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

"Kuro!"

Noticing that something was wrong with Fukuro, Itachi stepped forward and grabbed his shoulder.

"Fu Hei, pull yourself together! First, check on your sister's safety!"

At this moment, Fu Hei's eyes were vacant, his face was pale, and he looked to be in extremely poor condition.

Only after hearing Huzhang speak did his face regain a little color.

"I'm fine... I'm sorry, I'd like to be alone for a while."

After saying that, Fu Hei walked away without looking back, completely ignoring the gazes of the others.

"Will he be alright?" Kugizaki asked with concern.

"His face looked terrible just now, he's a worrying guy," Itadori muttered under his breath.

Rito remained silent, simply watching Fukuro's retreating figure.

Then he spoke up: "Fu Hei will be fine, and her sister will be fine too."

Toratari Kugizaki looked at Rito, seemingly waiting for his explanation.

"It's just a curse, can't we just exorcise it? Don't you think so?"

Upon hearing this, Haddock instantly perked up.

"Riri is right, the curse is right under this bridge. Let's go down and deal with it directly."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go down quickly, I can't wait any longer." Kugizaki cracked his knuckles, making a popping sound.

A moment later, Fu Hei returned, his face still grim.

He looked up at the group, about to say something, but was interrupted by Rito.

"Hey, Fuhei, think carefully about what you're going to say before you open your mouth."

"I......"

Fu Hei opened his mouth, but then swallowed back the words he was about to say.

As he looked at Rito's face, images of fighting side by side flashed through his mind.

The silence lasted for about a minute.

Then, Fuhei spoke, as if confirming something.

"We are comrades!"

He emphasized the word "companion".

"That's right, we're comrades, haha!" Itajō laughed and unceremoniously put his arm around Fukuro's neck.

"Ew—that's so cheesy." Kugizaki hugged himself and shuddered.

"In that case, let's set off!"

Li Ren didn't say anything more and turned his gaze to the dark and damp area below the Eighty-Eight Bridge.

......

The river plain was swallowed by darkness.

Although the night fell early in early winter, there should still be a last bit of dark red light leaking through the gaps in the bridge.

However, when they were halfway down the rope, that last bit of light disappeared, as if it had been sucked away by something.

Liren was the first to hit rock bottom.

His shoes thudded as they stepped on the gravel and dried mud.

The cursed power circulated automatically within his body, resisting the chilling cold that was pressing in from all directions.

He looked up and saw that the shadows under the bridge were unusually thick. Even the rope that Tiger Stick had lowered was swallowed up in mid-air, with only the end of the rope still faintly visible.

"This is the realm of birth," Rihito said in a low voice. "We're already inside."

Hu Zhang was the last to land. He looked around and frowned.

Unlike when he climbed down from the bridge to test it earlier, the area under the bridge was just an ordinary wasteland with gravel, weeds, and a dried-up riverbed.

Without lingering, they continued walking on the gravel.

The soil beneath my feet had an unnatural black hue, and each step felt slightly sticky, as if I were walking on some kind of invisible film.

Huzhang squatted down, rubbed his fingers on the mud, and sniffed it.

"There is some filth, though it's very faint, but it's everywhere here."

Li Ren nodded.

The outline of the bridge was no longer visible overhead; instead, there was only pure darkness, like an overturned bowl covering the river plain.

Occasionally, a breeze would blow through the air, but it felt warm on my face, as if something was breathing.

Kugizaki was the second to last, holding the cursed tool in one hand.

"This is a really uncomfortable place."

“Indeed,” Rito said. “This place is regarded as a suicide hotspot by the locals. Over the years, quite a few people have committed suicide here, and the accumulated resentment has given rise to this curse.”

"When Kaneda and the others came here, they probably sensed it too."

No one responded.

After walking for about three minutes, the riverbed began to narrow.

The slopes on both sides gradually rise, covered with withered vines.

Fu Hei stopped in his tracks, the shadow of his right hand stretching across the ground.

"The environment here seems to be different from that in the original story."

Looking at his surroundings, Rihito pondered.

But I didn't dwell on it too much.

The original plot can only be used as a reference, and the environment of anime and being there in person will definitely be different. Ultimately, you should rely on your own eyes to judge.

The four continued walking along the gradually drying riverbed.

"In the world of sorcery, if the cursed spirit is inside a barrier, the following two conditions usually need to be met to find the source of the curse."

Suddenly, Kugizaki spoke up.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on what was in front of them, and they all tacitly refrained from interrupting her.

"Given our current situation, the first condition is that we can enter under the bridge at night."

"And following the riverbed under the bridge, the river continues downstream."

The riverbed beneath their feet was nearly dry, and ahead lay a desolate riverbed covered with pebbles.

"And the act of crossing a river or some kind of dividing line to reach the other side..." Rihito continued to add.

"It holds great significance in sorcery!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the four of them moved in unison, lifting their legs to step across the last stretch of riverbed.

The next second, the ground trembled, as if something had burst forth from the earth.

Countless pebbles were lifted up and scattered in all directions.

A cursed spirit resembling a groundhog emerged from the rock wall above, making strange gurgling noises.

Countless vine-like limbs weave between the ground and the rock face.

"Finally, you've come out."

The four stood still, their eyes burning with fighting spirit as they looked at the cursed spirit that had appeared before them.

"This trip was worthwhile." Kugizaki slung the cursed tool over his shoulder, his body slightly tense.

Rumbling--

Suddenly, the entire riverbed began to tremble slightly again.

"Wait, there are still enemies!"

As if realizing something, Fu Hei suddenly twisted his waist and lunged to the side.

A dark shadow brushed past his body, passing where he had just stood, emitting a piercing, eerie screech.

"The second one!" Itachi's eyes narrowed, and he assumed a fighting stance.

"It's blood-stained!" Li Ren thought to herself as she looked at the strange-looking cursed spirit in front of her.

"Now that the blood stains have appeared, the bad news must be nearby. We cannot let our guard down."

Thinking of this, Rito reminded the others, "Be careful, there might be other cursed spirits nearby."

Upon hearing this, the group nodded and looked around in unison.

"Hehehehehe... What? Someone actually got here before me." Bloodstained said in a strange voice.

"This guy must be a cursed spirit too," Itajira clenched her fist. "In that case, I'll exorcise him!"

Before anyone could respond, he transformed into a blur and rushed towards the blood-soaked area.

Seeing this, Kugizaki and Fushiguro did not hesitate any longer and immediately rushed into the battlefield.

Rito followed closely behind, but his attention was not on the cursed spirit in front of him at this moment.

"Bloody Form, where are you hiding?"