chsdbacks Chapter 33 Snakes, Insects, and Birds' Dens
Chapter 33 Snakes, Insects, and Birds' Dens
The tent was deathly silent.
There was no tragic scene of curses everywhere as expected, nor was there the chaos of ordinary people fleeing in panic.
Xuan Yi stepped onto the cracked asphalt road, and all he could see was a dilapidated park without power—trees had been snapped in half by some giant object, the broken ends charred and carbonized, as if swept by an invisible tsunami.
"What's going on... there's nobody here."
Nishimiya Momo hovered in mid-air on her broomstick, looking around with a furrowed brow.
In Xuan Yi's eyes, the scene before him was a completely opposite superimposed image.
He had never been to this unfamiliar park before, but he believed it must have originally been a bustling mudflat.
The tourists who come and go are quickly replaced by these ruins.
It's not that there aren't any outstanding individuals, it's just that those people...
They've all been eaten by the curse.
But what about those curses?
"I'll go look around on the other side."
Nishimiya Momo called out to Genichi and steered her broom toward the depths of the park.
However, at that very moment, Xuan Yi's pupils suddenly contracted.
Under the pitch-black sky, at almost the same height as Nishimiya Momo, a huge eyeball slowly opened, like a giant, murky amber, looking down at those below.
"Don't go over there!"
Xuan Yi's roar escaped his lips.
But it was too late.
The sky twisted like the surface of water, and a gaping maw full of sharp teeth suddenly tore through space, swallowing Xigong Tao whole, broom and all!
"Senior Momo!"
The magical power within Xuan Yi surged dramatically, and his figure shot towards the empty sky like an arrow. But the next second, an intense sense of crisis exploded from his spine.
He heard it.
A crisp, snipping sound, like scissors snapping shut.
boom!!!
Countless blazing fireballs poured down from the deep sky, trailing long tails of flame, like a reverse meteor shower.
The extreme heat distorted the air, and the violent roar, accompanied by shockwaves, slammed the ground where Xuan Yi had been standing into huge craters. Flames scattered, instantly igniting the surrounding withered trees.
"Are these... meteorites?!"
Xuan Yi was greatly alarmed and retreated swiftly. Fireballs followed him relentlessly, raining down on him one after another.
He stepped over the stone pillars on the steps, leaped high into the air, his magical power surged in his hands, and a black scythe condensed in his palm. He then flipped over and slashed several "Scythe Slashes" towards his head!
The wind blades formed a curtain, shattering the fireball completely.
Huge fireballs exploded one after another in the air, creating turbulent air currents.
Xuan Yi's body plummeted rapidly from the impact of the explosion. Before he even hit the ground, an arrow shot straight at his face with a whooshing sound!
Xuan dodged to the side, the arrow grazing his cheek.
--laugh.
The skin that was grazed dried up and ulcerated at a visible speed, as if it had aged for decades in an instant. Only when the arrow had gone far away did the corrosive force gradually subside, and the ulcerated flesh slowly recovered to its original state.
"Bang!"
His body crashed heavily to the ground.
Several arrows came flying through the air again. Xuan Yi scrambled to his feet to dodge, quickly stood up to steady himself, and fixed his gaze on what lay ahead.
A witch with her eyes closed stood under a withered tree, nocking a bow and drawing the string.
"A technique that accelerates aging just by getting close..." Xuan Yi's heart sank.
There are currently two confirmed enemies: the shrine maiden in front of us, and the owner of the "scissors" mentioned earlier.
But compared to these two troublesome curse masters, Xuan Yi was more worried about Xi Gong Tao's safety, since she had been swallowed whole by that invisible giant curse spirit!
"That stinky thing dared to swallow me! I'm all sticky and not cute at all!"
Suddenly, a furious roar came from the belly of the cursed spirit.
"Xuan Yi! Don't worry about me, I'm going to teach this guy a lesson myself!"
It seems there's no immediate danger to his life.
Just as Xuan Yi breathed a sigh of relief, an unusual fluctuation of magical power quietly emerged from behind him.
The third one?!
