In the mist-shrouded world, everything was silent. Only the occasional gentle breeze stirred the air, subtly awakening Sōjun Minamoto's sense of space and making him aware of his surroundings.
Ultimately, the reason a soul feels at home in such a place is because it shares the same nature as this world—an overwhelming sense of nothingness.
Even perception itself felt vague and elusive, like a derailed train veering off to who knows where.
Sōjun Minamoto walked barefoot along the path, his footsteps light and soundless.
Here, unlike the outside world where he merely floated in midair, he could step on the fog as if it were solid ground.
Of course, floating was still possible. But for now, he needed to truly feel the composition of the mist. That required deeper contact. The fog sank downwards—the deeper he went, the denser it became, and the clearer his perception grew.
Each of his steps was cautious and unhurried.
Behind him, the massive Mahoraga followed closely, its heavy footsteps scattering swaths of fog, stirring whirlpools in its wake, and leaving deep, distinct prints on the ground.
After a few steps, even its footsteps grew lighter.
"The earth is real."
Sōjun Minamoto glanced at the spot where the footprint had briefly appeared white before being swallowed again by the mist.
"Though the color's off," he noted to himself.
On the path toward that "lifeform," he was simultaneously analyzing and adapting to the gray mist.
He still wanted to enter fully intact—with soul, flesh, and Cursed Energy together.
That's why he had taken over Mahoraga and brought it along.
With the support of his soul form and Mahoraga's physical presence, his adaptability could truly kick in, vastly accelerating his analysis of the mist.
Understanding the fog was the key to unlocking the nature of this unworldly realm.
At that moment, the wheel behind Mahoraga's head spun rapidly, emitting a sharp "ssssssss" that pierced the quiet of the fog, the only sound in the stillness and all the more jarring because of it.
Meanwhile, outside...
The Mahoraga pattern on Sōjun Minamoto's body was also glowing faintly.
Both were operating at full capacity.
Still unsatisfied, he gave the thought a push—Mahoraga sat down cross-legged, and Sōjun Minamoto came to a halt, standing quietly beside it.
"Sssssss—"
The sound intensified, stirring tendrils of gray mist into motion.
Soon, Sōjun Minamoto tried opening the Star Eyes. This time, he could directly see where the "lifeform" was located.
It was a humanoid god-form...
The Star Eyes had begun to adapt, evolving the ability to pierce through the gray mist.
He looked up, eyes scanning past layer upon layer of haze, reaching ever higher—but all he could see was still gray.
"Is the whole world covered in mist?"
Sōjun Minamoto raised his eyebrows slightly.
After a moment of silence, he left Mahoraga behind and suddenly shot upward, soaring higher and higher, accelerating as he ascended.
He didn't know how long it had been when he first caught sight of a color other than gray—black. It was the third color he had discovered in this world.
Pushing his speed further, he eventually burst through the fog, his upper body breaking free, and overhead appeared a pitch-black dome...
"White ground, black sky?" Sōjun Minamoto murmured, thoughtful.
He rose even higher until he stood completely above the fog. The sensation was entirely different from being within it.
Now, the sky and earth were clear—no longer obscured.
He scanned the horizon. His vision stretched far, and soon he spotted the edge of the world.
It didn't seem very large.
Above the fog, he felt a faint chill. With that came a sense of temperature, along with an intuitive grasp of direction and orientation.
He stood there silently for a moment.
Then, a sudden realization struck. Through synchronization with his clone outside, he discovered the flow of time was different here—
Half a day had already passed outside... precisely 12 hours.
He had been counting the rhythm of his soul's pulses to track the time. So he was certain—only about an hour had passed since he arrived. The margin of error would be no more than milliseconds.
Realizing this brought a sharp mental dissonance. In the next instant, he threw all of it at the clone outside.
Sōjun Minamoto dropped back down to the ground...
"Sss~ sss~ crack."
The wheel gradually came to a halt, eventually falling silent. Mahoraga slowly stood up, having barely adjusted to the mist-filled environment.
The sky-blue glow on Sōjun Minamoto's body—representing his soul—faded, returning to its normal form.
He paused to assess the change. It felt as though even his soul was now shrouded in mist, though the effect had diminished enough to support this exploration. Full adaptation would take time.
And in the outside world, "time" would stretch unusually long.
But Sōjun Minamoto didn't push for immediate results—there was no need to explore everything in one go.
