Chapter 147 (Patreon)

“Hah... hah... Where am I?”

Shuten-dōji staggered to his feet and stared at his surroundings. Ruins stretched endlessly in every direction, columns of smoke rose into the sky, and the land itself had been reduced to a scorched wasteland.

Clink... clink...

Clad in golden armor, Ragnar Kagenou approached Shuten-dōji.

“A cursed spirit... Your life ends here.”

Bang!

Shuten-dōji crushed the ground beneath his feet and appeared directly in front of Ragnar.

“Fool.”

His claws were mere inches from Ragnar when a clear metallic chime echoed through the ruins.

Golden chains shot through the air and instantly bound Shuten-dōji’s limbs, stopping his attack cold.

“These chains...!”

Shuten-dōji immediately pulled back, but Enkidu—the Chain of Heaven—pursued him with relentless precision.

“Struggle to your heart’s content. This is the final act of your life.”

Whoosh!

Thousands of Noble Phantasms emerged from golden ripples across the sky. They became a merciless storm of steel and poured down upon Shuten-dōji.

Squelch!

One weapon after another tore through his body.

“Broken Phantasm.”

The Noble Phantasms embedded in Shuten-dōji—and those surrounding him—detonated simultaneously.

BOOM—!

“ARGH!”

The explosion hurled Shuten-dōji hundreds of meters away. Black smoke streamed from his mangled body as he crashed through the ruins.

“So special-grade cursed spirits can endure at least this much.”

Ragnar opened the Gate of Babylon and drew two crimson demonic spears from its golden depths.

“Pierce him.”

The two spears shot forward, chasing Shuten-dōji along the path of his flight.

“What are those?”

Shuten-dōji raised his arms as the foremost spear approached, dragging a crimson trail behind it.

“I can stop it... No—this cannot be blocked!”

The spear tore through his defense and pinned him in midair. Crimson cursed energy surged along its shaft.

“Gáe Bolg.”

BOOM!

The second spear became a streak of blood-red light and pierced directly through Shuten-dōji’s heart. At the same moment, cursed energy carrying the concept of death erupted throughout his body.

The instant-death effect activated.

“Why...?”

The force of the attack drove Shuten-dōji to the ground. He dropped to his knees, Gáe Bolg still lodged through his heart.

“A cursed spirit’s heart... should not be a fatal weakness...”

“So the instant-death effect activated. How unfortunate for you.”

Ragnar had expected Shuten-dōji to survive several more exchanges. He had not anticipated Gáe Bolg’s instant-death effect activating so quickly.

It appeared that resistance to instant death was far more important than he had assumed.

【Exorcised Special Grade Cursed Spirit Shuten-dōji. Cursed Energy increased by 1000 points】

【Exorcised Grade 1 Cursed Spirit. Cursed Energy increased by 100 points】

【Exorcised Grade 1 Cursed Spirit. Cursed Energy increased by 100 points】

【Exorcised Grade 1 Cursed Spirit. Cursed Energy increased by 100 points】

...

Cursed Energy: 9110/18840

“At this rate, I will not need to exorcise four more special grades. I should reach twenty thousand points of cursed energy soon.”

Ragnar glanced at the dozens of Grade 1 cursed spirits that had been exorcised beneath the rain of Noble Phantasms.

“This entire city has been overrun by cursed spirits, yet there were only a few dozen Grade 1s?”

He surveyed the empty ruins.

“What a wasteland.”

Ragnar walked across the silent earth. Only the wind and the crackling of distant flames disturbed the silence.

Before long, countless cursed spirits began crawling out of the ground once more. No matter how many were exorcised, new ones immediately emerged to take their place.

“They never stop coming.”

Without warning, an insect-like shikigami flew up beside Ragnar.

“Hello! I’m Kogane. A battle royale known as the Culling Game is currently underway inside this colony. Now that you’ve crossed the barrier, you are required to participate as a player.”

Ragnar glanced at Kogane.

Golden ripples immediately spread through the air beside him.

