Chapter 40: Emerging from the shadows.

Kaede slightly adjusted his posture in the chair, lifting his head as an ominous sensation began to fill the air. It was subtle, but it didn't go unnoticed by him. Something more was at play.

"A powerful curse is nearby… something special grade," he thought as he slowly rose from his seat, calmly making his way toward the door. He no longer needed to monitor things; something else required his attention.

As he walked away, Kaede noticed Mei Mei watching him closely. She gave a slight smile, her sharp eyes seemingly understanding something beyond the situation.

"She's perceptive…" Kaede mused, but he didn't dwell on it. He knew Mei Mei had some suspicions, but it wasn't important yet.

As he stepped outside, the sky darkened further, and the ground began to tremble slightly. The imminent danger was tangible. The curse was close, and it didn't take long to manifest.

Out from the shadows of the forest surrounding the battlefield emerged a towering figure. Its white skin, marked by black lines running all over its body, glowed faintly under the filtered light. From its head, resembling a helmet, branches grew instead of eyes, and its left arm, completely black, held a rose blooming on its shoulder, partially covered by a clear cloth. This was the curse known as Hanami. The air grew heavy, and nature itself seemed to resonate with its dark cursed energy, causing both Megumi and Noritoshi to feel suffocating pressure, even from a distance.

"This is… the energy of a special grade curse. Not easy to handle," Kaede thought, keeping a prudent distance while studying every detail of the creature.

Hanami raised its hand, unleashing a burst of energy toward Megumi and Kamo. Both students reacted quickly, barely dodging the attack. But it was clear the situation was becoming overwhelming for them.

Kaede decided to act but had to be cautious. He couldn't afford to use his Spatial Domain technique at that moment; it would raise suspicions. So instead, he opted to use the technique that belonged to the real Naoya: the Projection Sorcery.

He moved quickly, positioning himself in front of Hanami in the blink of an eye. With calculated calm, he activated the Projection Sorcery, causing time around him to fragment into 24 frames per second.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice deep and ethereal. The supposed eyes of the curse locked onto Kaede, but he only responded with a smile.

"It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that you're interfering where you shouldn't be," Kaede muttered, avoiding speaking aloud. He knew talking to curses like this was unnecessary. Actions were the only thing that truly mattered.

But to maintain his disguise as Naoya, Kaede decided to exchange a few words.

"Seems you're quite strong," he said in a monotonous tone, barely showing interest in the curse. His eyes continued to analyze the being before him with every passing second. "However, you're not in my league."

The creature only smiled, or what appeared to be a smile on its deformed face.

"Humans are so arrogant. They don't understand that the natural balance is above them."

Kaede frowned slightly but didn't let Hanami see his true intention.

"Natural balance, huh?" he murmured, raising a hand and activating the Projection Sorcery. "Let me show you how fragile your balance is, curse."

With a swift motion, Kaede launched himself at Hanami, accelerating his movements with the sorcery. In an instant, he was in front of the curse, landing a direct blow to its abdomen. The force of the strike didn't seem enough for a special grade curse, but Kaede's real goal was to destabilize his opponent and measure its resistance.

Hanami barely flinched at the attack, but Kaede had expected this. Megumi and Noritoshi, observing the scene, were stunned by Kaede's speed, unable to recognize the supposed Naoya in him.

"Naoya Zenin… what is he doing here?" Megumi murmured, puzzled.

Kaede, ignoring them, quickly retreated, calculating his next move.

The curse smirked as if Kaede's words were insignificant.

"You can't hurt me like that, human."

Kaede kept a serious expression, though inwardly he was pleased. He knew he had to play his cards carefully.

"Hurt you? That's not my goal… I'm just having a little fun," Kaede responded with a cold, controlled voice.

Hanami roared and launched another wave of cursed energy toward Kaede, who activated the Projection Sorcery again to dodge. The situation was intensifying, but Kaede wasn't worried. He knew that with each passing second, he was learning more about his opponent, and when the right moment came, he'd strike with surgical precision.

Kaede continued moving across the battlefield, effortlessly dodging Hanami's attacks while maintaining his facade. As he analyzed every movement, he knew the situation would require something more impactful to solidify his role as "Naoya Zenin." The problem was that showing too much power would raise suspicions, but holding back would put him in a vulnerable position against these high-level sorcerers.

Hanami's roar echoed across the battlefield as it unleashed another blast of energy, manifesting as twisting roots that lashed toward Kaede. This time, Kaede saw it coming but made no attempt to dodge. Instead, he concentrated his technique, feeling the pressure around him begin to build.

"This will be interesting," he thought as he allowed the curse's energy to surround him. He knew he could withstand the attack, but what he truly sought was the perfect moment to act.

From a distance, Megumi and Noritoshi watched in awe. No one had ever seen the real Naoya expose himself to such danger, and their suspicions grew with each passing second.

