Last Minutes - Chapter 122

Last Minutes - Chapter 122

Ren stood up slowly, coughing hard. His entire body shook as if trying to reject the pain coursing through his veins. Blood dripped from his shoulder, and every breath felt heavy.

"Fuck… I won, but did I really win?" he thought bitterly. "I can't use Rika for the next six months now. Not only that—my cursed energy pool, which was already low, is even lower now! Great. Just fucking GREAT!"

His jaw clenched. There was no time to wallow.

"Ugh, no. I can't waste time! I have to gain everything—every single thing! Make these last minutes worth it!"

Ren took a deep breath and flared what cursed energy he still had. It surged through his body, reinforcing every muscle and tendon, dulling the sharp ache in his bones. Right now, he was still linked with Rika—still drinking from that bottomless pool for the next nine minutes or so.

He moved.

Ren sprinted through the battlefield, but something made him stop. His head turned sharply.

Geto's body.

The corpse lay crumpled and broken… but something was moving on it. Something wiggling.

Ren's eyes narrowed.

"The Inventory Curse…" He paused, thinking hard. "Normally, that would be useless to me. But wait… If I'm not going to have Rika, then storage is a problem again. That curse could fix it!"

A grin crept onto his tired face. "What I did with Kai2 should work on this curse, right? Yes… it should. Toji was able to tame this cursed spirit, and he didn't even have cursed energy! This should work!"

Ren marched toward the writhing Inventory Curse. Its translucent form trembled as it sensed him.

A red thread lashed out—Red Stitch.

It wrapped around the Inventory Curse, binding it like a constricting snake. Ren poured his cursed energy into the thread, making it pulse violently.

"Binding vow."

He spoke clearly, his voice low but firm.

"You are mine now. You will live in my shadow. You will obey all my commands. In return, I vow to keep you alive and feed you cursed energy—so long as you're useful."

Ren focused, using the same ruthless pulsing technique he had once used to tame Kai2. The curse writhed and fought, but the energy kept jerking through the Red Stitch like electrical shocks.

And then—

A faint click in Ren's mind.

A new link. Another tether.

The Inventory Curse went still.

Its jagged mouth opened, and in a small, eerie voice, it muttered,

"Mommy…"

Ren's expression flattened. "…Great."

He yanked it closer and slung it onto his shoulder. The curse wrapped itself around his shoulder and waist like a living sash.

Ren turned, ready to leave, when something on the ground caught his eye.

The Playful Cloud.

Without hesitation, Ren flicked out another red thread, snagging the staff and pulling it toward himself.

He smirked and tossed it toward the Inventory Curse.

The worm-like entity on his waist opened its mouth unnaturally wide and began swallowing the weapon whole.

In seconds—gone.

"Good," Ren muttered. "Uh… your name will be Kai3? Ugh, I'll think of a better name later."

He wasted no more time.

Ren launched himself forward, swinging with Red Stitch through the ruined streets like a crimson blur. He moved fast—too fast to think—his only goal clear:

The Cursed Warehouse.

The structure loomed ahead, its walls marked by talismans and layered barriers. Ren landed just outside the entrance, breathing hard, but with fire still burning in his eyes.

He stopped, focusing his cursed energy.

"Time for a curtain."

He began to chant, voice low and controlled:

"Emerge from darkness, blacker than darkness…

Hide all that is impure and pure."

He interlaced his fingers, hands forming the precise clasp.

指組み (Yubikumi).

A small veil shimmered into existence, covering the area. It wasn't enough to overwrite Geto's massive curtain—nor did Ren intend to. Geto's curtain was still lingering, slowly fading. No, Ren didn't need to waste cursed energy like that.

He just needed cover.

And he had enough time to get in and out.

Ren slipped inside.

The cursed warehouse was silent.

No guards. No movement. Everyone was still fighting the chaos of the Night Parade outside.

The warehouse was massive, organized into sections like a vault of forbidden weapons. Each room hummed with the dangerous aura of cursed objects.

Ren's steps were fast but deliberate. He ignored most hallways, going straight for the section he wanted:

Cursed Objects.

The door creaked open.

Rows of racks greeted him—swords, bows, broken relics, and even a few black-barreled guns wrapped in talismans. All cursed, all lethal.

Ren's eyes darted through the shelves.

"Not useful… not useful…" His gaze sharpened.

Then he froze.

"Wait… WHAT?!"

His lips pulled into a grin, wild and disbelieving.

"The Inverted Spear of Heaven!!"

He laughed, the sound sharp and manic.

"Hahaha! Fucking yes, this is what I was looking for! Ha! Who the hell expected this to be here—"

Then he stopped.

"…Uh oh."

He held it. Felt nothing.

"I don't feel anything from it anymore… Maybe it really is broken… But still, this is perfect for testing. Too good to pass up."

Ren walked to the case holding the broken blade. Its haft was cracked and sealed in talismans, but the core weapon still hummed with faint residual energy.

He grabbed it.

The paper wards were ripped like dry leaves, talisman seals burning out in a faint hiss.

Ren handed the dagger to Kai3, who swallowed it without resistance.

Ren turned back, his mind racing.

No hesitation.

He sprinted deeper into the warehouse.

There was still more to take...