N-A-A Chapter 19 Ju-on 5
Chapter 19 Ju-on 5
The Buddhist scriptures dimmed, the protection vanished, and the suppressed resentment inside and outside the stronghold surged forth like a raging tide after its initial receding. Having lost the crucial point of "Shikong," the remaining four vengeful spirits not only failed to retreat but, fueled by the boiling resentment of the haunted house in the distance, became even more violent and twisted. They no longer lingered but began to frantically attack the stronghold! Each impact caused the reinforced doors and windows to tremble violently, groaning under the strain. The black handprints that had just faded on the walls reappeared, denser and clearer than before, as if countless unseen ghosts were trying to squeeze out from within.
"Although the fifth wave of attacks was interrupted, the overall backlash of resentment is even more intense!" Chu Xuan analyzed quickly, his voice still steady but his pace faster. "The sixth wave of attacks—possession and control—could begin at any moment! Everyone keep your distance and pay attention to any abnormalities in those around you! If you notice anything unusual in their eyes, tone of voice, or behavior, immediately raise the alarm and subdue them! Wang Lin, will your contractual binding force be effective against possession?"
Wang Lin struggled to sit up, his head throbbing from the exhaustion of his mental energy, but he forced himself to answer: "The contract binds the signatory's 'self-awareness' and 'behavior.' If one is completely possessed, and their self-awareness is suppressed or replaced, the contract may become invalid. But if it is only a preliminary erosion or interference, the 'cost of violating' the contract may have some effect of resistance or warning."
"Then keep a constant sense of the contract status! Zhan Lan, use your mental scan to focus on team members with abnormal mental fluctuations! Zheng Zha, Zhang Jie, and Ling Dian, you are responsible for using force to suppress those who may be possessed, but try to leave them alive! Ba Wang and Li Shuaixi, protect the newcomers, and be vigilant about yourselves!" Chu Xuan's instructions were clear and ruthless.
No sooner had he finished speaking than a strange thing happened!
First, the young woman who had been silent among the newcomers suddenly raised her head, her eyes becoming vacant, a strange smile spreading across her lips, and a malicious, childlike giggle emanating from her throat. She then lunged at another newcomer beside her—the blond-haired youth!
"Hold her down!" Zheng Zha reacted the fastest, stepping forward to grab the girl's shoulder. But the girl's strength was astonishing; with a backhand swing, she flung the unsuspecting Zheng Zha half a step away! At the same time, she opened her mouth, and a stream of black gas spewed out, heading straight for the blond-haired man's face!
"Watch out!" Wang Lin shouted sharply, simultaneously concentrating his remaining mental energy to activate the contract paper. The contracts he signed with all his team members (including the newcomers) included a clause prohibiting them from attacking teammates. At this moment, he clearly sensed the girl emanating a violent "violation" of the contract!
An invisible backlash struck! The girl's movements froze abruptly, and most of the black mist she had exhaled dissipated. The blond-haired man scrambled away in terror.
"Now!" Zhang Jie flashed behind the girl, delivering a precise chop to her neck. The girl's eyes rolled back, and she collapsed to the ground. The black aura around her hadn't completely dissipated; it was still writhing and struggling, trying to regain control.
"Kayako is attempting to possess and control her most vulnerable target!" Chu Xuan said coldly. "This is just the beginning, Zhan Lan!"
Zhan Lan's silver forehead gleamed brightly, and her invisible spiritual power transformed into delicate chains, wrapping around the remaining black energy on the girl's body, attempting to peel it off or dispel it. However, the black energy was extremely stubborn, almost entangled with the girl's spiritual power.
At the same time, the temperature inside the stronghold plummeted, and breath turned to ice. Countless pale arms, like plants, sprouted from the walls, floors, and ceilings, frantically reaching out to the group! These arms were icy cold, and touching them not only caused physical harm but also sent a chilling and malevolent mental shock straight to the soul!
The sixth wave of attacks—possession control and the physical ghost hand—unleash simultaneously!
"Fire! Don't let these ghostly hands touch you!" Overlord roared, his heavy machine gun spitting fire, sending the ghostly hands that were grabbing at him flying into a spray of fluids (although they were spirits, they seemed to be able to be damaged by attacks containing intent or energy). Li Shuaixi's blade flashed, severing several arms. Zero calmly fired in short bursts, each shot precisely hitting the "joints" or "source" of the ghostly hands, causing them to disintegrate.
