Chapter 118 (Patreon)

A torrent of light erupted from within Hashihime’s Domain.

At its center, a sphere of searing flame burst into existence, releasing a violent shockwave that hurled everything nearby away.

The golden radiance gathered in Ragnar Kagenou’s hand took the form of a holy sword, while an even greater brilliance surged from his entire body.

“Excalibur Galatine!”

Scorching flames intertwined with blinding golden light and swept across the land.

Hashihime had no time to escape. In the blink of an eye, the torrent swallowed her completely, reducing her body to ash before erasing even that from existence.

Rumble!

The holy sword’s blazing beam tore through the heavens, illuminating the entirety of the dim world.

The shockwave continued to ravage the surrounding area, forcing Tsumiki Fushiguro and Airi Suzuki to throw themselves against the ground.

“Ungh!”

Had Tsumiki not been holding her down, Airi might genuinely have been launched away at a speed worthy of a Suzuki Hayabusa.

“Hold on! Don’t let it blow you away!”

“I-I’m trying, but this is completely ridiculous!”

At last, the pillar of light piercing the heavens faded, and silence returned to the world.

“In the end, that was all she amounted to.”

Ragnar lowered Excalibur Galatine and allowed the holy sword to dissolve into golden particles.

Fortunately, half of Yasohachi Bridge still remained standing. The structure had not been completely destroyed by the attack.

“You two can stop lying there now. Get up. We’re leaving.”

Hearing Ragnar’s voice, Tsumiki and Airi slowly rose to their feet, shaking the dust from their clothes.

“We did it, Tsumiki. We can finally get out of here.”

“Yes. Thank goodness.”

Ragnar walked toward the center of the bridge and reached into the golden ripples of the Gate of Babylon, retrieving the divine spear known as Ame-no-Sakahoko.

“This is where the boundary between the two worlds is weakest. From inside the barrier, Ame-no-Sakahoko should be able to tear open a passage without much difficulty.”

Riiip!

Ragnar swept Ame-no-Sakahoko through the air.

The space before him split apart as though it were fabric, revealing a dark passage connecting the barrier to the outside world.

Airi swallowed nervously.

“That looks incredibly dangerous.”

Tsumiki stared at the unstable darkness, watching the edges of the passage fracture and reconnect over and over again.

“I was thinking the same thing.”

The two girls exchanged uneasy glances.

“Stop hesitating and walk straight through.”

Ragnar had already stabilized the surrounding space. There was no possibility of either of them being torn apart while crossing the passage.

“Whoa… What is this? It feels almost magical…”

Airi raised one hand, tempted to poke the black energy rippling beside her, but quickly reconsidered.

It looked far too dangerous to touch.

Just as Ragnar had promised, the two girls passed through without encountering any obstacles.

As they approached the exit leading back into the real world, Tsumiki and Airi transformed into two streams of white light and flew through the opening.

Ragnar emerged moments later upon the original Yasohachi Bridge.

Judging by the surroundings, only a few hours appeared to have passed. Nothing outside had changed significantly.

“Hm?”

Ragnar narrowed his eyes.

“These traces of cursed energy…”

He leaped from Yasohachi Bridge and landed below.

The moment his feet touched the ground, the scenery before his eyes began to distort.

The world shifted once again, revealing another barrier resembling a Domain.

By now, Ragnar had already lost count of how many times he had encountered something like this.

———

At that same time, Megumi Fushiguro and Nobara Kugisaki were occupied with exorcising the mole-shaped curses lurking throughout the barrier.

Without warning, a fissure opened along the wall beside them.

Before either of them could react, something reached through the opening and dragged Nobara away.

Megumi clicked his tongue.

“Why is she always the one who gets dragged off?”

Yuji Itadori immediately chased after the fissure that had taken Nobara.

Megumi had no idea what kind of curse had separated her from them, but he could not afford to follow.

First, he needed to exorcise the curse standing before him.

However, the moment Megumi eliminated the mole-shaped curse, a Special Grade cursed spirit appeared in its place.

Their opponents had deliberately separated the three jujutsu sorcerers, intending to defeat them individually.

It was a cautious and effective strategy.

The incarnated Cursed Womb: Death Paintings possessed power comparable to Special Grade curses, and dividing their enemies prevented the jujutsu sorcerers from supporting one another.

“Our objective is to retrieve Sukuna’s finger.”

