----
Meanwhile, on the ground.
A forty-meter-long, two-headed python, looking like a world-ending serpent, was mid-battle. Behind it, a man in a black and white kimono smiled coldly.
"You simply don't understand the power of cursed spirits!"
"This is the Shikigami I created! This is true power! It's not something you can stop!" A man shouted with pride toward the people on the other side.
And at the opposite side, two men and one woman looked grim, locked in a bitter struggle.
The leader, a man with a buzz cut, held a long saber. Every swing only left a spark and a shallow white mark on the giant python's body.
The other two: a short girl controlled a teddy bear doll that transformed into a four-meter-tall Cursed Spirit, fighting another wolf-shaped Shikigami.
The other was an old man who kept throwing out paper talismans.
However, the attacks from these three against the giant python spirit were quite limited.
Instead, their space for dodging was being constantly compressed.
Defeat was only a matter of time.
Behind the trio lay several unconscious civilians.
"Even if we die in battle, we will never let you use ordinary people as sacrifices!"
"The Exorcism Society will surely put a bounty on you!"
The buzz-cut man swung his long saber once more, then landed on the ground, gasping for breath.
At that moment, a shrill whistle sounded in the air.
Boom!!
A loud explosion erupted from the center of the two parties, making the entire ground shake.
Both sides looked warily toward the center of the field.
As the dust cleared, a young girl appeared before everyone. She had black hair and golden eyes, and strangely, two pairs of eyes on her face along with several eerie cursed markings.
Everyone looked up.
Seeing the helicopter receding in the distance, their pupils shrank and their hearts skipped a beat.
This girl... she didn't jump off that helicopter, did she?
How is that possible?!
"Oi! You lot, who does this ugly snake belong to?"
Akuto saw at a glance that this Cursed Spirit was being controlled and asked while looking at the group with cold eyes.
"Hisss!"
The girl controlling the doll pointed at one of the men in kimonos opposite them.
"Enai Saionji, don't talk too much!"
Kishida Itsuki looked at Akuto warily.
Currently, friend or foe was unclear; speaking rashly would only make the situation more complicated.
Besides, this girl... was excessively strong!
Kishida Itsuki felt the long saber in his hand vibrating constantly—a reaction that only occurred when facing a considerably powerful enemy.
And that gaze... it was as if she wasn't looking at people at all.
It was as if she were looking at objects.
Akuto looked at the older man in a kimono.
"This is your Cursed Spirit, isn't it? Tell me, where did you get it?"
"Hey, you wench, how dare you speak to Lord Kuroda like that!"
Another young man in a kimono spoke as he controlled a Shikigami, charging forward along with it.
It seemed he wanted to deal with Akuto first.
"Watch out!"
Kishida Itsuki gripped his long saber, about to rush forward.
Akuto didn't even glance at the man rushing toward him. He stared fixedly at his target not far away, merely waving a hand at the charging man.
"Scum, get out of the way!"
Snap!
Slash!
Accompanied by a tooth-grinding sound.
!!!
In the next moment, the wolf Shikigami was instantly sliced vertically, scattering across the ground.
The man who had rushed forward was sliced horizontally at the waist. His upper body remained in place while his legs ran a few more meters.
Then he collapsed to the ground, internal organs spilling out and emitting a foul stench.
"What?"
"When did she!"
"How did she do that!"
At this moment, all four people on the scene looked at Akuto in shock.
Especially Kishida Itsuki's group; their shock was beyond measure.
The enemy they hadn't been able to resolve after fighting for over an hour, the enemy who had nearly killed them... had been taken down so easily.
With just one blow.
Like shooing away an annoying fly.
They couldn't even understand how the girl had struck.
Stunning!
The scene was so silent you could hear a pin drop.
"Old man, answer me. Where did you get this Cursed Spirit?"
Kuroda snapped back to his senses and roared with a distorted face.
"You dare kill Kazuo! Bitch! I'll make you join him in the grave!"
"Great Serpent, kill her!"
"Hiss!" The giant snake opened its bloody maw and lunged at Akuto.
"Watch out!"
In the next moment, another two-meter-long owl Shikigami burst from the darkness, its wings like sharp blades sweeping toward Akuto.
"Oh?"
