The power of [Black Flash] doesn't increase additively, but multiplicatively!
Shinsuke didn't hold back with this punch, so its power was maximized.
Accompanied by dazzling black sparks, all the masked creatures blocking his path were smashed to pieces in one hit.
The unstoppable Shinsuke arrived right in front of the mask curse spirit's main body.
"Eh... hehe!"
Though the mask curse spirit still made a laughing sound, it was actually filled with fear.
Boom!
One punch, obliterated!
[Purified a Grade 1 curse spirit, gained 500 curse soul points]
Shinsuke landed steadily, exhaling a long breath.
A mere 500 curse soul points were no longer enough to excite him.
Instead, successfully unleashing [Black Flash] gave him an immensely satisfying feeling.
The mask curse spirit didn't manage to probe anything before being instantly killed, scaring the remaining curse spirits into hiding.
Shinsuke pretended to pursue, but didn't actually move.
If those curse spirits had really charged at him, he might have had to escape with Hidan.
He had no more blood or curse energy left to sustain continued fighting.
So, he chose to make an example by instantly killing one of the leaders with overwhelming force, scaring the others away.
Shinsuke was lucky, and he played his part well.
The curse spirits, intimidated by his brutal display of killing the mask spirit, quickly retreated.
Shinsuke immediately hoisted Hidan like a sack and swiftly left.
There was no need to take risks now. After resting for a few days, he could easily return to wipe out the remaining curse spirits without much effort.
With that plan in mind, Shinsuke quickly retreated from the town with the still-complaining Hidan.
...
Three days passed.
With the [Special Grade Curse Spirit] eliminated, the lucky survivors hiding in the rundown town finally began to emerge, spreading unbelievable news and rumors.
Meanwhile, Shinsuke had ditched the troublesome Hidan elsewhere and returned alone.
It's worth mentioning that after regaining his freedom, the first thing Hidan did was remove the mismatched hands and legs he had.
Then, incredibly, he managed to sew himself back together using his mouth, with Shinsuke just helping to hold things in place.
The stitches Hidan made with his mouth were a hundred times better than Shinsuke's crude handiwork, which left Shinsuke feeling rather annoyed.
Once Hidan's arms were stitched up and his healing began, things got easier.
The stitching was so delicate!
Shinsuke was stunned, seriously suspecting that Hidan might have been a hidden seamstress before becoming a rogue ninja, which led to his murderous rampage and escape from the village.
With his limbs restored, Hidan handled the rest himself, though his recovery was slow, and he wasn't ready to wield a blade just yet.
Shinsuke, worried about another [Special Grade Curse Spirit] emerging in this wretched place, didn't wait for his injuries to fully heal before returning.
This time, he saw human survivors fighting curse spirits in broad daylight!
Without the [Special Grade Curse Spirit] suppressing them, the remaining curse spirits quickly became disorganized and started fighting individually.
For the world's ninjas, curse spirits below the special grade weren't particularly difficult enemies.
With information spreading, high-level ninjas had already accepted missions and were arriving.
If Shinsuke delayed any longer, the curse spirits here would soon be wiped out.
At that point, all those curse soul points would be wasted.
With no choice, Shinsuke hurriedly searched for more prey.
A few minutes later...
[Black Flash]
Shinsuke blasted a large-eyed monster with a single punch.
He frowned, "This won't do. At this rate, it's too inefficient. I need to clear out these curse spirits before more people arrive."
He reached into his pocket, turning his hand to reveal a creepy, pale eyeball.
It was the curse item [Greedy Eye] that dropped after he defeated the [Special Grade Curse Spirit].
After searching around, he soon found some mutilated corpses.
Without hesitation, Shinsuke fed them all to the curse item.
The eyeball suddenly sprouted a mouth and teeth, quickly devouring the flesh before letting out a burp.
The scene was as eerie as could be!
Fortunately, Shinsuke was used to it.
Once the eyeball was full, he activated it with curse energy.
The [Greedy Eye] floated up, emitting a transparent fan-shaped light that began scanning in a 360-degree rotation.
Shinsuke was surprised to find a radar-like map appearing in his mind, marking every curse spirit within 500 meters.
There was even one overlapping with his own position!
"This is much more convenient."
Satisfied, Shinsuke stored the curse item and gripped the handle of his blade. After about two seconds, he leapt into the air!
Boom!
A worm with a terrifying maw suddenly burst out of the ground, lunging at Shinsuke.
But Shinsuke had anticipated this, dodging its attack and exposing its body.
He swung his blade in a half-circle mid-air...
Decapitation!
Splat!
The white worm was sliced in two, but its severed body kept writhing, spilling green blood everywhere.
Shinsuke accurately pinned the fleeing lower half to the ground with his blade.
Then he sliced his finger, letting blood flow.
[Blood Manipulation: Blood Star Explosion]
With a bang, the burrowing worm was blown to pieces.
[Purified a Grade 2 curse spirit, gained 300 curse soul points]
Shinsuke pouted but said nothing.
Though it was just a [Grade 2 Curse Spirit], its burrowing and decapitation-resistant traits made it a tricky foe if it managed to ambush him.
"1, 2, 3, 4, 5..."
"Five more to go, let's finish this quickly."
Muttering to himself, Shinsuke hefted his blade and resumed hunting.
With the radar-like map from the scan, the hidden curse spirits were quickly found and eliminated.
In no time, Shinsuke had purified on=e [Grade 3 Curse Spirit] and four [Grade 4 Curse Spirits].
Another 600 curse soul points in the bank!
Feeling energized, Shinsuke prepared to move on to the next area.
There was no shortage of flesh; with a bit of searching, he could find plenty of battered corpses.
And so, Shinsuke continued his advance, his [Greedy Eye] scan revealing even the most deeply hidden curse spirits, which soon turned into more curse soul points.
His efficient and ruthless monster-slaying style left those watching in stunned silence.