Chapter 49: When I Say Cut Into Eighteen Pieces, Not a Single One Less!

Shinsuke used the [Blood Manipulation: Extreme Spell - Blood Deception]! As soon as he executed this move, the bald, four-eyed cursed spirit's body froze in place, its expression twisted in pain.

If you looked closely, you'd notice that the blood blade the cursed spirit pulled out and discarded earlier was just an empty shell. The blood flowing inside had silently entered the cursed spirit's body through the wound under Shinsuke's control, lying in wait.

As Shinsuke unleashed [Blood Manipulation: Extreme Spell - Blood Deception], the blood within the cursed spirit was instantly activated, releasing a unique energy wave and becoming highly aggressive.

This energy wave had no destructive power, but it could perfectly disguise itself, fooling all of the cursed spirit's immune mechanisms.

What followed was a one-sided, brutal 'massacre'!

The blood left by Shinsuke within the cursed spirit began to wreak havoc, destroying red blood cells. Soon, a severe hemolytic reaction appeared on the cursed spirit.

In the world Shinsuke came from, anyone with some common knowledge knew that if you transfused blood, it had to be of the same blood type; otherwise, a hemolytic reaction could occur (special cases like O-type blood aside).

The hemolytic reaction involves the destruction of red blood cell membranes, causing hemoglobin to leak out. In severe cases, this can lead to shock, acute kidney failure, and a host of other terrifying symptoms. Even if some of these symptoms wouldn't affect a cursed spirit, it still equated to several debuffs being added.

The internal damage continued!

The cursed spirit suddenly staggered, falling to its knees and coughing up alarming amounts of dark, clotted purple blood.

The cursed spirit tried to heal itself with its curse power, and it worked initially. But the internal damage only worsened. Unless it could expel the terrifying blood within, healing would be futile.

However, the cursed spirit was deceived, unable to detect the source of its problem within its own blood, and thus, it was stuck in a vicious cycle.

While the cursed spirit struggled, Shinsuke had already picked up his Executioner's Blade and walked over.

"Even though I could kill you now, a promise is a promise. So before I slice you into exactly eighteen pieces...don't die on me."

The cursed spirit suddenly sprang up. Though it couldn't figure out what was wrong with its body, it knew the source of the problem had to be this guy. As long as it could kill him, all its problems would be solved!

But despite the cursed spirit's thinking being right, its body was too weakened. Both its speed and strength had declined significantly.

With a swing of the sword, two hands spun through the air, landing on the ground.

"2!"

Shinsuke called out a mysterious number and slashed again. This time, two feet fell to the ground.

"4!"

Another slash, and two pale, thick arms flew off.

"6!"

Shinsuke swung his executioner's sword like a butcher skillfully carving up a carcass, counting each cut until the end.

The silver blade flashed, and with a thud, the cursed spirit, now motionless, fell apart like a stack of blocks.

"18!"

After carefully counting again, Shinsuke was satisfied that the pieces were exactly eighteen. Blood continued to flow, forming a long skewer that threaded the pieces together like a kebab.

With this done, Shinsuke carried the 'meat skewer' in one hand and his sword in the other, heading back to the previous level.

Though the previous level was mostly destroyed, Hidan was lucky—the 'mural' he was pinned to was untouched. When he saw the tattered, bloodied Shinsuke return holding a giant 'meat skewer,' Hidan inexplicably felt relieved.

He wouldn't admit it, but he had been worried about that bastard. Of course, he told himself that he only cared because Shinsuke's victory or defeat determined whether he would walk out of here alive. Compared to that four-eyed monster, Shinsuke was just a tiny bit more tolerable—a very tiny bit.

Feigning nonchalance, Hidan shouted, "Haha, you actually killed him! I knew you could win... Ahem, I mean, if that guy hadn't ambushed me and taken my weapon, I could have taken care of him myself!"

Shinsuke just calmly muttered, "Idiot."

"Hey! That's the second time you've called me an idiot today! Don't think I didn't hear it! Hurry up and let me down, or I'll cut you down, you bastard!"

Pinned to the wall, dismembered Hidan could only rage helplessly.

Shinsuke ignored him, focusing on finishing the job. Though the cursed spirit seemed lifeless, its curse energy was still being consumed by Shinsuke's "Blood Fraud." If left alone, the cursed spirit would eventually regenerate once the active blood within it lost its potency.

To permanently exorcise it, Shinsuke needed to act fast.

With Hidan as the audience, Shinsuke wasted no time. The wounds on his body reopened, blood gushing out.

Using up so much blood made Shinsuke's face even paler, but thanks to his habit of regularly drawing and storing his blood, and his immortality, he wasn't too concerned. If only he'd brought more blood bags; he considered this a lesson learned.

[Blood Manipulation: Blazing Star]!

Blood spheres encased each piece of the cursed spirit's body, lifting them into the air. In the next moment, the blood spheres transformed into spiked balls, viciously tearing the flesh apart.

The spiked balls collapsed inward, turning solid, until finally...

With a loud bang, they exploded into a fine powder!