Curse Return: Demon Void Girl Doesn't Want to Be a Weakling

She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes to rest.

The Shinkansen journey to Chichibu Station took a total of one and a half hours. The person who met Mashiro at the Chichibu Observatory was a female assistant supervisor wearing glasses, who was waiting for her outside the station.

Mashiro got into the car with her and listened to her report on the details of the mission.

The fluctuation of the cursed power has lasted for more than twelve hours. The observation station has attempted three remote scans. During the last scan, the cursed power level jumped by at least two levels, and the growth rate of the suspected cursed spirit is far beyond expectations.

"We need you to confirm the level of the cursed spirit. If it is level one or above, we will exorcise it directly."

Mashiro nodded.

As the vehicle ascended the mountain road, the cedar forests on both sides blocked out the sun, making the light increasingly dim.

There was no paved road near the top of the mountain, and the rest of the journey had to be done on foot. She followed the female supervisor along the mountain path for ten minutes, and the terrain gradually became steeper, with the dirt road under her feet turning into a gravel slope.

Then she sensed the cursed power, which wasn't the density one would expect at level one.

She frowned and continued walking uphill until she entered a valley and saw the cursed spirit.

It sits in the center of the canyon, its body resembling a mixture of rotting tree roots and mud, at least twice the size of Chaoyin. It is not yet fully formed and is still growing.

It's not Grade 1. It's almost Grade Special.

She first moved herself out of the cursed spirit's attack range, then sent a LINE message to Nanami with only three words.

"Mashiro": Quasi-Special Grade.

Nanami replied almost immediately: "Understood. Can you exorcise it?"

"Mashiro": Okay. It will take some time.

"Nanami": Be careful.

Mashiro exited her phone to the LINE home screen and glanced at Gojo Satoru's chat window.

He hasn't replied yet; the last message was still the notification she sent when she said she had set off.

She put her phone away and then pulled Cong Yu out of her palm.

Mashiro gripped Murasame, the blade gleaming faintly in the dim valley.

She walked a few steps down the gravel slope, the soil beneath her feet soft, damp, and carrying a putrid smell.

The cursed spirit was still slowly wriggling at the bottom of the canyon, its root-like tentacles extending outwards, each end of which burrowed into rock crevices or the base of tree roots, as if absorbing nutrients.

Its near-superior level curse density made the surrounding air feel stuffy, and with each breath, one could feel the curse power adhering to the tracheal wall, like inhaling a thin toxin.

Mashiro stopped about twenty meters away from the cursed spirit, raised her left hand, spread her five fingers slightly, and activated the water control technique.

Water molecules in the surrounding air were drawn away and condensed in her palm into a dozen thin water needles that hovered between her fingers. Then the water needles shot out, not targeting the cursed spirit's body, but the tentacles that were embedded in the rock.

The water needle hit its mark precisely, and the moment the tentacle was severed, it sprayed out a dark green liquid.

The cursed spirit's body shuddered violently, then let out a low roar. Several tentacles that hadn't pierced the rock instantly rose up and swept towards Mashiro's direction.

Mashiro took a step forward, unleashing a horizontal slash from Murasame, the blade making a hissing sound the moment it touched the tentacles.

However, the tentacle was not severed; it was only cut halfway in. The mucus that gushed from the wound quickly solidified, forming a layer of black, gelatinous substance on the surface.

Its regeneration speed is so fast; it's not an opponent that can be defeated in one go.

As Mashiro thought this, she dodged the sweeping tentacles and landed, where a wall of water formed to block her path.

The tentacles struck the water wall with a heavy thud, causing the water wall to tremble violently, but it did not shatter.

While using Murasame to cut through the approaching tentacles, Mashiro extended her perception into the body of the cursed spirit.

Its body is entirely water, forming a huge water cavity in the center of its torso.

It is surrounded by dense roots, and the water cavity is connected to each tentacle through the central hub, responsible for transporting nutrients and magical power.

If I hadn't learned the water control technique before, this would definitely have been a long and drawn-out war.

But it's different now.

Mashiro switched Murasame to her left hand, and gathered countless water needles in her right palm, precisely shooting them into the cursed spirit's body.

The moment the water needle entered the cursed spirit's body, she activated the water control technique.

"We'll drain you dry from the inside!"

The cursed spirit's body suddenly swelled, its internal water cavity was forcibly stirred by external force, its liquid core began to go out of control, and the surface of several of the thickest tentacles cracked, with dark green liquid seeping out from the cracks and burning into white smoke when it fell to the ground.

But it is not dead yet. Even if the internal circulation of a quasi-special-grade cursed spirit is disrupted, its body can still maintain its function with the remaining cursed power.

