Chapter 36. Encounter with the "Dragons" (Part 4)

The more time I spent as a sorcerer, the deeper and more nuanced aspects of my spiritual and sorcerer skills I uncovered.

Lately, I've been particularly focused on "Enhancement," a relatively common ability that boosts physical attributes significantly. However, unlike the standard version used by other sorcerers, my Enhancement was not only stronger but also had a time limit. As I approached my peak with this technique, my Enhancement lasted around forty minutes. In practice, I could extend it to forty-five minutes, but those last five minutes were pure agony, and afterward, Shoko would have to pull me back from the brink of death.

It's not that I couldn't use the usual form of Enhancement like other sorcerers, but there was a cap on how intensely I could utilize it. Enhancing a punch with cursed energy took only moments, and I could quickly boost my speed by strengthening my legs or defend specific body parts with cursed energy. However, when I needed to enhance my entire body at once, I had to rely on my special Enhancement. Although powerful, it required time to activate and was limited by my stamina, as my body struggled with the immense heat it absorbed.

This meant two things: first, if I hadn't activated Enhancement beforehand, I'd spend the next minute just trying to survive, unable to defend or enhance myself since any action would break the process. Second, I wasn't limited by cursed energy but by my stamina, which was no match for my vast reservoir of cursed energy.

Keeping this in mind, considering the length and intensity of missions like the current operation in Shibuya, it became clear this was my biggest weakness.

Even so, I had foreseen this. I wasn't going to let myself get sealed with no hope of returning. I anticipated every possible scenario that could arise in Shibuya and prepared for the unexpected.

Recognizing the importance of managing my stamina and time effectively, I developed the perfect strategy tailored for Shibuya. This allowed me to face each key opponent in peak fighting form, greatly improving my chances of success and survival — which was crucial. After all, who wants to fall victim to their ambitions? No one!

A couple of days ago, after reflecting on my thoughts and experiences, I came up with a remarkably simple yet highly effective solution: to consciously deactivate my "Enhancement" after each fight. This let me quickly release tension and dissipate the excess heat energy that built up during combat. If attacked during this "cool-down," I could instantly re-engage my Enhancement if it had recently been deactivated, or much faster thanks to the residual warmth in my body that was still gradually fading.

After my clash with Uraume around twenty-five minutes ago — which ended quickly because she decided that protecting that maniac wasn't worth her time — I could reactivate my Enhancement in less than half a minute. I used Ashtamangala to instantly appear beside the "Toji Fushiguro Vessel," preventing Ogami from carrying out the "Good Dad, Bad Dad" plan.

However, like any solution, this one had its drawbacks. As a "Sequence Six: Conspirator," my senses were sharp enough to notice that my Enhancement hadn't fully recovered to its usual forty minutes, stopping instead at thirty-seven or thirty-eight minutes because my stamina hadn't completely replenished.

Despite this, I found myself more impressed by how clearly I could gauge my body's state than discouraged by the shortened time limit.

I lost myself in thought, relishing my brilliance — acting a bit like Satoru, if I'm honest — while occasionally breaking away to incinerate the mutated humans, a grim but necessary task. Soon, I arrived at my destination: the Inokashira line at Shibuya Station, where I would rendezvous with Nanami's new group. Nanami himself was there, as expected; Maki, which was pleasant; and Naobito Zenin, which cast a shadow over the meeting.

We found each other near one of the many fast-food joints at the station. Naobito was the first to spot me and walked over, giving me a friendly pat on the shoulder as he cheerfully said, "Good to see at least one special-grade Sorcerer still in action."

Somehow, the old man had learned about my attempts to win over Maki, and now he acted like we were best friends. He wasn't overbearing but could be a bit irritating with that silly grin of his — and then there was the lingering scent of alcohol.

"I'm surprised you haven't already drunk yourself senseless celebrating Satoru's sealing," I replied, brushing his hand off my shoulder.

"The night's just getting started," Naobito grinned widely.

Given the situation, his expression was surprisingly calm and joyful. But really, why should that be surprising? As the head of the Zenin clan, it made perfect sense why the sealing of Satoru Gojo would bring Naobito nothing but joy.