He whirled around, but the shadowy figure vanished like mist. Xuan Yi gripped his scythe tightly, and the next second he swung it fiercely behind him—
The blade tore through the shadow, but there was no real feeling of it hitting anything.
Like a mirage.
The dark figure swept past Xuan Yi, a gleaming dagger aimed straight for his throat!
Xuan Yi hastily retreated, but a bloody gash remained on his neck. He touched the wound; it wasn't deep, but it was definitely bleeding.
He stared as the veiled man retreated until he disappeared back into the shadows, his brow furrowed.
"That last attack...it should have hit me."
The priestess's continuous arrows gave him no chance to breathe. Within the range of those arrows, his body would be forced to age faster and his functions would rapidly decline.
Even though Xuan Yi is very resistant to using the real person's techniques on himself, he can only rely on "non-action transformation" to forcibly modify his body and barely offset the damage.
However, the only way to force all these creatures hiding in the woods and shadows out at once is to use that trick!
Xuan Yi gritted his teeth and suddenly clasped his hands together.
Surgical procedure in sequence —
"Azure!"
The azure light collapsed in his palm and then flew out of his hand!
A massive gravitational source, suspended tens of meters away, was tearing everything around it apart with terrifying suction.
By pushing the output of "Cang"'s curse power to its limit, Xuan Yi could clearly feel that the curse power deep in his soul was rapidly depleting.
Xuan Yi clenched his fists, shifting his posture, and remotely guided the massive ball of magical power.
Trees were uprooted, and rubble and soil rushed toward the sphere of light like a waterfall flowing backward, only to be crushed into dust the instant they touched its core.
In the blink of an eye, a layer of ground within a hundred meters was forcibly removed, and all obstacles were swept away!
"That is—"
"A technique with no limits?!"
At the edge of the ruins, three figures had nowhere to hide.
A man in a jacket holding a small staff, a witch with her eyes closed, and an assassin dressed in all black.
"Not bad," the man in the jacket said with a smirk. "Are you from the Gojo family?"
"No." Xuan Yi slowly straightened up, his scythe held horizontally at his side, his voice hoarse, "You are all ancient sorcerers who have been reborn from flesh, aren't you?"
The priestess frowned slightly, remaining silent.
The man in the jacket seemed quite surprised: "I didn't expect you to know so much. That's good. Although we were entrusted to guard this barrier, it's lucky to have met a worthy opponent."
"My name is Tsuchimikado Yoko."
And you, kid?
"Don't waste time talking to this kid, let's finish this quickly," the shadowy figure beside him warned.
"Tanba, unlike you ninjas, we astrologers are all romantics." Tsuchimikado Yakuri smiled, looking at Genichi, "What's your name?"
Xuan Yi pondered for a moment, confirming that there were no hidden curse energy fluctuations on the other party, before slowly speaking.
"Nishio Genichi."
"Nishio? Never heard of that family." Tsuchimikado pondered for a moment, then shrugged indifferently. "Whatever, then—"
Let's begin!
His staff suddenly lengthened, and he slammed it into the ground.
jingle!
Brilliant starlight gathered from the tip of the staff, and the huge halo seemed to contain the power of the stars, ready to explode at any moment.
At the same time, the dark figure reappeared behind Xuan Yi!
Xuan Yi turned and slashed, but it was that elusive feeling again—he missed completely!
"Hey! Don't get distracted during the battle!"
Tsuchimikado laughed wildly and waved his staff, unleashing a shower of starlight upon Xuan Yi!
"Starfall"!
Xuan Yi's figure flashed rapidly, and countless meteors followed his trajectory, crashing down.
"Not bad luck!" Tsuchimikado laughed, "but your good luck won't last forever!"
Click.
There was another sound of scissors closing.
Xuan Yi suddenly felt the flow of magical energy beneath his feet stagnate, causing his steps to falter. A meteor struck him precisely at his feet, the immense impact sending him flying. He tumbled several times on the ground before barely managing to regain his balance.
Click.
The ground beneath his feet suddenly cracked open, and a huge ravine appeared out of nowhere, swallowing Xuan Yi whole!
"How about you take this move?"
