"Are you looking for me?"
A gentle voice, tinged with subtle allure, came from behind Tamamo-no-Mae.
That kind of voice carried an irresistible charm for the opposite sex.
Tamamo-no-Mae was no exception.
If it had been before, she would have already dragged Suguru back to her palace to have a long, deep conversation about life.
But at this moment, Tamamo-no-Mae only felt a biting chill crawl down her spine.
Her body, tempered by countless life-or-death battles, moved purely on instinct.
Her fox tails lashed out toward Suguru.
Suguru didn't hesitate, swinging Playful Cloud straight at her.
Several squid Cursed Spirits materialized in front of him.
These small Cursed Spirits, with their slippery skin and moderate resistance to impact, were often used by Suguru as living shields.
The fox tails tore through the Cursed Spirits.
Playful Cloud struck Tamamo-no-Mae squarely, sending her flying.
However, Suguru didn't emerge unscathed either.
The whip-like strike from the fox tails left a deep wound on his shoulder.
Flames clung to the injury, burning through his flesh relentlessly.
Splat.
A Cursed Spirit spewed out a stream of Cursed Energy-infused water, extinguishing the flames on Suguru's body.
Tamamo-no-Mae, on the other hand, was in even worse condition.
Several of her bones had been broken by that blow.
Most importantly, she had been knocked to the ground.
The first to strike was the Special Grade Cursed Spirit known as Bone Woman.
Clad in dense white bone armor with extremely high defense, she ignored the fire foxes biting and trying to burn her to ashes.
A white bone spear materialized in her hand, thrusting straight toward Tamamo-no-Mae's heart.
Tamamo-no-Mae's eyes widened in alarm.
Unable to move her body temporarily, she manipulated her fox tails, formed from pure Cursed Energy, to slap away the spear.
The first attack was deflected, but several more immediately followed.
"Ahhh! All of you, scram!"
Terrifying flames erupted from Tamamo-no-Mae's body.
Bone Woman and the nearby demon Cursed Spirit were instantly burned and gravely injured.
"Whoosh, this is bad!"
A massive figure, its body partially broken, loomed behind Tamamo-no-Mae.
Mahoraga.
Just moments earlier, to break free, Tamamo-no-Mae had unleashed her power, severely injuring Bone Woman and the demon.
But this also caused the Domain's flame attacks on Mahoraga and Yamata no Orochi to weaken.
Mahoraga, which had been nearly consumed by the fire, completed its adaptation.
Its charred body began to regenerate.
Tamamo-no-Mae quickly evaded Mahoraga's Sword of Exorcism, and intense flames once again ignited on Mahoraga's body.
The sure-hit effect of the Domain forced Mahoraga to endure Tamamo-no-Mae's continuous flame assaults.
Rumble.
A deep, earth-shaking sound echoed.
This time, Yamata no Orochi attacked as well.
Simultaneously, Suguru, who had been forced back earlier, reactivated his Simple Domain, summoning several Grade 1 Cursed Spirits to attack Tamamo-no-Mae.
"Damn it!"
If Mahoraga were also one of Suguru's summons, then Tamamo-no-Mae would have eliminated Suguru at all costs right here and now.
But Mahoraga belonged to Eichi, and Yamata no Orochi belonged to Suguru.
She couldn't destroy all three of her enemies at once.
If she focused on one target, the remaining two Special Grade combatants would overwhelm her before she could secure a victory.
This moment of hesitation proved fatal.
Tamamo-no-Mae realized it instantly.
If this continued, she would be the only one to lose.
Her eyes hardened.
Reaching into her fox tails, she pulled out the Special Grade cursed tool, Koji.
The Four-Tailed Spear.
Fully activating it, Tamamo-no-Mae hurled Koji at Suguru.
Driven by tremendous Cursed Energy, the spear tore through the air like a raging beast, clashing violently with Playful Cloud.
The impact sent Suguru flying into the distance.
Immediately after, Tamamo-no-Mae drew the Three-Tailed Katana.
Cursed Energy surged through the blade as she unleashed a full-power strike.
Several of Yamata no Orochi's heads were severed in a single swing.
Flames spread from the wounds, burning deep inside its body.
But she didn't stop there.
Tamamo-no-Mae pulled out yet another Special Grade cursed tool.
The Nine-Tailed Orb.
At that moment, she silently thanked the person who had gathered the Sesshoseki for her.
Not only had he given her an army of Cursed Spirits, but he had also equipped her with numerous weapons.
She threw the orb far into the distance.
Using her fox tails to lift herself, Tamamo-no-Mae tried to flee from the encirclement.
Mahoraga lunged after her.
At that moment, the Nine-Tailed Orb that had been thrown away suddenly reversed course, flying straight back toward her.
Thwack.
The orb pierced a massive hole through Mahoraga's body.
That was the power of the Special Grade cursed tool.
After charging a certain distance, it released an attack that ignored all defense.
Mahoraga, which had leapt into the air, was slammed back to the ground by the force of the blow.
Seeing this, Tamamo-no-Mae smiled with satisfaction, then immediately turned and fled.
Several of Yamata no Orochi's heads were already charging up energy, preparing to bombard her.
The massive gluttonous mouth in the sky, large enough to swallow ten of her whole, seemed to drool in anticipation.
The Rainbow Dragon, already seven-tenths cooked, was about to strike her tail with its iron head.
How could she not run?
Where there is life, there is hope.
She would gather her forces again and reclaim her domain later.
The Two-Tailed Iron Fan.
Tamamo-no-Mae drew another cursed tool from her tails and stabbed it into the ground.
Rumble.
The fan expanded rapidly.
Walls of iron burst from the earth, blocking the advance of Suguru's Cursed Spirits.
Tamamo-no-Mae reached the Domain's edge as new fire foxes emerged from the torii gates, actively covering her retreat.
She successfully escaped the battlefield.
After Tamamo-no-Mae's departure, the Domain began to crumble.
After recovering Playful Cloud, Suguru prepared to pursue, but Tamamo-no-Mae's figure had already vanished among the horde of Cursed Spirits.
Helpless, he could only continue capturing the ones he deemed valuable.
Before, he would devour whatever Cursed Spirits were available.
But now, surrounded by an abundance of powerful entities, Suguru could finally choose the ones he liked.
Combined with Medea's potion, which had temporarily altered his sensory state, a profound sense of joy welled up within him for the first time.
Even though Suguru's army of Cursed Spirits had been heavily damaged—over ten thousand reduced to fewer than five thousand after the battle—those that remained were all elites.
As for cannon fodder, there was no shortage here.
Even if he didn't replenish them now, there were countless lesser Cursed Spirits outside.
So, Suguru didn't feel the slightest sadness over the losses.
Instead, he felt invigorated, especially since he had gained two new Special Grade Cursed Spirits, one of which could even use Domain Expansion.
Standing atop the Rainbow Dragon, Suguru ascended into the sky, overlooking the battlefield below.
The Cursed Spirits, previously in chaotic melee, began to form small units and advance in coordinated clusters.
Though there was still no true cooperation among them, it reduced the risk of being attacked from multiple directions.
After arranging his army, Suguru began to scan the battlefield for new prey.
Opportunities like this, where rare Cursed Spirits gathered in abundance, might never come again.
For the first time, Suguru's eyes gleamed with pure exhilaration, widening as if he wanted to inspect every single Cursed Spirit himself.
(To be continued.)