A Sorcerer Never Surrenders Without Giving It His All

A powerful spiritual energy emerged from the surroundings, flowing like a current across the entire area. In that moment, cracks appeared in the ground while furious flames spread, forming a barrier around Hisagi. The dark matter daggers aimed at him vanished on impact.

Boom!!!

The ground glowed with a deep orange hue, ravaging the area, and the containment barrier began to crack.

As he resisted, memories of those he had once called companions flashed before him.

A sorcerer never surrenders to the hands of a cursed spirit. Even in death, it's better to die fighting than to give in to these enemies, whose duty is to be eradicated from the face of the earth.

"I can't move well with this cut on my leg." Hisagi glanced at the wound, extended his hand, and burned the cut to slow the bleeding.

But as time passed, his spiritual energy began to deplete. He didn't fully understand who he was facing, but it was clear that his opponent was several steps above a special-class cursed spirit. Despite this, Hisagi felt no fear.

Even with his limited combat experience, he had already slain incredibly powerful cursed spirits. There was no shame in the current state of his body.

"I'm only fighting for those who can't fight for themselves." Hisagi recalled his words, refusing to call himself a hero, and he stood by that belief. But now, standing on this battlefield, he realized just how much humanity needed powerful sorcerers.

As the sky filled with the attacks of several special-class cursed spirits, a glint shone in Hisagi's eyes. He extended his hand, and the wind around him began forming tornadoes that gathered nearby.

Moments later, a thunderous noise echoed through the skies as a fire dragon, hundreds of meters long, burst through the clouds. Hisagi rose from the ground, and the western-style dragon coiled around him.

The powerful flames of Arana das flared as the fire dragon encircled him. Hisagi's sword pointed to the sky.

"First, I'll deal with the one creating the illusions." With a cold expression, Hisagi looked at Hantengu, who hovered in the sky. He raised his sword, channeling all his spiritual power until there was little left.

In an instant, the cursed energy from his body merged with the fire dragon, compressing it into a powerful inverted tornado that no longer resembled a dragon.

Kraka! Boom!

Part of Hisagi's clothing disintegrated, revealing the gruesome wounds across his body, a testament to the bloody battle he was waging against the demons who had been hunting him since their arrival.

Looking toward his target, the inverted tornado attack illuminated the entire battlefield. But with every passing second, signs of instability began to appear in Hisagi's hands.

In the sky, Hantengu's pupils dilated as he watched Hisagi's actions. His mocking expression was evident, filled with the wisdom he had accumulated over his long life.

"Admirable. I've never seen a sorcerer with such destructive power, aside from Gojo. I'm sure that attack could harm me. However, in your hands, that concentrated power is unstable, so regardless of the outcome, you won't kill me."

"I'm not trying to kill you." A faint smile appeared on Hisagi's face as he heard this. Inhaling deeply, a chaotic light flashed in his hands.

The uncontrolled flames scorched the earth, creating deep trenches in the ground. The sky roared, and the winds mercilessly lashed the surroundings, lifting great clouds of dust. The devastating power in Hisagi's hands began to diminish. Slowly, the attack was drawn into the blade of his sword.

A faint crimson flush appeared on Hisagi's face as he focused.

Hantengu, realizing his prediction had been correct, smiled cruelly, though without any real emotion.

Hisagi, knowing he was losing control, swung his sword once. Instantly, his gaze sharpened under the weight of his devastating attack.

Boom!!!

A thin, laser-like stream of fire pierced the sky, and within seconds, that subtle line of fire exploded. Meanwhile, in the sky, Hantengu's pupils shrank in shock.

The fire dragon disappeared the moment it was unleashed. In response, Hantengu summoned his cursed armor, which emerged from his body, glowing black. As the demonic aura grew larger, it seemed as if evil filled the air around him.

For those watching from afar, it was a visual spectacle, as the containment barrier had long since shattered. Suddenly, the space behind Hantengu grew heavy as lightning streaked toward him. However, before he could fully summon his armor, the attack had already reached him.

Boom!

Hantengu's body was violently thrown backward, pierced through his torso, and exiting through his back. Without a clear descent, he vanished in a burst of light.

Monstrous orange flames filled the sky, making onlookers mistakenly believe it was the end of the world.

The cursed spirits in the surroundings had long since turned to ash, and Serpo, who had helped Hisagi, had disappeared.

Many black figures vanished and reappeared in front of Hantengu, forming a dark barrier around him, attempting to keep him from dying.

The cursed technique in front of them was capable of burning space itself, so they tried to shield Hantengu from the impact.

Immediately, after taking several hits, they all felt suffocated, coughing up blood.

In shock, they moved aside, desperate to avoid being incinerated into ash.