Chapter 114
Kazuma Hatake believed that he had already been very considerate of her by taking the time to kick the unconscious Kana Yano into the unaffected courtyard while he was hurriedly dodging the area-of-effect skill released by the master.
Even with his stamina already reduced by more than half, he probably wouldn't look as unharmed as he does now, if it weren't for the fact that the consequences of [Azure] hitting a human body directly would be so severe that one would question "how could this person still be alive?"
This may also be a design mechanism of the game—apart from the setting of special combat systems such as spell power, try not to have phenomena that do not conform to the laws of nature in other places.
As for Kana Yano, Kazuma Hatori didn't intentionally let her off the hook.
After all, Satoru was hit by the spell before he even entered the door, while the other party was unconscious from the beginning. Hagoromo could probably guess that she might also be one of the victims.
However, if Gojo Satoru fails to break free of the illusion, Hagoromo Kazuma will actually try to kill the NPC to see if the spell on him will be lifted.
Fortunately, Wu quickly realized something was wrong and managed to break free from the hallucination.
This is the way to break free...
Kazuma Hatori suppressed the subtle emotions rising in his heart and could only pretend that he hadn't heard the question. He went with Satoru Gojo to the yard to find Kana Yano.
Perhaps because the spell was dispelled by Gojo Satoru, she was still lying on the grass in the yard, but she had begun to wake up and was rubbing her eyes in a daze.
There were also scattered pieces of debris from the house that Gojo Satoru had violently demolished.
"it hurts……"
This was the first thing she said after waking up.
One hand rested on his ribs, possibly broken by Kazuma Hatori's kick.
Gojo Satoru silently looked at Hagoromo Kazuma.
Kazuma Hatake coughed lightly.
"My home!?"
These were her second words after waking up, followed by a completely unbelievable scream at the ruins.
Kazuma Hatori silently looked at Satoru Gojo.
Gojo Satoru coughed lightly.
One of them broke someone's ribs, and the other destroyed a detached house in a tornado...
Gojo Satoru immediately put on an extremely serious expression and stepped forward to inquire about Arasei Junko's composer friend.
"Excuse me, are you Kana Yano? How are you feeling now?"
The moment his [Six Eyes] saw Yano Kana, it was crystal clear that she was just an ordinary person cursed, not the curse master they were looking for.
At this moment, Kana Yano was staring at the ruins, so devastated that their original appearance was unrecognizable, her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets in shock.
Suddenly, a handsome and refined white-haired boy with blue eyes appeared in front of her. He not only knelt down in front of her with his knees drawn up, but also asked her with concern if she was alright.
Kana Yano opened her mouth and uttered a soft, rambling sentence.
"...I feel like I'm dreaming..."
"Hahaha, this isn't a dream, your house really has been destroyed—by me."
Gojo Satoru clenched his fist and lightly tapped his head, looking extremely embarrassed, even sticking out the tip of his tongue in a cute manner.
Kana Yano silently turned her head and glared at him instead.
“…”
“Your ribs,” Kazuma Hatake also raised his hand to confess, “I broke them. I was in a hurry to save you just now…”
Kana Yano slowly shifted her gaze again, this time staring at the two of them.
"…………"
It all felt like a dream, making her feel incredibly unreal, and even causing a dizzying, disorienting sensation in her brain.
Why did I wake up after just taking a nap to find myself being kicked in the ribs and having my house violently destroyed by two boys who looked so familiar...?
You're actually still dreaming, right? A really real dream.
"Actually, it's not a big deal. Someone from the college will contact you to handle the aftermath, and all the losses and injury costs will be fully compensated."
Seeing that Yano Kana was completely dumbfounded, Gojo Satoru spoke up to encourage her.
"And at least you're still alive, you're super lucky! Look at all the missions I've taken on before, there were basically only victims, no survivors."
This is the truth; Kana Yano is indeed one of the few lucky ones who survived after being cursed.
In comparison, she only lost a house and broke a few ribs, which is a really small price to pay.
The other parties involved in this incident have become victims themselves.
Yano Kana: "…………"
Knowing that she would receive compensation, Kana Yano took a deep breath and finally spoke.
“I remember who you are, Gojo Satoru and Hato Kazuma.”
That super popular rookie duo from before!
When she heard from Arashiro Junko that these two handsome young men were also affiliated with SS agency, she specifically asked her if she could get them an autograph!
Later, I heard from Arashiro Junko that they never appeared again, and I was very disappointed for a long time.
Who knew she would meet these two tonight—and in a scene and conversation that only happens in supernatural works!
But the building in front of us, reduced to rubble, is the most powerful proof.
Yes, it's us.
Gojo Satoru readily agreed, and to put Yano Kana at ease, he even gave her a cute wink.
