Although it was just a hastily deployed ccustom Curtain set up by Ren, its integrity was nothing to scoff at. Even someone like Gojo Satoru, wielding Limitless and Infinity, or the King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna, would need time and effort to shatter it.
But now, a single sword slash from the Demon Sword Princess had fractured the barrier.
That alone said everything.
Her sheer presence and destructive power had clearly reached—if not exceeded—the level of Special Grade, comparable to the likes of Gojo and Sukuna. More frighteningly, the sword technique she unleashed bore resemblance to Sukuna's Dismantle—an invisible cleave that tore through matter itself, bypassing physical resistance and spiritual defenses alike.
Ren stood unfazed amid the dust and cracked earth. He had blocked her strike, matching her sword with one of his own. The Demon Sword Princess, who had radiated nothing but killing intent moments before, now halted her advance. The blood-red hue that had soaked the world faded slowly, and the hellish mirage—bloody moon, skeletal remains, rivers of crimson—dissolved like mist.
With grace belying her earlier hostility, she dropped to one knee and declared, "Demon Sword Princess, greets Master."
"You're not fighting anymore?" Ren raised an eyebrow, clearly a little disappointed by her sudden compliance.
"Master took my full-strength slash head-on," she said calmly, with a respectful bow of her head. "To continue would be pointless arrogance. I submit."
Ren clicked his tongue. "Tch… I thought you'd at least try a second swing. Still, not bad."
He motioned with his hand. "Stand aside. There's one more."
"As you command," she said, stepping gracefully to stand beside the other summoned Shikigami—Hakuro and Ubume—each one more silent than the last, all of them now bound under Ren's will.
Now, only the last SSR-grade Shikigami remained.
Takiyashahime.
As the ritual circle flared once more, a strange stillness settled over the fractured Curtain. Then, a pale crescent moon materialized in the sky, suspended in the void like a divine omen. A tall, graceful figure appeared upon it, descending slowly like a phantom of the moon itself.
She wore pristine white robes adorned with golden crescent motifs. Her long silver hair flowed behind her like liquid starlight, reaching down past her waist. Her eyes were hidden beneath a golden mask, leaving only her slender nose and crimson lips visible.
One leg wore shimmering, star-patterned stockings; the other was bare, her pale skin glowing under moonlight. Her geta clogs clacked softly with each step, amplifying her eerie, goddess-like presence.
"A caster-type?" Ren thought as he floated upward to meet her gaze. "No… something more ancient. Like a High Onmyoji in a forgotten era."
Her staff radiated strange energy, and even without words, Ren could sense her spiritual might—complex, dense, ancient. This wasn't just another summon. This was an apex being.
"I acknowledge your strength, Master," she said in a clear, melodic voice. "But still… I would like to test it myself."
"Oh?" Ren's lips curled into a smirk. "You're not scared off by what I did to the last one?"
"Strength must be proven. Not inherited," she said simply, gripping her staff.
"Hah… then let's raise the stakes."
Until now, Ren had only used a fraction of his actual strength—barely one-tenth. But for this opponent? He unleashed five-tenths.
The Curtain he had deployed began to tremble, then completely shattered under the pressure. Reality itself seemed to ripple as divine energy burst forth from his body like a star going supernova.
The collapse of the Curtain released not only his own aura but also those of the Demon Sword Princess and Takiyashahime. Their combined spiritual presence swept across the entire country like a tsunami of dread.
Across the island, every Sorcerer, Exorcist, and Onmyoji instantly felt the spike in spiritual energy.
In Tokyo, Gojo Satoru stirred from his bed, his six eyes glowing faintly beneath his blindfold. "This pressure… it has to be Ren-kun," he muttered. "But those two… they're not just any Cursed Spirits. They surpass even Rika's output."
He didn't wait. In a blur of light, he disappeared from the room, streaking across the night sky toward the epicenter of the disturbance.
As the night air trembled with rising spiritual pressure, it wasn't just Gojo Satoru who had sensed the overwhelming surge.
All across Tokyo, high-ranking Jujutsu Sorcerers and Onmyoji froze as they felt the monstrous clash of cursed energy and spiritual force. A storm of divine and demonic signatures raged in the sky—undeniably the presence of entities on par with Special Grade Curse Spirits… no, even worse.
The head of the Kamo Clan and the newly instated head of the Zen'in Family were already en route.
From Tokyo Jujutsu High, Principal Yaga Masamichi moved with alarming urgency. His Kyoto counterpart, Gakuganji Yoshinobu, did the same, albeit grumbling with suspicion and wariness.
But the fear didn't stop there. The Onmyo Agency had been alerted. Their spirit-monitoring wards had practically detonated from the concentration of cursed and divine energy centered in a single location.
The Agency acted fast.
