NOVEL NEXT Chapter 226
Chapter 226 Chapter 35 Can You Please Die?
“As I expected.”
The cursed spirit that had been encircling them finally appeared, but Hachiman Hikigaya sighed quietly in his heart as if a huge stone had finally dropped.
The pressure from its aura was not so strong; compared to the octopus in Shinjuku, it paled in comparison.
It looked like a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit at most, and with some effort, it might still struggle.
“Enemy sighted, Hikigaya!” Yoshino Junpei was very nervous; in previous missions, enemies of this caliber had been handled by Mr. Chikaizen.
“I see,” Hachiman Hikigaya took a deep breath, adjusting his state. “For now, let’s give it a try, and run if we can’t win.”
When the enemy moved from the shadows to the light, the threat suddenly wasn’t as significant.
This shrine hall was somewhat small for the gargoyle curse spirit; it bent down, placing its rough stone hands on the door frame with difficulty, squeezing out.
Seeing the cracks on the doorframe made Hachiman Hikigaya swallow hard involuntarily.
It seemed, it wasn’t exactly easy to deal with after all.
Eyes were densely arranged over the gargoyle curse spirit’s body, casting an uncomfortable gaze towards Hachiman Hikigaya and Yoshino Junpei.
It slowly opened its mouth—a stone statue yet drooling green slime, seemingly salivating over the two targets before it.
Next moment, with a deafening roar, its 2-meter-high form smashed through the offering box in front of it and charged at the two young jujutsu sorcerers.
Despite its massive size, the gargoyle moved nimbly, not at all like the sluggishness one would expect from stone.
“Move!”
Hachiman Hikigaya’s pupils contracted sharply as he shouted to warn Yoshino Junpei, rolling to the side to avoid.
Compared to his clumsy dodging, Yoshino Junpei’s jellyfish familiar glided easily away under the guidance of its tentacles.
“Yoshitsune!”
As Yoshino Junpei spoke, the familiar’s tentacles lashed out swiftly, yet could only retract uselessly upon contact with the gargoyle’s surface.
Unable to break through its defense.
Not only did his attack fail to cause harm, it angered the gargoyle instead.
With a punch larger than Yoshino Junpei’s head, it crashed toward him; he swiftly hid inside the jellyfish. While the blow landed, the impact was significantly mitigated, throwing him back lightly.
He was slightly winded from the immense force.
Seeing the thin boy evade his punch, the gargoyle blew out steam from its nostrils, visibly agitated.
Lumbering steps towards Yoshino Junpei, it failed to notice the impending attack from behind.
Enhanced by his curse energy, Hachiman Hikigaya leapt upward, slamming a fist onto the cursed spirit’s stony skull, dazing it momentarily. As he rolled onto Yoshino Junpei’s side, their eyes met.
“Hsss…”
The fish-faced boy gasped, shaking his right hand.
Action and reaction.
He hadn’t expected the cursed spirit’s head to be so hard, even with his enhanced fist, the recoil was painful.
“Roar!!!”
Betrayed, the gargoyle sent a furious howl towards Hachiman Hikigaya. The wind it stirred and the foul stench reached them.
Before they could react, it was hit by a thick vine.
A single tentacle couldn’t damage the gargoyle; thus, they tied and twisted it into a vine-like whip.
Through Chikaizen’s training, Yoshino Junpei’s combat thinking had progressed significantly. At least, he had evolved beyond being just a hindrance.
They shared a nod, feeling more confident.
Except for creating barriers around invaders, this cursed spirit’s offensive tactics seemed limited.
If it only showed these skills now, then winning was possible.
One needed to distract it while the other attacked.
They split up, circling to either side of the gargoyle. It rose, heading directly for Yoshino Junpei.
Seemingly focused on Yoshino Junpei because he had caused more damage with his familiar.
Like a small mountain, its figure rushed Yoshino Junpei, making the ground tremble slightly underfoot.
The jellyfish familiar floated beside its master, the tentacles solidifying into a bright black drill at the tip.
Tentacle piercing, slamming into the gargoyle’s sturdy chest, causing a few cracks to spread.
Its charge halted.
The cursed spirit stopped, grabbing the tentacle-drill and pulling the familiar close, smashing it into Hachiman Hikigaya.
Rapidly closing in from its back, Hachiman Hikigaya found it bristling with eerie eyes. Its gaze immobilized him, like Medusa had half-turned him to stone.
He couldn’t move!
Like he was petrified halfway, his body frozen mid-run. The gargoyle turned furiously, swinging the captured tentacle viciously.
The familiar struck him, sending him flying.
The fish-faced youth was hurled uncontrollably into a tree, rolling to a stop.
He struggled to stand, spewing blood, revealing internal injuries from the earlier assault.
“Hikigaya?!” Yoshino Junpei shouted in alarm, but the gargoyle turned, raising its fist.
Hachiman Hikigaya reached feebly towards the cursed spirit, feeling a large portion of his curse energy drained instantly.
Frozen in a mirror, the gargoyle’s arm shattered. This was the limit of what he could do.
Ignoring its ruined right arm, the cursed spirit slapped Yoshino Junpei, sending him flying. He hit the shrine wall and hung from a beam.
“Cough, cough!” Yoshino Junpei coughed violently, blood and saliva trailing down his chin.
Still too careless…
Watching the gargoyle move toward the shrine, Hachiman Hikigaya clenched his hand, struggling to rise and charge forward.
Totally forgetting the initial plan to withdraw if losing.
At that moment, a strange voice echoed in his ear.
“Cursed Spirit Manipulation Technique.”
Before the voice faded, the gargoyle froze, releasing an indignant roar as it glowed brightly blue.
Its body began to warp, as if pulled by a massive suction force, flying into the hands of a man who appeared out of thin air, and transformed into a glowing blue orb.
Stunned, Hachiman Hikigaya watched the man in five-colored robes smile, the boy watching in bewilderment, as he swallowed the orb.
“I rather like this type of cursed spirit.” The man smirked, unhurried, “Though not powerful, its ability to create barriers delays time quite well.”
Absorbing the cursed spirit destroyed the barrier instantly, and the three returned to the crumbling shrine.
Shishou turned, fixing his gaze on Hachiman Hikigaya.
The latter instinctively tensed up.
“High school student? I didn’t expect to meet students from High School here, quite a coincidence.”
Shishou greeted Hachiman Hikigaya pleasantly.
Was this man an ally?
Regardless, he had saved both Hikigaya and Junpei. Hikigaya relaxed slightly, managing a forced smile: “Thanks for saving us, Senior.”
“Yes, no problem.” Shishou smiled with half-closed eyes.
“So, as thanks, would you mind…?”
…
That Noisy Summer:
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