Curse Reply: I'm going to fight the Myriad Corpse Immortal, the highest level one!

By the roadside, the mantis spirit, which was carefully licking the blood off its forelimbs, suddenly turned around in confusion and looked at Xia Jie's cold corpse behind it.

Lacking much intelligence, it did not understand what the crimson curse power rising and gathering in that head meant.

After a brief moment of confusion, it cast aside its distractions, lowered its head again, and greedily sucked the still-sticky blood from the blade.

As a cursed spirit, it does not need to eat; it simply enjoys the taste of blood.

Behind it, Xia Jie's head suddenly swayed gently, as if something was breaking out of its cocoon.

At first, there was a slight shaking.

Then there are localized deformations.

Finally, there was a violent tremor.

Snap!

With a piercing cracking sound, sharp, blood-red claws forcefully ripped open the skull. A brain, entirely crimson and riddled with grooves, slowly crawled out, its shape resembling a gigantic, ferocious spider magnified dozens of times, with eight legs and eight eyes, every detail exuding an inhuman, alien aura.

The folds and grooves of the brain intertwined to form a lifelike human face ":)", and the lips of that eerie face opened and closed rapidly, uttering a cold, slippery laugh:

"Yo, Sassiburi~"

[Top-Tier Cursed Ghost - Xia Jie]

[A glorious birth!!!]

A powerful, vast, and extremely oppressive field of magical energy instantly swept across the area, completely enveloping the entire block.

The immense magical power emanating from Xia Jie instantly froze the mantis spirit that had been leisurely sucking blood, its body tensing as it slowly turned its head in disbelief.

Xia Jie read its thoughts from its overly obvious expression: 'Really?'

"It's absolutely true!"

"I'm bursting with energy right now!"

Feeling the boundless magical power surging within her body, Xia Jie's "face" contorted into a smile comparable to Yujiro Hanma's:

"I owe my new look entirely to you, so I will definitely repay you properly."

"For example, how about using you to test my newly awakened technique? Aren't you moved by my enthusiasm?"

The scarlet spider's brain and body slowly wriggled, and fine, blood-red spider silk emerged from its toes, precisely stitching up the cracked skull and firmly reattaching the severed head to its neck.

After doing all this, the cursed spirit Xia Jie returned to the proper place in her brain, controlling the newly sewn and pieced-together body, and stood up unsteadily.

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!

Extreme fear completely consumed the mantis spirit's mind. It recklessly swung its proud, sharp blade-like legs, creating a powerful gust of wind as it slashed fiercely at Xia Jie's body, attempting to utterly shatter the frail form before it.

But when the sharp blade was about to strike, it was as if it had struck steel that had been forged a thousand times, and it couldn't even scratch Xia Jie's clothes.

Under the moonlight, a thin yet indestructible blood-red membrane covered Xia Jie's entire body. This blood barrier, formed from condensed blood, was like an indestructible golden bell, blocking all attacks from the cursed spirits.

"If we're talking about this move..."

"If it were me now, I should be able to do it."

The next instant, a whisper accompanied by a faint whooshing sound rang out: "Cursed Blood Manipulation Technique—Dispel!"

A sharp, blood-red thread sliced ​​straight towards the mantis spirit, cutting across its forelimbs like a hot knife through butter.

pat!

With a crisp thud, the Mantis Spirit's prized weapon of destruction snapped at the root and fell to the ground, its greatest reliance gone.

Before it could even scream, more crimson threads followed, crisscrossing and quickly finishing off the massive cursed spirit's body—a skill far surpassing that of the mango chunks endorsed by the deer.

The mantis, which was about to escape, suddenly froze, completely losing all its vitality, and its shattered body scattered on the ground.

Xia Jie crushed a piece of the cursed spirit's remains as it dissipated in the wind, her lips pursed, feeling rather unsatisfied.

"I thought you could withstand a few more hits, but it's all my fault for losing control of my killing intent as a cursed spirit and going a bit too far. Otherwise, I could have repaid you for much longer," Xia Jie said calmly.

"Well, it doesn't matter, we'll see each other again after the rollback."

