"Shoko-san, are you okay?" Renji looked at Shoko.
At this moment, specks of dust still clung to Shoko's black uniform, and the black tights that had enveloped her legs were now tattered, revealing patches of skin.
It turned out that at the instant of the explosion, Shoko had activated Reverse Cursed Technique, converting her Cursed Energy into Positive Energy for healing, which blocked most of the attack, but her body was still sent flying.
"Hmm... I'm fine enough. It's just a pity about my cigarettes." Shoko said, tilting her head with a smile, acting as if nothing had happened.
Renji looked around.
Chaotic Cursed Energy scattered everywhere like fissures crisscrossing parched earth. He couldn't distinguish which traces of Cursed Energy were truly left by the Grade 1 Cursed Spirit.
Tap!
Shoko patted Renji's shoulder and spoke softly, "Renji-kun, this can already be considered a mission to exorcise a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit. I'm not a combat-type sorcerer. It's time to go."
Immediately, Shoko turned and walked towards the village entrance.
Renji looked at the lifeless village and remained silent for three seconds. Then, he also followed Shoko's footsteps towards the village entrance.
But he found Shoko standing motionless in front of the tent.
"Shoko-san?"
Renji keenly sensed something was off about the surroundings. It was an unfamiliar Cursed Energy, different from the Cursed Energy of either of them.
A Cursed Energy laced with killing intent.
Generally, such Cursed Energy belonged to...
"There are multiple Curse Users. They've cast an even more intricate barrier over our original barrier. Their goal is to prevent us from leaving."
Shoko reached out her hand, pressing it against the empty air. Strangely, her hand couldn't advance even a millimeter further.
Curse Users.
Different from ordinary Jujutsu Sorcerers, their very existence is a threat to humanity. They take money to harm people, and some also grow stronger by killing, thereby earning more money. They are a group that abuses Jujutsu, considered "scum" by the Jujutsu World.
"What should we do?" Renji looked at Shoko.
Though he was reluctant to say it, Kumoko outside the barrier was likely already in grave danger.
"We go back and try to exorcise that Grade 1 Cursed Spirit. Right now, we don't know why those Curse Users have come, though we can probably guess. Satoru and Suguru have this habit—they always come to show off to me after completing their missions. Given their speed, they'll probably arrive here by tomorrow."
Shoko instinctively reached for the pocket at her waist, then realized that her pack of marlboros was long gone.
At the same time, outside the barrier.
A bald man spat. "Dammit! Where did Jujutsu High get someone with Cursed Energy like that? I thought the only Special Grade sorcerer, Tsukumo Yuki, had gone traveling?"
He glanced at Kumoko, who had already stopped breathing on the ground, and couldn't help but curse.
Standing beside the bald man was an old man with a hunched back.
"Now, now, young man, getting angry for no reason isn't a good habit. As long as we can ambush and kill that little girl who can use Reverse Cursed Technique, the bounty from that person will all be ours. Besides, that little one with Special Grade level Cursed Energy feels... quite dull. He couldn't even sense a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit hiding inside a Cursed Undead."
The hunched-back old man's hands were stained with Kumoko's blood, but at this moment, his smile under the sunlight appeared exceptionally benevolent.
The bald man lifted the corpse from the ground.
"I still don't get it. Why did you have to kill her? If she dies, the barrier will disappear too. We could just wait for that woman to come out and kill them, couldn't we?"
A chameleon-shaped, bluish-purple Cursed Spirit appeared behind the bald man. It extended its long, barbed tongue, wrapped it around the corpse, and delivered it into its mouth.
Crunch!
Squelch!
Blood flowed from the corners of the Chameleon Cursed Spirit's mouth, spilling all over the ground.
"That's because the Grade 1 Cursed Spirit inside can do a lot for us. That sorcerer is constantly leaking his Cursed Energy. If he's not some rookie, then he's an absolute fool." The old man glanced at the blood on the ground and spoke indifferently.
"What if the two of us can't handle that Grade 1 Cursed Spirit?" The bald man asked.
"My Cursed Technique is specifically designed to counter Cursed Spirits that know how to hide themselves." The hunched-back old man said.
...
Inside the Judgment Corridor of Jujutsu High.
This was a special technique of the Jujutsu World, enabling remote work.
Masamichi stood at the center, surrounded by folding screen doors that reflected shadows.
"Today, we are here to discuss the death sentence for Okkotsu Renji." A muffled, nasal voice sounded from a screen behind Masamichi.
"Damn! I've already said Okkotsu Renji is innocent." Masamichi scratched his ear, looking somewhat exasperated.
A voice sounded from the screens again. "A ten-year-old child massacred an entire clan, and moreover, cannot control his Cursed Energy, attracting many Cursed Spirits, causing the ancestral grounds of the prominent civilian Jujutsu clan, the Akihabara Okkotsu Clan, to become inaccessible to any sorcerer."
"Even that Special Grade from Jujutsu High, Tsukumo Yuki, took one look and said she was powerless, stating the scale there is no less than the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons from a century ago."
As soon as the muffled voice faded, laughter was heard from a screen to the side.
"Old fool, the Zenin clan doesn't involve itself in your convoluted schemes. You just want to monopolize that clan's special Cursed Technique to strengthen your own clan, don't you? Hehehe, I simply won't support you. Hahahaha!"
Behind this screen was Zenin Naobito, the 26th head of the Zenin clan, one of the Big Three Families.
The screen next to Naobito lit up.
"The Kamo clan will also not participate in your conflicts." The current head of the Kamo clan said.
Then, the screen directly in front of Masamichi lit up. It belonged to the strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer of the previous generation. Although a civilian sorcerer, no one dared to defy him.
"Principal Yaga, according to Jujutsu High's rules, harboring a condemned individual like this should result in you also receiving the death penalty. However, since you have already taken that boy as your student..."
"As a teacher, you must discipline him. If he does anything outrageous in the future, you should commit seppuku as well. I'll say no more, ahem... let's end it here."
As the screen in front of Masamichi lost its glow, the other screens also gradually dimmed. It seemed the meeting was over.
Watching the illusions around him disappear, Masamichi looked out the window.
The sun was bright.
The weather was fine.
"Shit... these guys... The time for Tengen-sama's Star Plasma Vessel replacement is getting closer, and all sorts of pressures are falling on me. Now they're even using Renji's matter to pressure me."