Curse Returns: Eight Extraordinary Skills? I lack nothing.

Louhu's single eye suddenly contracted. He felt his power draining away—the fire magic he had accumulated over hundreds of years was being stripped away, broken down, and dissipated little by little by this human.

"What are you doing……"

"To bring you back to your roots."

Yuuto withdrew his hand. Louhu swayed and knelt on the ground. His flame armor shattered completely, his kimono turned to ashes, and the light in his single eye became extremely dim.

But he is not dead yet.

"The domain expands, and the coffin is sealed by the iron-clad mountain."

A dark red barrier exploded from his body. This domain, based on volcanic magma, had an extremely high internal temperature; an ordinary sorcerer would be instantly annihilated upon entering.

It can control a large area of ​​volcanoes within its domain, and its offensive and defensive capabilities are among the best in the domain.

“In my domain,” Louhu’s voice came from the center of the barrier, “your abilities—are all useless.”

Yuuto was pulled into the Iron Enclosure Mountain. Beneath his feet was a scorching lake of lava, above him a dark red sky, and all around him were constantly erupting volcanoes. The temperature was so high that even the air felt like it was burning.

"I said that."

Yuuto's voice was calm.

“I can fight in my own way in your territory as well.”

"The gods are divine."

Golden light surged from his body. Wherever that light passed, Louhu's domain structure began to collapse.

The lava is cooling, the volcano is going out, and the dark red sky is fading.

The Divine Spirit is one of the core abilities of the Qi Source Flow, capable of restoring all spells to their most primordial Qi. Before the Divine Spirit, any spell based on incantation power will fail.

For the first time, genuine fear appeared in Louhu's single eye.

"you!"

"ended."

Yuu's right hand rested on the hilt of the sword at his waist.

"Kikuichimonji Norimune - draw your sword."

A golden blade of light pierced the dark red sky.

Louhu's body was pierced by the blade's edge.

His one-eyed gaze fell one last time on Yuuto. There was no anger, no hatred in that glance, only an indescribable sense of relief—as if to say, "Finally, I can rest."

Then Louhu's body shattered completely.

This time, it's truly shattered.

The dark red fragments did not reform; instead, they transformed into countless tiny specks of light, slowly drifting into the night sky. They rose higher and higher, growing fainter and fainter until they finally merged into the starlight and disappeared from sight.

Yuuto stood still, sheathing his sword.

The iron-clad mountain surrounding him collapsed as his coffin was sealed.

The dark red barrier crumbled and dissipated inch by inch, revealing the real night sky outside.

When Yuuto reached the car, Hayakawa was still slumped on the ground, her legs weak and unable to stand. Her phone lay at her feet, the screen cracked, the signal bars still showing zero.

She looked up at Yuuto, her lips moving several times before she could utter a sound.

"Is it... over?"

"ended."

Yu Ren opened the car door, sat in the back seat, leaned back, and closed his eyes.

His breathing finally calmed down, and his heartbeat slowly returned to normal.

The light of the Golden Light Mantra had completely faded, but the warmth of his hands still lingered in his palms. The feeling of fullness brought by the Six Treasures Immortal Thief prevented him from collapsing from exhaustion.

But the fatigue is real.

Hayakawa finally got up from the ground, trembling as he leaned against the car door.

Her gaze passed over Youren and fell upon the distant forest, which had returned to tranquility. Moonlight shone on the scorched earth, and tiny green shoots swayed gently in the night breeze.

“Those…those cursed spirits…”

"They're all dead."

Hayakawa opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

Yuuto took his phone out of his pocket, and the screen lit up briefly.

The signal was restored. Unread messages flooded in like snowflakes.

He opened the message from Gojo Satoru.

The first message reads: "Yuto, the magical energy fluctuations in Fujisaki Town have disappeared. Did you do it?"

The second point: "The spell power sensing network within a radius of tens of kilometers has received abnormal signals; eleven top-level spell power sources have disappeared simultaneously. What happened on your end?"

Article 3: "If they are alive, they should reply."

Yu Ren thought for a moment, then typed a few words in reply: "Alive. Hua Yu and Lou Hu are both dead. There are ten Special Grade ones left. I'll talk about the details when I get back."

Less than ten seconds after the message was sent, Gojo Satoru's reply popped up: "Ten? You fought a top-tier wholesale meeting? Come back and write a report. Don't even think about escaping."

Yuuto locked his phone screen with a blank expression.

The roar of helicopters echoed in the distance. Several black helicopters marked with the symbol "Window" were flying in from the east, their searchlight beams sweeping across the mountains and forests, illuminating the land that was recovering. The follow-up team had finally arrived.

Hayakawa seemed to finally breathe a sigh of relief, slumping against the car door and panting heavily.

"Mr. Kasuga...you really..."

"Ah."

Yuuto didn't say much.

He leaned back in his seat, watching the helicopter lights grow closer and closer outside the window. The night breeze blew in through the half-open car window, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees mixed with the lingering smell of burning—a scent that was hard to define as either a new beginning or an end.

Chapter 167 Daily Life

The roar of the helicopter rotors gradually faded into the distance, eventually becoming a barely perceptible black dot on the horizon. Yuu leaned back in the seat, closing his eyes to rest.

