Summary:
Naoya evolved into a much more powerful vengeful curse. Maki and Noritoshi continue to combine their powers, but Naoya’s ever-increasing speed and strength present a challenge, even if they may not even match them.
Plot:
After sending Noritoshi flying, Naoya notices that his hand is burned. He praises Noritoshi for nullifying his strike and proving that he has the strength of a clan head. Noritoshi crashed into the gate and his bow was broken by the impact, but his body is mostly unharmed. However, if he didn’t block the blow with blood, Noritoshi’s head and arms would be destroyed by Naoya’s attack. Aware of this, Noritoshi decides to step up his game and activate Flowing Red Scale.
Naoya rushes to Noritoshi and Maki intercepts him. She slashes Noaya with Split Soul Katana and then Noritoshi restrains him with Crimson Binding. Maki tries another slash, but Naoya spins at high speed to deflect the blade. Maki reveals to Noritoshi that their opponent is Naoya Zenin, and Noritoshi is surprised that Naoya kept so much of his ego as a curse. He compares Naoya to Rice, who acts much more like a normal cursed spirit. Maki adds that Naoya can still use his cursed technique, and Noritoshi realizes that he’s been using Projection Sorcery all along.
Using the aforementioned technique, Naoya freezes the air into animation frames and then punches them to create an explosion that blows his opponent’s back. This allows Naoy to dash between them and fly into the air. Noritoshi asks if Naoya is running, but Naoya says it’s more likely that he’s speeding up. Knowing that Naoya will attack them once he reaches full speed, Maki believes they can set up an attack and wait for Naoya to run into him, the same strategy she used to defeat him before.
Naoya’s body appendages retract into his shell as he picks up speed and draws air into the hole on his back. It is supersonic and shatters any structures it passes, repeatedly zooming in in a circular motion to create centrifugal force. Naoya’s body uses thrust pressure and cursed energy to compress and expel air to increase its propulsion. Moving at more than three times the speed of sound, Naoya rips through the area around Maki with her approach, slamming into her before she could react.
Maki’s body is smashed into the ground by the impact at high speed. She fails to stop Naoyi’s attack and is badly injured, bleeding profusely from the mouth. Naoya triumphantly stands over Maki and mocks her for being weak, saying that he can’t believe he ever lost to her.