21:56.
Shibuya.
Boom!
Yuji’s full-force strike slammed into the Curtain.
His bare-handed strength, amplified by cursed energy, became power beyond imagination.
The shockwave even rippled through the nearby ground.
“No good. It isn’t budging at all.”
“W-Well, that’s pretty decent power.”
“What the hell... This guy. If we’re talking pure impact, isn’t he on Nanami Kento’s level?”
Normally, a Curtain would have a hole punched through it somewhere.
That was because the foundation of barrier techniques in modern jujutsu leaned more toward “confinement” than “sealing.”
Even if its purpose was to keep outsiders out, no matter how skilled the user was, this absurd level of durability was hard to explain.
“It’s a remarkably sturdy Curtain. We’ll have to find some weak point and punch a hole in it for even a second. We can’t do anything unless we get inside.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Why? Because this is a Curtain that doesn’t let sorcerers in. In other words, it’s a barrier. In cases like this, the one who set the Curtain is supposed to be inside it.”
“But in Harajuku, it was the opposite. The one guarding the Curtain was outside.”
“...?”
“Mei Mei said the barrier technique was already embedded in the foundation of this Curtain, so all someone had to do was pour cursed energy into it.”
“So this is the Curtain’s foundation...!”
Yuji didn’t know much about barrier techniques, and he’d only recently stepped into the world of jujutsu, so he didn’t think much of it. But Ino and Megumi were different.
What Yuji had described was a complete violation of the basics of barrier technique. It was a bizarre structure that couldn’t be found anywhere in modern practice.
The two of them put on serious expressions and started wondering what in the world was going on, and soon arrived at the answer.
“I see. Instead of surrounding yourself with the Curtain, you raise its durability by staying outside and accepting the risk of being found.... That explains why it didn’t break from Itadori’s strike earlier.”
“If that’s the logic, then wouldn’t the Curtain’s foundation be in a pretty conspicuous place?”
“So they’re taking on a greater risk of being spotted in exchange for maximizing the strength.”
“A conspicuous... place.....”
There weren’t many places in the city center that would stand out. The area was packed with buildings.
But what about a landmark people could see often?
And if it was an open rooftop with a wide, unobstructed view in every direction?
The three of them looked toward one place.
The tallest building in the area.
Shibuya’s C Tower.
-------------------------------
21:59.
Shibuya C Tower helipad.
“I wonder if the sorcerers will notice. Inside this ‘Curtain,’ this has to be the most conspicuous spot, right?”
“Probably.”
The place where the curse users dispatched to guard the foundation of the commissioned Curtain were lurking.
Bathed in the cold night wind, the old man Awasaka Jiro spread his arms with obvious pleasure. He liked this situation very much.
He’d heard that Gojo Satoru had been sealed. With the balance restored, he could proudly say he was freer than anyone else.
And the same must have been true for that old hag Ogami beside him.
“But even if they notice, it won’t matter.”
“That’s right. The lower floors are swarming with modified humans. They won’t be able to come up right away.”
Well, if they did come up, that would be fun too—
Swish!
Before Awasaka could even finish his thought, a monstrous bird appeared before their eyes.
It was Nue, summoned by Megumi. Riding on top of it were Ino Takuma and Itadori Yuji.
The two jumped down from Nue and headed in different directions.
Whir!
One end of the wire Yuji held was tied to Nue’s foot.
The taut wire swept through the curse users and tried to drag them off the building.
Thanks to her “grandson” throwing himself in the way to protect her, Ogami managed to escape the wire’s range, but Awasaka, who was closest to him, was knocked into the air by the wire’s recoil.
“These kids... do they know about the commissioned Curtain?”
“Good! This is going according to plan!”
The goal was, above all else, to dismantle the Curtain.
As long as the foundation of the commissioned Curtain was destroyed, dealing with the curse users could be postponed.
While Yuji’s wire swept across the battlefield, Ino ran in the other direction and found the foundation embedded in the ground.
That’s the end of it—thinking that, Ino kicked the Curtain’s foundation and broke it, only to notice two more holes right beside it.
“There were three of them!”
The Curtain still hadn’t lifted.
Then the one holding the others must be.....!
“That won’t do.”
It was Awasaka, still flying through the air.
In that brief instant, the curse user had shown enough reflexes to snatch up the two foundations within reach.
Kraaaak!
“Whoa!”
Awasaka, who had been grinning smugly, was soon wrapped up in the wire and sent crashing down beneath the building.
“Fushiguro! Release Nue!”
Clang
From the voices coming from below, it didn’t seem like the situation was all that bad.
If they left it to those two that Nanami had acknowledged as excellent students, they’d handle it on their own.
The enemy’s forces were split in half.
Now his job was clear.
“I’ve even got a cute junior now. Time to shine, and I should probably start—”
Kill the curse user in front of him quickly, then join the others.
Remembering once more the principles he’d learned from his mentor Nanami, Ino, mask pulled over his face, grinned.
