Curse Reply: After choosing Nawa, the cursed spirit cursed me for being cruel.

Panxing Sect Headquarters, Top Floor Office.

Sonoda Shigeru sprang up from behind his desk. "You guys are from a vocational high school, right? Where are the Sorcerer Killers? Where are the Starmaws?"

Just a second ago he was waiting for news, when suddenly a green whirlwind swept past the window. He closed his eyes, opened them, and there were three people standing in his office.

Sonoda Shigeru stumbled backward, his calf hitting the corner of the low table, and he fell backward, wincing in pain.

He pushed himself up from the ground, scrambling to his feet in shock and anger. He gripped the edge of the table with one hand and pointed the other in the direction of the three people, his finger trembling.

"Do you know that assimilation is the greatest blasphemy against Lord Tianyuan? How can such a sacred being as Lord Tianwu be defiled by an ordinary body?!"

Duanmu Yan looked at him, his tone cold: "Riko will not be assimilated."

Sonoda Shigeru stopped abruptly. He crawled to Duanmu Yan's feet, tilted his head back, and looked up, his eyes bloodshot. "Really? You mean it?! That's wonderful, that's wonderful! For Lord Tengen, everything is for the great Tengen..."

He fell backward, his mouth still open and his eyes wide open.

He died of a surprise.

Xia Youjie looked down at the corpse: "That madman."

Gojo Satoru showed no pity. His gaze swept across Sonoda Shigeru's face before turning to Duanmu Yan.

"Can I kill all those people downstairs? I don't feel anything about it now."

Xia Youjie immediately turned his head, "No, Wu, the people downstairs are all uninformed low-level believers. This group itself has problems and will be disbanded soon. There's no point in making a move here."

"Even if it's meaningless, is this thing really that important?"

Xia Youjie: "That's a very important thing. Especially for us sorcerers, protecting ordinary people is our duty."

Duanmu Yan stood there, looking at Sonoda Shigeru's corpse at his feet, and then at the door leading to the lobby downstairs.

Are these the people we're protecting?

These people are waiting for the astral body's corpse; they've gathered here to celebrate the death of a fourteen-year-old girl...

No. This group of people is definitely not what he wants to protect.

He raised his right hand to his chest, his fingers slightly spread and then clenched.

I have people I want to protect... that's why I have this power.

"Let's go down and announce the disbandment of the Panxing Cult."

He pushed open the office door, and outside was a spiral staircase leading down to the main hall where believers gathered.

The three of them walked down the stairs, with Duanmu Yan leading the way and pushing open the lobby door.

Applause. A continuous, resounding applause erupted from the depths of the hall, wave after wave.

The large assembly hall was packed with people. As the people in the front row stood up, those in the back rows followed suit.

Everyone's face was beaming with smiles, their joy and devotion emanating from the depths of their hearts, undisguised.

Their eyes were fixed on the astral body; they assumed the three men were there to transport a corpse.

Duanmu Yan walked through the crowd and onto the stage, the applause growing louder with each step. Some began to shout the name of Lord Tianyuan, some clasped their hands together, and some were moved to tears.

He stood on the podium and scanned the densely packed faces below the stage.

"The Panxing Cult shall be disbanded from today."

"Assimilation has been cancelled; the astral bodies will not die."

The applause continued; every face in the audience was smiling, and every hand was clapping.

No one walked towards the door, and no one put their hands down.

Gojo Satoru took a step forward, raised his right hand, and his fingertips began to emit a blue light.

A hand pressed down on his shoulder.

Duanmu Yan stepped down from the podium and placed his left hand on Gojo Satoru's shoulder. "Satoru. I don't want one of my best friends to become a curse master."

The applause was still ringing out. The entire hall was filled with people clapping and laughing, waiting for the body of a fourteen-year-old girl.

Duanmu Yan pushed Wutiao Wu back half a step and said, "I'll handle this."

The Nava armor instantly combined, with the orange-red armor pieces falling into place one by one. The heat wave swirled up the dust on the podium, burning it into tiny sparks in mid-air.

General Duanmu doesn't kill people, but his name is Duanmu Yan.

The Molten Scale Blade took shape in his right hand, with magical power condensed on its blade.

Xia Youjie knew what he was planning to do, but it was too late.

Duanmu Yan jumped off the stage and landed in the middle of the crowd. With a single horizontal slash, he cut more than a dozen people in the front row in half. Blood splattered on the faces of those in the back row. The smiles of those who were still clapping froze on their faces, and then they screamed and ran away.

Duanmu Yan swung his sword again and again, each strike landing in the densest part of the crowd, blood splattering on the church emblem, dripping down in a sticky stream.

The applause in the hall ceased, replaced only by the sound of blades whistling, footsteps, and bodies falling to the ground.