The voices of the Special Grade cursed spirit and the incarnated Death Painting echoed at nearly the same moment.

———

After entering the barrier, Ragnar soon discovered Megumi Fushiguro locked in battle with a Special Grade cursed spirit.

Megumi was already heavily injured.

“A Grade 2 jujutsu sorcerer fighting an opponent far above his official rank…”

Ragnar calmly observed the battle.

“He’s nearly reached his limit.”

Originally, Ragnar had not intended to intervene.

According to the original course of events, Megumi would manifest his incomplete Domain here and exorcise the Finger Bearer himself.

However, the situation unfolding before Ragnar was clearly different.

The Special Grade cursed spirit was overwhelming Megumi completely.

“He cannot die here.”

Just as the Finger Bearer prepared to deliver the final blow, golden radiance bloomed in the distance.

The Special Grade cursed spirit turned toward the light.

What… is that?

The question had only just formed in its mind when a golden Noble Phantasm tore through the air and shredded one of its arms.

“Impossible!”

The Finger Bearer recoiled, staring in horror at the remains of its arm. Confusion filled all four of its eyes.

Megumi immediately recognized the glittering weapon.

“That golden weapon…”

His lips curled into a faint smile.

“Kagenou-sensei?”

Megumi exhaled softly.

“Seriously… We’re not children anymore. He doesn’t need to protect us from everything.”

The Finger Bearer had turned its attention away from him.

Megumi did not hesitate to take advantage of the opening.

He brought his hands together and began the summoning ritual.

“With this treasure, I summon—”

Megumi stopped.

A memory surfaced in his mind.

Since things had already reached this point, there was no reason not to become a little greedier.

He did not know what consequences his decision would bring.

At that moment, however, none of that mattered.

Rather than relying on a final, suicidal measure, he would force his own potential beyond its current limits.

Megumi formed the Bhaisajyaguru mudra with both hands. A fierce grin spread across his face as cursed energy erupted from his body.

“I’m going to kill you!”

He laughed, abandoning all restraint.

“Domain Expansion!”

Dark shadows surged outward beneath his feet.

“Chimera Shadow Garden!”

An endless sea of liquid shadow flooded the surroundings.

However, Megumi had not yet mastered the construction of a complete Domain. Chimera Shadow Garden could not form a closed barrier around the Finger Bearer.

The Special Grade cursed spirit stared at the spreading shadows.

It failed to enclose the Domain…

For an instant, the curse wondered whether Megumi had somehow manifested an open-barrier Domain.

Unfortunately, that was not the case.

Megumi was simply incapable of completing the barrier. As a result, he could only release the shadows contained within his innate Domain into the surrounding space.

Even so, the Finger Bearer could not escape immediately.

The shadows spread across the ground and walls, restricting its movements while amplifying Megumi’s Ten Shadows Technique.

The Finger Bearer quickly realized that the Domain was incomplete and prepared to break through it.

Before it could move, Ragnar’s voice echoed from behind.

“Stand still and serve as his stepping stone, mutt.”

A golden Noble Phantasm descended from above and pierced through the Finger Bearer, pinning it firmly in place.

“Bas… bastard!”

A massive tide of shadows surged upward and wrapped around the Special Grade cursed spirit.

Megumi immediately called forth his strongest shikigami.

“Divine Dog: Totality.”

A massive black Divine Dog emerged from the shadows.

“Die.”

Its claws tore through the Finger Bearer’s body.

Even after suffering such a devastating wound, however, the Special Grade cursed spirit remained alive.

“You dare…!”

Before it could finish speaking, a golden spear flashed through the air.

Splurt!

The Noble Phantasm pierced directly through the Finger Bearer’s skull.

———

Noble Phantasm: Excalibur Galatine

Rank: A+

Classification: Anti-Army Noble Phantasm

Description:

The radiant holy sword wielded by Sir Gawain, one of the Knights of the Round Table.

A holy sword containing a pseudo-sun within its hilt.

According to legend, Excalibur Galatine possesses power equal in rank to the holy sword wielded by King Arthur.

It is the sister sword of Excalibur from Arthurian legend, and like Excalibur, it was originally bestowed by the Lady of the Lake.

Because it remained hidden beneath Excalibur’s overwhelming fame, very little was recorded about it in surviving legends.

Excalibur Galatine is the manifestation of the sun’s scorching radiance.