In a shadow within the Barrier, Eichi's figure quietly appeared.
After emerging, he rubbed his temples.
It proved that unless you were Satoru, taking a direct hit from a high-power blast was a terrible idea.
Eichi's current condition could be summed up in one sentence.
His head was ringing.
Ryu's point-blank blast was something best left to Satoru. Eichi swore never to try it again.
After a short rest, his headache subsiding, Eichi turned his gaze back to the battlefield.
It was still five versus one, but after Kuroi Bokusatsu had been exorcised, Tamamo-no-Mae took his place.
Dhruv summoned Shikigami as meat shields, acting as the tank.
Ootengu flew above, filling the ADC role, and Mahoraga would reposition and strike back every time it was targeted.
Takako, who had been roaming the field like a jungler, began focusing on controlling Mahoraga after Eichi's disappearance.
However, she found Mahoraga increasingly difficult to control. Just earlier, she tried again and not only failed, but almost got punched.
If it weren't for the experience from the last time she got kicked, she would have taken that hit directly.
It was her first time facing something so hard to control, and now she was seriously questioning her life choices.
Kuroi Bokusatsu, who had served as the mage-type damage dealer, was gone. Now Tamamo-no-Mae had taken that position.
But oddly, she didn't attack with foxfire. Instead, she kept creating illusions to confuse Mahoraga.
The main damage dealer had shifted to Ryu Ishigori, who was fighting solo on the flank.
He would launch a blast, then charge forward and fight with his fists, clearly enjoying every moment.
"It seems Mahoraga's side doesn't need my attention for now."
Mahoraga had already adapted to most of the enemies' techniques.
Besides, very few people truly understood Mahoraga's nature. Most of them were ancient sorcerers and didn't know much about it, which gave Mahoraga a real chance to win.
And it would win.
Eichi slowly stood up and started carefully observing the situation inside the Barrier.
He hadn't had the chance to properly assess things before being interrupted by Dhruv.
It was also his first time seeing someone use a Shikigami to form a Domain. Since Eichi had been inside Dhruv's Domain, he had automatically been caught by the sure-hit effect.
From that alone, Dhruv could be considered a genius.
This time, Eichi planned to observe thoroughly.
If the situation was manageable, he would use a Command Spell to summon a Heroic Spirit and clean up.
If it truly escalated into something like the Culling Game with 100 players and over a million Cursed Spirits, then he would need to plan for the long term.
With such a massive baseline, any kind of existence could appear.
Taking on a million enemies alone wasn't something he could pull off lightly.
He had to avoid a "try it and die" scenario.
"These display cases must have held something before, Cursed Objects?"
Eichi examined the cases shattered by Mahoraga's rampage.
Several Cursed Objects had just so happened to fall into his shadow earlier.
Looking at the neat rows of display cases, Eichi realized the worst-case scenario was playing out.
This looked like the original location of the players and Cursed Spirits in the Sendai Barrier when Kenjaku initiated the Culling Game.
Eichi walked deeper into the Barrier.
"So many rooms, each sealed with a powerful Barrier. What's inside?"
He cautiously opened one of the doors, just a crack.
The Barrier was designed to prevent things from leaving, not to stop people like Eichi from entering.
Instantly, he was met with countless eyes filled with malice, resentment, hunger, and other negative emotions. It startled him.
What greeted him was a massive number of Cursed Spirits.
The leading one was huge, resembling an ugly male figure tens of meters tall.
'Why does it feel so much like Ōnyūdō?'
Eichi felt like he had seen it in a Cursed Spirit bestiary before.
Ōnyūdō was a Yokai from Japanese legends that appeared on Mount Ibuki. The largest could embrace a mountain peak, and the smallest were over two meters tall. Their size corresponded to their strength.
The Ōnyūdō in front of him clearly belonged to the powerful type. Judging from its aura, it had already surpassed a standard Grade 1 and was at least Semi-Special Grade.
Eichi quietly closed the door.
He moved to the next room. After opening the door, another mass of Cursed Spirits appeared.
'Looks like the worst-case scenario really is coming…'
Eichi frowned.
Still, just to be sure, he decided to check every room as quickly as possible.
"What is this thing? No matter how hard we hit it, it just won't die!"
After inspecting dozens of rooms, voices began to echo nearby.
Eichi leaned against the wall and slipped into the shadows to hide.
"Didn't Lady Uro say it earlier? This thing is called Mahoraga."
A shifty-eyed man scoffed.
There were dozens of people present, most gathered around a basin of water, which displayed the battlefield.
It was probably someone's Technique.
Those who didn't get a spot were scattered nearby.
"What's a Mahoraga?"
The rough-voiced man continued to ask.
"Mahoraga is…"
The shifty-eyed man was about to show off but realized he didn't actually know.
Soon, an old man stepped forward and began sharing the "legend" of Mahoraga, causing everyone to exclaim in amazement.
Eichi, however, was speechless.
It was all made up. Completely fabricated.
Aside from Mahoraga defeating powerful Cursed Spirits and its connection to the Gojo Clan's Six Eyes, everything else was nonsense.
Even I, Mahoraga's user, didn't know it was brave enough to fight its way to Takamagahara.
And being suppressed by Amaterasu Omikami, then subdued and turned into a Shikigami?
It was well-written. Maybe that guy should work for Heroic Spirit Media.
Muttering to himself, Eichi began carefully observing the group.
There were all kinds of people, male and female, young and old, even a few that didn't look fully human.
There were dozens of them, and each had clear Cursed Energy.
'Judging by the numbers, they match the recent missing population. Plus, those display cases earlier. Incarnated Beings?'
Thinking of the rooms from earlier and looking at these Incarnated Beings in front of him, Eichi felt his just-recovered head starting to ache again.
'Should I launch a sneak attack? I could probably take out a fair number of them.'
He considered making one last move before retreating.
The battle had dragged on, and while his Cursed Energy was still holding out, his stamina was clearly wearing thin.
That was also why he had retreated shortly after the earlier ambush.
With so many enemies attacking at once, even his Reverse Cursed Technique couldn't keep up with the damage.
'Forget it. I'll call Satoru and Suguru to handle it together.'
After some thought, Eichi gave up on chasing higher achievements.
After all, in this world filled with absurd Techniques, if he got caught by some strange ability, he'd have no choice but to see if he would Transmigrate again after dying.
Just as Eichi was preparing to retreat, he failed to notice a small figure holding a dagger silently approaching from behind.
(To be continued.)