Tsuchimikado swung his staff toward the ravine, and endless star power transformed into a dazzling ball of light, pouring down in all its glory!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Smoke and dust filled the air.
Tsuchimikado strolled leisurely to the edge of the ravine, about to confirm the results of the battle, when a blue light suddenly flashed!
Xuan Yi had appeared beside him without him even noticing!
"What?!"
Without giving any time to react, the scythe swiftly slashed down!
Click!
The scissors screwed again.
The black scythe in Xuan Yi's hand suddenly trembled violently. Just as it was about to touch the opponent, the curse power dissipated, and it turned back into the shape of a pendant!
"Is your magical power disordered? I'm so lucky!"
Tsuchimikado's lips curled into a smile as he slammed his fist into Genichi's face!
"Bang!"
Under the heavy blow, Xuan felt dizzy and his head was throbbing, and blood gushed from his nose.
Several arrows flew through the air with a whooshing sound, piercing his shoulder and thigh.
At that moment, the shadowy figure hidden in the dark launched the most deadly sneak attack, stabbing Xuan Yi in the chest from behind with a dagger, and blood gushed out instantly!
Xuan Yi staggered a few steps, feeling his life force rapidly draining away. He suddenly turned his head, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the dark figure in front of him.
"...Got you."
Xuan Yi suddenly reached out and used his blood-stained, withered hand to tightly grasp the wrist of the dark figure beside him—Dan Bo.
Danbo's pupils contracted sharply. A strange magical power invaded his wrist, and his face showed shock. His body quickly became ethereal, breaking free from Xuan Yi's restraints. He took several steps back, gripping the dagger with a look of doubt and uncertainty.
Xuan Yi struggled to pull the arrows out of his body.
The lost vitality is rapidly recovering.
"What happened... It clearly pierced my heart." Tanbo stared at his wrist where it had been gripped, his voice strained.
"Is it a reversal technique?" Tsuchimikado frowned.
"No," the priestess finally spoke, her voice ethereal yet icy, "even a reversal spell cannot resist my 'Withering'."
Tsuchimikado's expression turned serious.
At this moment, Xuan Yi had fully recovered.
He gasped for breath, gritted his teeth, and slowly raised his hands to form a hand seal.
"Transformation through non-action."
As soon as he finished speaking, Danbo, who had already escaped to a safe distance, suddenly changed his expression drastically—his left wrist exploded without warning! The flesh surged, swelled, and twisted, as if injected with some kind of living thing, spreading wildly throughout his entire arm!
"That was when...my strange magical power was touched!"
"Your technique," Xuan Yi grinned, opening his blood-stained hands, "is to put yourself in an illusory state for a limited time, and you can choose to activate it when it is disadvantageous to you, right?"
Even so, regarding the spell attack that has already been suffered, including its subsequent effects—
"There's nothing we can do to avoid it!"
"Are you kidding me!"
A hoarse roar escaped Danbo's throat as he gripped his swollen, deformed right arm tightly. Seeing the eerie cursed power creeping up his elbow like a living thing, a desperate glint of ruthlessness finally flashed in his eyes. He gritted his teeth—
Swish!
A flash of cold light, and he severed the infected right arm with his own hands! Blood splattered.
Xuan Yi tilted his head, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes as if deliberately feigned. Then, that surprise turned into a deep sarcasm, which snaked across his lips like a venomous snake.
"Oh?" He chuckled, his voice rising slightly at the end, carrying a hint of exaggerated admiration. "To cut off an arm to survive? I thought... you couldn't make that decision."
Before the words were even finished, the mocking smile suddenly ripped apart, transforming into an almost malicious arrogance.
He opened his arms as if to embrace the bloody battlefield, his chest heaving violently, his voice rising in undisguised provocation and pleasure:
"Come on! Let the battle continue!"
Tsuchimikado Yoru stared at him, his pupils slightly contracting.
The astrologer's previous nonchalant smile, which had been so casual and carefree, now seemed frozen, completely peeling off his face. His gaze darkened, becoming as cold as if he were looking at an incomprehensible and extremely ferocious creature.
"Your personality..." he began slowly, his tone turning completely cold, "is truly appalling!"