"As the first person to make me experience the reality of death, I probably won't forget you for a year."

Meanwhile, in a hidden place outside the barrier.

"Um?"

Lu Suo raised his head slightly, his gaze fixed on the direction of Tokyo's First Barrier, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"This scent... it's from a newly born, top-tier cursed spirit, and a dangerous one at that, comparable to a top-tier sorcerer?"

According to the hierarchy in the world of sorcery, almost all sorcerers possess the ability to exorcise spirits of the same level.

Except for Fushiguro Megumi.

A cursed spirit that can rival a top-tier sorcerer is undoubtedly a being capable of roaming freely within the barrier, possessing strength comparable to Hei Musi.

"No, it needs to be even more special."

Carefully sensing the feedback from the surveillance devices that had been set up in advance within the barrier, Lu Suo came to the following conclusion:

"I see, it's a cursed spirit similar to Rika's." He nodded slightly, his tone languid and casual.

"With such an anomaly stirring up the situation within the barrier, the end of the Death Return will likely be accelerated."

in short.

"Just leave it alone."

On the streets late at night.

Xia Jie manipulated the cursed blood to flow throughout her body, forcibly preserving the remaining vitality and life force within her body.

He no longer needs a heartbeat and breath to sustain his life; he can drive his broken body simply by manipulating the cursed blood.

He suppressed his immense magical power and deliberately hid his magical aura, trying his best to maintain his appearance from his previous life. He strolled slowly through the streets and alleys, wandering within the barrier with a mindset somewhat like traveling abroad.

"Little Golden Bug... Little Golden Bug! No response? Oh, I guess I'm no longer a swimmer. Being free from the rules of the Death Return Swimming is probably a good thing, anyway, as long as it doesn't affect my enjoyment of combat."

Xia Jie, who regarded her own corpse as a giant, moved her feet somewhat hesitantly and walked towards the street where a few lights were lit in the distance.

Those who dare to light up on the night of a real-life PUBG tournament like Deathmatch are either ignorant fools or powerful individuals or groups with real strength.

Xia Jie observed the signs of fighting that appeared on the street from time to time and began to make a guess.

"With so many signs of battle, the 'Death's Return' event must have been running for quite some time now, making it more likely that it was fought by a powerful individual."

Go and take a look, you won't regret it.

"Cursed Blood Manipulation Technique - Supernova Modified!"

A miniature blood sphere, compressed to the size of a marble, shot out, leaving a scarlet afterimage on the retina. In an instant, a fish-shaped cursed spirit the size of a house streaked across the night sky, blasting it to smithereens.

All the cursed spirits Xia Jie encountered during her travels became test subjects for developing her spells. After a series of battles, Xia Jie gained a relatively deep understanding of her own spells.

Similar to the well-established Crimson Blood Manipulation Technique, Xia Jie's technique also involves manipulating her own blood.

The only difference is that, as a cursed spirit, one's blood is "cursed blood," which is composed of cursed power and has no real physical substance. After leaving the body, it will slowly dissipate, leaving behind a thick residue of cursed power.

Powerful cursed spirits are born with a powerful self-healing ability similar to a reversal technique.

As long as the power of the spell is sufficient, the limbs and blood can be regenerated continuously. There is no need to worry about excessive consumption or physical exhaustion, and there will be no anemia or overexertion problems that occur with ordinary users of the Crimson Blood Manipulation Technique.

Simply put, Xia Jie, who can convert mana into health, can maximize the performance of the Blood Curse Manipulation Technique.

Excuse me.

Xia Jie casually sliced ​​the dog-shaped cursed spirit that pounced in front of her into three pieces, silently weighing the pros and cons.

"It's alright now, but after the rollback, I'll most likely lose this advantage when I return to human form and become a dragon."

"Before I learn the Reversal Spell, I'll probably have to spend a considerable amount of time in jail. Unless the rewards from the space include other spells that aren't so hard to get."

"Hey! Wait a minute~"

"If I were to learn and use the reversal spell now, would I be able to exorcise myself on the spot? What if all the spell power were reversed at the same time? Would a positive energy spell spirit be possible?"