Chapter 62: Zen'in Naoya
Gojo Satoru had departed to join Yuta Okkotsu abroad, and Kamihara Hajime took on some innocuous missions. Under the guidance of Gojo Satoru, Kamihara Hajime also learned that trick—the method of arrangement, which was disguised as training but was actually laziness.
He left several ordinary missions for Megumi and the others to handle. The three first-years were all exceptionally skilled, and common tasks truly didn't pose a challenge to them, making Kamihara Hajime happy to take it easy.
However, he couldn't always be lazy and relaxed. As the only Special Grade Sorcerer still in the country, missions still found their way to him.
"No mission intelligence? Just said to deal with targets ranging from Grade 1 to Special Grade?"
Kamihara Hajime asked with a smile to the person sent by Headquarters in front of him. Normally, his smile would be heartwarming and irresistible, but at this moment, it made the young and beautiful woman opposite him so nervous she was almost at her breaking point.
"Terui Mizuori, you're from Headquarters, right? Is this how those old fogies whose brains have been eaten by Curses dispatch missions?"
Kamihara Hajime's smile faded, and his gaze towards the woman opposite him carried an invisible pressure: "No, or rather, unwilling to reveal specific mission intelligence, yet you want me to carry out an unknown mission. And it's not even through official channels, but by sending someone to contact me privately."
"But you are indeed from Headquarters. Can you tell me... what is your intention?"
The woman named Terui Mizuori awkwardly maintained her smile, her sitting posture not daring to relax in the slightest. These Spellcasters were each more terrifying than the last, not to mention the one in front of her was among the top. She couldn't be deceived by his appearance.
"Please calm down, someone will explain to you shortly."
Taking a deep breath, she took out a rather bulky phone from her bag. Kamihara Hajime looked at this object, which was rarely seen nowadays, waiting for her next move. Then, Terui Mizuori pressed a number, and the call was quickly connected.
"Sir..."
Terui Mizuori respectfully called out, then pushed the phone closer to the table in front of Kamihara Hajime. Kamihara Hajime's lips curved slightly, and he leaned back in his chair, his fingers idly tapping the armrest, but he said nothing. For a moment, the atmosphere became awkwardly silent.
Just as sweat was about to drip from Terui Mizuori's forehead, perhaps the person on the other end couldn't bear it anymore. A low, aged voice came from the phone on the table: "Kamihara Hajime, this old man is from Headquarters, and also the dispatcher of this mission..."
"I thought you'd keep enduring. What? You don't even dare to reveal your own name?"
Hearing Kamihara Hajime's sneer, the other side showed no anger, only paused for a moment before continuing: "This old man is named Kazuyuki Suzuki. As for this mission, there's a reason for the lack of specific information; we require absolute secrecy. You can rest assured about the mission's difficulty; it's definitely within your capabilities. We've all witnessed your performance..."
Kamihara Hajime reached out and brought the phone closer, a half-smile on his face, his tone icy: "Old man, you might be a high-ranking official at Headquarters, right? Has your brain been fried, or do you think I'm your dog, to be ordered around at will? You just set a trap in a mission that almost killed my juniors, and now you want to play that game again? Heh, is that why you don't dare to meet me face-to-face?"
Kazuyuki Suzuki remained as unperturbed as a machine. He paused and then spoke from the other end: "If you wish, you can also communicate with me face-to-face. As for the compensation for this mission, Mizuori, give him the item."
Terui Mizuori carefully took out a paper document and handed it to Kamihara Hajime. After the latter took it, his indifferent expression quickly turned solemn. After reading it several times, Kamihara Hajime no longer had his previous playful demeanor.
"This thing... why? You would actually expose such intelligence?"
Facing Kamihara Hajime's solemnity, Kazuyuki Suzuki's voice on the phone remained as still as stagnant water: "You'll know the specific reason once you get here. And the reward for the mission is that item mentioned above. With your strength, you shouldn't need to care about these things, right?"
Kamihara Hajime fell silent. This reward was not important; what was important was the intelligence Headquarters had revealed—the technology they possessed. Why would they choose to tell him? He didn't believe in words like 'only he could solve it,' and he was clearly aligned with Gojo Satoru. Why would these high-ranking officials, who were at odds with Gojo Satoru, do this? Was it because the exposure of this intelligence no longer mattered?
"Alright, I accept. Where is the mission location?"
Ultimately, he still had to go to the site to see for himself. Whatever their intentions, he would deal with them one by one when the time came.
Ohmachi, Hokkaido.
This was originally an ordinary small fishing village by the sea. At this moment, the few villagers who were originally in the village had all disappeared. Every house was empty, with only teams of men and women in black suits guarding various key points in the village, controlling it hermetically.
At the entrance of the main road, several people dressed differently from the black suits stood under a large tree. They were clearly divided into two sides. On one side, a blond handsome man, who was the leader, gazed at the waves crashing on the shore in the distance, a faint smile always on his face.
Next to him stood a man with explosive muscles, his long hair like needles spiked behind his head, looking like a wild ronin from a storybook. The other person appeared much more refined, with a small braid at the back of his head and well-defined features.
The two people opposite these three were even more akin to old-fashioned traditional nobles, wearing kimonos rarely seen in daily life, and their faces bore that familiar, formulaic smile.
"Zen'in Naoya, that disciple of Gojo Satoru is about to arrive here. I heard his Technique has surpassed the realm of speed. What were they thinking, why call Gojo's people? Although this out-of-control entity is troublesome, it's not unbeatable, otherwise they wouldn't have sent us here."
Zen'in Naoya, leader of the Zen'in elite Jujutsu Sorcerer squad, "Hei."
