Chapter Two

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After traveling through the dimension for what felt like an hour, Rex Caligo decided that the distance from the location was enough. He left as soon as he felt a suffocating presence arrive just a few meters from the house. The presence made the small hairs on his skin stand up, if he were to put it to words, it felt like there were thousands of eyes peering at him from every direction. The difference was that the eyes had hands and it was grabbing at him.

He was familiar with such a force. The Six Eyes. An ocular prowess possessed by the infamous Gojo clan. It was blessed to their blood as soon as the magic of the world descended upon its occupants. He hated it. In his opinion, it was too much power, but he finds his opinion changing as the cursed object in his robes pulsed maliciously.

He landed in Iwaki, just near the outskirts of Fukushima. He was nowhere near the sea, that he was sure of. If his judgement was correct, the forest that he's standing on was a little further away from the main city. He would have gotten back to a rooftop for less hidden spaces, but at the same time he knew that he's also exposed. It would be as if he's a beacon standing on the highest pedestal, so he avoided it.

He pulled out the box containing the finger. He slid the compartment open and saw a bundle inside. He guessed that these wrappings was a seal of some sort. He let out an air of annoyance. He knew what can happen as soon as he removes the seal.

I need to destroy this. I can always handle the curses, but...

His hesitation comes from the obvious possiblity of being discovered. His apparent "unique" energy that can be sensed by sorcerers must already be an easy trace of his whereabouts, and he does not doubt that when he uses cursed energy, it would be like lighting a pyre. He was so annoyed.

I will just need to use my Heavenly Technique quicky and be done with it.

And so, he dropped the box after removing the sealed finger then manipulated the air to lift it. The sealed finger hovered in the air, he lifted a pointer finger and traced a curl in the air with it. The seals unwrapped and dropped to the floor.

He observed the finger, it was bigger than he thought. Like his, the nail was long, pointed and painted black, it was cut off just before the knuckle that connected to the rest of the limb.

His middle finger joined his pointer as he raised it. It faced him sideways as the air around him raced.

"Cursed Technique.."

The air got violent and it lifted the dead leaves on the ground, it circled him as his robes lifted and swayed.

"Heavenly Prin-"

He dropped the technique as soon as he felt it. The stench of a curse. This one felt heavy and violent. He let the air that supported the finger drop and he grabbed it, hiding it in a clenched fist. He turned and faced the cursed spirit.

There it stood menacingly, it had no hair and it has no eyes. The curse stood at an impressive eight feet, if he could guess correctly. Its lips were pulled back into its gums and the top seemed to drag all the way down to its chin. The gnarly teeth were out in display, clenched tight as it keeps letting out puffs of air.

"Whatever your business is, curse, leave now." He let out calmly, hoping to not waste anymore time letting the finger manifest.

"Hrrgh-e-e-"

It suddenly stepped forward in a blinding speed, but he saw it coming. Just as the curse was about to snap its teeth at his clenched fist that contained the finger, he manipulated the air to create a suction behind him. As soon as he was out of the way, he turned the suction outward and blasted the air to the curse. They now stood approximately a hundred meters away from each other.

"Ah, you desire this? I expected that, you foul creature. Once again, leave." He narrowed his eyes at the curse.

The curse growled and ripped at its chest in anger. It curled in on itself as bones started to grow from its back. It snapped straight as the bones formed multiple spikes.

"You pest, you are born from despair and unadulterated anger, aren't you?" He judged from its nature.

He heard a slight, wavering weep from the growl of the creature, and the aggressive ripping were telltale signs of its origin. He decided then that there would be no "negotiating" with such monster.

The curse slammed its whole arms down to the ground, this created a shockwave that destroyed the ground and travelled all the way to his position. He lifted himself into the air before it could reach him.

"Rampage all you want, curse. You will be freed."

He suddenly appeared from behind it. His middle and pointer fingers were both raised together as it faced them both sideways.

"Cursed Technique.."

He turned his palm and fingers to face the curse. The air supporting him raged around them in a circle. Light seemed to glow from the shape of his palm and fingers.

"Heavenly Principle."

The curse faced him and growled, raised an arm to slash at him but it will never land a hit. The light from his hand seemed to flash brightly and reverberate past the curse.

The arm it raised suddenly stilled and dropped to its sides. The curse fell backwards, limp and unmoving. As it fell, a ghostly figure that greatly resemble the curse laying below floated from its body. It hovered in the air, disoriented and clueless. It lunged at him as soon as he was spotted, it raised a translucent arm and slashed at his face, but it only went through him.

"Tsk, even in spirit you are violent. I cannot allow your presence to exist any further." He tutted. He raised his pointer finger and slashed it through the intangible and translucent neck of the curse.

"Atemi."

After the word was uttered, the neck of the curse harshly bent forward. It stilled for a couple of seconds before the ghostly image dissipated into nothing. He dropped to the ground and let the air still. He fixed the folded sleeve of his robes and patted the front of it. He walked towards the lifeless body of the curse.

He had no qualms with killing. Especially to cases like these. One that he swore to never touch would be humans. Just like he, their souls are gifted to this world. Curses, however, were born from filth, unwanted and chaotic.

He raised his closed fist and opened them. The finger was still intact, seemingly unharmed and undisturbed. He sighed and let the air carry it again to hover in front of him.

He raised his fingers yet again and hoped that this would be the last time he has to use techniques. He uttered the proper chant to activate his Technique, the bright light shot out of his hand and impacted the finger, but much to his surprise nothing happened.

Hm? The soul is not separating?

His eyebrows creased as he frowned in dismay. He should not have underestimated the King of Curses. He should have expected that it will not be as simple as just a single finger. He began to think back to his memories of the curse. He groaned in frustration as he remembered the form that he had taken.

Four arms, of course.

He grasped the finger and closed it in his fist. He would have to find all the other nineteen fingers for his Technique to work. An incomplete soul cannot be judged by his Heavenly Principle.

"Hey, you planning to eat that?"

A sultry but slightly playful voice startled him from behind. His eyes widened in alarm and he turned around to face the intruder. He felt it before he saw it, the Six Eyes. The all too familiar pressure that he always hated came bearing down on him again. He faced a tall figure, not much taller than him, that stood casually about half a hundred meters away from him. The man wore a blindfold that constricted his hair to stand up in his head.

This is not a lucky day for him after all.

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