The Clash of Four Powers

Serpos, cursed spirits, sorcerers, and he could feel strong spiritual energy auras in the large, abandoned container warehouse.

On his way to rescue the recently kidnapped women, Toge had to deal with many low-level cursed spirits, but there were so many that he expended a considerable amount of cursed energy.

By the time he started freeing all those women imprisoned in large containers, Hisagi's battle had already begun.

Quickly, to support Hisagi, Toge hurriedly pointed the women to where they should go to await help.

The sorcerers should be here at any moment, so if he left the women in an isolated location, there was no need to worry about their safety.

That's why Toge kept running toward where Hisagi was, but at that moment, he came across some children near the battlefield.

"What are you doing here, and with children no less?" Hisagi had appeared next to Toge as soon as he sensed his presence.

"Smoked salmon…" Toge couldn't explain everything that had happened in the last ten minutes, but things had turned out this way, whether they liked it or not.

Hisagi glanced at the group of children gathered nearby, waved his hand, and they all ran behind him. "Don't worry, we'll protect you."

The children were terrified, but they still had the will to live, something Hisagi noticed, which made him smile confidently.

"Sir, are you a superhero?"

"Of course. I'm going to kill those big, ugly monsters." As Hisagi said this, he felt two other figures approaching from either side, and deep inside, his heart raced as he sensed those enormous amounts of cursed energy.

Taking a step forward, Hisagi removed his jacket and said, "Run all the way to the containers that are still intact. You must run without looking back, and no matter what happens, never stop."

"Sir, aren't you coming with us?"

"Run!!!" Hisagi pulled off the sleeves of his uniform, exposing his arms. He locked eyes with Toge, and Toge nodded. He knew Hisagi was a special-grade sorcerer, something he had known since the journey began, so he could trust that Hisagi would protect himself.

It was then that the children ran off, and Hisagi muttered a few words, to which Toge nodded before leaving.

"Are you sure they'll escape? We'll kill them once we bother to kill you. Isn't that fascinating?"

Hisagi's eyes focused on the cursed spirit that had completely changed its appearance.

Because of its abilities, it had a total of seven forms, the primary one being a short, frail man with a thin, skeletal body whom Hisagi had killed with a single punch.

But now, in its new form, it appeared much younger in terms of its physical body.

Its outfit was a simple kimono divided into two color tones. The right side had light tones and was surrounded by a floral pattern, while the left side was devoid of motifs and completely dark.

It had two long horns that curved inward and emerged from the back of its head.

"The savage tormented the meek. Spite, rivalry, nothing but hatred, poisoning the earth, and killing everything that touches my... For those who bathe in pure evil, I will grant them eternal life."

"You seem different from the other cursed spirits around here." Hisagi was inwardly surprised. The demon's words made it clear that it seemed far more intelligent, and that was never a good thing.

"I am Hantengu. I was once human, but they turned me into what I am now," murmured the cursed spirit, who called himself Hantengu, who radiated nothing but evil in every word.

"Why would I care who you are?" Hisagi didn't understand this cursed spirit.

"Since you're strong enough to make me show my most powerful form, you should at least know my name before I kill you." Hantengu's eyes locked onto Hisagi, who remained expressionless.

Hisagi was the strongest below Gojo Satoru, something to be taken seriously when advancing through human territories and planning to cause chaos in his presence.

But Hisagi didn't know that. Right now, there were two more cursed spirits, aside from Hantengu, who were incredibly powerful, and he couldn't help but ask, "Do you have some sort of organization? If that's the case, it seems in poor taste to see three of you wanting to kill a seventeen-year-old sorcerer."

Hisagi wouldn't take this lightly, so in just a few seconds, he unsheathed his sword and murmured, "Reduce all creation to ashes!"

"Shikai! Ryujin Jakka!"

Boom!

When Hisagi unleashed the Shikai of his Ryujin Jakka, flames erupted with impressive force and ferocity. From the edge of the weapon, fire rapidly spread, creating a torrent of flames that extended in all directions.

The scorching heat spread everywhere, and in an instant, massive columns of fire burst from the ground, trapping all those who posed a threat in a hellish prison.

"I suppose the only way to get out of here is by killing you, or am I wrong?" Hantengu was momentarily surprised before regaining his composure at what he was witnessing right now.

"You don't know what's in store for you; will you still be this calm once the fight starts? I hope you're resistant to the flames of my sword."