"Although we should have Runzi take you to the hospital right now, the curse is still on you and the situation is urgent. Tell us about your previous experiences first, such as what strange things you have seen, what strange things you have obtained, or what unusual events you have experienced."
The house being demolished and ribs being broken are minor issues, because the real culprit—the curse master named Pu You—has not yet been caught.
When Gojo Satoru finished speaking in one breath, a long passage that was completely beyond Yano Kana's imagination, she was stunned again.
But the other person's expression was serious, and it sounded like it concerned her life and safety, so Kana Yano could only rack her brains to recall what she had done recently.
"My job is composing music. I often travel to various places to relax, observe, gather inspiration, and find new ideas. In short, I tend to do things that are different from my ordinary daily life."
"Speaking of a while ago, Runzi asked me to compose a new song for her album. The elements are roughly a rock-infused psychedelic electronic music style... I had never tried this before, so I wanted to go to similar places to find inspiration."
"At first, I went to bars, but the male escorts were so annoying. Not only were they ugly, but they also kept talking to me, trying to persuade me to buy those cheap drinks at high prices. Regular bars tend to be more lyrical and jazzy."
Kana Yano frowned as she recalled her past experiences.
"After that, I switched to going to disco... but after several nights, I didn't get anything out of it."
"On that last night, when I was planning never to come here again, I met a middle-aged woman who took the initiative to strike up a conversation with me."
"She chatted with me for a bit, and after hearing that I was looking for inspiration for composing, she recommended a place called Dulu Village."
"Watari Village?" Gojo Satoru asked. "Is it in Tokyo?"
"Yes, in a super, super remote place, it's a small village that's been abandoned and the government recently plans to turn into a reservoir."
Kana Yano nodded. “It takes a long time to walk through the forest and then cross a river… but all I saw there were a lot of dilapidated houses and a shrine.”
"That shrine seems to be enshrining something, a strange wooden doll with hollow eyes and an open mouth. It looks incredibly eerie."
Kana Yano thought for a moment and then added, "There are dried brown bloodstains on it."
"It must have been after we came back from there that when I gave the demo tape to Runzi again, she kept telling me that she heard strange noises."
After hearing this description, Hagoromo Kazuma turned to Gojo Satoru and asked.
"That woman?"
It sounds a lot like that curse master named Pu You, and the description of the wooden doll also matches the baby's crying that can induce hallucinations.
"That disco might just be a target she's searching for to cast a curse on; going there directly might not even find her."
After a moment of contemplation, Gojo Satoru decided on the next direction for the search.
"Take us to that abandoned Dulu Village first. I want to see if the wooden doll is really her magic medium."
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned to look at Yano Kana, who was still sitting on the ground, and showed a slightly embarrassed expression.
"…………"
Kana Yano immediately understood what the white-haired boy hadn't said aloud.
“I’ll go with you right now… hiss.”
Since this concerned her life, Kana Yano could only clutch her sore spot and struggle to her feet.
"It's okay, let's go to the emergency room of a nearby hospital to check your injuries first. If it's too serious, you can't move it around too much."
Gojo Satoru waved his hand to untie the curtain and called Uncle Tomoya, telling him to come pick him up quickly.
Araki Junko was also in the car. When she saw that Yano Kana's house had been completely reduced to ruins in the blink of an eye, she gasped.
"What happened??"
The "cursed spirit" these two mentioned is actually this terrifying!
Gojo Satoru put his hands behind his back and said, "Heh heh."
"...the price for my survival."
Kana Yano clutched her sore spot with one hand, wincing, and waved her other hand, signaling to her friend to stop hurting her feelings.
Her musical compositions, her jotting-down fragments of inspiration... if you're lucky, you might at least leave her a few sheets of paper; if you're unlucky, they're all gone.
Furthermore, the first version of the new song promised to Junko Arase has not yet been finalized.
However, at least Kana Yano herself was unharmed, so Junko Araki breathed a sigh of relief and quickly took her to the hospital.
The X-ray results were also quite good, showing minor fractures in three ribs with no internal bleeding—just take painkillers and use an elastic chest band to stabilize the chest, and then you can move around normally.
Yano Kana breathed a sigh of relief.
She was in so much pain that she thought all her bones were broken.
Since the doctor confirmed that hospitalization was not necessary, Kana Yano took charge of giving directions and led Satoru Gojo and the others to Watari Village, which she had visited before, overnight.
On the way there, Gojo Satoru didn't forget to call Mr. Furui, who was still staying up late waiting for them, and asked him to help him find information about Toshika Village through the vocational high school. The more detailed the information, the better, and he should send it to Mr. Furui as soon as possible.
Kazuma Hatori, meanwhile, was quietly munching on a health-restoring bread he bought from the shop, trying to quickly replenish his stamina.
