Binding of Izanami - Chapter 70

"DIE…"

That thought shakes Ren's soul.

Everything slows down.

Ren's body moves without hesitation—his cursed energy flaring to its absolute limit.

No, Ren thinks. What can I do? What do I have?

I have a lot of cursed energy because of Rika… but the five minutes are going to run out…

I only have two minutes or so left… If my counting is not wrong… and my body is weak…

My cursed technique? Useless right now…

This is my perfect counter… AOE attacks… I can't do anything.

If only… if only I could just fucking stop the metal from raining down on me for a fucking second!

…Ah.

It hits Ren—right before death.

An iron rod goes straight through his thigh.

He falls. Hard.

Blood sprays from the wound as his body crashes into the ground, face first into the dirt. His breath catches in his throat. Everything is noise.

But the iron rod wasn't the only thing that hit him.

It was also—a realization.

Ren clasps his hands together. His fingers interlace.

A hand sign. 指組み.

He starts to speak—

No.

He starts to chant.

"Stitching through form… Connecting through will…"

The rain of iron rods and nails comes down. It's everywhere. It's chaos.

But Ren doesn't stop.

"Thread becomes law—bind this domain!"

He screams—

Wild. Mad.

With a smile breaking through the pain on his face.

"Maximum technique: Binding of Izanami!"

In a second, the entire battlefield—thirty meters wide—is filled with red stitch.

The threads snap outward from Ren's body.

They bury into the mud, the broken glasses, the concrete, metal pipes, loose rebar, and even the small nails still floating in the air.

Everything is connected.

Everything in range is now bound.

Ren howls and pushes cursed energy like an insane person.

His cursed circuit burns.

He goes into overdrive again.

For the second time.

And he tugs with everything he has.

The debris rips off the ground.

Metal shatters mid-air.

The curse—the freak with too many eyes—is suddenly dragged toward Ren like it's caught in a cursed tractor beam.

It tries to float.

It tries to resist.

But it can't.

Ren's threads have locked into the steel, the ground—the battlefield itself—and he's weaving his control into everything.

Three seconds.

That's all he has before the curse pulls the metal back.

Three seconds…

Ren grins.

He laughs.

Then screams—

"LOVE CANNON!!"

Rika looks up.

And shoots.

BOOM.

The impact roars across the battlefield.

The curse tries to pull the metal around it to shield itself.

It's too late.

The blast hits.

The curse falls.

And so does Ren.

His body collapses.

The red threads begin to break apart.

They dissolve into the ground.

"…Rika," Ren whispers, "it's still alive… Eat it…"

Rika moves—fast.

She flies toward the broken mass of steel and shadow.

She rips it apart.

Through the cursed metal, through the twisted remains—

And in the middle of it all…

Only a pair of eye remain.

Floating.

Still watching.

Staring at Ren.

Rika screams.

And eats them.

Ren lays on the ground.

He breathes.

Then chuckles.

"…What the fuck?"

He laughs.

"That worked? …ahahah…"

And then black...