But the number of ghostly hands was too great, seemingly endless. Even more terrifying, the possession and control hadn't stopped!
The girl who had been knocked unconscious suddenly opened her eyes again, her gaze filled with venom, and she let out an inhuman roar. Her strength surged once more, and she actually broke free from Zhan Lan's mental restraints and the sedative that Chu Xuan had temporarily injected. She landed on all fours and pounced on Li Shuaixi, who was resisting the ghost hand, like a wild beast!
"She's completely under his control!" Chu Xuan judged. "Suppress her! If we can't break free of the possession... kill her if necessary!"
Zheng Zha's eyes flashed, and his vampire energy and inner strength erupted simultaneously, increasing his speed dramatically. He punched the girl in the side! The girl flew out like a broken sack, crashing into the wall, spitting out blood mixed with black energy. She struggled a few times, then lay still. But the black energy on her body did not completely dissipate; instead, it became even denser, seemingly brewing for another counterattack.
The other two newcomers, including the blond guy, also began to have unfocused eyes and their bodies started to twitch unnaturally.
"Damn it! This is never going to end!" Overlord roared as he fired at the ghost hand.
Wang Lin gritted his teeth. He felt the contract paper slightly warm, and the invisible connection between him and his teammates was being eroded and disrupted by a powerful force of resentment. He concentrated, trying to convey the ideas of "clarity" and "perseverance" through the contract, while shouting, "Recite any righteous sentences you can remember! Poems, scriptures, slogans, anything! Concentrate, recall what you cherish most! Don't let resentment devour your consciousness!"
Upon hearing this, Zheng Zha shattered the ghost hand with his fist while roaring, "The righteous energy of heaven and earth manifests in various forms! Below, it becomes rivers and mountains; above, it becomes the sun and stars!" His voice was like a booming bell, carrying a chilling aura, and the surrounding ghost hands seemed to pause for a moment.
Zhang Jie was chanting something in a low voice, his voice indistinct but with a peculiar rhythm. The ghostly hand near him inexplicably dissipated the fastest.
Zero remained silent, his eyes sharp as an eagle's, each shot carrying absolute calm and killing intent, as if he himself were the anchor point against the chaos.
Zhan Lan unleashed her full mental power, transforming it into an invisible shield that enveloped herself and her nearby teammates, barely resisting the mental erosion.
Chu Xuan used an energy disruptor (a simplified version he had made earlier) to weaken the gathering of the demon hand while quickly analyzing: "Possession prioritizes those with weak wills and low mental strength. The demon hand's attack is a dual physical and mental assault, designed to create panic and exhaustion. Kayako's true form's resentment is continuously applying pressure through these methods, searching for a breakthrough. We must find a way to counterattack; passive defense will eventually wear us down."
"Counterattack? The Buddhist scriptures have no energy left!" Li Shuaixi said, severing several ghostly hands with a single stroke, panting heavily.
"Buddhist scriptures are merely tools." Chu Xuan looked at Wang Lin. "Contracts, rules... Wang Lin, besides their binding force, can your contract 'borrow' power? For example, can it temporarily borrow a portion of the signatory's power and concentrate it?"
Wang Lin was taken aback, then a flash of inspiration struck him! The core of the Contract Paper is "agreement" and "rules." It doesn't possess power itself, but it can restrain and guide power! Perhaps... it really can!
"I'll give it a try!" Ignoring the stinging pain of his depleted mental energy, Wang Lin focused all his attention on the contract paper in his arms. He no longer tried to resist the possession by transmitting his thoughts, but instead attempted to construct a temporary, one-way "power channel" through the invisible connection of the contract, with his target being himself!
He "saw" the dots of light connected to the contract network (representing the signatories), and he tried to "gently touch" these connections to convey a clear and simple "request": "Willing to lend a bit of strength to fight against foreign enemies."
This request must be voluntary, otherwise it is invalid. But at this critical moment of life and death, for the purpose of fighting a common enemy and protecting oneself, such "voluntary" consent is easily obtained!
First was Zheng Zha. He felt a faint suction force coming from the darkness and, without hesitation, sent a wisp of vampire energy and internal energy through it.
Next was Zhan Lan, who separated a wisp of pure spiritual energy.
At midnight, a chilling killing intent and focused concentration were sent out.
