30s
"Tank."
Rin was the first to break the stalemate.
He raised his right hand abruptly, black-red Cursed Energy condensing wildly in his palm. Instantly, a "cannonball" enveloped in a violent airstream was fired with a deafening boom.
Although he hadn't charged it, given his current mastery over his Cursed Technique, this strike still contained terrifying power capable of shattering steel. The sharp sound of the air being torn apart echoed throughout the temple.
Mei Mei and Aoi Todo's reactions were astonishingly fast.
Almost the moment the Cursed Energy cannonball formed, the two tacitly dodged to the left and right, their movements clean and without a hint of hesitation.
"Boom!"
The Cursed Energy cannonball grazed their clothes and smashed heavily into the ruins of the temple's main hall behind them.
The already decayed wooden beams and earthen walls were instantly blown away by the shockwave. Gravel and broken wood splattered like a rainstorm, and smoke and dust billowed up, turning the entire temple's wreckage into powder with this single strike.
The massive impact force caused Mei Mei and Aoi Todo to stumble slightly upon landing, a flicker of gravity in their eyes.
They had known Rin's strength was not to be underestimated, but they hadn't expected his attack intensity to be this terrifying. If this strike had truly landed, even with Aoi Todo's Reverse Cursed Technique protecting him, he likely would have been severely injured.
Rin, watching the two separated by the smoke and dust, curled his lips into a cold smile.
The purpose of this strike was never to land a hit, but to separate them. As long as he cut off their coordination, he could break through them one by one.
28s
Just as Mei Mei and Aoi Todo steadied themselves and before they could regroup, Rin's second wave of attacks followed in quick succession.
In the next second, several powerful Grade 1 Cursed Spirits suddenly emerged from the void. The Long-Haired Cursed Spirit, the Rock Cursed Spirit, the Shadow Beast, and a Bull-Headed Cursed Spirit—four powerful Grade 1 Cursed Spirits—surged like a rushing wave, their target clearly set on Aoi Todo.
Rin knew very well that Aoi Todo's Reverse Cursed Technique was still repairing his severed arm; this was the moment his defense was at its weakest.
As long as he kept Aoi Todo tied up, he could free his hands to deal with Mei Mei.
Aoi Todo's expression darkened. Although his right arm was still regenerating, he did not dare to slacken his left hand in the slightest.
He mobilized his Cursed Energy to protect his entire body, meeting the Rock Cursed Spirit's fist with his own left fist. At the same time, he sidestepped to avoid the Shadow Beast's claws, his movements still carrying the ferocity of a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer.
However, facing the siege of multiple Grade 1 Cursed Spirits, he was ultimately pinned down, unable to break free for the moment.
The moment Aoi Todo was besieged by the Cursed Spirits, Mei Mei's body moved before her consciousness could. She pushed off the ground with her left toe and rushed toward the ruins, wanting to help share the pressure for Aoi Todo.
But before she could take a second step, Rin's cold voice rang out again, carrying an unquestionable sense of oppression:
"Rifle."
Before his words faded, black-red Cursed Energy exploded at Rin's fingertips.
This time, it was no longer a single "cannonball," but a rain of bullets as dense as a meteor shower. Dozens of Cursed Energy bullets, accompanied by the sharp sound of tearing air, shot toward Mei Mei in a fan shape, precisely sealing off every path she could take toward the ruins.
Mei Mei's pupils constricted, and she instantly abandoned the thought of rescuing him.
Her crows were still circling in the sky; Rin's movements were clearly captured by the crows, allowing her to sense the danger in advance.
She threw her body backward, kicking off the ground, and performed a backflip that almost defied the laws of physics to dodge the bullets attacking her head-on. Her long white braid traced an arc in the air, her clothes whipped by the airstream, her movements clean and without a hint of hesitation.
But the rain of bullets did not stop; a few stray Cursed Energy bullets were still shooting toward her side.
Mei Mei's eyes sharpened. Her right hand abruptly raised that massive battle-axe, its blade gleaming with a cold light. With a few crisp "clangs," the incoming Cursed Energy bullets were precisely blocked by the axe.
25s
The moment she landed, Mei Mei quickly retreated two steps, putting distance between herself and Rin.
Looking at the youth before her who was continuously condensing Cursed Energy, she finally cast aside her last shred of underestimation. Rin was not only strange in his Cursed Technique and powerful in his attacks, but his tactical layout was also so meticulous that he could simultaneously pin down both her and Aoi Todo, precisely seizing the gap where the two could not coordinate.
On the other side of the ruins, Aoi Todo's situation had become increasingly difficult.
The Shadow Beast's claws continuously tore through his defensive Cursed Energy, the Rock Cursed Spirit's fists smashed his left arm until it went numb, and the Long-Haired Cursed Spirit's black hair even wrapped around his ankles, making his movements increasingly sluggish.
Although he was still operating his Reverse Cursed Technique to repair his right arm, being entangled by four Grade 1 Cursed Spirits slowed his regeneration speed significantly, and cold sweat increasingly covered his forehead.
Mei Mei gritted her teeth, just about to summon her crows to sneak attack Rin from behind, when she saw Rin's gaze suddenly shift to her. The Cursed Energy at his fingertips flared with red light again; clearly, he had already anticipated her actions and was ready to launch the next round of attacks at any moment.
Mei Mei's evasion movements were gorgeous and fluid, and the angle of her axe block had precisely avoided most of the bullet rain.
But she forgot that Rin's Sharingan was perfectly matched with his Cursed Technique. The tomoe rotating within those scarlet pupils had long ago broken down her movements into countless minute trajectories.
In the next second, the Cursed Energy at his fingertips suddenly adjusted direction. Two black-red Cursed Energy bullets broke away from the fan-shaped barrage, and as if they had a mind of their own, they bypassed the blocking range of the battle-axe and shot straight toward Mei Mei's abdomen.
"Pfft! Pfft!"
Two muffled sounds rang out almost simultaneously. Two flowers of blood suddenly burst open on Mei Mei's abdomen; dark red blood flowed down along her clothes, instantly soaking the ends of her long white braid.
Intense pain caused her to knit her brows tightly, and cold sweat instantly soaked her back. Having just landed, she had no time to perform other evasion maneuvers and could only instinctively hold her battle-axe horizontally in front of her, attempting to block the subsequent rain of bullets.
But Rin's attack did not cease; the remaining Cursed Energy bullets, like a dense rain of arrows, shot through the gaps of the battle-axe.
Mei Mei could only grit her teeth and endure it, allowing several Cursed Energy bullets to graze her shoulders and arms, leaving wounds of varying depths. Blood dripped onto the gravel ground below, splashing up tiny droplets of blood.
20s
Rin's peripheral vision swept across the other side of the ruins. Aoi Todo was tightly entangled by three Cursed Spirits and had to split his focus to maintain his Reverse Cursed Technique; let alone supporting Mei Mei, even protecting himself was already his limit.
In the short term, he could not influence the battle situation here at all.
Rin instantly focused his mind, locking all his attention on Mei Mei in front of him. At this moment, she was at her most vulnerable.
The blood hole in Mei Mei's abdomen was still gushing blood, and the wounds on her arms and shoulders made her movements a bit sluggish.
Just as she landed and steadied herself, she instinctively retreated rapidly, because Rin in her field of vision had transformed into a black shadow, rushing toward her at an extremely fast speed.
"Too fast!"
Mei Mei's heart tightened. Just as she was about to summon her crows to block in front of her, she realized Rin had already broken the distance between them and had arrived by her side in the blink of an eye.
19s
Mei Mei had anticipated that Rin would prioritize attacking her, but it was already too late to cast a Cursed Technique.