"Am I pretty?"
"No, not really."
"Geto-kun, why don't you hit on her once here?"
"Hit on her!? ...Like, 'I want to eat you up' or something?"
"Whew! ...Hmm? That's a double meaning."
The battle against the Slit-Mouthed Woman began with such an exchange. The opening move was the 'Slit-Mouthed Woman' forcing the three strongest sorcerers into a mutual non-aggression state without question and throwing a question at them.
Immediately after giving silly answers to her, the three were attacked by countless giant scissors that appeared in exchange for the non-aggression pact.
However, Geto protected himself by letting the 'Rainbow Dragon' swallow him, Gojo used his Infinity, and Naoya used Projection Sorcery's 'Frame' to effortlessly suppress the attacks. Unleashed as a counterattack was the new technique Satoru Gojo had obtained: Cursed Technique Reversal: 'Red'.
The marble-sized orb easily blew off one of the Slit-Mouthed Woman's arms, and Naoya's follow-up Mach hand-sword severed one of her legs.
As the Slit-Mouthed Woman collapsed with a splat, Geto processed her into a cursed spirit orb, wrapped it in an edible sealing film, and swallowed it in one breath to complete the mission.
Naoya, holding the severed leg, bit into it to ingest the residuals of the Special Grade Cursed Spirit. He looked pale from the extraordinary stomach pain, but well, it ended up being a relatively unharmed subjugation.
"It's easy when you know their tricks. Why was that thing designated as Special Grade?"
"It's easy to overlook because of the instant-death combo starting from a Simple Domain with special conditions followed by a sure-hit attack, but apparently, that cursed spirit could split into three bodies, run 100 meters in 3 seconds, fly by bringing out a red umbrella, slash with all sorts of bladed tools, and even do a hit-and-run attack with a red Celica."
"That sure is Special Grade. Too many moves. Why did it end up like that?"
"There are countless rumors about the Slit-Mouthed Woman... Maybe it's because she received all those fears at once? I think the essence of this cursed spirit's technique is 'reproduction of abilities the Slit-Mouthed Woman might possess'. Among them, the unquestioned 'Am I pretty?' is probably the strongest and fastest move."
"Ah, ghost stories kids like tend to have opening instant-death attacks."
"Indeed. Moreover, I feel like the Slit-Mouthed Woman was the type where you die no matter how you answer... By the way, Naoya, are you okay?"
"Somehow. My stomach hurts, but I'm alive..."
"In Naoya's case, writhing in agony from the poison is included in the Binding, right? That's brutal."
While exchanging such conversation, the three returned to the car where the auxiliary manager was waiting. Feeling completely like they were on a trip, even buying water manjuu as souvenirs from Gifu, they returned to the Tech High while diligently engaging in hunting along the way.
-----
Meanwhile.
Naoya's contemporaries, Kento Nanami and Yu Haibara, were enacting a death match against a Grade 2 cursed spirit and a horde of surrounding fodder cursed spirits in an abandoned house in the suburbs of Tokyo.
"There are too many low-grade spirits—! Haibara, are you okay!?"
"Somehow! Hmph!"
The combination of Haibara punching out Grade 3 and lower fodder with fists wrapped in cursed energy, and Nanami taking on the Grade 2 cursed spirit while protecting him, was excellent.
However, as Nanami said earlier, there were simply too many enemies. The interior of this abandoned house had turned into a semi-otherworld, packed with cursed spirits just like a Monster House in a game.
"Naoya and the others are fighting a Special Grade cursed spirit right now! We have to do our best too!"
"I wonder why. I definitely feel like the difficulty level is higher over here."
Although they had the composure to crack such jokes, it was also a fact that they were getting tired. Still, the number of cursed spirits was decreasing, so it wasn't a battle without an end in sight.
"However, no matter how you think about it, this number of cursed spirits is abnormal... Is this building itself turning into a cursed object?"
"Maybe. Was it a family of seven in a forced murder-suicide?"
"Yes. That is what I heard. ...However, I wonder why this house hasn't been demolished despite such an incident."
"Hmm. Maybe a curse user was using it to breed cursed spirits?"
"You say scary things, Haibara. —But, yes. Let us assume that is the case."
"Oh. You're going to do something, right! Nanami!"
"Yes. Fushiguro-sensei told me repeatedly to expand the interpretation of my technique, not just my taijutsu. I thought I would try something I had been thinking about."
Saying that, Nanami brandished his beloved 'Blunt Sword'. Infusing it with cursed energy, the point he swung through was the corner of the abandoned house's wall—a single point where structurally, a pillar should be.
The blow, struck at a slightly low position of 7 from the top and 3 from the bottom, landed a 'Critical Hit'. At the same time, the pulverized pillar and the wall itself became clad in cursed energy and crushed the surrounding cursed spirits.
But, however.
"Nanami, isn't this a suicide move!?"
"I misjudged the force... Haibara, I leave the rest to you."
"Seriously~!? ...Alriiiight, leave it to me! 'Rin, Pyo, Toh, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen'! —Defensive Barrier!"
What the chain reaction of destruction caused by Nanami's technique invited was the collapse of the abandoned house. It crumbled away along with the cursed spirits inside, turning into a mountain of rubble. Within that, only the inside of Haibara's barrier, which he somehow managed to erect in time, was spared from the hail of debris.
"Wow, that was an amazing technique."
"I put too much cursed energy into it, and letting go of control over the cursed energy imbued in the rubble after activation was a mistake... I apologize, Haibara. Thank you for saving me."
"You're welcome! By the way, what are you going to name this technique?"
"A name, you ask?"
"You know, like the 'Fourth Wall' Naoya-kun says!"
"...I do not really have that kind of sense..."
"Then—"
Thus, the 'Collapse', named by Haibara because 'it feels like rubble falling with a crash-bang-boom', would go on to play a major role as Nanami's signature move.
However, the fact that its first activation was a failure bordering on a suicide attack is a 'men's secret' kept within the hearts of Nanami and Haibara, never to be spoken of.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]