What Ba Wang and Li Shuaixi sent out was pure fighting spirit and bloodlust.
Zhang Jie... Wang Lin felt a dark, powerful but impure energy flow surging towards him, and he did not refuse it.
Even the two newcomers who were being possessed and corrupted managed to squeeze out a tiny bit of power due to their survival instincts and the remaining constraints of the contract.
All these forces, varying in nature and strength, converged on Wang Lin through the mysterious network of rules on the contract paper!
Wang Lin groaned, feeling as if his body was about to burst! Various chaotic energies collided within him. He didn't have time to carefully harmonize them, so he could only rely on his initial control over the contract paper to forcibly combine these forces together, transforming them into a chaotic yet powerful "impact." This impact, along with the weak connection between the contract paper and the external resentment field, was unleashed in the opposite direction!
There was no light, no loud noise. But centered on Wang Lin, an invisible wave, carrying the collective will of everyone, suddenly spread out!
Om-!
A deep, rumbling sound seemed to echo in the air. The wildly growing ghostly hands seemed to be paused, then shattered and dissipated inch by inch! The black energy that was trying to possess the newcomers seemed to have met its nemesis, screaming as it was forced out of their bodies, twisting and turning into nothingness in the air! Even the four vengeful spirits that were frantically attacking outside the window let out painful howls, their forms fading again as they retreated dozens of meters!
The sixth wave of attacks was temporarily repelled by this strike that combined the will of everyone!
"Cough cough..." Wang Lin spat out a mouthful of blood, his face as pale as paper, and his body swayed precariously. Forcibly guiding and unleashing such a mixed power was a huge burden on his mind and body, and the contract paper had also dimmed considerably, seemingly due to a great deal of consumption.
"Wang Lin!" Zheng Zha helped him up.
"I'm alright..." Wang Lin gasped for breath, "I can only... buy some time... the seventh wave... is coming..."
As if to confirm his words, the resentment in the night sky outside the stronghold suddenly contracted, then surged back towards the haunted house! The entire sky seemed to darken, leaving only the location of the haunted house, where an intense darkness, so dense it seemed to devour even light, was gathering and expanding!
A deathly silence enveloped the world. Even the sound of the wind had vanished.
Then, that ultimate darkness suddenly exploded!
There was no sound, but everyone's soul trembled at that moment! Their vision was filled with endless darkness, and the wails and curses of millions of dead souls echoed in their ears! Coldness, despair, hatred, pain... all sorts of negative emotions crashed against everyone's mental defenses like a tsunami!
The seventh wave of attack—Kayako's ultimate vengeance erupts! This is the complete manifestation of the power of Ju-on, a pure and indiscriminate torrent of spiritual destruction!
"Guard your mind!" Chu Xuan roared through the mental link, but his own voice trembled. The mental barrier and energy jammer he had set up beforehand crumbled like paper in the face of this torrent!
Zhan Lan screamed, blood gushing from her seven orifices, her mental shield collapsing instantly, and she fainted. The two newcomers' eyes rolled back, foaming at the mouth, convulsing and losing consciousness. Ba Wang and Li Shuaixi knelt on the ground, clutching their heads, letting out painful roars. Lingdian gritted his teeth, blood seeping from his gums, stubbornly fighting against the illusions and noises in his mind. Zhang Jie groaned, his breathing fluctuating, his eyes sometimes clear and sometimes confused.
Zheng Zha's eyes were bloodshot, and his vampire energy and internal energy were circulating wildly, forming a red and white halo on his body, desperately resisting the impact of the resentment, but the halo was also rapidly dimming.
Wang Lin's consciousness was almost fading; the backlash from the contract and the mental shock from the outside world brought him to the brink of collapse. But the dim Buddhist scripture in his arms, amidst this torrent of resentment in the extreme darkness, actually emitted a faint light once more! It wasn't the golden light that had been actively activated before, but a gentle, steadfast light originating from the scripture itself, like a candle in the wind, yet stubbornly unextinguished.
This faint light acted as a reassurance, allowing Wang Lin to maintain his last shred of clarity. He looked at Chu Xuan, who was also struggling to stay afloat.