Akuto looked on with interest, then sidestepped to dodge the owl's attack.
Immediately after, the python's other head struck from the side like lightning, biting Akuto and tossing him into the sky.
It seemed prepared to swallow him whole.
Kishida Itsuki's group turned pale. Just as they were about to help, they heard Akuto's cold voice.
"Don't get in the way."
"This is truly interesting!"
Akuto struggled with force, and a terrifying burst of Cursed Energy erupted.
The python's head instantly exploded.
Boom!
Boom boom boom boom boom!
Following that, the python's body exploded section by section, instantly turning into black smoke and vanishing without a trace.
Akuto's figure in the air suddenly vanished.
In the next instant, he suddenly appeared above the owl Shikigami, twisting his body for a mid-air volley kick.
Boom!!!
The owl instantly became a blur, slamming into the ground like a cannonball and exploding into a cloud of black mist.
Kuroda's pupils shrank.
"How is that possible! Her speed actually... caught up with Night Owl!"
Cold sweat instantly soaked his clothes.
"This person is too strong! It's simply illogical!"
Thinking of this, Kuroda turned to flee.
But as soon as he turned around, he saw the girl appear behind him with a playful smile on her lips.
"What's wrong?"
"Try a little harder. Let me have a bit more fun."
Kuroda slumped to the ground in terror, crawling backward with his hands and feet.
"You... don't come over here!"
"You're a demon... stay away! Hey, Kishida Itsuki, come and arrest me! She wants to kill me, come and arrest me now!"
Kishida Itsuki, the buzz-cut man with the saber, was about to speak when he met Akuto's bloodthirsty gaze.
At that moment, Kishida Itsuki had an intuition.
If he spoke, this girl would kill him without hesitation!
"Aren't you from the Exorcism Society? You're supposed to protect the people of Sakura! Hurry and arrest me!"
As Kuroda watched Akuto get closer, his pants were already soaked with urine, leaving a damp trail on the ground.
"Senior Kishida..."
The girl with the doll was about to say something, but Kishida Itsuki waved her off without hesitation.
"Don't speak. Back away."
The three of them quietly retreated.
"Is this all the capacity you have?" Akuto looked down at Kuroda. "How boring."
"Now then, can you tell me where this Shikigami came from?"
"Or let me rephrase the question: have you seen a sealed finger?"
The moment Kuroda heard those words, his pupils snapped to the size of pinholes.
Akuto's lips curled up.
He had indeed found the right person this time.
"Won't talk? It's fine. I have plenty of time to play with you."
As Akuto spoke, he stepped on and crushed Kuroda's lower leg.
"Aaahhhh!!!"
"I won't... I won't say! Even if you kill me, I won't say!"
Squash!
Akuto crushed Kuroda's other leg.
"Aaahhhh!!!"
Kuroda clutched his legs, his screams echoing through the night sky.
"This... young lady, he's a member of the Card Society. We've tried various methods to interrogate Card Society members, but we've never succeeded."
Kishida Itsuki still spoke up to offer a reminder.
"Oh? That's fine. I'm best at dealing with tough nuts."
Squash! Squash! Squash! Squash!
Akuto stepped down again and again. With every stomp, a part of Kuroda's body burst like jelly, scattering everywhere.
The smell of blood, urine, and feces spread all around.
Kuroda had actually lost control of his bowels.
"Hahahaha! Long live the Card Society!"
Kuroda laughed wildly, preparing to die.
"Hey, you seem to have misunderstood something."
Akuto leaned down to look at Kuroda.
"Whether you die or not is something only I can decide."
While speaking, Akuto placed a finger on Kuroda's chest. In the next moment, Kuroda's entire body began to writhe.
Visibly, Kuroda's body was completely restored to its original state!
This left the four people present dumbfounded.
"This miraculous technique... is this girl a god?"
"He... recovered!"
Kishida Itsuki and the others felt as if their worldviews were collapsing!
A person on the brink of death had become alive and kicking again within a few breaths!
If Akuto knew what they were thinking, he would only sigh; after all, his power was still too weak.
If he had two more fingers, such injuries could be healed in the blink of an eye.
Looking at Kuroda's terrified, wide-eyed gaze, Akuto grinned.
"Now then, let our game continue."