Watching the curse user approach from a distance—
Todo Aoi and Hayashi showed no flicker of emotion. But the man and woman pinned to the pillars were dumbfounded. Another person?
One unkillable foe, another of unknown strength—this setup was a death trap. Anyone who entered this innate domain was doomed.
"Giving up already? Feeling hopeless?" The bald curse user didn't care about Hayashi and Todo's calm demeanor. To him, they were drowning in despair—utterly unsolvable despair.
Hayashi's blank face cracked into a grin. "This samurai's unkillable, sure. But your cursed energy's probably running on fumes by now, right?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" The curse user's stiff smile froze.
"Playing dumb, huh?" Hayashi twisted his neck casually. "That samurai's tied to you. It doesn't die, but every hit it takes drains your cursed energy to heal it. If you hadn't shown up, it wouldn't have lasted much longer. It falls, you fall."
The curse user's face darkened at Hayashi's words. That was a caster's secret—how did this kid know?
Once someone entered his innate domain, no info should leak out. The jujutsu sorcerers he'd taken down didn't have the skill to figure it out, let alone know his trump card.
Yet here was a stranger—a boy—laying out his technique like it was nothing. Terrifying. Shocking.
Hayashi glanced at the people nailed to the red pillars, then stepped forward. The next instant, he vanished.
The curse user's expression shifted, eyes darting around. No sign of Hayashi. Then a cold, deadly threat gripped his chest, sinking his heart.
He'd screwed up.
"Thunder… Eight Trigrams!"
A low rumble of thunder rolled out, followed by a sudden numbness—like stepping into a magnetic field, locking everything in place.
A blue spiked mace materialized, crackling with thunderous force. Under stunned gazes, it smashed down onto the curse user's head.
Pfft!!!
Boom!
The ground shattered, cracks spiderwebbing outward like a giant's fist had struck.
In the massive crater, a pile of mush melted into a puddle of black water, seeping into the earth.
"Still can't kill him?" Hayashi's eyes narrowed. This curse user had a freaky way of surviving, but it had to come at a cost. He was probably crippled now—might not show his face for months, maybe years.
Job done. The standing samurai crumbled, collapsing like a wind-toppled toy, scattering across the ground before vanishing.
"Something's happening!"
"Holy crap!"
"What the—?!"
"What's going on?!"
Soldiers, police, and officials spun around. Even the lurkers in the high-rises rushed to the windows, staring at the zone.
The black barrier cloaking the area began to dissolve, peeling away bit by bit, revealing the city beneath—unchanged from before.
"No way… those two actually pulled it off?" Lu Yue stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, blinking rapidly, her tongue unconsciously flicking across her lips.
Hearing that, the guy behind her dropped his game, bolted to the window, and gawked at the fading black zone.
"This… this can't be real!"
The same stunned question echoed in everyone's minds. Over half a month, countless people had gone in—none came out.
Now, the dark shroud was lifting. Unless you were an idiot, it was obvious: the problem was solved.
"Look!"
A man's shout drew all eyes downward.
A tall, muscular figure strode out with steady steps, pulling on his shirt as he went.
Beside him, a handsome guy with thick black hair exuded calm authority, his steely gaze radiating danger.
Behind them, four or five shaky figures leaned on each other, hobbling forward—survivors from days ago, rescued from the domain.
"They actually did it!"
"Bless China!"
"Prep medical units—start the rescue!"
"Notify the higher-ups—mission complete."
"Yes, sir."
"Understood!"
Orders flew, and the scene erupted into action.
Hayashi and Todo were swarmed by officials, bombarded with concern and questions.
"Let's go check it out."
The hidden watchers raced downstairs, eager to see who'd cracked this case.
Hayashi brushed off the crowd with a few words. He needed to claim his reward, then head to Beijing—to Longyuan—to retrieve that fox tail. Leaving it there was a ticking time bomb.
"Hi, can I get your WeChat?"
Just as Hayashi shook off the mob, a girl with black bangs covering her eyes stepped up. From her nose and mouth alone, she was clearly a stunner.
"Who're you?" Hayashi eyed her coolly.
"I'm Lu Yue. You solved that mess in there, right? Wanna be friends?" She fought the urge to lick her lips—old habits die hard.
"Friends, sure. WeChat, nah. Todo, let's roll." Hayashi sidestepped her, heading toward the city.
Lu Yue froze. Wait, what? Someone rejected her? With her looks, she was the center of attention everywhere. How was she striking out with this pretty boy?
Was he… not into women?
Unconvinced, she stepped forward to press him, but a thick arm blocked her. Todo Aoi's cold stare bore down. "Stay away from my brother."
"…" Lu Yue.
"This guy… probably into dudes," she muttered, gnashing her teeth. Why were all the hot ones into guys these days? Ridiculous.
If Hayashi heard that, he'd have slapped her silly, grabbed her collar, and yelled, "I like women! Women! WOMEN!"
Three times for emphasis!
But he didn't know her thoughts. He and Todo slipped past the crowd and left.
The onlookers were left baffled.
Still, some tailed Hayashi and Todo in secret. Right now, those two were walking goldmines.
Most of the trackers were foreigners—rogue jujutsu sorcerers, homeless drifters chasing a big score, lingering here for news.
Hayashi and Todo had crushed this mission. Their strength wasn't simple, so the stalkers stayed cautious, holding off on any rash moves.