The radiant white light of the Triple Rebirth within his body was slowly circulating, soothing the fatigue brought on by the continuous fierce battles.

The red light from both hands traveled through the meridians, repairing those minor damages—the right arm that had withstood the erosion of the Flower Defense Domain, the internal organs that had been shaken back by the Senluo Talisman Seed, and the mental burden caused by forcibly activating the "Zhou Tian Tribulation".

The car wound its way down the mountain road. Director Hayakawa's hands, which were still trembling slightly, were much better than when he had collapsed to the ground earlier.

Outside the window, the forest of Aomori gradually awakens in the morning light, birdsong replaces the silence of the night, and morning dew glistens on the leaves.

The rampant fluorescent blue vines and eerie flowers withered and died at a visible speed as the Flower Emperor perished, revealing the original outlines of the swallowed streets and houses.

The cleanup team members and assistant supervisors have begun working diligently, setting up purification barriers and evacuating any potential survivors. Everything is proceeding smoothly.

This is the daily life of the sorcery world.

A peaceful ending after fierce battle, a cycle of destruction and rebirth.

Yuuto opened his eyes, his silver pupils reflecting the flowing greenery outside the window.

The system panel floated quietly in the corner of my consciousness, the numbers in the points column jumped once, and then finally settled.

Defeating Hana and the Senra Legion that she spawned, along with the settlement of the previous Yamaba mission, resulted in a considerable sum, enough for him to plan the next stage of strengthening.

But right now, all he wants is to rest...

Kyoto, Morning Light in a Small Courtyard

We arrived in Kyoto the following morning.

Yuuto declined Hayakawa's offer to arrange a car to take him back to his residence, and walked alone along the dew-covered stone path towards a secluded courtyard deep in the old town.

This is one of the properties he purchased with his mission bonus. It's not big, but it's quiet enough, with a few maple trees and green bamboo planted in the courtyard, giving it a sense of tranquility amidst the hustle and bustle.

Pushing open the rustic wooden gate, a familiar scene comes into view. The courtyard is very clean, and next to the stone lantern is a small water bowl in which several koi fish swim leisurely.

Morning light filters through the gaps in the maple leaves, casting dappled shadows on the veranda.

In the entryway, a pair of light pink fluffy slippers were neatly arranged on the floor. Yuuto changed her shoes and stepped inside. The living room was filled with the faint aroma of strawberry milk. Several comic books and game magazines were spread out on the coffee table, and a half-eaten strawberry cake covered with plastic wrap sat to the side.

Everything seemed normal, as if he had simply gone out to buy something, rather than having just experienced a life-or-death battle with a top-tier cursed spirit and its army.

"elder brother?"

A soft, sleepy voice, still slightly muffled, came from the second floor.

Yuu looked up and saw Sora standing barefoot at the top of the stairs, wearing that familiar white slip dress. Her long, silvery-white hair was slightly disheveled from sleep, with a few strands clinging to her cheeks. She was rubbing her eyes, her ruby-like eyes half-open, clearly awakened by the sound of him entering.

"Did I disturb you?" Yuuto walked up the stairs, his tone gentle without even realizing it.

Qiong shook her head and naturally extended her hand.

Yu Ren bent down, let her wrap her arms around his neck, and then easily picked her up.

His height of 152 cm and relatively light weight made this movement effortless for him. Qiong buried her face in his shoulder, like a cat that had found a comfortable spot, rubbing against him and making a satisfied purr.

"Are you hungry?" Yuuto carried her downstairs.

"Mmm." Qiong's voice was muffled. "I want to eat the tamagoyaki that my brother makes."

"Only tamagoyaki?"

"I also want miso soup and seaweed rice balls," she added, then paused and whispered, "My brother didn't come home last night."

It wasn't an interrogation, just a statement, tinged with a hint of barely perceptible grievance. A soft warmth touched Yu's heart; she knew he was worried. Although Qiong had never explicitly said so, she always found ways to "wait" for him whenever he returned late from dangerous missions.

Sometimes she would deliberately fall asleep on the sofa, and sometimes she would leave the lights on until he came back.

"The mission was a bit troublesome, which caused a delay," he explained simply, carrying her into the kitchen and placing her on a high stool next to the counter. "It'll be ready soon, have some milk first."

She took out strawberry milk from the refrigerator and heated it, then took out eggs, miso, seaweed, and other ingredients. Yuuto tied on her apron and began preparing breakfast. Her movements were practiced and swift: cracking eggs, stirring, heating the pan, and frying. Golden-brown tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelets) formed in the pan, emitting an enticing aroma.

The miso soup was bubbling in another small pot, and the seaweed rice balls were quickly shaped and placed in a bento box-like food container—this was the way Qiong liked to eat, and she always felt that it was more interesting than using bowls and plates.

Qiong held the warm milk cup, sipping it slowly, her gaze following Youren's every move. Morning light streamed through the kitchen window, bathing him in a pale gold glow on his silver hair.

His profile appeared exceptionally soft as he cooked, and his focused gaze reminded Qiong of how he taught her to control the "Void Fate Technique"—patient, meticulous, as if there was nothing more important in the world.