"Both in heaven and hell, I am the executioner who will kill all the sorcerers in the world."

Hisagi didn't know what the hell this cursed spirit was talking about, but he understood one thing perfectly: they were here to kill him, and since he had used his bait to lure them in, he now had to suffer the consequences.

For this response, Hisagi didn't know how to feel, but one thing was certain—he had to start the fight. To achieve that, he needed to kill at least two special-class cursed spirits, which were just a few meters away from that thing called Hantengu.

Hisagi always had a feeling that this cursed spirit hadn't come to leave empty-handed.

Hantengu stared at Hisagi and then smirked slightly. He raised his hand slightly toward him, and in a few seconds, a powerful gust of cold wind surged as a sword shot out from a shadow.

Knowing there was no turning back, Hisagi vanished from his position, while the flames that had spread didn't extinguish by any means.

Boom!

The ground where the sword landed split in two, and the crack extended at least a kilometer.

By then, Hisagi had appeared behind a cursed spirit to the right of Hantengu, and he fiercely slashed his sword at the spirit's stomach.

"I got you." Hisagi thought, but at that moment, a rune appeared on the ground, and in less time than he could count, a figure moved aside, unleashing a powerful explosive spell.

Boom!

Realizing the situation wasn't good, Hisagi immediately turned into a burst of electric lightning and vanished from the center of the explosion. Moments later, he reappeared a hundred meters away, but this time with a horrible wound on his right hand.

Hantengu's hand moved moments later, not giving Hisagi a chance to check the damage he had sustained.

This time, three powerful attacks were aimed at Hisagi, but with superior speed now, he dodged them without getting hurt.

"Taimatsu…"

Hisagi only needed to swing his sword once for the surroundings to be engulfed in powerful flames that had claimed the lives of thousands of cursed spirits observing the fight.

Boom!

The fire erupted, and the surroundings grew increasingly hotter, so much so that even touching the ground became lethal for anyone on the battlefield—except for Hisagi.

The sound was extremely harsh, causing all the demons' heads to buzz and feel momentarily dizzy.

Hantengu was in a foul mood, unable to kill Hisagi, who should have been an easy prey, so this time, using more strength than before, he raised his hand toward him once more.

The speed of the enemy's wind attacks was so fast that Hisagi barely had time to dodge them for a few seconds.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

But at the last moment, a sword pierced through Hisagi's right shoulder as he moved like lightning in all directions.

When Hantengu saw Hisagi in that state, he smiled with satisfaction, feeling a thrill he hadn't experienced in years.

"It hurts a little." Hisagi looked at the horrible wound on his shoulder but didn't panic. His gaze shifted to the cursed spirit, waiting for its next move.

A smile appeared on Hisagi's face a moment later. He swung his sword, and flames enveloped the demon so quickly it didn't have time to escape.

"Ahhhhhhhh!!!!"

Hantengu walked toward Hisagi, glancing at the blood flowing from his right hand and shoulder, but still showed no sign of surprise. "These flames are hurting all of us."

"We haven't even reached the temperature of the sun, so don't pay too much attention; just die, and your torment will end." A smile appeared on Hisagi's lips; his gaze was anything but defeated at that moment.

Hantengu waved his hand, and dozens of dark blades appeared in the clear sky, releasing a powerful cursed energy. "I'll kill you with this next attack. This is your bad luck for acting so recklessly in this place."

But just then, the flames surged, and a powerful spiritual pressure exploded with force. After that, Hisagi vanished and attempted to cut off the head of the cursed spirit in front of him.

The expression of the cursed spirit, which seemed the weakest, darkened. All his victims had died under the brutality of his attacks, and he was rarely injured, but now he had encountered a demon he couldn't face.

"Impossible…" Hantengu couldn't believe what he was seeing, so he immediately created a shield of cursed energy to protect himself.

The powerful flames hit the ground with supernatural force, causing the earth and mountains to tremble alike. Each impact was like the blow of a giant hammer, causing everything around it to crumble in an infernal frenzy.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As Hisagi's slashes advanced, a wave of destruction spread around him, wiping out everything in a ten-kilometer radius. Trees disintegrated, containers turned to ashes, and the ground became magma.

The skies darkened with storm clouds, and lightning danced on the horizon, briefly illuminating the scene of death.

"I must kill them all." Hisagi murmured, knowing that if he didn't, he might not be able to later.