Chu Xuan also saw the faint light of the Buddhist scriptures. His eyes behind his glasses were bloodshot, yet they gleamed with a frantic, calculating light. He suddenly shouted, "Wang Lin! The contract! Guide... guide everyone's 'will to live'! Counteract resentment! The essence of resentment is the obsession with 'death,' counteract it with the will to 'live'!"
Wang Lin instantly understood! He communicated with the contract paper again, this time not to borrow power, but to convey a most primal and fundamental thought—"Live!"
Through the contract, he unreservedly passed on his remaining belief in "survival" under the faint light of Buddhist scriptures. Together with Zheng Zha's protection, Lingdian's calmness, Bawang's bravery, Li Shuaixi's unwillingness, Zhan Lan's tenacity, even Zhang Jie's complex and incomprehensible obsession, and Chu Xuan's absolutely rational belief in "maximizing survival efficiency"... all the desire for "life" in the hearts of those who signed the contract were faintly resonated, amplified, and connected by the contract paper at this moment!
This is not power, but a resonance of wills and a convergence of beliefs!
An invisible spiritual barrier, centered on Wang Lin and the faint light of Buddhist scriptures, and bound by a contract, unfolds among the people! It is thin, yet resilient; it is small, yet carries an indomitable vitality!
Kayako's destructive torrent of resentment crashed against this thin barrier of will, like a raging wave crashing against a reef! The barrier trembled violently, as if it would shatter at any moment, and Wang Lin coughed up blood repeatedly, but he held on tightly, and the faint light of the Buddhist scriptures in his arms seemed to brighten slightly.
Zheng Zha roared, channeling his last strength into the barrier. Lingdian gritted his teeth, channeling all his remaining calm and focus into his defenses. Bawang and Li Shuaixi let out beast-like roars. The unconscious Zhan Lan seemed to sense something as well, her brow twitching slightly.
Zhang Jie looked at Wang Lin with a complicated expression, and finally, he silently injected a force (or rather, an obsession with "existence") into the barrier.
Chu Xuan quickly operated several inconspicuous small devices—these were rudimentary, disposable mental amplifiers he had made with leftover materials. Now, disregarding the risk of overload, he activated them all, amplifying the fragile resonance of will!
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
Time seemed to stretch on endlessly amidst the extreme pain.
Finally, the boundless torrent of dark resentment seemed to have reached a peak and began to slowly weaken and recede.
Like the tide, it comes quickly and goes quickly.
As the last vestige of suffocating resentment dissipated, the sky once again revealed its dim starlight (though still shrouded in resentment, it was no longer pure darkness). The stronghold was a scene of utter devastation; everyone collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted.
The faint light of the Buddhist scripture in Wang Lin's arms went out completely, and the pages became even more gray and lifeless, as if they might turn to ashes at any moment. The contract paper also lost all its luster, becoming just an ordinary piece of paper with slight scorch marks.
But they pulled through.
[Survive for seven days, mission complete.]
[By surviving the ultimate attack of the Ju-on source (Kayako), the hidden quest is complete.]
Teamwork rating: Excellent.
[Slay/severely damage the Curse-Inspired Derivative (Pseudo-West Sea Team), bonus reward calculation in progress...]
[Returning to the Main God Space in thirty seconds.]
The cold, ethereal voice of the Supreme God echoed in everyone's minds, like heavenly music.
"It's... over?" The Overlord collapsed to the ground, muttering in disbelief.
Zheng Zha struggled to his feet and looked out the window. The haunted house still stood in the darkness, but the overwhelming resentment that enveloped it seemed to have subsided considerably; at least it no longer gave off that overwhelming sense of oppression. The four remaining vengeful spirits had also vanished.
"It's over." Chu Xuan leaned against the wall to stand up, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. Despite his disheveled appearance, his eyes remained calm. "We survived."
Wang Lin lay on the ground, looking at the dull contract paper and Buddhist scriptures in his hands, and revealed a tired but relieved smile.
They survived the seven waves of attacks from the Curse of the Demon. Was it easier than the original story? Perhaps, but only those who experienced it firsthand truly know the dangers and hardships involved.
Relying on Buddhist scriptures, contracts, the team's will, and a bit of luck, they managed to get through the first gate of hell in this unsolvable horror movie.
The white light began to fall.
Wang Lin closed his eyes, letting the feeling of returning to his roots envelop him.
He knew the next horror movie might be just around the corner. But at least for now, they had a precious respite, and... a hefty reward.
Main God Space, we're back.