"By the way, when I was hallucinating before."
After hanging up the phone, Gojo Satoru suddenly remembered something and nudged Hagoromo Kazuma, who was sitting next to him, with his elbow.
"[Cang]'s target is actually you, isn't it?"
Kazuma Hatori nodded, biting into his bread, "Mm."
Gojo Satoru: "Was it you who caused [Azure]'s spell reaction to suddenly disappear at the end?"
If it weren't for a situation that suddenly contradicted his sorcerous intuition during the attack, he wouldn't have realized that he had fallen into an illusion.
I'm just curious how they managed to create this. I'll ask them.
Kazuma Hatake naturally wouldn't hide it from Satoru Gojo: "It must be caused by my technique. ."
Current Equipment: [Dual-wielding]
Currently, the default skill is:
, Dual-Edged Form: Throws one of the short blades to a spatial coordinate point. Centered on its tip, space shatters in a certain range along the east, west, south, north, up, and down directions, then resets to zero. Deals significant damage to the target. The effective range depends on the amount of spell power consumed.
, Short Staff Form: The landing point of the swing inflicts a small-area spatial instability effect, increasing the damage of the next attack received by the target. Multiple attacks on the same landing point will shatter the space within that area and reset it to zero. The effective range and the spell power consumed are fixed.
Simply put, the short stick inflicts a vulnerability debuff on the enemy, while the dual blades forcibly remove enemy spell effects within a certain range.
If used on an enemy, it should forcibly terminate the effect of the spell being cast and put them into a state of stun for a certain period of time.
Kazuma Hatori wasn't entirely sure, but Satoru Gojo was already getting restless.
He had envisioned many scenarios for Ichijin to learn the spell. In short, he finally figured out a way to teach him how to use the spell, and then proudly held his head high as he accepted the bright praise from the black bean chai.
I never expected that he would end up forcing his opponent into a situation where they would die if they didn't use the technique... He learned it under such desperate circumstances!
At first glance, it does seem like he taught it, but it shouldn't be taught this way at all...!
Gojo Satoru puffed out his cheeks with a hint of guilt and earnestly apologized to Hagoromo Kazuma.
"Sorry, I almost hurt you."
"Oh, that's perfectly fine."
Kazuma Hagoromo choked on the piece of bread that was supposed to help him recover.
Taking a hit from [Azure] is no big deal; as long as the player is alive, it's equivalent to being unharmed.
As for the technique, Kazuma Hatori originally wanted to give Satoru Gojo a surprise during this mission, which is why he deliberately didn't tell him beforehand.
However, this time, it was precisely because Kazuma Hatori did not tell Satoru Gojo about the effects of his technique beforehand that Satoru Gojo, in his illusion, realized that something was wrong.
Kazuma Hagoromo was somewhat relieved.
However, he now didn't want pretty Xiaowu's mood to continue to decline—even her usually energetic white hair had become listless, like a withered sunflower.
After thinking hard for a long time, Kazuma Hatori could only lean close to Satoru Gojo's ear and whisper to him.
"I heard you ask that question in your hallucination."
Gojo Satoru: "..."
Gojo Satoru: "!!!"
…………
Tomoya Tsuji's car slowly came to a stop on the edge of the forest where Watari Village is located.
To ensure the safety of Arasena Junko and Tsuji Tomoya, Gojo Satoru had them wait outside the forest and even put up a [banner] that [prohibited sorcerers from entering].
Although the tent can be broken by brute force, its sturdiness is also related to the amount of incantation power infused by the caster.
This is a [tent] that he set up; it would take an ordinary sorcerer at least an hour to break it.
Not to mention that the curse power at this distance is still within Gojo Satoru's perception range, he would surely catch that curse master who was trying to launch a sneak attack red-handed before he could even make two moves.
Kana Yano walked quite slowly, with Kazuma Hato and Satoru Gojo following behind her to prevent any accidents.
Her heart was filled with fear and the urge to give up, but she still mustered up the courage to go inside.
This desolate village, already quite eerie during the day, becomes even more bizarre at night.
Despite it being late autumn, not a single insect chirped in the vicinity, as if a silent, gigantic maw, devouring life, had existed there silently and for a long time.
Only tangled weeds have taken root here, or let vines slowly climb up the mud walls made of yellow earth, the broken tiles, and the rotten and broken planks, rustling as the night wind blows through the leaves, making this dilapidated and desolate village even more terrifying.
"About the shrine..."
As soon as Kana Yano cautiously opened her mouth, Satoru Gojo put his index finger to her lips, telling her to be quiet.
"I can see it."
Gojo Satoru explained softly, leading her and Hato Kazuma toward the direction where the curse aura was strongest.
