Fortunately, although Hanami's body had been severed into two halves, its tenacious vitality as a curse meant it did not die on the spot. With sufficient time, such injuries could still be recovered from.
Thus, the fallen Hanami immediately circulated its cursed energy, summoning countless thick, hardened branches to completely wrap its body, intending to defend against any follow-up attacks in this manner.
Not far away, Jogo rushed over at once. Boiling cursed energy gathered in his fist as he threw a punch straight toward Seele.
"You brat—look at me!"
Boom—!!!
Scorching flames erupted violently, instantly turning the surrounding area into a sea of fire. As the smoke from the explosion dissipated, Seele's figure was already gone from where she had been.
At a distance, Seele reappeared atop a tree branch, turning back to look at the surging inferno.
It wasn't that Seele couldn't break through Hanami's wooden defenses or simply ignore Jogo's attack and finish Hanami on the spot. Rather, considering Makima's ability of domination, Seele had no intention of killing either Hanami or Jogo.
After all, whether it was manipulating plants or generating extreme heat, both were highly practical abilities. Even if they didn't greatly increase one's raw strength, they could still enrich the range of abilities at one's disposal.
Therefore, defeating these two Disaster Curses, stripping them of their ability to resist, and then handing them over to Makima for domination was undoubtedly the most cost-effective choice.
"I wonder how things are going on Makima's side…"
At the same time, on another battlefield.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Highly corrosive blood, carrying tremendous force, rained down from the air, smashing the ground into countless craters.
With a katana in hand, Miwa Kasumi struggled desperately to evade, occasionally turning to slash away blood she couldn't dodge in time.
In midair, Nishimiya Momo tried to assist her companion, but in the next instant, a high-speed blood arrow pierced straight through her shoulder.
"Brothers, be careful. Don't kill these two humans outright,"
Choso said calmly from the ground, his hands clasped together as he addressed Eso and Kechizu beside him.
"We still need them as hostages to draw the attention of the others. If they die, things get troublesome."
"Got it, big brother. I'll be careful with the power of my technique."
As he spoke, Eso stretched his body. Large quantities of blood sprayed from his back and, under his control, wove themselves into a pair of blood wings. He then launched an even fiercer assault toward Miwa Kasumi in the distance.
For a time, Miwa's movements became even more frantic. Her katana flashed repeatedly, but under the corrosive blood that could even eat through rock, the blade quickly became battered beyond recognition.
"Why… why is it that just coming to take part in an exchange event means running into enemies this strong?!"
With no time to worry about the katana she had bought on credit, the blue-haired girl focused all her attention on the attacks coming from above, not daring to relax for even a moment.
However, in the next second, a bloated figure rushed in from afar at astonishing speed and slammed straight into Miwa Kasumi—Kechizu, the last of the three curses present.
Bang!
With a dull impact, Miwa's body was sent flying violently. The katana in her hand finally reached its limit and shattered into fragments.
"Oh no!"
Seeing this, Nishimiya Momo, still airborne, ignored the pain of her pierced shoulder and immediately steered her broom downward, trying to catch her falling companion.
But before she could fully reach Miwa, an overwhelming sense of danger suddenly washed over her entire body.
The Choso who had been manipulating blood from afar had somehow already leapt into the air and appeared beside Nishimiya Momo. His fist, imbued with tremendous power, struck her squarely.
Boom!
A shockwave rippled outward as Nishimiya Momo's figure plummeted from the sky, crashing heavily into the ground.
"Just stay here obediently and give up resisting. That'll be better for everyone."
Landing back on the ground, Choso spoke expressionlessly to the two girls lying there. Behind him, Eso and Kechizu also stepped forward.
As curses born through incarnated Cursed Wombs, Choso, Eso, and Kechizu bore no inherent hatred toward humans. Their cooperation with Kenjaku and the Disaster Curses was simply because they believed a flourishing age for curses would be more beneficial to the three brothers.
Thus, while they weren't particularly hostile toward humans like Jogo or Mahito, they also didn't care all that much. If killing was necessary, they wouldn't hesitate—but if the other side was willing to cooperate, they didn't mind sparing their lives.
"This is… a completely different level of strength. Why would curses of this level appear here…?"
Forcing themselves up from the ground, Miwa Kasumi and Nishimiya Momo leaned against each other, barely managing to stand.
But facing three Special Grade curses, despair inevitably welled up in their hearts.
The gap in strength was far too great. This wasn't a situation they could possibly handle. Only a Special Grade sorcerer would have any hope of dealing with something like this.
When would reinforcements from the school arrive? Could they really hold on until help came?
Just who… could save them now?
As if responding to their unspoken plea, Choso, Eso, and Kechizu suddenly froze, all three feeling a chill run down their spines.
"Th-this feeling…"
Something dangerous was approaching!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
With sharp sounds cutting through the air, three golden chains shot toward the three curses at incredible speed.
"Watch out!"
A bone-chilling sense of dread flooded them. Instinct screaming that they must not be touched by those chains, Choso, Eso, and Kechizu hurriedly dodged.
Fortunately, although the chains were extremely fast, the distance gave them just enough time to react. Both Choso and Eso evaded successfully. Only the weakest among them—Kechizu—was a step too slow and was tightly bound by a golden chain.
In an instant, Kechizu's aura plummeted. His bloated body visibly withered under the chains' restraint, his legs giving out as he collapsed to the ground.
"O… onii-chan…!"
An unprecedented weakness swept through him. Kechizu could only lie there, barely able to speak as he weakly called out to his brothers.
"Kechizu!"
Choso and Eso shouted in alarm, but Kechizu was already unable to respond.
Bound by the golden chains, Kechizu—who possessed power comparable to a Special Grade curse—lasted less than a few seconds before losing consciousness.
"Damn it—who the hell is it?!"
As the golden chains slowly dissipated, Choso and Eso followed their trajectory toward the depths of the forest. There, a figure was calmly walking toward them.
"Makima-sama!"
Seeing the approaching figure, the two girls who had been barely standing cried out in joy.
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