Late at night, Tamamo-no-Mae brought three young people, two men and one woman, into the barrier.
"What... what exactly are you going to do?"
The man looked at Tamamo-no-Mae in horror. She was dressed with elegance and charm, and he had originally thought he had stumbled into good fortune, meeting a goddess with unfulfilled desires.
He never expected her to be a man-eating fox.
Literally.
"What is this one going to do? You'll find out very soon."
In a good mood, Tamamo-no-Mae responded casually.
She then took out three Cursed Objects, pinched their mouths open, and forced them inside.
The three collapsed in pain and began writhing on the ground.
Before long, all three had transformed completely.
"Has the time finally come? You've certainly kept me waiting."
The first to speak was a well-built man with a pompadour hairstyle, styled like a cannon muzzle, giving off the air of a delinquent.
"Who are you?"
This time, it was a thin old man who spoke.
"This one is Tamamo-no-Mae. It was this one who resurrected you. So, what do you say? Will you join this one's ranks?"
Tamamo-no-Mae smiled dangerously, releasing an overwhelming amount of Cursed Energy.
Feeling the intense pressure of that Cursed Energy, the three immediately sobered up.
"Tamamo-no-Mae?"
Ryu Ishigori stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"The Nine-Tailed Fox who caused havoc in the court 400 years ago, trying to seize the throne?"
Ryu was a powerful sorcerer from 400 years ago. Tamamo-no-Mae, on the other hand, came from an era over 800 years past. Their timelines were separated by more than 400 years.
His words made Tamamo-no-Mae frown slightly in displeasure.
"Your words should be enough to satisfy me, right?"
Ryu radiated intense battle spirit.
"Oh? So your wish is to be 'satisfied'?"
Tamamo-no-Mae's expression relaxed.
Looking at Ryu, whose battle intent was burning, she easily understood what he meant by "satisfied."
"There are many strong individuals in this era who can satisfy you. But if you want an appetizer before the main course, this one doesn't mind."
Their eyes locked, sharp and fierce.
Ryu genuinely wanted to fight.
Tamamo-no-Mae wanted to establish her power and authority.
Ryu and Kashimo Hajime were both powerhouses from the same era, and their desires were similar. They both sought strong opponents.
The difference was, Ryu wanted to fight to his heart's content. A battle that would leave him fully satisfied.
Kashimo, on the other hand, wanted to challenge the strongest of all, Ryomen Sukuna.
Unfortunately, by the time Ryu reached his prime, Kashimo had already grown old. The two never crossed paths.
"Enough. What you want doesn't matter."
Uro Takako, the only woman among them, spoke up, her long pink hair swaying slightly.
"I only want to know one thing. Does the Fujiwara Clan still exist?"
She stared at Tamamo-no-Mae, dressed in courtly robes, her eyes filled with hatred.
"Oh, you're also after the Fujiwara Clan?"
Tamamo-no-Mae was surprised at first. But when she saw the hatred in Uro's eyes, it felt like she had found a kindred spirit.
"Also?"
A trace of confusion flashed in Uro's expression.
"That's right. Revenge on the Fujiwara Clan is one of this one's goals as well."
Tamamo-no-Mae was a notorious Great Demon in Japanese folklore. The Special Grade Cursed Spirit she became after death was officially registered by Jujutsu Headquarters.
However, many of the legends about her enchanting emperors and bringing disaster to the people were heavily embellished.
The real reason Tamamo-no-Mae carried a bad reputation for 800 years was simple.
She lost in a palace power struggle.
She was originally an abandoned infant, adopted by a samurai who found her.
As she grew, her extraordinary beauty and talents earned her a place in the palace.
There, she quickly gained favor with Emperor Toba.
This, however, provoked jealousy from the Empress and the Fujiwara Clan behind her.
Later, when Emperor Toba fell gravely ill and was bedridden, the Empress seized the chance to strike.
She falsely accused Tamamo-no-Mae of cursing the Emperor and plotting treason.
With her biggest supporter fallen, Tamamo-no-Mae was targeted and gradually overwhelmed.
Eventually, she was exiled to the wilderness.
But even that wasn't enough. The Empress ordered the court to mobilize every force possible to hunt her down before the Emperor recovered.
However, ordinary people were no match for a powerful Jujutsu Sorcerer.
Tamamo-no-Mae, believing even the Emperor had abandoned her, swore vengeance against Emperor Toba and the Fujiwara Clan.
The Fujiwara Clan immediately summoned the Jujutsu Sorcerers under their command and called in reinforcements from across Japan. They all gathered at Nasuno to bring her down.
After a long and brutal battle, Tamamo-no-Mae was finally subjugated.
To be defeated by such a large force was, in itself, proof of her immense power.
In the face of such overwhelming force, only one person in history had successfully fought back and killed his pursuers.
That was Ryomen Sukuna, the King of Curses.
Everyone else died with resentment in their hearts.
"Is that so? Then let's take revenge on the Fujiwara Clan together."
Uro's face lit up with excitement.
It was the thrill of finding someone who shared her hatred and her goal.
She too had suffered at the hands of the Fujiwara Clan.
Back when the clan held immense power, with countless subordinates under their rule, Uro Takako had served as the captain of one of their assassination squads, the Nichigetsusei Advance Squad.
Originally, as an assassin, she wasn't even supposed to have a name.
But either because of her distinguished achievements or because the Fujiwara Clan needed a scapegoat, she was given one.
That moment of pride quickly turned into betrayal.
Soon after, she was accused of murdering a member of the Fujiwara Clan.
The timing was too suspicious.
Uro believed the name wasn't a reward but a convenient way to mark her as the fall guy.
From that day on, she held an unrelenting grudge against the Fujiwara Clan.
Because of that hatred, she made a binding vow with Kenjaku. After death, she was sealed into a Cursed Object, waiting to be revived.
Now, two women filled with hatred for the same enemy had formed a united front.
Tamamo-no-Mae turned to the last person, the gaunt old man.
His name was Dhruv, a powerful figure who had once single-handedly brought the Japanese archipelago under control during a period of great unrest.
His only request was simple.
Territory of his own.
Tamamo-no-Mae had no reason to refuse.
If their revenge succeeded, he could take whatever land he wanted.
If they failed and she was gone, who would be left to enforce the vow?
"Hey, Tamamo-no-Mae."
Ryu, who had been holding back all this time, finally couldn't wait any longer.
"You've been dawdling for ages. Isn't it time you satisfied me?"
A trace of irritation appeared in his eyes.
He had been ready for a fight, but was interrupted by the woman and the old man. He had waited long enough.
With his low patience, Ryu was already burning with eagerness.
"Let's move to another place. This area isn't suited for battle."
(To be continued.)