In his field of vision, the village was covered with a large area of cursed remnants, just like the one on Yano Kana.
It is indeed the source of the curse.
Gojo Satoru was extremely cautious with every step he took, and he had already started engaging in [unscrupulous] activities long ago.
He doesn't know how to reverse the spell yet, so he can't keep the [unlimited] state active indefinitely—if he keeps it up for too long, it will burn out his brain.
Kazuma Hatake's [Karma Twin] has also switched to dual-blade form, ready to activate at any time.
Although it consumes more spell power than [Black Flash] and the short staff form, it is superior because it is a mid-to-long-range skill and deals more damage than the short staff form.
Kana Yano is still cursed, so it's not safe to leave her alone. It's better to keep her within sight.
The deeper you go, the heavier the sense of oppression in the air becomes.
When the equally bizarrely styled shrine appeared before them, Gojo Satoru made the [Azure] gesture, his curse power flowing through his body, ready to be unleashed at any moment.
This is a shrine without doors or walls, with only a few thick pillars supporting the roof. Around it are some filthy shimenawa (sacred ropes), some lying on the rotten and moldy wooden floor, and some lying further away in the soil, buried by withered leaves and weeds.
On the altar in the very center was the wooden doll that Kana Yano had mentioned.
It had two bloody, empty eye sockets and was giving Gojo Satoru and the others a twisted smile.
Kana Yano let out a suppressed scream: "Its expression changed!"
"It's okay, just don't leave my side."
Immediately, a warm hand pressed down on her head, patted her gently, and then pulled her arm, leading her to his side.
Kana Yano was stunned, and looked up at the white-haired boy who was at least ten years younger than her, yet at this moment he gave her an unparalleled sense of security.
Gojo Satoru, who was protecting her behind him, remained remarkably calm.
He may not be 16 years old yet, but he has done countless missions since childhood, and his experience in handling abnormal events is richer and more skillful than that of many sorcerers.
"The fact that Kana can see the curse means it's already very dangerous."
Gojo Satoru stared intently at the wooden doll and said to Hagoromo Kazuma, "But I can't tell whether this is a medium for casting spells remotely or an effect caused by a spell."
"Ichijin, attack it with your technique."
It just so happens that his spell is quite effective against enemies who rely on spells to attack... and he might even be included in that category.
Gojo Satoru took the opportunity to broaden his thinking.
It can actually forcibly stop the damage caused by [Cang]. I wonder if [Shifang Maha] can break through his [No Limits]. I can test it when I get back.
But after waiting for a while, Gojo Satoru found that Hatori Kazuma did not react at all.
He turned his gaze away in surprise.
"Ichima?"
He called out in confusion, only to see Kazuma Hatori, with an indifferent expression, turn one of the short blades of the [Karma Double] type and point the tip at himself—mercilessly plunging it into his abdomen!
.
Those pale eyes widened in astonishment, only to see that a curse aura had somehow become entangled around Yuqu Kazuma—but at this moment, it seemed to let out a silent, momentary wail, as spatial fragments fell one after another, like a piece of chewing gum being instantly frozen and then completely peeled off.
Startled, Kana Yano reflexively let out a second low gasp, but immediately covered her mouth with both hands.
Gojo Satoru immediately understood the situation that was currently unfolding.
The wooden doll may just be a smokescreen, but since it possesses such a powerful and ever-flowing aura of curse, it means that its owner must be nearby!
Hagoromo Kazuma was indeed caught in the enemy's illusion spell, but he reacted instantly and forcibly stopped the enemy's spell by using his own spell!
Since that was the case, Gojo Satoru didn't bother to ask about Hatori Kazuma's injuries. His blue eyes scanned the surroundings and instantly found a curse aura that was much weaker than the wooden doll's, yet tainted with other remnants of cursed power—
"[Azure]!"
The sudden burst of massive magical power caused the entire piece of land to be violently lifted up, like butter being cut by a spatula; and the already dilapidated ruins were crushed by large swathes of magical power, and with overwhelming force, this even more violent hurricane carried countless fragments, viciously stirring up the surrounding space inch by inch!
The faint screams did not stop this man-made natural disaster.
Kana Yano looked up in shock at the enormous storm that had appeared out of nowhere and defied all reason, then looked at the white-haired boy with a cold expression and a hint of anger in his raised hand.
Gojo Satoru stopped when the wooden doll was also crushed in the [Azure], turning his gaze to Hato Kazuma, who was breaking the enemy's spell by injuring himself and extending his own curse power to the enemy's body.
Those cold, pale eyes slowly softened.
As if he knew what Kazuma Hatori was going to ask, he gently shook his head to indicate that he was alright.
Watching the two of them, whose silent gestures revealed a deep understanding, Kana Yano suddenly had an inspiration for her composition.
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