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

Rito withdrew his gaze and fixed it on the tricycle.

Her breathing was somewhat erratic, but the tip of the knife remained remarkably steady.

"Sato Rihito." Miwa called his name this time, his voice more steady than before.

"Now, your opponent is me."

Li Ren did not respond.

His gaze swept past the tricycle, probing deeper into the forest.

That direction is where Huzhang and Dongtang might be located.

He wasn't sure when Hua Yu would appear.

But he knew that if Hanami really came, the battle between Itadori and Toudou would be the most crucial part of the entire team battle.

"Damn it, am I being looked down upon by a newbie? I'm a second-year student!"

Sanlun gritted his teeth, clearly mistaking his silence for something else.

The next second, she pushed off with her feet and charged at Rito with the knife.

The blade slashed down diagonally, even faster than when it fought Kugizaki earlier.

Rito dodged to the side, the blade grazing his shoulder and causing his school uniform to sway slightly.

He then raised his right hand and punched the side of the three-blade blade, causing the blade to deflect two inches.

The three-wheeled vehicle did not reverse.

Using the momentum from the shock, she twisted the blade, swung it upwards, and aimed the tip straight for Li Ren's throat.

This slash was delivered at a tricky angle and was even more ruthless than the previous one.

Seeing this, Rito had no choice but to take a half step back, watching the tip of the knife flash past in front of him.

However, the three rounds of attacks showed no signs of stopping.

Her swordsmanship was very solid; her strikes were fluid and continuous, far surpassing her performance against Kugizaki earlier.

As Rito parried, he retreated, the crunching of fallen leaves beneath his feet creating a soft, echoing sound in the quiet forest.

He hasn't retaliated even once.

It wasn't that he didn't want to, but Hua Yu's matter was like a bomb hanging over his head, making it impossible for him to concentrate.

"Damn it, why don't you fight back!"

Sanlun muttered a low growl, unable to tolerate Liren's current attitude any longer.

This completely belittles her.

Meanwhile, gunshots and the clanging of hammers continued from the woods on the right.

During the brief moment of dodging, Zhenyi glanced in this direction and frowned.

"What's going on with the tricycle? How come a newbie can't even get the job done after all this time?"

Kugizaki's hammer came crashing down on her side.

Zhenyi twisted her body to avoid it, spun the revolver half a circle between her fingers, and pulled the trigger with a backhand.

The cursed bullet grazed Kugizaki's shoulder and struck the broken wall behind him, sending up a spray of rubble.

"Although Rito is a newcomer," Kugizaki's voice rang out, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.

"But he's no ordinary newcomer; underestimating him will lead to serious consequences."

Zhenyi frowned but did not answer.

She tilted her head to dodge a nail that grazed her earlobe, her gaze lingering on Rito for a moment before returning to her own.

Kugizaki did not give her a chance to continue observing.

The hammer slammed down again, and the two men resumed their struggle.

The tricycle driver couldn't hear what was being said over there.

Her entire focus was on her opponent.

Rito had already pressed forward, his right fist, imbued with cursed power, slamming towards her side.

With a loud bang, the blade trembled violently, and Sanlun staggered back four steps before barely regaining his balance.

At this moment, Rihito's counterattack began.

Although not intense, each strike interrupted her rhythm, preventing her from maintaining a continuous flow of swordplay.

Seeing this, the three-wheeled vehicle retreated rapidly, instantly creating distance between them.

Her chest heaved, and her fingers gripping the knife turned slightly white from excessive force.

"Where were you looking just now?" Sanlun's voice carried a hint of anger.

Rito snapped out of his daze and his gaze returned to her face.

"call--"

Seeing that the man did not answer, Sanlun took a deep breath and raised the knife to face forward.

He gripped the handle with both hands, the tip of the knife aimed at the man's brow.

At this moment, her stance changed. It was no longer the tentative mid-range attack she had just made. Her whole body was like a bowstring that had been bent under pressure.

"I am, after all, a level two mage from the Kyoto Academy."

Her tense voice finally cracked, revealing emotions that had been suppressed for a long time.

"You're a new student who's only been here for less than six months, what gives you the right to look down on me?"

Rito was stunned for a moment, and was about to explain when the tricycle started moving.

Her cursed power stomped a shallow pit in the soil beneath her feet, and withered leaves exploded to both sides.

The three-wheeled vehicle was much faster than before, and the blade made a sharp screech as it cut through the air.

Li Ren's pupils narrowed slightly.

He raised his arm to block, his arm colliding with the back of the blade, the clash of magical energy creating a shockwave between them.

This strike was heavier than all the previous attacks combined, but it still failed to inflict any damage on Rito.

And in the instant the blade bounced away, Rito pressed forward, his right fist, imbued with cursed power, slamming into Miwa's side.

The three-wheeled vehicle hastily returned to defend, and the blade was violently shaken by the impact.

She stumbled back four steps before barely regaining her balance, her chest heaving uncontrollably.

"What?! How could this happen...?"

Miwa stared at Rito, completely stunned for a moment.

The wind blew through the tree canopy, stirring up the fallen leaves on the ground, which swirled between the two of them.

Just as Rito was about to speak, a metallic glint suddenly flashed from the bushes behind Miwa.

His eyes narrowed.

Immediately afterwards, a subtle and rhythmic creaking sound of mechanical joints came from deep within the bushes.

Click!Click!Click!

The tricycle didn't turn around, but the fingers gripping the knife tightened slightly.

Immediately afterwards, a tall figure emerged from the depths of the dense forest.

The metal joints made a slight grinding sound as they moved, and the sunlight shone on his torso, reflecting off the outer shell as cold white spots of light.

It's a mechanical pill!

Mechanical Maru's gaze first swept over Miwa, then over Rito, and finally glanced to the right in the direction where Kugizaki and Mai were fighting.

"Sanwa." The synthesized voice of the mechanical ball was flat and monotone. "After all this time, you still can't take him down."

The moment Miwa turned her head and saw the mechanical ball, her body instinctively relaxed for a moment, but then tensed up again.

"I can..." she stopped mid-sentence.

Because she herself knew that this statement was not convincing at all.

Mechanical Maru didn't continue speaking.

He walked to the side of the tricycle, standing shoulder to shoulder with her facing Rito, the silhouette of Rito standing reflected in his metallic pupils.

"Take care of this newbie first, then go support Mayi." Mechanical Maru's tone was as if he were stating a set of data.

"This is the most efficient way."

Sanlun paused for a moment, then gripped the knife tightly again.

"Understood."

Rito frowned slightly as he looked at the new opponent in front of him.

He was well aware of the strength of the Machine Maru in the original work.

The powerful cursed energy gained from the Heavenly Curse, combined with the all-around attacks of the mechanical body, is a level above the Three Wheels.

If the two of them work together, with three wheels providing frontal support and the mechanical projectile providing mid-range firepower, holding back would be truly dangerous.

"Two against one?" Rito muttered, his tone ambiguous, making it unclear whether he was talking to himself or asking the other side.

The tricycle did not respond.

The mechanical ball had raised its right hand, its palm severed from its wrist, revealing a dark, gaping cannon muzzle.

Rin took a deep breath.

He tightened his senses of magical power to the maximum, compressing the coverage area from the entire forest to a radius of fifty meters.

Those thoughts about Japanese knotweed and Hanamichi were suppressed in his heart.

He moved his right foot back half an inch, lowered his center of gravity, and staggered his fists.

The curse power on the fist changed from azure blue to dark.

In the distance, a faint orange-red light appeared deep within the muzzle of the mechanical ball's cannon.

Sanlun also raised his knife again.

Li Ren's eyes narrowed.

come on!