October 24.
“So basically, you just go swoosh- and then poof-, like that, got it?”
“Ieiri Shoko.”
“Why can’t you do something this simple?”
“Are you a genius, Teacher?”
“Out of nowhere? Thanks for the compliment.”
“That wasn’t a compliment. You’re a genius, so you can’t teach ordinary people! What even is swoosh- and poof-?”
“Wow, that sounds exactly like Gojo.”
October 25.
“Yoshino, do you have a minute?”
“As much as you want. If you need something, just say it.”
“I was hoping you could help with the remaining subjugation.”
“Oh, that. But isn’t a subjugation ritual invalid if someone else takes part?”
“On the plus side, the shikigami won’t be destroyed, and I can summon them again anytime. I can fight you and retry.”
“Okay. So there are definitely four shikigami left....”
“Three.”
“...?”
“Anyway, something like that.”
October 26.
“Any good games for four people?”
“Overcooked! I want to play Overcooked!”
“What do you mean, Overcooked? Let’s play Battlegrounds.”
“If people who can reinforce their cursed energy play a physical game, that’s cheating.”
“Eh, but I wanted to.”
“What about Phasmophobia? I watched some gameplay and it looked fun.”
“That’s a horror game. No way....”
“Let’s just play a board game.”
October 27.
“Found it. Yorozu.”
“What does it say, Satoru?”
“A sorcerer active in the Heian era a thousand years ago. Her technique was a construction technique.... She was recognized for having driven off the Ohechou alone, so she was selected by the Fujiwara clan.”
“That was inside Tsumiki’s body?”
“Did you get her testimony?”
“Her memories before she fell unconscious are fuzzy. The only thing she clearly remembers is a man with a scar on his head.”
“Then that man must be the one spreading the vessels around.”
“I can’t begin to understand the motive for something like that. It’s impossible to make sense of a madman’s thoughts.”
“Are you going to report this to the higher-ups?”
“No. Junpei would be in danger if I did. We don’t even know how many traitors are left, and what if that man is connected to the special-grade vengeful spirit side? Even if he isn’t, those greedy old men wouldn’t care what happened to Junpei and would use him anyway. Worst case, they might even tell him to absorb Sukuna and die.”
“.....Fair point.”
“Even Junpei still seemed like he hadn’t figured out exactly what that power was. Let’s drop this for now.”
“Wanted posters will be going out soon. Mei Mei, ask the overseas contacts for help.”
“Hmm. Understood.”
“A man with a scar on his head. Sukuna’s finger. The Heian era.... I don’t know the exact connection yet, but that man is the key. We need to find and arrest him fast.”
October 28.
Thwack!
“Gah!”
“Junpei’s roundhouse kick is a clean hit!”
“Huff, huff....”
“Ow, ow. I lost.”
“Panda, are you okay?”
“You’ve improved a lot. But I’m the weakest of the Four Heavenly Kings! Can you beat your next opponent, Maki?”
“Good. Bring it on, Junpei!”
“W-wait, let me catch my breath first.....”
Smack!
“Uwaaaah!”
October 29.
“Any progress on tracking the man with the scar on his head?”
“Still slow. We’re only getting yakuza and hangeure types who have nothing to do with jujutsu.”
“There was even some crazy bastard with a tattoo that looked like stitches.”
“Hmm.......”
October 30.
“How’s the Reverse Cursed Technique class going?”
“Oh, that? I quit.”
“What?”
“Ieiri Shoko is terrible at teaching. I think I’d be better off doing it myself.”
“No way.... I trusted her with it, and even Ieiri Shoko.....”
“Heh. Why are you the one looking depressed? It’s not like I expected to learn it easily anyway.”
“I guess... in some ways it’s harder than a Domain.”
“Still, I’m starting to get a little feel for it. Just wait and see. The day I become a noble isn’t far off!”
“I hope so.”
“Tomorrow’s Halloween, right? Think about where we’re going.”
“I’ll escort you properly. You can look forward to it.”
“What are you two talking about so sweetly?”
“Seriously. It’s making me jealous!”
“Wah!”
And then,
October 31.
Halloween.
-----------------------------
Record:
October 31, 2018, 19:00
A [Curtain] was deployed with a radius of about 400 meters centered on Tokyu Department Store, Tokyu Toyoko branch.
-----------------------------
The unprecedented [Curtain] trapped hundreds of thousands of people in Shibuya.
It would take about an hour for the sorcerers waiting at Jujutsu High to mobilize in full.
Judging this to be the result of a collaboration between the special-grade vengeful spirit that had attacked the exchange event and a curse user, Jujutsu High divided its forces, led by first-grade sorcerers.
Zenin squad.
-Zenin Naobito, Zenin Maki, Kugisaki Nobara.
Nanami squad.
-Nanami Kento, Ino Takuma, Fushiguro Megumi.
Kusakabe squad.
-Kusakabe Atsuya, Panda.
Mei Mei squad.
-Mei Mei, Ui Ui.
Yoshino squad.
-Yoshino Junpei, Itadori Yuji.
A message came through to the Yoshino squad, who were waiting near a [Curtain] by the Shibuya Station exit.
They had been looking forward to enjoying the Halloween party, only to be summoned for reasons they didn’t understand.
Now, the situation looked far more serious than they’d imagined.
“What the hell is going on?”
The assistant supervisor they’d never seen before clutched his head as if he had a migraine and kept explaining.
