Shin froze. He blinked, his eyes darting to Hana's face. Her lips hadn't moved. She looked just as confused as he was, her hand flying to her own cheek.
The voice hadn't come from her throat. It had resonated from her flesh.
On Hana's right cheek, the skin split. It wasn't a wound; there was no blood. A vertical slit opened, parting to reveal a set of perfect white teeth and a wet, pink tongue. It manifested exactly the way Ryomen Sukuna did on Yuji's body—a parasite asserting control over the host.
Angel: "I am Angel."
The sound of a bag of chips hitting the floor echoed loudly. Yuji stood by the mini-bar, his hands frozen in mid-air, his eyes wide, staring in abject shock at the girl.
Yuji: "Another one? Like... like Sukuna?"
The name hung in the air like a curse.
Maki finally looked up from her sword. She eyed the mouth on the girl's face with a mixture of clinical curiosity and deep disgust.
Maki: "A sorcerer and their vessel coexisting without killing each other? You should take notes, Yuji. Might solve your roommate problem."
Shin pushed himself off the wall, his posture shifting from relaxed to alert in a nanosecond. He walked closer, Playful Cloud held loosely at his side, studying the anomaly.
Shin: "Nice to meet you, Angel. So, what is a divine being doing in a muddy, bloody death game? Is there a reason you're sticking with her instead of taking over completely? That seems to be the trend with you ancient types."
The mouth on Hana's cheek didn't smile. It spoke with a rigid, ancient cadence, a voice that sounded like it belonged in a cathedral, not a hotel room.
Angel: "My objective is to purify all incarnated players. The act of overwriting a vessel's soul to return to this world acts against the laws of God. It is a subversion of the natural order. It is unforgivable."
Shin stiffened. The movement was microscopic, but his muscles locked.
Overwriting a soul.
He felt a distinct, icy chill crawl down his spine. He wasn't an ancient sorcerer. He wasn't a curse. But he was a reincarnated soul. He had taken over the body of the original Shin Zenin. He was living a second life in a vessel that wasn't originally his. He was an anomaly.
Angel's "eyes"—though she had none manifest—seemed to bore into him. For a second, the air around Shin felt heavy, as if the entity was tasting his soul, sensing the slight dissonance of his existence.
Then, the pressure vanished as Angel turned her attention back to the group.
Yuji stepped forward, desperation lighting up his face. He ignored the danger, focusing only on the opportunity.
Yuji: "Purify... wait! That means we share a common goal! We're trying to stop the Culling Game and the players killing people. Can you join us?"
Angel: "Cooperation is possible. Our goals align, for the moment. However, I have one condition."
The mouth on Hana's cheek twisted into a severe frown. The gravity of the request pressed down on them.
Angel: "We will use my Cursed Technique to help you. In exchange, you must help us kill a certain player."
Shin crossed his arms, hiding the slight tremor in his hands. He forced a mask of indifference.
Shin: "A hit job? Alright. That's simple enough. Who's the target? What do they look like?"
Angel: "I do not know their current appearance. Vessels change. Forms shift. However, I know their name. They are the deepest disgrace to the laws of God."
The room went silent. The wind outside howled against the hotel windows, rattling the glass.
Angel: "The Disgraced One."
Shin frowned. The name meant nothing to him. It sounded like a title, a myth.
The Fallen.
But his enhanced senses picked up a sudden, violent shift in the room's physiology. It came from the mini-bar.
He glanced at Yuji.
Yuji was standing perfectly still, but to Shin's ears, his body was screaming.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
Yuji's heart rate had skyrocketed, doubling in speed within a second. His pupils were dilated, swallowing the iris. Sweat beaded instantly on his forehead. It was the reaction of a man who had just heard a death sentence. It was the reaction of a man hearing a voice inside his head that no one else could hear.
Shin narrowed his eyes. He knows, Shin realized. Yuji knows who that is.
Shin: "'The Disgraced One'? That's vague. We're in a needle-in-a-haystack situation here. Tokyo is huge. There are hundreds of players."
Angel: "Perhaps. But I can sense that they are within the barriers. My instincts are rarely wrong. If you assist us in burying them, we will grant your request."
Shin forced his shoulders to relax, playing the role of the pragmatic mercenary. He needed to keep the deal alive, even if Yuji looked like he was about to pass out.
Shin: "Fine. We help you kill this 'Disgraced One,' and you help us free our teacher. He's stuck inside a Special Grade Cursed Object called the Prison Realm. It's a sealing artifact."
Angel: "Prison Realm? The back of the gate..."
Angel let out a sound that might have been a laugh, though it lacked any humor. It was the sound of a being who found human struggles trivial.
Angel: "Then it is a simple task. My Cursed Technique extinguishes all other Cursed Techniques. Whether it is a seal, a barrier, or a cursed object... Jacob's Ladder will nullify it."
Yuji looked up, forcing a smile onto his face. It was a brittle, fragile thing, looking like cracked porcelain.
Yuji: "You can... extinguish techniques?"
Shin watched a bead of sweat roll down Yuji's temple. The boy looked like he was about to vomit. The realization was hitting him—Sukuna was the target. And Sukuna was inside him.
To save Gojo, Yuji would have to die.
Yuji: "Alright! Then we have a deal!"
The tension broke, but the unease remained. As the group dispersed to rest and plan their next move, Shin remained leaning against the wall. He watched Angel recede back into Hana's flesh, the slit in her cheek sealing shut without a scar.
He couldn't shake the feeling that settled in his gut. When Angel spoke of "purifying those who violate God's laws," the entity wasn't just talking about Sukuna or the ancient sorcerers.
She was talking about things like him.
And if she ever found out what he was, the deal would be off—and the hunt would be on.