I'm a teacher in Tokyo!

And all of these things, when mixed together, become a curse.

Unable to resist.

At this moment, Kotoko finally understood what Ju-on truly was.

All the hatred, fear, and unfulfilled desires in the world are contained within it. Since ancient times, humans have had an indescribable fear of darkness, because darkness represents the unknown, and the unknown is the instinct for fear.

Kotoko was somewhat desperate, clutching the divine dragon and tiger portrait mirror tightly in her hand, unsure how to deal with the arrival of this curse.

……

It is the resentment born of fear of death. When people are afraid, they will curse, resent, despair, and feel helpless.

And curses and resentment.

Whenever a curse is cast, it will descend from the inside out.

Fear that transcends time, curse that transcends time.

At this moment, his own heart and the shadows in his own eyes became the medium through which the curse descended.

The vortex is a curse that mixes all fears together.

Because this curse exists within oneself, or rather, it exists in the darkness within everyone's heart.

Above the pool, inside the cave.

As the red threads decayed and blackness descended, the female ghost that was about to emerge was suppressed by the blackness and could not move at all.

So much so that even deep within the pool, at the mouth of a well in a certain village, a desiccated corpse was suspended from the well by a red rope. At this moment, the desiccated corpse, swaying in the wind, began to seep out black liquid, and even the rope above began to make uneasy creaking sounds, as if it might break at any moment.

Everything seemed to be done with ease.

Even the black liquid dripping from the corpse fell onto the wellhead, gradually growing from a small puddle until it was about to reach the wellhead.

And that well opening is the legendary gate to hell!

Meanwhile, inside the cave.

Although Yoshizaki's spiritual sense wasn't very high, he could still perceive that the paper hanging around his neck was overflowing with unimaginable curses, which he could sense from his tingling scalp and the cold sweat seeping from his back.

The earth-shaking tremors just now, and the explosion of the spotlights behind us—all of these illustrate the same thing.

Because of the struggle against the curse, the vengeful spirit is descending!

Inside the cave, the struggle against the curse left everything in complete silence.

But in reality, Yoshizaki knew that the game behind this had already been played out countless times, and he also vaguely sensed that Ju-on was gaining the upper hand and was trying to descend through some channel.

At this moment, a coughing sound suddenly came from the previously silent cave;

"Ahem, that's enough."

Yoshizaki grabbed the paper hanging around his neck and gripped it tightly: "Stop it."

The next moment, the oppressive world suddenly relaxed, like a taut string being released. All the black aura quickly retreated into the paper. All the exorcists in Minakami Village felt the oppressive nausea dissipate rapidly. The darkness in the sky gradually faded, revealing a scene of stars.

The wind was gentle and the moon was bright; it was as if everything before had been an illusion.

Even Kotoko, who was at the bottom of the cave, felt the hand that had been gripping her heart loosen. Her tense expression instantly gave way to weakness, and she leaned against a stone pillar, panting heavily.

While panting heavily, she couldn't help but mutter a curse under her breath about Yoshizaki Kawa.

"Yoshizaki Kawa, you brat..."

……

A moment of silence returned to the cave.

Having finally recovered from the fear that had just gripped him, Abe Chōsai's legs were trembling slightly, but he still managed to stand up, leaning against the stone wall. His first words as he stood up were: "Are you going to kill me, my friend? You're even taking this kind of thing out?"

Damn it, Abe no Chosai, who was originally under the curse of the cave, felt that he could still fight in this cave with the help of magical artifacts and many exorcists.

After all, this cave was located right outside that guy's home turf. But just then, this guy suddenly pulled out such a terrible curse. Just now, Abe no Chosai even felt his brain start to flash through a series of images.

This thing is far more terrifying than what's below. Abe no Chosai has never seen anything so monstrous in his life. Even the very existence of this thing is monstrous.

Yoshizaki apologized, but actually, what he had wanted to take out was a videotape, something even more dangerous than this piece of paper.

However, later on, given that the paper had begun to exert its power, he would only bring out the videotape if he could no longer control it. After all, the videotape contained the power of three demon kings, which the power of Ju-on should not be able to withstand.

Furthermore, the three demon kings in the videotape are all under his control, and they will obey his orders when brought out. This is Yoshizaki Kawa's last trump card.

However, since he can temporarily control Ju-on, he will not use it. He will save his trump card for a crucial moment.

At times, Yoshizaki even had a vague feeling that he was an exorcist himself—albeit one who was using the tools of the three demon kings to intimidate others.

But don't exorcists need to use tools?

Thinking to himself, he chuckled, but Yoshizaki quickly came to his senses and looked towards the cave entrance;

Now, it's time to give this ravaged female ghost a thorough interrogation.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 182 Don't go too far!

The female ghost in front of him, even after he withdrew the curse, was still floating in the air, looking as if she had been broken.

The moment Yoshizaki touched her body, her form turned into a wisp of smoke and disappeared from the spot.