“Wait! Please wait!” Kogane cried in panic. “I’m not hostile!”

Kogane hurriedly explained the rules of the Culling Game, speaking so quickly that its words nearly ran together.

“Th-that’s everything! I’m only here to guide the players. Destroying me will not accomplish anything.”

Kogane cleared its throat before cautiously continuing.

“You currently have the highest score in the Sendai Colony.”

A leaderboard appeared in front of Ragnar. His name stood far above every other player with 1,758 points.

“Once a player earns one hundred points, they can spend those points to propose a new rule for the Culling Game.”

“Enough.”

Kogane let out a frightened whimper and immediately fell silent. It could only follow Ragnar without daring to say another word.

Ragnar was about to reopen the Gate of Babylon and exorcise the cursed spirits surrounding him when he sensed several people in the distance.

“Humans?”

A girl among the fleeing crowd suddenly stumbled and fell. The others glanced back at her, but none stopped to help. In a situation like this, their own survival came first.

Yuko Ozawa clutched her injured ankle and desperately tried to stand.

“No... I don’t want to die here.”

A grotesque cursed spirit continued advancing without slowing down. It reached out and wrapped one hand around Yuko’s calf.

Those who had survived after Kenjaku initiated the Culling Game all possessed the potential to become jujutsu sorcerers, but potential alone could not save her now.

“No!”

Swish!

Squelch!

A golden Noble Phantasm pierced straight through the cursed spirit’s head before it could drag Yuko away.

The remaining cursed spirits barely had time to look up before countless golden Noble Phantasms descended upon them, burying them beneath a storm of blades.

“Filthy creatures. Death is the only end awaiting you.”

Clink.

“Wh-who are you?”

Yuko stared at Ragnar as he approached, his golden armor gleaming amid the ruined city.

“If you wish to live, leave this place.”

Yuko endured the pain in her ankle and slowly pushed herself upright.

“I... I still want to thank you.”

“There is no need.”

Yuko hesitated before finally turning to leave. After taking several steps, she looked back one last time.

“Thank you.”

Ragnar paid her no further attention and continued exorcising the cursed spirits.

“Perhaps I can use All the World’s Evil to prevent any more cursed spirits from manifesting.”

Standing at the center of the city, Ragnar released the full tide of All the World’s Evil.

Black mud surged outward in every direction, rapidly spreading throughout the ruins. The cursed spirits that came into contact with it immediately displayed varying degrees of corruption.

“Cursed spirits are manifestations of humanity’s negative emotions. Even so, not even they can resist being Blackened by All the World’s Evil.”

Ragnar drew back a portion of the black mud.

The cursed spirits contaminated by it did not attack him. Instead, they remained still and obediently awaited his commands.

“Interesting.”

“Curse user. You are the one who reduced Sendai to ruins, are you not?”

An aged voice came from behind Ragnar.

“Who speaks?”

Ragnar turned toward an old man sitting in meditation among the distant ruins.

Kogane immediately seized the opportunity to explain.

“Dhruv Lakdawalla. He currently holds ninety-one points. This is his second incarnation. During the civil war of Wa, he once brought the Japanese archipelago under his control single-handedly. He is an extremely powerful jujutsu sorcerer.”

Ragnar regarded the old man indifferently.

“And you believe you possess the right to question this king?”

Dhruv’s expression darkened.

“Arrogant, conceited, and utterly without respect... What an insolent child.”

“Mongrel. Kneel, and this king may yet allow you to live.”

Dhruv glared at Ragnar.

A samurai-shaped shikigami flashed into existence behind him.

Thud!

A streak of golden light tore through the shikigami and impaled it against the stone pillar behind Dhruv.

“Impossible!”

Dhruv stared at Ragnar in disbelief.

“It broke through my domain itself...?”

“Mongrel.”

Dozens of golden ripples spread through the air around Ragnar.

“Wh-what kind of person are you?!”

Ragnar stared down at him without the slightest emotion.

“How pitiful. Your world was simply too small.”