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

"How could this be...?"

Fushiguro and Kugizaki's expressions changed instantly.

"Could it be that the cursed spirit's target has always been Rihito?"

In an instant, the abandoned laboratory fell into a deathly silence, with only the faint cries for help coming from the cyborg in the petri dish.

"It seems that cursed spirit hasn't given up on you yet." Nanami's gaze lingered on Rito for a moment. "Be careful."

After saying this to Rito, Nanami turned and walked towards the exit.

"Let's go and see if there are any clues elsewhere."

Soon, the group caught up.

The corridor outside the laboratory was even darker than when we arrived.

Rito walked at the back of the group, his mind still filled with Kaori's shrunken, slightly swollen face.

He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, then opened them again, forcing himself to bring his attention back to the present moment.

The passage ahead branched into two paths, something they had noticed on their way here.

The left side leads back to the starting point, while the right side leads to the unknown.

Nanami stopped in her tracks.

He glanced at the passageway on his left, then at his right, before pulling a portable flashlight from his pocket and shining it to his right.

The beam of light swept across the mottled wall and landed on a half-open iron gate at the far end.

"there."

Just as the group took a step, a muffled sound suddenly came from the depths of the passage on the left.

It was very heavy, like something very heavy that had fallen to the ground from a great height.

Nanami stopped in his tracks, turned his head, and quickly switched his gaze between the two forks in the road.

"You three, go to the left." His tone left no room for negotiation.

"Mr. Nanami—" Kugizaki was interrupted as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Someone needs to confirm the commotion on the left. If it's something troublesome, I'll take care of it and then catch up with you."

Nanami had already drawn the cursed weapon from her waist; the short-handled, broad-bladed cleaver gleamed coldly in the dim light.

"Stay alert and don't get distracted."

He glanced at Rihito, his gaze lingering on him for a beat longer than when he looked at the other two.

Then he turned around and ran towards the passage on the right.

The sound of leather shoes stepping on the cement floor grew fainter and fainter, soon swallowed up by the darkness deep within the passage.

The corridor fell silent again, with only the breathing of the three people and the dust slowly swirling in the beam of the flashlight.

"Let's go." Rito took the lead.

The passage wasn't long; after walking about thirty steps, the half-open iron gate appeared in front of the three of them.

A sliver of light shone through the crack in the door; it was a grayish-white fluorescent light with an electric current-like sound.

Li Ren reached out, pressed his hand on the door panel, and then pushed it hard.

crunch--

The door opened.

The room was much smaller than the laboratory we had just been in.

The four walls were covered with shelves, which held glass containers of all sizes.

Rito didn't examine the contents of the container closely; his gaze was immediately drawn to something in the center of the room.

It was a chair, very similar to the one in the mental hospital, but bigger and thicker.

Iron handrails are welded with iron buckles, and the inside of the buckles is lined with a layer of blackened leather.

The leather on the chair back had several cracks, revealing the dark yellow filling inside.

A person is sitting in the chair.

No, it's not "sitting", it's being strapped to a chair.

He was a boy about the same age as Rihito.

He kept his head down, his hair so long it covered most of his face, and his school uniform was the same as Rito's memory.

Dark blue stand-up collar, with the school emblem embroidered on the left breast pocket.

The school uniform was covered in dried bloodstains, ranging in color from dark red to brownish-black, layer upon layer.

"Hey!" Kugizaki was the first to rush over.

She crouched down in front of the chair and reached out to feel for the man's carotid artery. The moment her fingers touched his skin, she jerked back as if she'd been electrocuted.

"He's still alive." Kugizaki's voice was very low. "But... no, his body temperature is way too low."

Li Ren stepped forward.

When he saw the face that was half-hidden by long hair, he stopped abruptly.

"...Tanaka?!"

Li Ren recognized the face; it was a classmate who used to sit in the same row by the window in the classroom.

Liren didn't have a deep impression of him, only remembering a time in PE class when he fell down because he was too tired and was laughed at by others.

What was his name again...?

Rito's voice made that person's eyelids twitch.

Tanaka slowly raised his head, but his movement was not the normal way a person raises their head. Instead, he raised it segment by segment, like a rusty hinge being forced to turn.

Then, her hair slid off her face.

The left side of his face still resembled a human, with pale skin and cracked lips that bled.

But the right half...

Li Ren's breath hitched.

The eye, almost twice the normal size, was staring at him.

"...reason...human..."

Tanaka's voice was squeezed out from deep in his throat. His left lip was trembling, while the right corner of his mouth was stretched open, revealing his teeth and gums.

"run……"

boom!

As soon as he finished speaking, his right arm, which was twice as thick as his left arm, suddenly tensed up.

The chain snapped instantly with a loud bang and was forcibly ripped off the back of the chair.

"Watch out!" Kugizaki cried out in alarm, not caring whether Tanaka was still conscious, and in the blink of an eye, three nails shot forward.

"Tamainu!" Fushiguro moved even faster, and the moment Tanaka stood up, Tamainu pounced on him.

"Aaaaaah—!!"

Tanaka let out a roar that sounded inhuman and suddenly broke free from the chair.

"Run...faster...!!"

Tanaka roared, and several sharp bone spurs suddenly sprouted from his right arm, which he then hurled at Rito.

boom!

Unable to retreat in time, Rito raised his arm to parry, the immense force causing the ground to sink slightly.

The sharp bone spurs even cut through his skin, leaving several deep bloody marks on his arm.

The next second, the dog pounced on Tanaka and began to bite him wildly.

Kugizaki's three nails arrived in an instant, sinking deep into Tanaka's chest.

"I told you...run!!!"

In an instant, sharp bone spurs burst forth from Tanaka's body, one after another, sending chills down one's spine.

Fu Hei's jade dog was almost instantly pierced through, leaving it severely injured.

Even the three nails that Kugizaki hit were pushed out.

"This is troublesome, it's a spell!"

Fukuro's heart sank as he instantly understood Tanaka's fighting style.

"He can control his own bones to grow freely, and he has almost no weaknesses in defense and attack. In addition, he has been modified by a cursed spirit, so his power must be very strong. Is he a new toy for a real person?"

At this moment, Rihito is forced to confront a sad truth.

Because of my own actions, not only were some of my former classmates captured and used for experiments.

Moreover, it's quite obvious that the direction of their transformation is almost identical to their own.

If it weren't for me, perhaps the tragedy wouldn't have happened.

"Rin, don't just stand there like an idiot! Their plight has absolutely nothing to do with you!"

Seemingly noticing Rito's struggle, Kugizaki suddenly spoke up.

"It's all the Cursed Spirit's fault. If it weren't for the Cursed Spirit, no matter what you do, they would be fine."

"Even if you feel you've done something, do you think they're safe just because of the existence of cursed spirits?"

"Even if nothing happens to them, can you guarantee the cursed spirits won't attack others?"

"So... Rito, it's all the cursed spirit's fault. Only by exorcising the cursed spirit can we prevent more tragedies from happening and save more people in the future!"

Yes, if it weren't for the cursed spirit, how could so many things have happened?

Once the real people are exorcised, the practice of modifying people will never happen again.

Rito slowly raised his head, his flickering gaze hardening once more.

"Tanaka, I'm here to free you!"