The Twelve Divine Generals, Japan's highest-ranked Onmyoji and Exorcists, were mobilized in full force—a rare and ominous sign that the threat they faced was beyond the scope of normal countermeasures.
At the forefront stood Kurahashi Genji, the formidable Director of both the Onmyo Agency and the Exorcism Bureau. Towering and stoic, Genji was known for his unmatched power in spiritual suppression, favoring overwhelming force over negotiation. His involvement alone sent a clear message of intent. Notably, he was also the father of Kurahashi Kyoko, adding a personal dimension to his already weighty presence.
Among the key figures was Suzuka Dairenji, head of the Onmyo Agency's Curse Crime Investigation Unit. A prodigious talent despite her young age, Suzuka commanded water-based spiritual barriers capable of neutralizing even Special Grade Spirits—testament to both her raw skill and the gravity of the operation.
Iwao Miyachi took charge at the Exorcism Command Room, a post that matched his stern, unyielding demeanor. As the tactical commander of the entire exorcist force, his reputation for decisiveness and combat readiness made him indispensable during large-scale deployments.
Kogure Zenjirou, an unaffiliated Exorcist operating independently of the Agency, joined the fray as well. Famous for his lethal technique "Divine Edge Severance," he was nicknamed the Divine Ability Sword—a title that spoke volumes about both his skill and the fear he inspired in spiritual adversaries.
Also present was Yuge Mari, known as the Barrier Princess. A rogue specialist, Mari possessed the rare ability to conjure intricate, multi-layered spiritual domains in a matter of seconds. Her presence ensured that no enemy, physical or spiritual, could escape containment once a battle began.
Finally, Tsuchimikado Yasunao—the patriarch of the storied Tsuchimikado Onmyoji line—stepped personally into the field. His decision to leave his ancestral seat and join the operation underscored the unprecedented severity of the threat they faced. When Yasunao moved, the entire Onmyo world took notice.
Nearly every corner of Tokyo's supernatural elite turned their eyes to the source.
Yet none were faster than Gojo Satoru, the one man who could quite literally soar through the air. His Six Eyes glimmered as he locked onto the storm of cursed energy spiraling around Akiyama Ren's location.
As Gojo arrived, he immediately registered what appeared to be a celestial duel in progress.
Floating in the air, a woman draped in white and silver—the Shikigami Takiyashahime—was wielding her crescent staff like a spear. With one fluid motion, she cleaved the air itself.
Reality screamed.
A rift tore open in the sky like a jagged maw, hurtling toward Ren. If he didn't move, he would be consumed entirely.
Gojo prepared to intervene, his body instinctively tensing to flash forward.
But then he stopped.
In Ren's hand appeared a sword unlike anything Gojo had ever seen. Not forged of steel, but of pure golden energy, etched with divine runes foreign to even his Six Eyes.
Ren didn't even swing with full force—he merely drew the blade into the air.
The spatial rift stitched itself shut as if fearful of the sword's presence.
Then came the pressure.
A godly weight crushed the atmosphere. The spiritual pressure pouring from Ren's form was so dense that Takiyashahime's flight failed, and Gojo himself faltered, crashing to the ground with a grunt.
Ren glanced at the golden sword. "Using a blade forged to slay gods… against a Shikigami? Only I would do something so reckless."
He sheathed it with a sharp ring of finality, stepping calmly toward Takiyashahime, who now floated uncertainly above the ground, shaken.
"Still want to keep going?" he asked.
Takiyashahime lowered her proud gaze. "Master's might… is beyond even divine comprehension."
"You'll submit, then?"
"Yes." She landed, kneeling with grace. "Takiyasha is honored to become Master's loyal Shikigami."
At that moment, Gojo Satoru, watching from behind a shattered torii gate, stared wide-eyed. That wasn't an exorcism… that was a Shikigami pact?!
He had assumed Ren was fighting off some catastrophic Special Grade Curse, but no—he was recruiting one.
And not just any Shikigami.
Takiyashahime radiated more pressure than Rika Orimoto in her prime. And the others nearby—a woman with a demonic katana, a humanoid bird cloaked in cursed mist, a white-furred beast with glowing eyes—each radiated the power of a disaster-class entity.
Even the supposed "SR-grade" ones—Yuki-Onna, Hakuro, Ubume, and the twin Ghost Messengers—exuded auras that could compete with modern Special Grades.
Gojo rubbed his temples. "Either I'm going crazy, or the whole world is."
As he contemplated how many levels of absurdity Ren had transcended, the young man turned and casually waved at him.
Of course Ren had noticed. His sensory perception outclassed most tracking techniques Gojo had ever seen.
And not just Gojo—Ren had already picked up the approach of the other incoming Jujutsu Sorcerers, Exorcists, and Onmyoji.
But he wasn't interested in conversation or confrontation.
With all the Shikigami under his command, there was no need to linger.
It was time to return.