The Strongest Curse Master

'Oh, Lord, please don't take this from me too,' the man in the speedo prayed as he watched the giant knight lift its massive sword, the dust swirling around the blade like a sheath.

"No! Don't do it!" he shouted desperately, raising his right hand just as the knight swung the enormous sword down on him, splitting the dust into two, revealing a part of its majestic figure.

"I'm sorry! I have to live... Otherwise, their sacrifice will be for nothing," he muttered, tears streaming down his cheeks. Just inches from his raised wrist—now adorned with a rusted knuckle buster—he channeled his curse energy and detonated it with unknown confidence.

Eyes shut tight, unwilling to witness the end of the majestic creature before him. He never saw what happened next. Unknown to him, the knight's sword swallowed the explosion without pause and continued its descent, crashing down on him with unstoppable force, pounding on the mutant rust worm's host into a roadkill.

The host body of the mutant rust worm was left mangled—bones shattered, organs ruptured. His right hand was reduced to a bloodied pulp, the rusted knuckle buster sandwiched inside it.

"Hehehe..." Despite his caved-in skull and broken jaw, the host managed a faint, gurgled laugh, as the mutant rust worm thought, 'Guess this is as far as I go, buddy…'

Then, the tip of the mud-and-root sword exploded, obliterating the mutant rust worm and its host in a final blast, kicking up more dust.

With a heavy motion, the giant knight swept its round shield, clearing the air of dust. Now fully visible, it stood tall—its body made of thick mud and stone, bound together by intertwined roots, while vibrant green leaves adorned its helmet, forming a living crest.

Spotting a mutant rust worm curse core on the ground, the giant knight began to sink into the earth, leaving behind a massive tree in the center of the charred crater. A moment later, a figure emerged from the tree's trunk, picked up the curse core, and vanished back inside.

[ — Status Screen —

DD: Master, hostiles down. Both of them.

Ace: Hot damn!

Ace: Head back and give me a full report. I can't wait to hear it.

DD: Then I'll update you on the run.

Ace: Go ahead—but make sure you reach the pickup point before more hostiles show up.

DD: Got it. So, I killed the first one by trapping him in a woodroom opened in a dead wood and burying him a couple of miles deep into the crust.

DD: It was tricky, since the cursed wooden cane would've spit him back to the surface due to its safety protocol. So I had to dig a "cozy" space for him and then bury him in it.

DD: As for the other one—he was plain stupid. He exhausted himself before our fight. Still had a few punches left in him, though.

DD: Once again, I used the woodroom to swallow his explosive blasts, then hit him with a several-ton sword made of mud and stone before detonating it with my exploding roots.

DD: You won't believe this, but the fool closed his eyes at the most critical moment of the battle. Honestly, I don't even want credit for that kill. He seemed suicidal from the start.

DD: Anyway, I managed to collect two mutant rust worm curse cores as loot.

Ace: Good job.

DD: Master, I've made it to the pickup point. Let Delores know.

Ace: Alright. Head home safely.]

Before heading to the pickup point, DD went underground to the location where she had buried the other mutant rust worm and its host. By the time she arrived, only the mutant rust worm remained in the "cozy hole" she had dug—the host appeared to have passed away due to a lack of air, and its corpse dissipated into the surroundings.

She then guided the roots using her emotional field to locate the mutated rust worm, commanding them to pierce it to death. Its corpse dissipated, leaving behind a curse core.

After collecting the curse core and the loot she had buried nearby, she rushed to the pickup point through the underground root network.

…

"I was wrong. Your clone made it back," Delores said as she instructed her innate curse tool to return, carrying Ace's clone.

"I told you—it's an extension of my power. You shouldn't have underestimated it," Ace replied, both relieved and proud of what DD had accomplished.

"So, any updates on who the attackers were?" Janice asked.

"It was two mutant rust worms with curse master hosts. My clone killed them both. From what it overheard, they seemed to have been camping outside the town. I think you should have the C.I.B. or your people check the surrounding area. If you're lucky, you might catch the rest of them," Ace said, relaying everything he had learned from DD and advising Janice to organize a sweep of the town's outskirts.

"That would be useless. We've been sweeping the area around the town every six hours. Since we didn't catch them during the regular sweeps, it's clear they have someone with strong and mysterious stealth abilities hiding their camp," Janice explained. "Still, I'll ask the agents and our staff to stay extra alert."

She then paused briefly before assuring Ace, "I'll ask my brother to come and have a look. His abilities might do the trick."

"Thank you," Ace said sincerely, knowing how busy Crimson Eyes was.

"I'm here. My eyes are almost like his. I'll join the next patrol," Elinor volunteered, mostly out of competitiveness toward her cousin Crimson Eyes. She believed her Hundred Eyes ability was no weaker than his Crimson Eyes.

"Sure," Janice agreed, but added, "However, I think you'd be more helpful here. Together, we can lay traps with curse spells capable of crippling even Void-tier enemies."

"I can do both. The patrol will only take an hour or two at most," Elinor said enthusiastically. Janice wanted to reject her, but seeing her ambitious cousin making a return, she decided to let nature take its course.