“I’m going to become a grade 1 sorcerer.”
He defined himself based on facts.
There was no arrogance.
Meanwhile, on the road on the first floor beneath Shibuya C Tower.
Megumi shouted at Awasaka, who had fallen and then lain motionless.
“Quit pretending to be dead and get up, you raccoon old man!”
“Honestly. Young people should take care of their elders.”
He hadn’t seen the moment he hit the ground, and even after falling from the 41st floor, the body was far too intact.
As if Megumi’s suspicion had been right, Awasaka got up laughing as though nothing had happened and cracked his neck from side to side.
“Don’t drag this out.”
“Won’t take long.”
Itadori Yuji and Fushiguro Megumi versus Awasaka Jiro.
Ino Takuma versus Ogami and her grandson.
The battle to open the road to Shibuya had begun.
-------------------------------
Pow!
Yuji’s straight punch slammed into Awasaka’s solar plexus.
Thwack!
Divine Dogs’ claws raked across Awasaka’s face.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
With his arms pinned to keep him from moving, the two of them beat Awasaka’s entire body down.
Whether he was taking the hits or simply couldn’t keep up with their speed, his resistance wasn’t much of a threat.
The sword and fists, whipping through the air at high speed, crushed his jaw, throat, liver, and throat again, tearing his body apart.
“Hmm....”
-That’s what I thought.
Until they saw Awasaka standing there with not a single bit of damage on him.
Whoosh!
While they were frozen by the shocking sight of him standing firm after such a relentless beating, Awasaka’s counterattack came flying in.
Yuji hurriedly pulled back, but a thin line was carved across his abdomen and fresh blood sprayed out.
“Itadori!”
Boom!
Megumi’s Divine Dogs on the other side grabbed Awasaka by the head and hurled him into the fence, but that still failed to land a meaningful hit.
“I’m fine! It just nicked the skin!”
“Heh. He’s lively, lively. Promising. This is going to be fun to kill.”
Awasaka, who had slammed into the wall hard enough to crack it, got up as if nothing had happened and spun his blade around with a cackle.
His absurd toughness left the two of them feeling drained.
They’d gone in with the resolve to hit him as hard as they could, even if it killed them.
Divine Dogs’ claws could even work on special grades.
And yet, there was no damage.
“You said it wouldn’t take long?”
“.....”
“What. You’re not coming? Then I’ll come to you.”
Awasaka rushed in, and Yuji and Megumi set their stances.
The three collided once more.
Awasaka took Yuji’s right straight to the jaw and shrugged it off, then used the force of the backward fall to kick Yuji in the face.
Megumi came up behind him and struck his temple with the hilt of his sword, but Awasaka shook his head once as if annoyed and shoved him back with a sword slash.
Yuji’s low kick came in next, aimed at breaking Awasaka’s shin.
Snap!
He couldn’t ignore physical phenomena entirely, even if there was no damage, and one of Awasaka’s legs lifted as his stance collapsed.
Anticipating the counter that would come when they got close, they used kicks again for the next attack.
As Awasaka began to topple backward, Yuji’s spinning kick slammed into the back of his head and sent him flying toward Megumi.
“This is fun!”
“Ghk!”
Awasaka, rolling around like a pinball, landed a surprise elbow into Megumi’s abdomen.
At the same time, the sword Megumi swung grazed Awasaka’s shoulder and passed by.
It was a loss caused by their timing slipping out of sync.
“Sorry! You okay?!”
“It’s fine. The problem is that old man’s absurd toughness.”
As the distance opened again and they reset their formation, Megumi answered Yuji’s apology curtly.
Honestly, fighting in sync with this guy was more of a pain than fighting the enemy—Megumi thought, when he suddenly noticed something strange.
Drip.
The shallow wound Megumi’s blade had just grazed.
Blood was flowing from it.
It was the first effective hit they’d landed since the battle began.
“He was fine even when we hit him with full force, so why is a sloppy hit like that leaving a scratch...?”
Until now, he’d assumed their attacks weren’t connecting because of a technique.
The most likely candidates were “nullification” or “hardening.” He’d thought it was some kind of defensive technique that simply ignored blunt force or slashes entirely.
But since it wasn’t a perfect defense, it was probably the kind of ability that could be switched on and off rather than maintained continuously.
The pieces were starting to come together.
But he still couldn’t be sure. He needed more information.
Even knowing it was a lie that would never work, he decided to probe the enemy.
“Hey! Gojo Satoru is in Shibuya! Why don’t you drop the Curtain’s foundation and run?”
“Hee hee hee. You’re terrible at bluffing.”
As expected, Awasaka laughed at Megumi.
He cackled away, not even realizing he was handing his opponent a hint with his own mouth.
“You were the ones shouting it all over the place. ‘Gojo Satoru has been sealed,’ you said. That’s why us curse users are so excited. If Gojo were fine, I’d be sleeping at home.”
“Just as I thought. This guy can’t beat Gojo-sensei.”
