"Have you ever heard of the 'Blood-Handed Curse Butcher' or the 'Curse Spirit Slayer'?" Hayashi asked, a mysterious smile on his face.
"Blood-Handed Curse Butcher?"
"Curse Spirit Slayer?"
"That's right!"
"Nope, never heard of them!"
Hayashi chuckled awkwardly at their response. "Well, now you've heard of him."
"Don't tell me you're talking about yourself?" Zhang Yiyi looked at Hayashi with a puzzled expression.
"Yup, that's me. Now you've heard the legend," Hayashi nodded, trying to act serious.
Kong Yue couldn't even be bothered to respond. "Blood-Handed Curse Butcher"? He'd never heard of such nonsense.
"Focus," Zhang Yiyi said, lightly knocking Hayashi on the head.
Hayashi's expression suddenly turned serious. "The real threat is about to arrive."
Without Hayashi saying anything more, both Zhang Yiyi and Kong Yue immediately sensed it too, preparing for battle with the utmost caution.
Without warning, a white foot stepped out of the distant ice wall, followed by the rest of its body and head.
As the creature fully emerged, the trio could feel its powerful presence.
It was a snow-white curse spirit, humanoid in form as if it had walked straight out of the ice itself. Its eyes were particularly strange—a ring of eyes circling its entire head, including the back, making it roughly 16 eyes in total.
Its mouth extended all the way to its ears, and though it hadn't yet opened, one could easily imagine the terrifying maw hidden behind its lips.
A pitch-black hole marked its chest, and strange markings adorned its pale belly. The lower half of its body was encased in a white cocoon, a characteristic of curse wombs.
"It really is a special-grade," Zhang Yiyi said with a grave expression. She had never encountered a curse of such strength before. Humanoid curses were typically highly refined, the more human-like they were, the stronger they tended to be.
Not all special-grade curses had human forms, but those that did were never weak.
"Killed a lot of my lovely children, didn't you? Having fun?" The special-grade curse spirit suddenly spoke.
"It can talk!" Hayashi was now 100% certain—this curse was far stronger than the two special-grades he had encountered at the juvenile detention center, possibly even stronger than the one in the skyscraper.
"I should've demanded more money from that bald guy," Zhang Yiyi muttered. She had never faced a curse with such oppressive power before and couldn't fathom why a special-grade curse like this had appeared by the seaside.
"Forget the money. Right now, survival is our priority," Kong Yue's forehead was already glistening with sweat. The special-grade curse had yet to make a move, but the sheer pressure was enough to leave him short of breath.
Hayashi glanced at the two beside him. Truthfully, when he first encountered a powerful curse spirit, he had felt the same—an overwhelming sense of dread. But now, he could manage better, at least not feeling like he was on the verge of death.
"You two focus on defending yourselves. Leave this special-grade to me." Hayashi took a few steps forward, positioning himself in front of the other two.
"Are you out of your mind?" Kong Yue shouted. "A curse of this level is beyond what the three of us can handle. Our best bet is to break through the ice and escape."
Kong Yue didn't fully understand Hayashi's strength, but even if Hayashi was on par with or stronger than them, there was no way they could defeat a curse of this magnitude.
"We can't break through. We'll be killed before we even make it halfway. Trust me and work with me instead. Use your strongest techniques—I'm confident we can take it down," Hayashi said, taking a deep breath, thinking that as long as this curse didn't open a domain, things would still be manageable.
"Zhang Yiyi, what do you think?" Kong Yue still couldn't believe that Hayashi could defeat this special-grade curse. If they stayed, they were all likely to die here.
Zhang Yiyi looked at Hayashi, who seemed surprisingly calm. She nodded and said, "We'll follow his lead."
"Damn it, you two are crazy!" Kong Yue had no choice. If Zhang Yiyi wasn't supporting his escape plan, then they were committed to fighting this battle.
"Great! Now let's work together at full strength!" Hayashi reached behind him, drawing out his black steel sword and positioning it in front of him.
Kong Yue blinked in surprise. "Where did that sword come from?"
"Perfect chance to see just how strong Hayashi really is," Zhang Yiyi thought, though outwardly she simply said, "Let's give him all our support!"
"Understood," Kong Yue muttered through gritted teeth. He couldn't believe he was being ordered around like a sidekick.
"Ignorant humans, you think you can challenge me?" The pure white special-grade curse spoke in a low, eerie voice. "I am Cursed Womb: Ice Bearer. A week ago, I became special-grade. You were too scared to come then, and now, after absorbing all the curses here, I've reached my complete form—fully transformed!"
"Cursed Womb: Ice Bearer? Any relation to Cursed Womb: Finger Bearer?" Hayashi asked, thinking of the Finger Bearer he had encountered. But it didn't seem like there was any direct connection between the two.
"A week ago?" Kong Yue's face grew paler, his breathing becoming more ragged. "We're doomed! This thing was special-grade a week ago, and after absorbing more curses, it's fully transformed. If we don't escape, we're dead!"
For the first time, Kong Yue genuinely felt the threat of death. Though the curse hadn't yet attacked, its overwhelming presence and demeanor were enough to sap his will to fight.
Earlier, it had felt like they were toying with the lesser curses, but now, looking into Ice Bearer's eyes, Kong Yue knew they were the prey.
The curse's mocking eyes and calm demeanor seemed to communicate one clear message: they were going to die.
It wasn't that Kong Yue was weak; the curse was just too strong. He was just a teenager, and fear, rooted in the unknown, had gripped him deeply.
"Kong Yue!" Zhang Yiyi placed a reassuring hand on Kong Yue's small shoulder, her warmth cutting through his fear. "I understand how you feel. We're all scared—it's human nature. But your fear only fuels the curse. Don't give it what it wants."
The warmth of Zhang Yiyi's hand instantly reduced Kong Yue's fear. That's right—he wasn't facing this monster alone. They were in this together.
If he gave in to fear now, they were all doomed. Looking at Hayashi standing tall in front of him, Kong Yue felt the rest of his fear melt away.
"Good," Zhang Yiyi patted Kong Yue's shoulder. "Fear isn't the problem. What's dangerous is not having the courage to face it. This thing isn't invincible. We can still get out of here."
Kong Yue took a deep breath and nodded. "I understand. I'll give it everything I've got."
"That's all I needed to hear," Hayashi said with a smile.
The Cursed Womb: Ice Bearer was becoming increasingly confused by these humans. Earlier, two of them had been full of fear, yet now, even the smallest of them seemed much less frightened.
"Can you three really entertain me?" Ice Bearer finally opened its massive, toothy maw, sharp fangs dripping with translucent saliva.
Cursed energy armor formed around Hayashi's body, and his energy surged. With his black steel sword in hand, he swung it down.
In an instant, Hayashi appeared right in front of Cursed Womb: Ice Bearer, his sword slashing down onto its shoulder.
Blue blood spurted out as the curse womb realized what had happened and grabbed Hayashi by the arm, delivering a punch straight to his stomach.