"Of course, they're all wanted. Calling them wicked is an understatement. They scurried out like rats when they heard Gojo Satoru was sealed," Zen'in Naobito said mercilessly. The two defeated Curse Masters and their hidden allies were opportunists—some had fled abroad and perished, others hid. Now, believing Gojo gone, they'd reemerged.
His words cut to the truth. These were low- to mid-tier masters whose survival relied on fear and hiding. One glance revealed they were no match. Even Koji, sweating and shaken, tried casting a talisman-summoned Shikigami—a smoke-wreathed old man—but the spell collapsed before he could flee.
His companion transformed into a snarling wolf-like monster with claws, tail, and gray bristles. Kamihara Hajime noted dryly, "So there really are werewolves. Vampires might be out shopping—maybe from the Kamo clan."
The werewolf pounced—but before it landed, Hajime reappeared and killed both master and Shikigami in one move. Then he turned his attention back to Naobito, whose condition was serious.
"This cursed tool… what's your plan for freeing Gojo Satoru?" Hajime asked.
Naobito stared at the artifact—the prison realm cube with eyes on its surface. He poured from his liquor gourd and admitted he'd only a vague recognition, suggesting asking Tengen or family experts.
Hajime frowned. He resisted using "Retur to Nothingness" to destroy it—afraid that might kill Gojo too. Instead, they exited the station and Naobito contacted his clan. Soon the news came: Tengen had vanished. Hoshi Palace breached—but its barrier remained intact. How?
This signaled an unprecedented breach—Gojo sealed, Tengen missing, nothing could be assumed safe.
"We must rescue Gojo first," Hajime said decisively.
Intel confirmed the tool was a Special Grade cursed item designed to seal a Jujutsu Sorcerer's death. Breaking it meant killing the user or using a disruptive technique—not your average strike.
Outside on-site, Yaga Masamichi agreed. "Attacks are ineffective. We need someone with a unique Technique."
A suspicious agent, Ishino Yoji, arrived from Headquarters, offering cursed tools help—but Hajime dismissed him coldly: "State your purpose, clearly."
Ishino started to explain but was cut off and quietly dismissed by Hajime's glare.
Yaga and Naobito stepped away. Alone at the center, Hajime placed the tool on the ground.
"If Return to Nothingness is too destructive of Gojo-sensei, I'll try Time Stop. This artifact needs Cursed Energy to seal. If we halt time…"
Pulling out Totsuka-no-Tsurugi, Hajime activated Time Stop. The others watched, astonished. Hajime's slashes left marks as time froze—revealing its resilience. Even after several attempts, it healed slowly.
Finally, he carved a deep black crack and stepped back. The Time Stop ended.
The prison realm unraveled like a shattered Rubik's cube—and Gojo Satoru tumbled out. Hajime's breath caught. What had he walked into?
"Gojo-sensei?" he asked.
Gojo gave a familiar half-smile, his eyes distant. "Handled that other scene, right?"
Hajime nodded. "Yes. Found your Domain. And I've mastered a Domain too. Cursed Spirit gone. But… are you okay?"
Gojo waved in greeting to Yaga and Naobito. "Feels like no time passed. But I saw someone… someone familiar who shouldn't have been there."
"Suguru Geto?" Hajime guessed.
Yaga furrowed his brow. "But wasn't he—?"
Gojo nodded. "Six Eyes confirmed—but intuition says otherwise."
"So that fake Geto is aligned with Mahito and the cursed," Hajime deduced.
Gojo then learned Tengen was missing—but since the barriers were intact, she wasn't destroyed.
"Next mission is finding Tengen," he said—then the RTN alarms tripped. Barriers across Japan experienced anomalies. Over a thousand people simultaneously fell asleep—some voluntarily. It was no accident. "It's a game," the intel had said.
With Gojo freed, barriers disrupted, slumber spreading, a new crisis dawned.
---
Read chapters in advance on patreon.
Link: patreon.com/Zphyr_