Curse Returns, a gamble from the start, I awaken dual spells

The patterns of the Tsuchimikado formation spread towards Rihito's feet as if they were alive.

Purple magical energy wove into a net, each line twisting and writhing like a snake, causing the metal floor to emit a piercing corrosive sound wherever it passed.

The rational person did not back down.

He merely lifted his foot slightly, and then, just as the treads were about to touch the sole, stomped down heavily.

Click!

The cursed power exploded on the ground, like ice cracking, shattering the purple patterns.

"What?!"

Tsuchimikado Jin's pupils contracted sharply, and he formed hand seals again, attempting to activate the second stage of the technique.

At that moment, the burly man's fist was already smashing down in front of him, accompanied by a whistling sound, the force of the punch making the man's collar flutter loudly.

The person in charge turned to the side.

The fist grazed his ear and slammed into the wall behind him.

boom--

The stone wall shattered, and rubble flew everywhere.

The burly man's fist was embedded in the wall, and before he could pull it out, he felt a tremendous force on his wrist.

"What—"

The burly man stared wide-eyed, trying to break free.

But the next second, a terrifying twisting force came from my wrist.

Click.

The burly man's right arm was bent at an impossible angle.

White bone fragments pierced the skin, and blood dripped down the broken forearm.

"Aaaaaahh ...

Heart-wrenching screams echoed through the waiting area.

The burly man knelt on the ground, his left hand supporting his crippled right arm, his face deathly pale, and veins bulging on his forehead.

Rito stood still, his gaze calmly sweeping over the remaining two.

Tsuchimikado Jin's smile froze completely.

The kimono-clad woman's short sword froze in mid-air, her hand trembling uncontrollably.

"How...how could this be..."

She muttered to herself, her feet involuntarily taking two steps back.

Tsuchimikado Jin gritted his teeth, glanced at the burly man kneeling on the ground howling in agony, then looked at Rito's expressionless face, and took a deep breath.

"withdraw."

He left those words behind and turned to leave.

The woman in the kimono felt as if she had been granted a pardon and quickly followed.

But Rito's voice came from behind, like an ice pick piercing his eardrum.

"etc!"

Tsuchimikado's steps froze.

He stood there, his back drenched in cold sweat, and slowly turned around, forcing a smile onto his face.

"Your Excellency...we were blind to your greatness and offended you. We don't need the points, we'll leave now and won't bother you any further."

"I asked you a question, and you haven't answered it yet." Rito's voice remained calm.

"...What's the problem?" Tsuchimikado Jin swallowed hard.

"Are you people who roll ropes?"

Tsuchimikado Jin's smile became even more stiff, and his eyes flickered, as if he was hesitating whether to speak.

hum! ! !

Just then, the light screen in the waiting area suddenly burst out with a blinding white light.

The light instantly engulfed the entire space, dispelling all shadows and drawing everyone's attention.

The text on the screen is changing rapidly.

The blood-red characters seemed to come alive, twisting, rearranging, and finally forming a new line of text:

[Barrier Announcement]

Player "Bone Tomb" has entered Barrier A - Tokyo Ruins

Current points: 1280

Total kills: 11

[Special Status: On a Kill Run]

Before the text on the screen had fully stabilized, a new message popped up:

[Note: Player "Bone Mound" has activated the active tracking function and is locking onto the nearest high-scoring player... Locking complete!]

[Target being tracked: Player "Tsuchimikado Jin", current score: 350]

[Estimated encounter time: 3 minutes and 42 seconds]

Tsuchimikado Jin's expression turned deathly pale in an instant.

"A bone mound...a bone mound?!"

He murmured the name repeatedly, his voice filled with terror.

"What...what's that guy doing in this area?!"

The woman in the kimono also changed her expression: "Shouldn't he be in Barrier B? How could he be...?"

"Because someone added a rule that allows high-scoring players to track across regions." After a moment's thought, Tsuchimikado Jin instantly understood the reason.

Li Ren frowned.

He glanced at the name on the screen, then looked at Tsuchimikado Jin's pale face, and vaguely sensed something.

Do you know this person?

Tsuchimikado Jin raised his head, his lips trembling, as if he wanted to say something.

But just then, footsteps came from the shadows at the entrance to the waiting area.

The footsteps were slow and steady.

Each step was firm and solid, like a hammer striking the ground.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Footsteps echoed in the empty space, accompanied by an increasingly intense sense of oppression.

Li Ren's gaze turned to the entrance.

A figure emerged from the shadows.

He was a burly man, about forty years old, with stubble on his chin, wearing a gray trench coat stained with blood.

On his left cheek, there was a scar that stretched from his forehead to his chin, as if it had been cut open by some sharp weapon.

What is most striking is his right hand.

On the back of that hand was a blood-red letter tattooed.

骨！

The man's gaze swept across the entire waiting area, first glancing at the burly man kneeling on the ground groaning, then at the woman in a kimono huddled against the wall, and finally landing on Tsuchimikado Jin.

The corners of his mouth slowly turned up.

"Yo, Tsuchimikado, long time no see."

Tsuchimikado Jin's teeth were chattering.

"The Bone Mound...you...how could you...?"

"Why am I here?" Bone Mound interrupted him, slowly taking two steps forward.

"You haven't paid back the debt you owe me yet, don't think I'll forget about it."

He cracked his neck.

"However, your points, plus your life, are almost enough to pay off the debt."

Tsuchimikado Jin's pupils contracted sharply: "You...you can't kill me! This isn't a duel area, the rules..."

"Rules?" Bone Mound let out a sneer.

"The rules within this barrier have never been designed to protect the weak."

He stretched out his right hand, his five fingers spread.

That seemingly ordinary hand slowly clenched in the air.

"The rules can't stop me from killing the people I want to kill."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Tsuchimikado Jin let out a scream, clutching his head and collapsing to his knees.

Blood was seeping from his seven orifices, and black cracks appeared on his skin.

Li Ren's brows furrowed even more.

He looked at the bone mound, then at the Tsuchimikado formation, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the two.

Then, he noticed a detail.

The burly man kneeling on the ground, clutching his severed arm, was now staring intently at the bone mound.

Those eyes were filled with fear and... resentment.

Li Ren's gaze lingered on the burly man's face for a moment before turning to the bone mound's face.

The two people's facial features were strikingly similar.

Rin's pupils contracted slightly.

Just then, the woman in the kimono not far away lowered her voice and uttered the words that silenced the entire room:

"The person you just hit... was his brother."

Bone Mound's gaze suddenly shifted to Rito.

His smile became more playful, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Li Ren and the one-armed strongman.

"Oh? You're the one who hurt my brother?"