand. Rika's massive form collapsed in on itself, her body disintegrating into dark mist. In an instant, she was sucked into a small black orb that gleamed ominously in Geto's hand.
"No!" Yuta screamed, reaching out with his one good arm, but it was already too late.
The remains of the other two curses lay nearby, but they too were quickly absorbed into the orb, which pulsed faintly like a living heart.
At the same time, the other curses vanished, dissolving into dark dust that evaporated into the air.
Seeing his chance, Panda leapt toward Yuta, dodging falling debris. He scooped up the wounded boy and slung him over his shoulder.
Immediately, he began running, his heavy paws pounding against the ground as he barreled out of the collapsing streets.
Behind them, Geto's gaze followed, but he didn't move.
Instead, he studied his black orb thoughtfully, rolling it between his fingers. "Patience," he murmured, his smile widening. "Or perhaps not."
Panda's breathing grew labored. Yuta, limp on his shoulder, was bleeding heavily, his torn shirt soaked in thick red. Panda didn't slow down, instincts screaming at him to get out of there.
Suddenly, two familiar figures appeared at the corner of an alley. Maki and Toge stood there, their eyes darting from Panda to Yuta.
"Panda?!" Maki exclaimed.
"RUN!" Panda roared without stopping, panic roughening his voice.
But before they could react, an oppressive presence flooded the space. The very air seemed frozen, every fiber of their beings crushed under an invisible weight.
Geto was there.
He appeared in the center of the alley, calm and composed.
"Stay still," he declared, his smooth voice ringing unnaturally clear despite the suffocating tension.
Panda froze, his eyes shifting from Geto to Yuta, then to his companions. Maki gritted her teeth, her knuckles whitening around her weapon. Toge, hanging back, silently studied Geto.
That was when a gigantic shadow appeared in the sky. A massive black sphere, warping the air around it, descended slowly but inexorably. It seemed to drain all nearby light, an overwhelming and incomprehensible entity.
"Nobody move," Geto murmured, his eyes glowing with malice. "You move, you die."
The sphere was already consuming buildings in its path. Walls twisted, windows imploded, and everything it touched vanished into absolute nothingness.
Maki shot a panicked glance at Panda, who clenched his jaw, his mind racing.
Geto crossed his arms, making a theatrical gesture toward the sphere. "Behold. A work of art, don't you think?"
The sphere was only a few meters away now, its immense gravity pulling debris from the ground, crushing them to dust before they disappeared.
Geto narrowed his eyes slightly. "You may move now."
His smile widened, cruel and utterly devoid of warmth. "And please—die."
The moment Geto's words rang out, Maki was the first to move, dragging everyone into a desperate sprint.
The ground shook violently.
The sphere crashed down with a deafening roar, consuming everything in its wake. Buildings twisted as though made of paper, their foundations cracking before being pulverized. Streetlights exploded, scattering sparks through the heavy air.
The impact unleashed a monstrous shockwave that swept across several hundred meters. The blast flung cars, signs, even trees like toys in a storm of chaos. A thick dust cloud covered everything, reducing visibility to almost nothing.
Maki, Panda, and Toge, running for their lives, were knocked to the ground by the first wave. Panda rolled to shield Yuta, while Maki gripped her weapon tightly, breathing hard. Toge raised a hand, a single word conjuring a barrier of energy that absorbed the worst of the next shockwave.
An eerie silence followed the initial explosion. But it wasn't over.
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New chapter release ! We are on 120+ chapters on patreon, join us!
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Join discord, we are already 40+ members!
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