He sheathed his sword. The Molten Scale Blade transformed back into specks of light from his hand and dissipated into the air. Pieces of armor peeled away, revealing the blood-stained school uniform beneath.

He stood in the center of the hall, surrounded by nothing intact. Corpses lay scattered on the ground, and the air was thick with the pungent smell of blood.

He walked through the blood to the lobby entrance and pushed the door open.

He stood at the doorway, looked up at the sky, and said, "From this day forward... I am the cursed sorcerer, reviled by a thousand..."

Chapter 82 I Want to Be a Sorcerer

The office of the vocational college, Noctua Zhengdao.

Masamichi Yagami sat behind the table with his hands crossed on it. Natsumi Yuuki and Gojo Satoru stood in front of him.

"...Did Duanmu do that kind of thing?"

Xia Youjie nodded, looking dejected: "Yes, he said he would live as a curse master from now on, and he entrusted Tian Tian to us."

Nocturnal Moth didn't reply. He took off his sunglasses and rubbed his nose with his thumb.

I never expected it to end like this...

The elders will definitely make a fuss about this.

Gojo Satoru stood by the window, his back to the two men, facing out the window. He hadn't said a word on the way back from the Panxing Sect.

"Satoru," Masamichi called to him. Gojo Satoru didn't turn around.

“…He pushed me.” He suddenly spoke. “He put his hand on my shoulder and said he didn’t want me to become a curse master. Then he jumped down himself. That guy was so selfish.”

boom--

The office door was kicked open.

Riko rushed in, breathless, her hair disheveled, her face covered in sweat, and her eyes flashing. She gasped for air, then burst into laughter, shouting, "Gojo! Natsuyu!" "It's alright! Duanmu is alright!"

The expressions of the three people changed simultaneously.

Xia Youjie lowered his arms from his chest. "What's wrong?"

Shoko walked in from behind Riko, leaning against the doorframe, her tone still languid: "The elders have sent word that they'll handle the aftermath and bring Duanmu back. They also said... they're going to promote the three of you to Special Grade Sorcerers."

Gojo Satoru happily pulled Tennen Riko and Natsuyu Jie together to spin around.

Nocturnal Moth put his sunglasses back on and leaned back in his chair.

"...I see. Those guys are really afraid that Duanmu will go crazy."

……

Rewind to ten minutes earlier, in the council chamber of the Spellcasting Elders' Council.

The long table was filled with people, all dressed neatly.

An elder slammed his fist on the table and stood up, “Duanmu Yan must be designated as the most ruthless curse master in modern times! He killed more than two hundred people, all of whom were well-known entrepreneurs and members of wealthy families!”

Another elder stood up. "Duanmu Yan's actions have completely violated the code of sorcerers! They are unforgivable! We must organize an immediate campaign to punish him!"

Voices rose and fell in the council chamber, some echoing, others adding their own.

They all thought it was a good opportunity.

The old man sitting at the head of the table remained silent until everyone had vented their anger, at which point he slowly raised his eyelids.

"So... who can take down a top-tier sorcerer who has awakened the Reversal Spell and possesses a domain?"

Silence fell over the room; the elders, who had just been so indignant, suddenly fell silent.

Currently, there are only three people in Japan with the ability to hunt down Duanmu Yan.

Tsukumo Yuki simply wouldn't listen to orders; Gojo Satoru and Natsume Yuki didn't even need to think about it.

The old man cleared his throat twice and tapped his cane lightly on the ground: "We don't have the strength to fight that guy. Let him come back. Give him a mission... to kill twenty level one cursed spirits to atone for his sins, and then we'll call it even."

Some people were unwilling to accept this and said in a low voice, "Isn't this too lenient on him? To be forgiven for committing such a grave crime is going to throw the world of sorcery into chaos."

The old man shifted his gaze to the man, "If Duanmu Yan is identified as a curse master, how can our lives be guaranteed?"

Gurgle.

A large group of people swallowed hard.

Yes. If we really force that guy to become a curse master, everyone here knows who he'll come back to first.

The council chamber was silent for a few seconds, then someone lowered their head and said something.

"I have no objection."

No one objected anymore.

"In that case, let the vocational college bring Duanmu Yan back."

……

Gao Zhuanzhuan's mouth was open, and Wu Tiao Wu was squatting on the steps, his elbows supporting his knees, his sunglasses sliding down to the tip of his nose.

Xia Youjie stood next to him, his hands tucked into his sleeves.

Masamichi Yagami stood beneath the torii gate, his arms crossed, his sunglasses reflecting the light of the setting sun.

On the mountain path in the distance, a figure was walking uphill, his pace slow, his school uniform still stained with indelible bloodstains.

Duanmu Yan stopped in front of the torii gate, and the four of them looked at each other.