Chapter 154: Traces of a Curse User
"Something's wrong with the route here."
The four of them arrived near the site in Shinjuku where the incidents had occurred.
Okkotsu Kaguya was the first to notice the anomaly.
Gojo Kamui's expression remained calm.
"You mean these lingering curse traces. They're not meant for sorcerers—they're bait for ordinary people."
"So this is how curse users abduct civilians?" Zen'in Kaon asked curiously.
If an ordinary person wandered into this area, they would be subtly guided—without even realizing it—straight into a trap prepared in advance by the curse user.
If it were a child, the chances of falling for it would be nearly one hundred percent.
As they spoke, the group arrived at the location the curse user had intended to lure people toward.
They stopped.
Surrounding them were countless narrow alleyways branching in every direction.
"This is it," Kaguya said.
"There's a barrier technique in place. We should seal off all possible escape routes first."
To prevent the culprit from fleeing, locking down every exit was the safest option. After all, the enemy was hidden, and they had no clear idea how strong they were.
"That's too much trouble," Kamui replied coolly.
"I've already found him."
A faint blue glow surfaced in his eyes—he had already pinpointed the curse user's position.
Just as he was about to act, a small figure suddenly dashed past them, sprinting forward.
The group froze for a split second when they saw the child who had accidentally barged into the barrier.
"Damn it—stop him!" someone shouted.
Ahead of the child, space itself opened.
A pair of enormous hands formed from cursed energy reached out from the rift, grabbing hold of the child's body and trying to drag him inside.
In the very next moment, Kaguya appeared beside the child.
The long blade in his hand flashed downward without hesitation, severing the cursed hands in a single strike.
The instant the child had appeared, Kaguya had already reacted.
The severed hands did not attempt another move. Instead, they hastily withdrew, and the spatial rift slowly closed along with them.
The alley fell silent once more.
Seeing this, Gojo Kamui didn't hesitate for even a second.
His figure flickered like a teleport as he charged straight into the rift.
"Careful!" Okkotsu Kaguya called out.
"The opponent is a high-level sorcerer!"
Being able to embed a teleportation array within a barrier was proof enough—the curse user's level was anything but low.
The spatial rift closed in an instant.
Zen'in Kaon blinked in amazement.
"So… this is what battles between jujutsu sorcerers and curse users look like? It's nothing like what I imagined."
She had expected brutal, close-quarters combat—fists meeting flesh.
Instead, the clash had begun suddenly, triggered by the intrusion of a single child.
She hadn't even reacted in time.
Looks like combat doesn't start only when you see the enemy, she thought.
I need to stay sharper.
"Curse users are extremely cunning," Kaguya said calmly.
"Jujutsu society is too strong now, so they rarely confront sorcerers head-on.
"I'll take this child somewhere safe first. You two follow the cursed energy residue nearby and see if you can locate Kamui."
"I've got it!" Kaon replied excitedly.
"A curse user, here I come!"
Without waiting, she grabbed Ria's hand and dashed off in the direction of the residual cursed energy.
Ria was utterly confused.
Am I being treated like a child?
I'm a princess of the Simurians, you know!
She strongly resisted the feeling internally—but for the sake of her people's future, she endured it.
After searching for a while, Kaon returned to the starting point, frustration written all over her face.
"These cursed traces are just decoys… They're only meant to mislead people. There's no way to track him from this."
She clenched her fists.
"Don't tell me I'll be completely useless on my first mission…"
But she quickly shook her head.
"No—let's keep searching. We can't let Kamui face a curse user alone!"
She was the optimistic type—failure once didn't mean giving up.
Beside her, Ria was slightly out of breath. Seeing Kaon about to drag her off again, she hurriedly raised a hand.
"Wait!"
"I know how to find him."
She really didn't want to be dragged around like a tracking dog anymore. It was exhausting.
"Ria?! You really can?" Kaon's eyes lit up.
"But… didn't you say you're not allowed to help us? Won't that cause problems for you?"
Considering Ria's special status, Kaon asked carefully.
Ria waved her hand dismissively, a hint of arrogance surfacing on her face.
"The higher-ups told me not to interfere—but I can choose not to listen."
She was a princess. Breaking a few rules hardly mattered.
Besides, helping them now would only build trust—an investment for the future.
"As long as you don't tell anyone, no one will know I helped."
"Yes! Deal!" Kaon said excitedly.
"I promise I won't tell anyone!"
She stared eagerly at Ria, curious to see how she would locate the curse user.
Ria's face flushed slightly.
"Why are you staring at me? Turn around. If you keep looking, I won't help."
"Huh?"
Kaon looked disappointed. She had hoped to witness Ria's technique.
Seeing her reaction, Ria grew flustered and explained,
"It's… it's just easier to focus this way. If you look at me, I can't concentrate."
She immediately regretted explaining.
Why did I even bother?
Why do I care if she's disappointed…?
"Oh, I see," Kaon said quickly.
"Okay, I won't look. Just hurry!"
She turned her back obediently, curiosity burning but restrained.
"…Haa."
Once Kaon turned away, Ria took a breath, peeled off the diamond-shaped talisman from her forehead—and revealed her third eye.
Cursed energy surged violently.
With a single glance, the surrounding barrier was pierced clean through.
Following the traces of cursed energy drifting through the void, she locked onto the curse user's location.
"Found him. Follow me."
She quickly replaced the talisman, concealing her third eye, and sprinted off toward the target.
Kaon didn't ask questions and followed immediately.
Reuniting with Kamui came first.
---
Meanwhile—
Inside a dim, cramped room.
A blond-haired curse user lounged casually on a sofa, gazing at Gojo Kamui trapped inside a sealed curtain. A trace of surprise crossed his face.
"Didn't expect my last job to run into a jujutsu sorcer," he muttered.
"And not just any—Gojo Satoru's son."
That was very bad news.
The boy before him had perfectly inherited the talent of the strongest modern sorcerer. This curtain wouldn't hold him for long.
Kamui's expression was visibly annoyed.
The moment he entered the space, he'd been greeted by a closed-type curtain—one designed specifically to trap sorcerers.
Still, it wouldn't delay him for long.
"I suggest you run," Kamui said coldly, gathering massive cursed energy in his palm while testing the barrier's properties.
"Once I get out, you won't even have the chance."
The blond curse user chuckled.
"Relax. Even if you're strong, I'm confident I can keep you here for five minutes."
Rather than fleeing, he seemed oddly interested in chatting.
After all—
He was facing the son of the strongest.