“Fushiguro. You’re bad at lying. But that’s okay.”
“It’s not some grand thing like nullification. He takes every strong attack head-on, but allows weak attacks right after. And there’s a limit to it....!”
“It’s okay....”
“Shut up!”
He was almost there, and this idiot kept interrupting his thoughts from the side.
Megumi slapped Yuji on the back as the latter put on an encouraging face and rested a hand on his shoulder, then pulled out the “insurance” he’d hidden in his clothes.
He’d wanted to save it for a more decisive moment, but there wasn’t much time. He didn’t know what was happening with Ino up above.
If the opponent was a curse user, no, if he was human.
And if the enemy’s technique was what he suspected.
This would definitely work.
“If you don’t feel like fighting, should I just kill you already?”
“I’m coming!”
“Huh? You’re using that?”
Watching the two sorcerers rushing at him, Awasaka loosened up his body, tingling with excitement.
Perfect. He was just getting warmed up. The more those brats burned with fighting spirit and came at him, the less chance they had of winning.
That was the kind of technique it was.
“I’m in the game for life! I’ll keep preying on the weak until the day I die!”
His technique was [Reverse].
While the technique was active, attacks that touched his body became weaker the stronger they were, and stronger the weaker they were.
He controlled the timing with practiced ease while protecting his body with cursed energy to nullify the damage.
Gojo Satoru, who had been acting as the limiter until now, had been sealed. No one could stop him anymore.
As always, he would curse someone, kill them, and make money.
Dreaming of carefree days, Awasaka took a deep breath and set his stance.
Megumi came charging from the right, sword in hand.
It was a little unsettling that he seemed less hesitant than before, but he dismissed it as paranoia.
“Did he figure out my technique...? No. If he had, his power wouldn’t have dropped.”
This was the real threat.
Itadori Yuji on the left was gathering power with unmistakable intensity.
He’d adjusted the upper limit properly and was ready to counter after the strike.
No one had ever escaped the follow-up after landing a full-power blow. And no one would in the future, either.
“When that desperate strike comes in, I’ll cut off his breath!”
That was what he thought.
But just before the attacks landed, the speed of the sword in Megumi’s hand dropped.
Thud!
Stab.
“Huh...?”
Unlike the fist he’d blocked perfectly, the sword had only sunk shallowly into his back.
For a moment he was rattled that his technique had been exposed, and then an alien cursed energy invaded his body.
Staggering back, Awasaka’s technique threshold was adjusted at the same time Yuji’s fist smashed into his face and knocked him down.
“What did you do!”
“We had a gift left behind by a friend.”
Even when he tried to get back up, no strength came to him.
The identity of the cursed energy that had eaten into his body in an instant was poison.
The familiar black spots had already appeared on Awasaka’s arm.
Before they parted, Junpei had left something for them.
Powder ground finely from the cursed objectification of Black Scale.
Even if its duration was short, the cursed energy Junpei had soaked into it made it viciously toxic.
“I figured out your technique and thought it through. No matter how much of a [Reverse] it is, it can’t do anything about a [status ailment] that’s already gotten into the body, right?”
“You little brats..! I’ll kill youuuuu.”
Junpei’s poison could even bring Todo down in one hit. It was not something an old, sick man like Awasaka could endure.
And just like that, Awasaka drooled from his mouth, rolled his eyes back, and passed out.
The curse user who’d boasted that he was active until death looked no different from a senile old man in the end.
A man who missed his chance to retire never left beautifully.
“You knew?”
“Yeah.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me?”
“Did I need to explain it? I just had to land the hit.”
“Weren’t you the one whining that it was hard to land hits?”
“.....”
----------------------------------
22:03.
Shibuya C Tower helipad.
Ino Takuma, who had been pressing the “grandson,” sensed an ominous atmosphere.
The opponent wasn’t that strong. But he was protecting the old hag, who kept throwing herself into danger while muttering something.
Something was up. Just as he was about to finish this quickly before they could pull any nonsense—
Rumble rumble rumble
“What is this?!”
“It’s ready now.”
“I know, Grandma.”
The moment the battered “grandson” took something from his pocket and swallowed it, Ino attacked without hesitation.
“Hatch!!”
The cone formed in his hand spun violently as it fired.
Just before it reached the “grandson’s” head, a name burst from Ogami’s mouth as she pressed her palms together.
“Zenin Toji.”
Kreeeek!
As soon as Ogami spoke the name, the “grandson’s” movements changed.
Ino shuddered at the sight of him grabbing Hatch with one hand, when before he’d barely been able to react in time to avoid vital points.
“!!”
“How is it, grandson?”
“Yeah. Good, Grandma. Better than ever.”
The man who had completely thrown off the curse of the Zenin clan.
The man who still could not completely sever that bond and died because of it.
The man known as a sorcerer killer despite having zero cursed energy.
The body of the man called the heavenly-born tyrant had descended here, now, in this place.
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