“Aoi Todo.
His technique allows him to swap the positions of two things with cursed energy by clapping his hands.
He’s an incredibly annoying opponent, but his target will likely only be me or Yuta.
Noritoshi Kamo.
His innate technique is Blood Manipulation–just treat him like a version of me.
Then there’s Ultimate Mechamaru; he’s a walking armory, any weapon could pop out of him.
Panda, can you handle him?”
Panda thumping his furry chest confidently.
“Leave him to me!”
“Momo Nishimiya.
Her technique is Tool Manipulation; she needs that specific broom to fly.
She can manipulate wind and sand for offense and defense, giving her high mobility and the best scouting vision in the air.
Kasumi Miwa…
uh, what was her technique again?
Oh right, she doesn’t have one.
But she uses New Shadow Style: Simple Domain.
It’s centered on her katana, coating the blade and her movements with cursed energy.
It emphasizes speed, precision, and a localized barrier to intercept techniques.
It’s not flashy like a full Domain, but it’s practical.
Mai Zenin.
Her Construction technique creates matter from scratch using her own cursed energy.
Unlike temporary objects in a Domain, her creations remain after the technique ends.
However, it consumes massive amounts of energy and is incredibly taxing on the body.
Mai has low reserves, so she’s not hard to handle–just watch out for her revolver.
That’s about it for their intel.
Now, let’s talk about our own issues.”
Arata looked at Toge Inumaki, who was sitting with his knees hugged to his chest.
“Toge’s situation is tricky.
As long as they reinforce their ears with cursed energy, Cursed Speech is neutralized.
Still, using it to stall their techniques shouldn’t be a problem–just don’t overdo it.”
“Salmon!” Toge nodded, giving an ‘OK’ sign.
Next, Arata turned to Yuta.
“As for you, I’m not worried.
Everyone has seen your progress these past few months.
You and Panda need to protect Toge.
If possible, just knock them all flat.”
“Yes, sir!” Yuta saluted with a smile.
“Maki…”
“I can handle Miwa and…
my sister,” Maki cut in.
“What about you?”
Arata thought for a moment, then shrugged.
“The ones most likely to come looking for trouble with me are Todo and maybe Nishimiya.
As for Kamo…
if he has any brains, he’ll stay away.” This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
*Honestly, as long as we find that Grade 2 curse and exorcise it, we win, right?*
Arata moved swiftly through the forest, the dry leaves crunching softly under his boots.
Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound cut through the air.
He paused and tilted his head; a blade of wind grazed his cheek, slicing through the branches behind him.
“Found you!”
Momo Nishimiya dove from the canopy on her broom, swinging it to send two more wind scythes his way.
Arata hopped back to dodge the first, then pulled a blood bag from his belt and hurled it at her.
Nishimiya dodged instinctively, only to see the bag explode in mid-air.
“Blood Manipulation: Crimson Binding!”
The blood instantly coiled into ropes, lunging at her.
She reacted fast, jerking her broom to the side and narrowly avoiding the snare.
“Hmph, is that all?
I am–” She began triumphantly, but Arata had vanished.
He burst from the leaves beneath her, using a branch as a springboard to close the distance in an instant.
“You-you-you!” Nishimiya frantically fired a wind bolt, but Arata didn’t flinch.
He blocked the wind with one arm while his other hand clamped onto the tail of her broom.
“Caught you,” Arata grinned.
“Let go!”
She struggled wildly, but Arata used the momentum to flip himself onto the broom.
He gripped her shoulder, and the two went spiraling toward the ground.
“AAAHHHH!”
As they plummeted, Arata whispered loud enough only for her to hear: “Relax, this won’t kill you.” He let go, kicked off her back to change his trajectory, and landed gracefully on a thick branch.
Nishimiya crashed heavily into the bushes below.
She wasn’t seriously hurt, but she was too tangled and dazed to get up immediately.
Arata stood on the branch, looking down at the dusty, disgruntled “squirt” in the shrubs.
He tossed her broom down onto her.
“If you’re smart, you’ll stop bothering me.”
“YOU!!!” Nishimiya shook with rage, but unable to give chase, she could only watch as the “vile guy” disappeared into the woods.
Arata hadn’t run far when a sudden *clap* echoed.
In the blink of an eye, he was in a different clearing.
Before he could process the swap, a fist the size of his face was inches away.
“Crap!” He raised his arms to block.
The impact made his limbs go numb, and he was sent flying, snapping several trees before coming to a halt.
“Ugh, my back…
*cough*…” Arata leaned against a jagged trunk, the taste of copper in his mouth.
*Man, I wish I had a titanium spine like Leon S.
Kennedy.*
“Yo.
Still alive?” Todo stood ten meters away, hands in his pockets.
“Don’t worry, I’m hard to kill.” Arata wiped his mouth.
He reached into his pocket for a candy, only to find they had all been crushed in the collision.
“Okay.
Now I’m actually a little annoyed.”
Arata closed his right eye.
“You’re interesting.” Todo’s mouth curled into a terrifying grin.
He clapped his hands again.
*Snap.* Todo was suddenly right in front of Arata.
Arata swerved.
The massive fist whistled past his shoulder, the wind pressure stinging his skin.
“Good reflexes,” Todo appraised.
“But not enough.”
Arata put distance between them and raised his hand.
A blood bag at his waist burst, forming several blood arrows that shot toward Todo.
*Clap.* Todo disappeared, and the arrows thudded uselessly into a tree.
“Tch,” Arata spat.
That was the most disgusting thing about Boogie Woogie.
As long as he clapped, he could swap any two things with cursed energy.
It had no direct lethality, but its tactical value was off the charts.
“Flowing Red Scale,” Todo’s voice came from the side.
“The user manipulates their own blood to increase body temperature, pulse, and red blood cell count.
By accelerating circulation and oxygenation, you explosively boost your physical capabilities.
Strength, speed, reaction time, and durability are all enhanced–but it requires a high-frequency output of cursed energy.
A sorcerer with low reserves would burn out instantly.”
“Thanks for the Wikipedia entry, but I’m well aware.” Arata pressed his palms together, aiming at Todo.
“Blood Manipulation: Convergence!”
Blood seeped from Arata’s skin, gathering at his palms.
Todo didn’t give him time to charge; he charged forward with speed that belied his 190cm frame.
Arata didn’t dodge.
Instead, he took Todo’s fist squarely in the gut.
The impact folded him in half, and his hands were forced apart.
“Piercing Blood requires the hands to be joined.
That long ‘startup’ makes it easy to dodge if you just watch the hands.”
“I know that too,” Arata grinned, his teeth stained red.
“That’s why I made it look like a startup just to bait you.
And look at that–you bit.”
Arata funneled cursed energy into his fist and swung, connecting solidly with Todo’s jaw.
The 190cm giant was sent skidding back several meters, his feet carving deep trenches into the dirt.
Todo steadied himself and rubbed his cheek.
He laughed.
“Using yourself as bait just to land one punch?
Was it worth it?”
“It was alright.” Arata lifted his shirt, revealing a layer of hardened blood covering his abdomen.
This blood armor had absorbed the brunt of the blow.
Still, the force had been so immense that even with the armor, Arata couldn’t help but spit out a glob of blood.
Todo went silent for a few seconds.
Then, he suddenly strode up to Arata.
Arata instinctively braced for a fight, but Todo didn’t strike.
He simply loomed over him and asked the question that determined his “Best Friend” status:
“What kind of woman is your type?”
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