"Ugh…" Cursed Womb: Ice Bearer suddenly felt a chill in its heart. Its arm had been utterly shattered, and even regenerating it was proving difficult.
This wasn't just a simple destruction of its arm; it was a blow that could harm its very essence.
In the next moment, Cursed Womb: Ice Bearer quickly retreated. For the first time, fear flickered in its eyes—this human wasn't the same as before.
"If I had landed that punch on your head, would you still be able to recover?" Hayashi sneered. This curse had caused him so much trouble, preventing him from learning new cursed techniques. It had to be killed. Only by killing it could Hayashi get the points he needed.
Kong Yue, who had been drowning in fear just moments before, was now completely stunned. The power Hayashi was displaying wasn't the same as before. He had just obliterated the arm of a special-grade curse spirit—why hadn't he done this earlier? Could it be that Hayashi had been holding back all along? Thinking this, Kong Yue shouted, "Hayashi, why were you holding back at a time like this? Yiyi is on the brink of death!"
"Don't worry, she's still alive. I'll deal with this thing first, then we'll handle everything else." Hayashi didn't have time to explain. Cursed Womb: Ice Bearer's speed had surpassed his expectations, and if he didn't end this fight soon, both Zhang Yiyi and Kong Yue would be in grave danger.
It seemed that Ice Bearer had sensed Hayashi's determination. Its aura surged, and the shattered arm began to regenerate.
"A special-grade curse spirit with your power—surely you can use Domain Expansion, right? If so, you better use it now, because you won't get another chance later." Hayashi taunted Ice Bearer, gesturing with a beckoning finger.
Ice Bearer, feeling Hayashi's mockery and disdain, became truly enraged. It spread its hands wide and then brought them together with a clap.
"It's over!" Kong Yue's face went pale. Hayashi had been right—this special-grade curse could indeed use a domain.
They weren't even in the same league. There was no way they could win.
Certain death.
"Domain Expansion—Frostbound Mountain!"
In an instant, the surrounding ice walls and barriers restored themselves, and a white, snowy domain spread out, trapping Hayashi within it. Even Kong Yue and Zhang Yiyi were caught inside the domain.
In this domain, snowstorms raged violently. The entire world became a white wasteland, with a massive frozen mountain standing tall behind Ice Bearer.
"Looks like your domain is still pretty new, not fully developed." Hayashi observed the domain. It wasn't as refined as the one he had encountered from the purple curse spirit. That domain had been more complete.
Perhaps the purple curse had been a special-grade for a longer time, allowing its domain to be more polished. Ice Bearer, having only recently become a special-grade, had not yet fully realized its strength.
Ice Bearer, consumed by fury, charged at Hayashi without a word.
The snow piled up on the ground was swept up, turning into a blizzard that spiraled toward Hayashi.
In a domain where the attacks are guaranteed to hit, Hayashi remained unfazed. Satoru Gojo could remain unaffected inside another's domain due to his Infinity technique, but Hayashi relied on his external cursed energy.
Using Flash Step, Hayashi dodged part of the onslaught, engaging Ice Bearer in close combat, fist to fist.
"Power Multiplier!"
[Power Multiplier Randomly Multiplied]
[Power ×2]
"Power Multiplier!"
[Power Multiplier Randomly Multiplied]
[Power ×1]
Even though the power multiplication wasn't as significant this time, with values of just one and two, Hayashi knew that getting the fivefold boost earlier had been rare. Still, the hits he landed left Ice Bearer's body covered in injuries.
However, within the domain, Hayashi also took a lot of damage. The number of times he was struck increased as well.
Ice Bearer fought with increasing excitement, reveling in the pleasure of combat. Its power grew stronger with every blow.
Hayashi glanced at Kong Yue and Zhang Yiyi behind him. Kong Yue was barely holding on, his eyes half-closed, on the verge of passing out.
Zhang Yiyi, who had been lying motionless since earlier, was now trapped inside Ice Bearer's domain. Her situation was even worse.
"There's no time to mess around." Hayashi delivered a punch that pushed Ice Bearer back. As it prepared to charge again, it suddenly stopped, sensing the danger.
"Let me show you my domain, brat!" Hayashi grinned, his smile as cold as the blizzard surrounding them, even colder than the icy landscape.
His right hand formed a C-shape, and his left hand passed through it. In a sudden motion, his left hand opened, and he shouted,
"Domain Expansion!"
"Amaterasu Tsukikage!"
In an instant, Ice Bearer's Frostbound Mountain domain was completely overpowered. The next moment, everyone found themselves in a pitch-black void.
Light emerged just in time. Ice Bearer was still frozen in shock as a massive moon appeared behind it, while behind Hayashi, a blinding sun shone.
The sun and moon seemed both impossibly close and infinitely far away, with a vast void and twinkling stars beneath their feet. The surroundings were utterly silent.
For the first time, Ice Bearer felt fear. Its sixteen eyes spun frantically, scanning this unfamiliar space.
"How did you override my domain!?" Ice Bearer roared, but it quickly realized its voice had become faint, as if it were being swallowed by the sun and moon.
Hayashi, on the other hand, heard everything clearly. He chuckled, "I didn't expect to unveil my domain here—it's quite a unique experience."
The sun and the moon seemed to repel each other yet were drawn together, connected by an infinite distance.
The sun represented offense, while the moon symbolized defense.
In this setup, Hayashi stood before the sun, representing attack, while Ice Bearer was in front of the moon, symbolizing defense.
But Hayashi's attack was absolute, whereas Ice Bearer's defense was nonexistent.
Hayashi took a step forward, a step that covered what seemed like an endless distance, and in a blink, he was in front of Ice Bearer. A simple punch landed on its abdomen.
Ice Bearer wanted to react, but it found its movements agonizingly slow. Though it saw Hayashi's fist approaching, it couldn't stop it.
"Gah!"
Ice Bearer spat out a mouthful of blue blood, though its body remained intact. The damage was internal—striking at its very core.
This filled the curse spirit with terror. If its body were to break, it could heal. But a body that remained whole while suffering internal damage? That was terrifying.
In a frenzy, Ice Bearer pushed its cursed energy to the limit, its body finally speeding up. It realized it needed to switch positions—it had to stand where Hayashi was.
But no matter how hard it tried to push forward, it found itself unable to move past Hayashi, forever stuck within the moon's domain.
"Having fun yet?" Hayashi laughed, stepping once more. This time, he appeared behind Ice Bearer, now on the moon's side.
Suddenly, Ice Bearer's body regained full motion. The sluggishness was gone, and it rejoiced, realizing it had crossed into the sun's domain.
Although it didn't fully understand Hayashi's domain, it knew that being on this side gave it the upper hand.
Sure enough, its speed increased dramatically, far faster than usual, like nothing it had ever experienced before.
Seizing the rare opportunity, Ice Bearer charged at Hayashi, its fists loaded with cursed energy, raining down a furious barrage of punches.