The tapping of footsteps desecrated the Domain's deafening silence. Yukari paused and glanced at a graffitied wall. Two bloodshot eyes stared back, a disfigured corpse serving as their nest. The teenager shivered.
What kind of Domain is this...?
"Be careful of those needles," warned Mizuki, his face pale. "They could be laced with anything."
"Okay."
The boy diverted his attention away from the portrait's gruesome gaze. Out of the corner of his left eye, Yukari caught a glimpse of the cadaver blinking. He jolted backwards and quickened his pace.
Approximately twenty minutes later, Hinotori froze — prompting the others to do the same. He clenched his teeth, glaring down an empty corridor.
"The presence of cursed energy is strongest in that room," alerted the sorcerer while pointing at a distant metal door. Barbaric graffiti defaced its surface, their artwork portraying a human getting skinned alive by rusty scalpels.
Mizuki clutched his playing cards. "That's probably where the curse is hiding."
"Take this, Yukari."
The purple-haired teenager turned his head. Hinotori held his backpack by the strap.
"Activating my Pyrotechnics technique simultaneously detonates any objects imbued with my cursed energy, so I'll be fighting using hand-to-hand combat. Throw this at the curse as soon as you find an opening."
Yukari grabbed the backpack and slung it over his right shoulder. He stumbled slightly, adjusting to the added weight.
"One more thing..."
Hinotori narrowed his eyes.
"We only get one shot to exorcise this bastard. Please don't let us down."
"I won't," responded the boy — a resolute tone strengthening his voice. "You guys can count on me."
I'm nervous, but we'll be okay as long as we stick together.
The sharp-toothed sorcerer grinned. "Let's settle this, then."
As Hinotori approached the disquieting door, he noticed that Mizuki's hands were shaking and paused. "Hey, are you alright?"
"Are you really sure... about this mission?"
Hinotori chuckled. "It'll be fine, dude. Trust me."
"Thanks," replied Mizuki, a weak smile lighting up his face. "You're right. We've got this."
Hinotori gave his teammates one last nod before placing his palms on the metal door. "Three... two... one!"
The sorcerers burst into the room.
Several humans spasmed on the floor — a blend of blood and saliva spewing from their spluttering mouths. Agonised, grating gasps tormented the victims. A man wearing a dark grey beanie tilted his head backwards, a coating of dried blood concealing his right eye.
"P-p-please..."
The man's left eyeball rolled back into his skull.
"K-kill... m-me..."
Hinotori remained paralysed.
This was a stupid idea. We should've never come here.
He blinked and hurriedly turned to his teammates.
"We're abandoning the mission! We need to get the hell out of—"
Inhuman chewing noises echoed in the vicinity. Hinotori's eyes widened. He directed his gaze towards the corridor, quickly falling silent. Yukari and Mizuki looked at each other; they turned around before flinching in horror.
A humanoid figure possessing unnaturally pale skin observed the three sorcerers — an amputated arm masking the lower half of its face. The entity's hair consisted of small weeds sprouting from the scalp, as well as wilting cannabis leaves of a similar size. Furthermore, the apparition retained jaundiced scleras, emerald-green irises and dilated black pupils, along with a mouth in place of each ear. It wore a light blue hospital gown yet remained barefoot.
The cursed spirit sank its jagged, yellow teeth into the severed limb and snapped its head to the side, ripping off three bleeding morsels of flesh. It then tossed the arm away, revealing the rest of its face: a mouth on each cheek in addition to a regular one. The entity licked its lips, smearing them with blood as if it were lipstick, and smiled widely at the three sorcerers.
"You guys found my little experiment!" exclaimed the apparition in a raspy, exuberant voice. "I like injecting humans with various substances before leaving them to suffer for a few days. It channels their cursed energy towards the fear of drugs, which gradually makes me stronger!" The cursed spirit cleansed its fingers with its green tongues and tilted its head to the right. "Pretty cool, huh?"
Hinotori maintained eye contact with the apparition. A bead of sweat trickled down the side of his face.
D-damn it, I can barely feel my legs. I guess this is what it's like to confront a special-grade.
Mizuki dug his fingernails into the deck of playing cards.
The Domain was concealing its presence this entire time.
Yukari slowly brought his trembling hands together.
It's much more hideous than that other curse from the prison, but...
A black puddle emerged in front of the purple-haired teenager.
This isn't the first special-grade I've fought.
Three shadow hands shot towards the cursed spirit; it sprang backwards and swung its arm, materialising a horizontal arch of floating syringes.
Extension Technique...
A deranged smile spread across the apparition's face.
Addictive Array!
The syringes cut through the air like arrows. An explosion of glass shards and brown fluid showered the area — dispelling Yukari's shadow hands upon impact. The sorcerers scattered. Six playing cards weaved in the cursed spirit's direction, trailed by two shadow hands travelling alongside Hinotori. The special-grade performed a series of backflips before landing on its feet and manifesting a syringe in each hand. It carved the incoming cardboard using both medical needles, causing the shredded remains to drop lifelessly.
