Chapter 21: You're Done For!

The head that emerged from the ceiling belonged to a huge yellow-green worm. Strangely, the bloated caterpillar head had human-like facial features, causing the uncanny valley effect to ring alarm bells in their hearts.

"Could this be the unscrupulous boss of the cursed spirit just now?"

Hearing the worm repeat the capitalist slogan, Hikigaya Hachiman thought it should be on a streetlight, not in this office building.

After subconsciously making a joke, Hikigaya's expression suddenly changed. He realized something serious:

"Could the third-level cursed spirit that Hayashizaki mentioned be this guy!?"

The cursed spirit that Yukinoshita defeated earlier was just a small fry!?

Judging by the size difference alone, this caterpillar boss was much stronger than the fish-like corporate slave!

Just the head emerging from the ceiling was already the size of three fish-like cursed spirits, not to mention the body that hadn't been revealed yet.

"... work overtime... overtime!!!"

Accompanied by a violent tremor, the caterpillar boss roared as it drilled out of the ceiling and landed heavily on the ground. Its huge body almost filled the entire space, separating Yukinoshita Yukino and Hikigaya Hachiman.

As it twisted its body, several support pillars were squeezed, creating cracks and breaking some stones.

Looking at the bug's body so close, Hikigaya Hachiman gritted his teeth and threw a punch, but his strength was far less than Yukinoshita Yukino's. His punch only made a small dent, which quickly bounced back. It felt like punching a fat man's belly, with the damage greatly reduced.

Not only did he fail to cause enough harm to the curse spirit, but he also made it angry.

"No overtime... or you're fired!!!"

The bug roared. Suddenly, pairs of legs sprouted from its round body, turning it from a caterpillar into a centipede. The sight of its many legs moving together could make someone with a fear of bugs faint.

Luckily, after seeing his punch had no effect, Hikigaya Hachiman quickly retreated to keep a distance from the curse spirit. Otherwise, he would have been gutted by the sharp legs that suddenly grew out.

Yukinoshita Yukino, who was about to attack, was also scared by the curse spirit's transformation. But the curse spirit didn't focus on her. It moved its body and headed towards Hikigaya Hachiman.

However, the curse spirit's huge body couldn't move freely in the narrow space. The concrete pillars couldn't withstand its pressure, and one of them broke!

The falling pillar made a loud noise, and the dust made Yukinoshita Yukino cough.

Her view was completely blocked by the curse spirit's large body. She couldn't see what was happening with Hikigaya Hachiman and could only shout, "Hikigaya, run outside! This building will collapse from the curse spirit's attacks!"

The curse spirit turned towards the boy with dead fish eyes. Its huge mandibles, as thick as his waist, opened and closed, with sticky mucus clearly visible. A strong stench hit him.

He stood there, seemingly frozen with fear.

Fortunately, Yukinoshita Yukino's shout brought him back to his senses. Hikigaya Hachiman quickly turned and ran, shouting, 

"How is this thing weak!?"

Luckily, the stairs were on his side, so he didn't need to pass the curse spirit to go downstairs.

Hikigaya Hachiman ran down the stairs quickly. He had never run this fast, not even when he was forced to join the 200-meter sprint in middle school.

But humans only have two legs, while the curse spirit had countless legs, each as tall as a person. If the narrow space hadn't hindered its movement, it would have caught him before he reached the stairs.

The curse spirit destroyed the remaining pillars, and its huge head got stuck in the even narrower stairwell, unable to move forward for now.

Hikigaya Hachiman quickly ran into the stairwell, giving him a moment to catch his breath. He glanced back at the stairway, which was packed with insect heads. Before he could relax, he saw the curse spirit suddenly open its mouth, filled with spiral-shaped sharp teeth, and a thick tongue shot out like an arrow!

His pupils shrank, and his body instinctively ducked, narrowly avoiding the unexpected deadly strike. However, he lost his balance and tumbled down the stairs, hitting his chest and back on each step, causing tears to well up from the pain.

The curse spirit's tongue pierced through the wall, and some flying debris hit Hikigaya Hachiman. If he hadn't dodged in time, his body would have been shattered.

There was no time to stay down. Hikigaya Hachiman, ignoring how clumsy he looked, scrambled to the first floor and successfully escaped outside.

He then saw Yukinoshita Yukino jump out of a broken window on the second floor. She rolled on the ground to reduce the impact and came to his side.

"Are you okay?"

Yukinoshita Yukino asked worriedly, seeing her companion covered in injuries.

"...It hurts so much. Hayashizaki, please help,"

Hikigaya Hachiman said through gritted teeth.

Suddenly, the office building in front of them shook violently. A large hole appeared on the side of the building, and the curse spirit roared as it emerged, choosing to break through the wall after being blocked by the narrow stairway!

"Oh no, this is bad,"

Hayashizaki, who had been silent, suddenly appeared.

"I forgot to put down the barrier."

"You mean..."

Yukinoshita Yukino recalled the knowledge he had explained to them.

"This is going to cause a big commotion,"

Hayashizaki said, sounding unusually embarrassed.

"But it's okay, ordinary people can't see the curse spirit."

"Isn't that a big problem?!"

Yukinoshita Yukino snapped. Not to mention the huge commotion, she just realized that the building being destroyed was her family's property!

"Uh-oh!"

This was not good.

Black patterns slowly appeared on Yukinoshita Yukino's face, and a second pair of eyes opened. Hayashizaki waved his hand, and the curse spirit chasing Hikigaya Hachiman was instantly cut into several pieces, 

along with the collapsing building.

"Let's get out of here."

Hayashizaki said, grabbing Hikigaya Hachiman with one hand. The two figures disappeared from the scene.

Soon after, several fire trucks surrounded the site, which had been reduced to rubble.

...

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