While Yoshizaki was in a daze, Abe Chōsai behind him explained, "It was probably too badly injured and returned to where its body was. The vengeful spirits bound to the door are immortal. As long as the door is not closed, they will continue to be tormented and exist for a long time."

"Even if you defeat them, they will revive near the door or near the corpse."

"The danger down below has probably been cleared now. Let me take you down."

Upon hearing this, Yoshizaki looked down into the pool. The pool was no longer the murky place it had been before; mud and puddles were now visible.

On the way here, Abe no Chōsai had told me about the situation down here. Due to the earthquake and rainfall, the only tunnel leading to Minakami Village was flooded. They then used pumps to work non-stop throughout the night to pump out all the water.

However, water itself can also prevent the spread of the curse, so after it was drained, the curse also spread from it, but because Kotoko was in it, the curse only spread to the mouth of the pool.

The curse subsided, and things returned to normal.

Yoshizaki felt a little wronged. He had heard that she was trapped, and without stopping, he hadn't even had a good night's sleep. He immediately came over with the videotape and notebook.

As Yoshizaki rolled his eyes, he heard Kotoko say in a sarcastic tone with a forced smile, "I really have to thank you. If it weren't for you, I would have almost gotten out alive."

As Kotoko climbed the ladder she had lowered earlier, her rubber-soled feet had just touched the ground when she saw a ragged woman walking towards her from afar.

After rescuing this guy, he actually didn't appreciate it at all?

It's outrageous that they treat me like this now. You know, I even asked the school for leave before I came here. Because I asked for leave too many times, my perfect attendance for this month was deducted.

"Although the process is somewhat troublesome, there is no danger to life. We should proceed steadily and surely."

"I'll stay up here and keep things under control. If any problems arise, I can take care of them from up here."

So Yoshizaki told them what had happened.

"Okay, please."

But the next moment, Kotoko, dressed in tattered clothes, saw Yoshizaki Kawa and her pace quickened from a slow walk to a jog to a run, her face seemingly filled with anger. Before Yoshizaki Kawa could react, Kotoko punched him in the shoulder and then grabbed him by the neck from behind.

"But you've made it out alive, haven't you?"

Upon hearing what Yoshizaki said, Higa Kotoko rolled her eyes: "If you hadn't come, I would have spent half a day inside killing all those vengeful spirits, and then finally defeating the main female ghost, and then I could have come out."

From her distinctive scarred face, Yoshizaki immediately recognized her as Higa Kotoko. At the same time, Abe Chōsai was just about to come down when he heard Yoshizaki say "Miss Kotoko." He paused in his steps, then looked down at Yoshizaki and said, "Since Miss Kotoko has come to meet you, I won't come down."

In fact, he didn't want to be with Yoshizaki again. Who knew when this guy would pull out that terrible curse again? If that curse came a few more times, Abe no Chosai felt that he would lose a few years of his life!

Yoshizaki didn't think much of it and turned to look at Kotoko.

"But after you arrived just now, the curse descended, and I almost had my heart crushed by your Kayako. Do you know what that feels like?"

"Oh, you don't know? After all, that guy isn't going to lay a hand on you."

Uh, hearing Kotoko's words, Yoshizaki felt a little embarrassed. He laughed and changed the subject, saying, "Let's go find that female ghost first. Anyway, the vengeful spirits in here should be unable to move for the time being."

"What do you mean they can't move? They've all been cleared out by your dear Kayako, and I almost got cleared out too."

Kotoko seems to have a hard time getting over this, mentioning it every time she speaks, which makes Yoshizaki Kawa laugh awkwardly a few times.

However, Kotoko didn't dwell on the topic for long. Leading Yoshizaki forward, she explained, "Although that vengeful spirit was temporarily severely injured by your curse, it should recover quickly due to the characteristics of the door. You'll stand behind me in a moment..."

Before she finished speaking, a faint moonlight appeared at the exit of the cave ahead. Higa Kotoko turned on her powerful flashlight, and what came into view was a desolate village overgrown with weeds. The huge rock standing at the entrance of the village and the tall gates on both sides were enough to prove that the village had once been glorious.

But everything was reduced to ashes under the curse.

The village is located in the middle of a valley, and although there are other entrances, this tunnel is the only passageway that people can pass through.

After handing the flashlight to Yoshizaki Kawa, Kotoko used a machete to cut down the surrounding weeds and trees, barely clearing a path before the two entered the village.

Everywhere you look, there are withered bones wrapped in weathered cloth. When you step on them, they crack with a crisp sound, which is especially eerie in the quiet night.

"These skeletons must be villagers from before the calamity. After they died because of the calamity, they were transformed into ghosts by the power of the gate. Driven by the dead female ghost, they became the evil spirits that were underwater before."

As Higa Kotoko explained the origin of these skeletons, she suddenly stopped and looked around.

Just as Yoshizaki was getting nervous, she suddenly said, "I can't find the place. It's pitch black, and I can't find my way even with a flashlight."

Hearing this, Yoshizaki breathed a sigh of relief and patted his chest: "Just follow me."

He remembered the layout of the village perfectly in his dream!