"Have you been drinking?" Nanami asked, his voice laced with irritation as he stared at the old man.

"Only to honor the dead," Naobito replied with a lazy yawn.

"He's not dead," Maki snapped, her tone sharp, her eyes serious. She didn't bother hiding her disdain for Naobito.

"Then I haven't been drinking," Naobito chuckled, but his smirk lost some of its usual cheer.

"Maybe I should have come here alone," Nanami muttered, rubbing his temples as he surveyed the group thoughtfully.

As we exchanged barbs, we found ourselves in a spacious plaza, where several columns supported a glass roof that revealed the night sky above.

Suddenly, a chill and dampness filled the air. Dagon. I immediately activated my Enhancement, which took about forty seconds to engage. The residual heat from my last Enhancement was less than after the fight with Uraume.

From behind one of the columns, a small, shifting figure peeked out at us, either shyly or nervously.

In its cursed womb form, Dagon was short, with bright red skin, a round head, and large, circular eyes. Striped tentacles framed his mouth, and a white cloth draped over his head and back. At a glance, he could almost be considered cute—at least until you learned what was in his stomach.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Maki scanning the area, bringing her weapon closer in preparation for the fight.

"Leave it to me," Nanami was the first to speak, pulling his cleaver from behind his back, his face unflinching.

"You two are a bit slow," remarked Naobito, standing slightly to the side.

Immediately after, the old man's cursed energy began rippling unnaturally. Any skilled Sorcerer could recognize that the Zenin clan head had activated his cursed technique.

The old man wasted no time. As soon as the technique was activated, Naobito's form blurred in the air, and he instantly appeared in front of Dagon. A lightning-fast strike landed on the curse, leaving a streak of distorted air in its wake.

In a heartbeat, we heard the curse crash down, toppling from the dent in one of the columns, groaning in pain.

Naobito Zenin, a master of his craft and a first-ranking Sorcerer, wielded a unique cursed technique that enabled him to manipulate time within strictly defined limits. In his hands, time seemed to fragment into discrete pieces: he broke down a single second into twenty-four frames, giving each frame its unique motion within the limits of his physical abilities. This may sound abstract or even simplistic, but his flawless mastery of this technique earned Naobito a reputation as one of the fastest Sorcerers in the world — of course, right behind Satoru Gojo and myself when I'm in Enhancement mode.

"Did you see what happened?" Maki asked Nanami and me.

"No…" Nanami, seemingly lost in thought, answered curtly.

Maki then turned to me.

"He's still got it despite his age," I began, pausing briefly to collect my thoughts. "Without my Enhancement, I couldn't clearly track his movements. All I saw was a blur."

My explanation was interrupted by the loud sound of Dagon retching. Naobito's attack hadn't caused any severe damage, but it had triggered a gastrointestinal reaction. A brutal tactic — humiliating himself while humiliating the enemy.

Beside the curse's body, human bones mingled with a strange mucus, creating a pile that emitted a surprisingly pleasant aroma of seawater and seaweed.

"Jogo, Mahito, Hanami," the curse muttered, placing emphasis on the last name. After a tense pause, it exploded in rage: "Hana… mi. How dare you… how dare you kill Hanami!"

Dagon's next move was a rapid transformation. He shed his old skin and leaped high into the air, hovering above us in his new battle form.

His new body was humanoid, draped in crimson skin with bulging muscles. His head took on a shape resembling Cthulhu or an amphibious version of Davy Jones. Large, bulging eyes glowed with a menacing light, and his mouth, filled with sharp teeth, released a low, menacing growl. Fins flapped on his back in sync with his breath, adding to his intimidating presence.

"No wonder you were so weak," Naobito scoffed, brushing off his haori. "You were just a cursed womb."

"Why don't you save the bravado until after you've dealt with him?" I interrupted suddenly. "If you'll talk big, but then end up getting your ass kicked… It'll be awkward saving you."

Even from behind the old man, I could see his mustache twitch in irritation — a clear sign of his indignation.