That day, Shin received a designated mission to resolve a Cursed Spirit in a certain location, and the Assistant Supervisor who came to handle the handover was Ijichi Kiyotaka.
As Kiyotaka drove Shin, he introduced the mission to him.
"This mission is to handle an incompletely developed Cursed Womb. It was first observed in a small coastal village. Before the Cursed Womb had fully hatched, it had already enveloped part of the village within its Domain Expansion. The observation level is Special Grade."
"Originally, it was supposed to be assigned to Gojo-san, but he went on a business trip. After Gojo-san's recommendation, you were ultimately designated."
Shin sat in the back seat of the car, flipping through the mission details. In reality, the few pieces of paper in his hand didn't contain much information. After all, the people from Window lacked the ability to enter a Domain Expansion to observe closely, and Shin didn't force them to.
"Alright, I understand, Ijichi-san. In short, my current task is to dispose of the Cursed Womb and rescue any villagers who might still be alive, right? However, I'll say this upfront: I estimate that the villagers probably can't be saved."
"If their remains are intact, I will try to preserve them, provided it doesn't affect my exorcism of the Cursed Spirit."
"That is only natural."
—
After the two arrived at the destination and got out of the car, Shin discovered that the village had already been cordoned off with caution tape. Some villagers were gathered around the perimeter, and several staff members from Window were continuously trying to persuade them.
"Everyone, please calm down. A group of terrorists has infiltrated the village and is currently inside the cordoned area. Our professionals will arrive shortly, so please, everyone, stay calm."
Watching the noisy crowd, Shin helplessly raised his index and middle fingers and chanted, "Emerge from the darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify that which is impure."
It was as if a large basin of ink had been splashed onto a glass dome in the sky. A black Curtain slowly descended. Shin had added a Binding Vow to the Curtain, which would cause ordinary people with low resistance to Cursed Energy to involuntarily leave the area.
Kiyotaka said somewhat awkwardly, "Many people in Window have only reached the bare minimum threshold to see Cursed Spirits. Even releasing simple Curtains requires several of them to work together, let alone one with a Binding Vow attached, which is why a Curtain hadn't been set up."
Shin nodded to show he understood. After all, the people from Window were risking their lives and charging to the front lines. Although their strength wasn't high, the danger of their work was certainly not low.
Shin looked at the foggy Domain Expansion that occupied nearly a quarter of the small village. Although the Domain Expansion looked quite large now, once the Curse truly learned how to use Domain Expansion, the coverage area would naturally decrease.
After all, if a domain is even slightly larger, the consumption of Cursed Energy will rise linearly. Considering Cursed Energy consumption and the duration of the domain, everyone controls their domain to a size they feel is appropriate.
However, Shin's pre-fabricated domain clearly didn't need to consider this. His domain was super large, and it possessed every function it should have.
If Shin were forced to use Domain Expansion on the spot without prior preparation, even ten of him would be powerless.
"Alright, Ijichi-san, please take the Window staff and leave for a moment. I won't take too long."
Kiyotaka knew that he would only be a hindrance here, so he very sensibly gathered the Window staff and led them away immediately.
After confirming that no one else was around, Shin approached the Cursed Spirit's Domain Expansion. Naturally, he wouldn't go inside. Who knew if this Cursed Spirit might be pretending to be unable to use Domain Expansion, waiting for him to enter to give him a surprise.
And who knew, if this Cursed Spirit could perform a Domain Expansion, whether the attributes of the domain wouldn't be the type that kills instantly?
Therefore, to ensure his own safety, Shin chose...
Maximum Radius—Domain Expansion: Genesis!
Shin's out-of-spec domain enveloped the area covered by the Cursed Spirit's Domain Expansion. The high concentration of Cursed Energy within the domain neutralized the Cursed Spirit's Domain Expansion, revealing its true form.
The Cursed Spirit was crimson all over, tall and large, with a long, high nose. It had a pair of huge wings on its back, held a feather fan, wore a large katana at its waist, and stood on geta sandals, revealing its identity as a Great Tengu.
"That's not right. Why would this kind of Special Grade Imaginary Cursed Spirit appear in this small village? It should appear in a location that matches its legend... Unless a cursed object related to a Tengu appeared, and it was born based on that cursed object."
However, regardless of the situation, the Tengu now had no ability to fight back within Shin's domain.
Dozens of tridents emitting purple light floated in mid-air, aimed at it. Feeling the threat of death, the Tengu Cursed Spirit bared its fangs at Shin and waved the feather fan in its hand.
A violent hurricane, carrying powerful lightning, rushed toward Shin, but it was neutralized by his domain in mid-air. Subsequently, the Curse was poked into a sieve by countless tridents.
A crimson, long-nosed Tengu mask fell to the ground. Shin walked over, picked it up, brushed off the dust, and put it away.
"Special Grade Cursed Object retrieval successful. If this Cursed Spirit had been allowed to develop for a while longer, it might have been a bit troublesome, but fortunately, I'm still a little stronger for now."