The roots, charged with cursed energy, struck him squarely, sending him flying backward with brutal force. Kaede rolled across the ground, raising a cloud of dust. When the visibility cleared, he was still standing, unscathed. He had let the attack graze him intentionally, gauging his opponent's strength.

"Well, it seems you're not that weak," he said with Naoya's arrogant tone, a barely perceptible smile crossing his face.

The cursed energy still crackled around him, resonating with palpable intensity. It was then that Kaede felt a connection: that perfect moment where the Black Flash aligned with space. But this time, it wouldn't just be the Black Flash. He'd harness the Spatial Domain to amplify the strike far beyond what any sorcerer could have imagined.

"Let's see how far we can take this," he murmured to himself.

Kaede took a deep breath, concentrating all his cursed energy into his right fist. As he activated his technique at the point of impact, he felt the space around him compress, and the flow of cursed energy perfectly synchronized with his body. The combination of the Black Flash and the Spatial Domain was ready.

With blinding speed, Kaede vanished from sight, launching himself toward the curse. Just as his fist made contact with the creature's body, the Black Flash activated, but this time amplified by the collapse of space itself.

A deafening sound ripped through the battlefield as if the air had been torn apart by the force of the impact. The amplified cursed energy not only increased the damage by 2.5 times but, combined with the Spatial Domain, magnified the strike to 9.9 times its original strength. The curse's body twisted violently, emitting a gut-wrenching scream of pain.

The ground beneath Kaede exploded, and the shockwave of cursed energy forced Megumi and Noritoshi back.

"That was Black Flash… but… it's impossible that it was that powerful!" Noritoshi exclaimed, stunned by what he had just witnessed.

Megumi didn't respond, his eyes fixed on Kaede, unsure of what exactly was happening.

Kaede, shaking his hand to relieve the tingling sensation, let out a small laugh. "Heh… I've still got the touch. Though I didn't expect it to amplify that much," he thought to himself, satisfied with the unexpected result of the strike.

Kaede smirked coldly. "No, it doesn't end here," he thought, adjusting his stance, ready to continue attacking if necessary. He knew he had the upper hand, but he had to be careful not to show more than necessary in front of Megumi and Noritoshi.

At that moment, however, something changed in the air. The ground began to vibrate, and a new cursed energy filled the environment. Megumi and Noritoshi felt it too, and their expressions immediately tensed. Despite being injured, Hanami let out a deep laugh.

"My ally… has arrived," Hanami said with a sinister smile.

From the forest surrounding the battlefield, a new figure emerged—a special grade curse walking with an unsettling calm. Its presence only intensified the dangerous atmosphere.

Kaede frowned. "This could complicate things…" he thought. Although he was confident in his ability to handle one special grade curse, facing two at the same time would put his disguise as Naoya at risk. Using too much cursed energy would attract attention, and he had already given an impressive display with the Black Flash. He couldn't afford to do much more.

"What will you do now?" the curse asked with an arrogant smile as it launched a small ball of compressed air toward Kaede.

Surprised, Kaede easily dodged the attack, but something about that technique made him pause. He knew that style very well. His gaze hardened as he focused on the curse that had attacked him.

"Who are you?" Kaede asked, fixing his attention on the figure before him. He couldn't ignore the familiar sensation that technique had given him. Something deeper was at play here, and he was determined to find out.

The creature flashed a malicious grin before responding with a soft, mocking laugh. "You know it very well."

Kaede kept his gaze fixed, analyzing it more carefully. That laugh, that technique... they couldn't be coincidences. Something was terribly wrong here, and his Naoya façade was at risk if he didn't keep control.

His mind raced. "This is getting out of hand," he thought. "I can't afford to reveal more of my abilities in front of Megumi. And if this is what I suspect... I need to proceed carefully."

He glanced at Megumi and Noritoshi. Both were still on guard, but clearly not in a condition to face two special-grade curses, let alone one with that kind of power.

Kaede made a quick decision. Retreating was the most sensible choice before things escalated further.

"This is enough for today," he said aloud, regaining Naoya's arrogant tone. "It's not my duty to deal with trash like you." With a swift movement, he activated his projection technique, vanishing from the battlefield in an instant.

Megumi watched him leave but couldn't follow. He knew something wasn't right, but the immediate danger of the curses in front of them was more pressing.

Kaede sped away at a blistering pace, moving through the forest until he was a safe distance away. Once he was far enough, he stopped, breathing deeply as he adjusted his clothes.

"How can he be alive?" he murmured, mentally replaying the strange encounter. "I know that technique too well... this is a bigger risk than I anticipated."

His mind returned to his primary mission. He still had to maintain his cover as Naoya and continue manipulating events from the shadows. Yet now, with this new discovery, the situation had escalated far beyond what he had foreseen.