After subjugating the three Special Grade curses, Makima finally turned her gaze toward the two girls who had witnessed the entire battle from start to finish.
"M-Makima-sama!"
Noticing Makima looking their way, Miwa Kasumi and Nishimiya Momo instinctively tried to straighten themselves up, hoping to leave a good impression.
After all, setting aside strength, Makima was now one of the upper echelons of the jujutsu world—someone whose authority in Tokyo could be said to cover the sky with one hand. For students like Miwa and Nishimiya, who had no notable background, a figure of such status was normally someone they could hardly ever hope to meet, even once.
Even being able to see Makima at this exchange event was sheer luck. Under normal circumstances, inter-school exchange meets involved only students, teachers, and the principals of the two academies. High-ranking members of the jujutsu world rarely, if ever, showed any interest in watching students compete.
Unfortunately, their movements were too hurried. The two girls tugged at their injuries, and instead of standing straight, their bodies swayed violently from the pain, almost collapsing to the ground.
"There's no need to force yourselves," Makima said, reaching out to steady the unsteady Miwa and Nishimiya, her tone carrying a hint of concern.
"In your current condition, you should avoid making large movements until you've received treatment."
"Th-Those curses that attacked us earlier… they were all Special Grades?"
Hearing Makima's words, both Miwa and Nishimiya shuddered instinctively.
No wonder they had stood no chance—so they had actually been surrounded by three Special Grade curses.
A powerful sense of survival after catastrophe surged up in their hearts.
If Makima-sama hadn't arrived in time, even if they had somehow survived, the outcome would certainly not have been a good one.
"We understand, Makima-sama. We'll leave as soon as possible."
Feeling that they could barely mobilize their cursed energy again, Nishimiya picked up the broom she had dropped earlier. Miwa glanced at the place where her katana lay, hoping to recover it, but after seeing that even the fragments had been corroded beyond recognition, she could only give up with a pained expression.
"Head that way and you'll be able to leave the forest. The barrier outside won't stop you from exiting," Makima reminded them.
"Yes. Then… we wish Makima-sama success in what follows."
Leaving behind those words of blessing, the two girls departed toward the edge of the forest—one seated on a broom and flying through the air, the other limping along on the ground.
Watching their retreating figures, the expression on Makima's face gradually returned to calm. She then turned and began walking toward the other battlefield.
She was not surprised that the Cursed Womb: Death Painting brothers had appeared here.
After all, she was fully aware that not long ago, a jujutsu world higher-up whom she had already subjugated had died under mysterious circumstances—and that after death, that person's authority had been used to steal the first through third Death Painting wombs.
She simply hadn't paid it much mind.
Even today's incident of Mahito attacking the higher-ups didn't concern her. Even if Sukuna's fingers were stolen, at worst they would merely be eaten by Itadori Yuji through some other route. Where the fingers went was irrelevant.
From beginning to end, her true target had always been Kenjaku himself.
Makima needed the millennium of research and knowledge Kenjaku possessed regarding jujutsu—so she could help forge a cursed golden age that would be more advantageous to her master, while not excessively harming ordinary people.
To that end, she needed a perfect opportunity—an opportunity that would bring Kenjaku face-to-face with her.
And the Disaster Curses were precisely the pieces capable of creating such an opportunity.
The Death Painting brothers could be used as well, but their effect would be inferior compared to the Disaster Curses.
"I need to hurry over there… I just hope Seele-chan doesn't go too far."
...
Boom!!!
A small body, yet packed with terrifying amounts of cursed energy, slammed into the ground like a cannonball. Jogo had already lost count of how many times he had regenerated his body.
Standing back up, staring at the scythe-wielding girl before him, the curse born from humanity's fear of the earth—the strongest of the Disaster Curses—wore a hideous expression. Bloodshot veins had spread across his single massive eye.
"Why… why is a mere human stronger than us curses?! You're nothing but a bunch of hypocritical, ugly creatures!"
As he spoke, Jogo gathered all of his cursed energy. The temperature in the surroundings skyrocketed instantly, trees igniting under the searing heat.
The magma within the volcano atop his head boiled violently. The next instant, a massive pillar of fire erupted, piercing through everything within hundreds of meters and carving a path of molten rock.
Although Hanami, who had just finished regenerating, felt sorrow over the destruction of the forest, there was no time to dwell on it. Countless thick branches burst forth from the earth, surging toward Seele, who had dodged Jogo's attack.
Slash!
The scythe swung, and every branch was severed in that instant.
At the same time, Seele sidestepped Jogo's sneak attack and once again kicked him away, sending him crashing hard into the ground.
Now, both Jogo and Hanami realized that the human before them was deliberately holding back.
She had multiple opportunities to grievously wound them with her weapon, yet instead merely drove them back each time.
This behavior was almost like trapping them here for amusement.
"Damn human… are you mocking us?!"
Seeing Seele standing calmly in the distance, seemingly not taking them seriously at all, Jogo ground his teeth in rage.
But precisely because of this, he forced himself to calm down and think.
Why would she do this?
She wouldn't let them leave, yet she also wouldn't finish them off cleanly…
Was she playing cat and mouse? No—that didn't seem quite right. Trapping him and Hanami here felt more like she was waiting for someone else to come deal with them.
Suddenly, Hanami turned her head toward a certain direction. Despite her massive build, her voice carried a more feminine tone.
"The auras of the other three curses have vanished, and within a very short interval. They appear to have been dealt with almost simultaneously."
"What?!"
Jogo found it hard to believe.
Three Special Grade curses—eliminated almost at the same time?
How could such a thing possibly be done by humans?
Meanwhile, Seele also sensed the disappearance of the curses from the other battlefield.
"So Makima-onee-san has already finished her fight."
"Then it's about time for Seele to wrap things up here as well."
Fixing her gaze on the two Disaster Curses before her, Seele spoke softly.
"Please… the other me!"
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