He continued on toward the target "lifeform," Mahoraga following close behind.
This time, their pace was brisk, and they soon arrived nearby.
As expected, the being was asleep. Although this one was chosen as the strongest among them, it still didn't surpass Mahoraga's power.
In Sōjun Minamoto's perception—within this realm—Mahoraga remained the strongest.
And if even Mahoraga had fallen into slumber, it was only natural the others would too.
Sōjun Minamoto approached. This one, too, was a Shikigami. Humanoid in form, it stood at the same tier as Mahoraga, though slightly less powerful.
He observed it carefully and soon noticed a key difference.
Mahoraga's body was composed of flesh and blood. This god general, however, was not. Its bluish form was infused with soul matter.
Roughly a 30-70 ratio of soul to flesh had created a complete body.
Moreover, this god general had no Cursed Energy.
In fact, after entering this space, even Mahoraga's internal Cursed Energy had become inert, disconnected from the external world.
Which meant that until Sōjun Minamoto entered—and used his Cursed Energy—no curses had existed here.
That realization sparked a few thoughts.
Just then, the god general's body trembled slightly—signs of waking. Even Mahoraga hadn't managed that.
Sōjun Minamoto extended a hand, pressing a finger gently to its forehead to stabilize it.
"Must be because of the difference in body composition. One leans more toward soul, the other is pure flesh," he mused.
Clearly, souls adapted better to this world. In that sense, calling it the "Shikigami Realm" didn't quite fit—"Soul Realm" would be more accurate.
And if it suited souls, it must also suit curses. After all, emotions are part of the soul—and curses are born from emotion.
Sōjun Minamoto looked out into the distance. Though no curses existed here yet, Cursed Energy should still be usable.
He turned his gaze back to the god general. A hunger stirred within his soul.
But… devouring it would inevitably require the use of Cursed Energy.
He hesitated.
Should he use it?
Curses were contagious. Once introduced, they would reshape this world—just as the first cell had changed the primordial ocean of life.
The first curse would almost certainly lead to more... and soon, this place would begin to mirror the modern world.
Would curses be allowed to rise here as well?
Sōjun Minamoto pondered.
The fact that both he and Mahoraga's clone could enter together suggested this place wasn't governed by the balance mechanism.
Otherwise, he would've already sensed the world's rejection.
With that thought, Mahoraga stepped forward, merging with him. Their bodies overlapped, and their combined Cursed Energy surged past the limits of the outer world.
He looked up at the sky.
Waited a moment.
Nothing unusual appeared above. Sōjun Minamoto smiled slightly.
So this realm truly wasn't under the balance mechanism's control.
And if that was the case, then curses shouldn't be allowed to hold sway here.
A new idea sparked.
A flicker of blue light shimmered at his fingertip—the color of positive Cursed Energy.
He pressed the glowing point to the god general's brow. The light spread outward, eventually enveloping the figure and compressing into a small swirling sphere of blue.
Sōjun Minamoto tossed it into the air, caught it, then popped it into his mouth and swallowed. His soul visibly solidified.
He nodded in satisfaction.
As soon as the blue light appeared, the surrounding mist began to scatter. Even the few strands of stray light started to spread, like a drop of ink falling into an ocean—brief, but profound.
It didn't vanish. It simply thinned out, so fine it became invisible to the naked eye.
But Sōjun Minamoto could see it. And so could the mist.
The thinner the blue light, the wider its reach. The gray fog recoiled, drifting upward, while the ground below revealed its true, pure-white form.
The mist began to churn and boil. The entire world trembled.
In the next moment, the heavens and earth flipped. The mist that once smothered the world surged skyward.
The land cleared.
Light returned.
Everything—near, far, and in between—came into focus.
Sōjun Minamoto stood on solid black ground. Above, the white dome gleamed through the thinning fog. Warm, soft light poured down onto the earth.
A smile unconsciously curved his lips.
A world of curses held no appeal. Better to turn it into a world of blessings...
In his perception, time had reversed. One minute outside now equaled two hours inside.
He made a mental note of it.
The blue light continued spreading. It would become the origin point, slowly fusing with this realm. What it would eventually produce, even Sōjun Minamoto couldn't say.
But he didn't linger on the thought—there was something more pressing to do.
Those Shikigami that had fallen asleep were beginning to stir. Some were already unconsciously damaging their surroundings with their power.
He would devour them all...
This world now belonged to him—first come, first served.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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