A [Curtain] that trapped only ordinary people.
Communications were cut off, so they had to go outside to make contact.
Ordinary people gathered at the edge of the [Curtain] were all shouting, “Bring Gojo Satoru here!”
And the higher-ups had accepted that demand and ordered Gojo Satoru to pacify Shibuya alone.
“You’re leaving it to Gojo-sensei alone?”
“No matter how strong that guy is, does that even make sense....”
“That’s why the two of you were brought here. There may still be curses that Gojo missed, so once the [Curtain] is entered, we’d like you to engage in battle. Think of it as backup.”
“So when does that happen?”
“After Gojo arrives.”
In other words, when exactly was that supposed to be?
Junpei gnawed at his lip, growing restless.
He hadn’t built up his strength just to waste time like this.
“Sitting around doesn’t suit me....”
“For once, I agree.”
At Yuji’s words, as he stretched with a dissatisfied expression, Junpei nodded—and just then, the assistant supervisor who had been taking a call in the distance came running over with an urgent look.
“Breaking news. A [Curtain] has also been deployed around Meiji-Jingumae, not just Shibuya Station.”
-The closest squad, Mei Mei’s, is already moving, so you need to join them.
Junpei and Yuji exchanged a glance, then without hesitation leaped onto Nue and took off.
----------------------------
At the same time,
Gojo had broken through the Shibuya Station building and arrived at the Fukutoshin Line platform on the fifth basement floor, where he was facing three opponents.
“What is that guy?”
“What are those two talking about....”
“No. There are four of them!”
Ordinary people held hostage were packed tightly all around them.
Their confused screams burst out from everywhere.
‘I don’t know who came up with this plan, but it’s vicious.’
Gojo Satoru was strongest when he was alone.
Here, with ordinary people everywhere around him, he couldn’t bring out his full power. If he unleashed his technique, the fragile civilians would be crushed like jerky.
He wasn’t the type to feel much guilt over killing people, but he was still a sorcerer. He had to move on the premise of minimizing casualties.
“If you lose after all this, you won’t even have an excuse.”
“Shouldn’t you be the one preparing your first excuse for when you lose?”
The volcanic-headed bastard was grinning with a face Gojo hated.
He’d already seen that one before, so fine.
Beside him stood a young man with a bizarre hairstyle tied into twin tails, and a curse spirit that looked like an octopus.
“That octopus is new to me.”
“I’m Dagon. Don’t call me an octopus, human. We have names too.”
“Yes, yes, of course you do.”
Gojo’s mocking tone seemed to irritate Dagon, whose skin reddened even more.
“Let’s see if you can stay that relaxed after this!”
“Start it, Dagon!”
At Jogo’s signal, Dagon formed hand signs, and water surged up behind the people beyond the ticket gates, driving them forward.
“Aaaah!”
“Water...?”
“What is this!”
“Don’t push!”
As people spilled onto the tracks where only the four of them had been standing, the area turned into chaos.
Some were drenched and rolling across the floor, some were scrambling to climb back up onto the tracks, and in the middle of it all there were even people shoving others aside just to save themselves.
The rising water stopped at ankle depth around Gojo, but while his attention was drawn, the curses moved.
Thud!
Thud-thud-thud!
“Crimson Blood Manipulation, [Purification].”
Burn, crush, pierce.
The ordinary people around Gojo were killed in an instant before they could even scream.
As the surviving civilians fled from Gojo, Dagon and Jogo quickly slipped into the opening that was exposed.
Halt
The thrown punch lost its force as it was blocked by the [Limitless] wrapped around Gojo’s body.
If things continued like this, they’d end up slaughtering only ordinary people while never even touching Gojo, then die for nothing. The curses didn’t have much time left.
Once Gojo judged that the range of civilians he could protect was beyond his ability, or if too many people died, he would reveal his true colors and wipe out the entire area.
And yet Jogo still had that sneering smile on his face.
‘A Domain.’
“Simple Domain.”
A strange aura covered Jogo and Dagon’s bodies, neutralizing the [Limitless].
The technique surrounding Gojo’s body flowed into the empty space created by the Simple Domain, leaving a gap behind.
And just as the fist suspended in the air regained its force and was about to slam into Gojo—
Whoosh
Gojo evaded it with the superhuman dynamic vision of his [Six Eyes].
“That was....”
His first dodge.
The [Limitless], which allowed nothing to approach, had been released—no, neutralized.
‘It’s a principle similar to a simple domain. Like water... if that’s the case, then attacks should land on my body too.’
“I told you not to run, didn’t I? Do I have to make you understand it this way?”
Now looking smug, Jogo cleanly ripped the head off the man standing blankly beside him and let it roll away.
As for the octopus beside him, Gojo couldn’t tell what the hell it was thinking.
It was fighting seriously enough, but it felt distracted, like its mind was elsewhere.
Splash.
“Tch.”
The same went for the guy firing blood from afar.
That one actually seemed less motivated than the octopus.
“Fine.”
He didn’t like any of it.
Not the fact that they thought they could win with such cheap tricks.... not the slack-jawed state of mind that had them paying attention to something else while facing him.... not the way they slaughtered people like insects and monitored his every reaction.
This was a challenge to Gojo Satoru as a person.
It was a direct provocation to his strength and his ethics.
“Hey, volcano head.”
“Planning to make excuses already?”
“I’ll kill you first.”
Gojo Satoru was genuinely furious.
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