A crimson glow engulfed Hinotori's right fist. He leapt forward and threw a punch at the apparition — which responded with an eerie grin. The cursed spirit dug its foot into the sorcerer's abdomen, sending him reeling backwards. Hinotori retched. His eyes widened as the special-grade lunged towards him. Yukari's shadow hands swooped in from the side. They shielded the sharp-toothed sorcerer while a set of playing cards ambushed the apparition, swiftly forcing it to retreat.
Mizuki's cards returned to his deck. He rushed to Hinotori's side, bearing a concerned expression. "Are you—"
"My bad! I forgot to introduce myself," interrupted the special-grade. It eyed the three sorcerers from the opposite end of the corridor. "You guys can call me Kezume."
Hinotori took shallow breaths, resting his left hand over his abdomen. "We don't give a damn!"
"Woah, you're a confident guy!" remarked Kezume. "Handsome, too." He picked out the fleshy fragments stuck between his teeth using the needle of a syringe and flashed a toothy grin. "I bet the ladies swoon at the sight of you, don't they?"
The sorcerer scowled. "That's the only smart thing you've said!"
"Those burn marks sure are ugly, though! They must eat away at you daily, right? Alcohol would really—"
"I was born with these scars. Besides, girls dig them, so I don't care."
It's my fault... I was the one who suggested this mission in the first place.
"You're so cool!" yelled the apparition while tightening his grip on the syringes. "Hey, you know what? I'll be merciful... and let you guys choose what drugs to inject you with."
Hinotori curled his hands into fists.
I swear I'll get you guys out of here alive.
Yukari's shadow hands shut the metal door.
This'll keep those people out of danger for the time being.
Mizuki took a deep breath, adrenaline surging throughout his body.
Playing Card Manipulation is a cursed technique that relies on quantity rather than quality. My current limit is controlling six cards at once, meaning I cannot utilise its full potential.
He pulled the deck of cards apart.
Additionally, my technique is difficult to use in close quarters — especially against opponents who excel at hand-to-hand combat. Having said that...
The sorcerer spread out the playing cards, forming a hand fan of cardboard in each hand.
...If hand-to-hand combat is what the curse wants...
A blue brilliance enveloped the cards.
...Then hand-to-hand combat it is!
"Extension Technique: Sleight of Hand!"
Kezume licked the blood off his lips before pointing the syringes at his neck.
Extension Technique...
He thrust the needles into his flesh and pressed their plungers; the apparition's pupils constricted as the outlines of blood vessels began to protrude from beneath his skin. Kezume smiled — saliva leaking through his teeth.
Biochemical Boost!
With a syringe in each hand, the cursed spirit dashed towards the sorcerers. Five shadow hands filled the corridor. Kezume jumped and twisted his body in midair. He slashed the phantom arms, dispelling them. A glowing red fist attempted to intercept the apparition's landing. Hinotori spat blood as a rigid foot struck the bottom of his jaw, whipping his head back. Its untrimmed toenails slit the sorcerer's skin, inflicting shallow cuts just above the throat.
Kezume landed on his hands before hurling himself to his feet. Mizuki swiped with his hand fan — skimming the apparition's hospital gown — and flung the other fan. The airborne cardboard dispersed. Six playing cards zoomed in the cursed spirit's direction, nearing his limbs. Kezume sprinted through the storm of cardboard, suffering nothing but scratches, and tried to stab the sorcerer.
Mizuki lurched to the right. He lost his balance, his back centimetres away from a medical needle embedded within the wall. The apparition went in for the kill; his arms twitched to a halt, a shadowy claw grasping each wrist. An enraged elbow slammed into the cursed spirit's jaw. Kezume staggered, detecting a quintet of phantom arms approaching him. He dropped the syringes and shifted his power to his legs. The apparition backflipped through the air — breaking free from the shackles of shadow and evading the onslaught — before landing multiple metres down the corridor.
Yukari clenched his teeth. He's out of my technique's range.
"You okay, Mizuki?!" asked Hinotori, holding the bottom of his wounded jaw. Blood ran down the sharp-toothed sorcerer's throat and forearm. I'm lucky that bastard didn't sever a jugular.
The blue-haired sorcerer answered with a nervous nod, his vision fixed on the cursed spirit.
Kezume's body returned to its previous state. He traced his teeth with his tongue, grinning.
I can't use other extension techniques while Biochemical Boost is active — not to mention the fact it rapidly consumes cursed energy. Let's try something new!
The apparition's fingernails tore his foliaceous hair.
Extension Technique...
Green smoke erupted from the cursed spirit's head, diffusing down the corridor.
Sedative Smog!
The sorcerers watched as the asphyxiating miasma drew near. A memory resurfaced in Hinotori's mind.
"Your body instinctively protected itself from the smoke using cursed energy. You have talent, young man."
The sorcerer's eyes widened.
"Reinforce your lungs with cursed energy!" barked Hinotori. "It'll—"
The murk swept over the three sorcerers — drowning them in darkness. Within seconds, two large shadow hands fanned the smog away. Yukari and Hinotori both froze.
Kezume pointed a syringe at Mizuki's throat, his malnourished arm wrapped around the sorcerer's shoulders. A sadistic smile illuminated the apparition's face.
"It's only natural... to target the helpless."