Instead of attacking Shiro with its tentacles, it retracted all its tentacles, then split open from the top of its body, revealing a giant mouth made of wood chips and rotting mud, and swallowed her whole.

Mashiro looked up as the shadow of the giant mouth loomed over her, and the Dharma wheel above her head began to spin.

Instead of backing down, she went to meet her.

Cong Yu was gripped by her hand, and a sonic spell was applied to the blade, causing high-frequency vibrations to resonate with water molecules.

She pushed off the ground and was launched into the giant maw.

The blade pierced the upper wall of the throat, and the sound waves vibrated from the blade throughout the entire oral cavity. Water molecules resonated and changed from a liquid to a gaseous state, expanding a second time, and the air pressure also changed abruptly.

His entire mouth was burst open, and bits of wood and mud mixed with dark green liquid exploded in all directions.

Mashiro emerged from the shattered opening and landed on the ground. Her Murasaki Blade was covered in a layer of dark green residue, which she flicked off with her wrist.

A deafening roar came from behind, and the cursed spirit's body began to disintegrate from the inside out. Its tentacles twitched unconsciously a few times before coming to a complete stop.

She used a water manipulation technique to extract all the remaining liquid from the remnants of the cursed spirit. A fist-sized, dark green water sphere hovered above her palm before she flung it against the mountain wall, scattering it into harmless water stains.

The Falun gradually stopped, and before they could even adjust, they were killed.

It's an elemental advantage; if you don't know how to control water, it won't be so easy.

Chapter 26 Too Late (4k)

Mashiro pulled Murasame back into her body, glanced down at the small holes on her sleeve caused by the venom, but didn't pay them any mind.

She raised her hand to conjure a water sphere, washed her face and hands, and then took out her phone to send a message to Nanami.

"Mashiro": Quasi-Special Grade has been exorcised, mission complete.

"Nanami": You must be tired. Are you injured?

"Mashiro": She's unharmed; she's the type I can't handle.

"Nanami": Okay, then find the window and finish the finishing touches.

"Mashiro": OK.

Mashiro clicked into Gojo Satoru's chat window again, but there was still no reply after so long.

This is very unusual. She frowned and sent another message.

"Mashiro": Where are you?

After about half a minute, the screen lit up.

"Wutiao Wu": I'm still in a meeting. I just saw your message. Those old guys have been talking since yesterday afternoon until this morning. I almost fell asleep. Sorry.

A meeting?

A bad feeling crept into Mashiro's heart.

More than a day has passed since she messaged Gojo Satoru, which means Gojo Satoru spent the whole night in a meeting in Kyoto.

On the same day, she received an urgent mission that spanned multiple regions.

No, no! No wonder she didn't see Gojo Satoru at the vocational high school yesterday.

She reopened Nanami's chat window.

"Mashiro": Nanami, does Itadori have any missions today?

Nanami's reply came quickly.

"Nanami": Let me check.

"Nanami": The juvenile detention center. The Window's rating is Level 2. Fushiguro and Kugizaki are also there; it's probably just a routine exorcism. He hasn't contacted you yet?

Juvenile detention center! Mashiro's expression changed.

She didn't expect it to happen so quickly; less than five days after Huzhang enrolled, the higher-ups were already making moves against him.

Mashiro didn't reply. She turned and ran down the mountain, immediately calling Gojo Satoru.

It rang twice before being answered.

"Mashiro?" Gojo Satoru's voice came through the receiver, tinged with surprise. "It's rare for you to call me first. What's up?"

"You're in Kyoto?"

"Yeah, a meeting. So boring, these old men—"

"You must go back to Tokyo right now, to the juvenile detention center."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then Gojo Satoru's tone changed: "What's going on?"

“I have an urgent mission in Saitama, and you have a meeting in Kyoto,” Mashiro said. “The door gave Hisahito the mission to the juvenile academy.”

"..."

"Gojo Satoru, this is a diversionary tactic; they want Hisahito dead."

I heard the sound of a chair being pushed back on the other end of the phone.

Gojo Satoru's voice turned cold, devoid of its usual frivolity.

"Damn it, I'm heading back right now."

"Ah."

Mashiro hung up the phone and rushed to Tokyo at full speed.

Upon seeing Mashiro, the liaison officer at the foot of the mountain approached her and asked, "Ms. Kujo, has it been resolved?"

Mashiro didn't stop, passing by her like the wind. "It's resolved. You can handle the rest yourselves."

The liaison officer adjusted his glasses, watching the figure quickly disappear from sight, and muttered, "So urgent? What happened?"

Mashiro moved quickly, the sound of the wind rushing into her ears, her mind in turmoil.