Upon hearing Kamo Kensaku's words, a strange glint flashed in his eyes: "Because it can no longer be concealed. That thing was stolen, and the old men didn't dare to wait until the incident occurred to reveal it. Otherwise, Gojo Satoru might actually kill them all. It's better to convey the matter through his disciple now; it can also divert some attention. And they are still thinking of winning over that Special Grade."
"Can such a person be easily won over?" Kamo Kensaku said leisurely.
Zen'in Naoya chuckled: "Just the delusions of a bunch of old men, or rather, just a pawn. There are always greedy people who want a taste of everything. However, I am quite interested in that person..."
A car suddenly drove up, interrupting their conversation. After stopping by the roadside, two people got out: one was the person sent by Headquarters, and the other had an expressionless face, with slightly long hair tied back, a black magatama ornament by his ear. His slender figure and striking appearance made him look more like a celebrity on a beach photoshoot.
But none of this mattered to Zen'in Naoya. What immediately caught the eyes of several people was the invisible pressure emanating from him. In terms of Cursed Energy aura alone, this person's control was excellent, making it impossible to judge his strength from it. But what was with that terrifying sensation, like a herbivore facing a predator?
Was this the Special Grade Sorcerer who had single-handedly exorcised multiple Special Grade Cursed Spirits, the one with the Time Technique?
Kamihara Hajime!
Kamihara Hajime glanced at the blond man who had been looking at him with strange eyes and expressions since they met, feeling inexplicably confused. What? Couldn't he help himself when he saw someone handsomer than him?
Terui Mizuori quickly walked over and carefully introduced these people to Kamihara Hajime, who then focused his gaze on these two groups.
"Zen'in and Kamo? Interesting... So, you're also involved in this 'Artificial Spellcasters'?"
Kamo Kensaku had a humble expression: "Not at all, just a small, insignificant contribution. Headquarters is primarily in charge of this."
Zen'in Naoya walked up to Kamihara Hajime, blocking his path, a smile mixed with complex emotions on his face: "Kamihara Hajime, I heard you're the fastest Spellcaster..."
"Don't block the way. Have some sense, you nobody."
Before Zen'in Naoya could finish his sentence, a tremendous force struck his shoulder, causing him to stumble back two steps. His astonished expression instantly twisted into extreme distortion. Anger, humiliation, and killing intent surged within him.
Zen'in Naoya, who had suddenly disappeared from his original spot, reappeared in Kamihara Hajime's blind spot behind him, forming his hand into a blade and thrusting it towards Kamihara Hajime's back. Kamihara Hajime, with his back to him, seemed completely unaware. However, just as the palm-blade, about to pierce flesh, was about to touch him, the target in Zen'in Naoya's vision suddenly vanished.
"When?"
He was in his Projection Sorcery, a Technique that allowed him to divide the next second into twenty-four equal parts, then pre-set twenty-four actions from his perspective, and then he would imitate the designed actions.
The designed actions could not deviate too much from physical laws and common sense, nor could they violate the designed actions, otherwise he would be frozen for one second. And when he touched an enemy, the target also had to act accordingly, otherwise they would also be frozen, which was the current situation!
Kamihara Hajime grabbed Zen'in Naoya's wrist, and just as he was about to exert force to throw him over his back, the latter suddenly grabbed his wrist in return, and an unknown Technique was applied to him.
Kamihara Hajime, now stiffened, could no longer restrict Zen'in Naoya's movements. The latter created streaks of afterimages, turned around, and punched Kamihara Hajime in the abdomen. The onslaught of attacks was completed instantly within the remaining time of one second.
Kamihara Hajime flew backward. Having broken free from the brief stiffness, he regained his balance, looking down as the footprint on his chest and abdomen disappeared. In his mind, he recalled some limited information about this Technique: the Zen'in family's Technique called "Projection Sorcery," currently the Technique of its 26th head, Zen'in Naobito.
This Technique originated in the era of camera birth and visual media, and further improved in modern times in connection with 24-frame animation.
Kamihara Hajime also remembered who this guy was; he was precisely the son of the Zen'in family head, and having inherited this Technique, he was also the next head of the Zen'in family.
"Very interesting, but still too weak."
Zen'in Naoya's smile became even more twisted: "Is that so? This time I'm going to smash—"
Kamihara Hajime, entering Time Null State, walked in front of Zen'in Naoya and punched him in that annoying face, then returned the attacks he had just received in full, finally ending the 'beating' with a straight kick.
With the Technique released, Zen'in Naoya's subsequent words were all swallowed back. Blood gushed from his mouth and nose, and he was overwhelmed by the sudden multiple pains, flying backward.
However, midway, Kamihara Hajime caught up, grabbed his face, and slammed him violently to the ground. Zen'in Naoya, stuck in the fresh crater in the ground, his consciousness almost blurred.
The two Zen'in Spellcasters there, seeing the battle that had ended in a flash and Zen'in Naoya's miserable state on the ground, immediately rushed over.
But in the next second, without Kamihara Hajime making any discernible movement, the two suddenly crashed to the ground in completely opposite directions. Clearly severely injured, they temporarily lost the ability to move.
Turning his head to look at the two Kamo family members, Kamihara Hajime politely asked, "Do you also want to interfere?"
Kamo Kensaku's smile was almost impossible to maintain. Upon hearing this, he took two steps back, indicating that they would not interfere: "Of course not, please feel free. He was the one who provoked you first; I can testify to that."
Withdrawing his gaze from the two cowards, Kamihara Hajime raised his foot and stepped on Zen'in Naoya's head, calmly stating from above: "Because of Maki and other reasons, I don't have a good impression of your Zen'in family. Now it seems you are indeed all useless trash. Rotten things should stay in a rotten pit and rot with things like yourselves. Why come out and be an eyesore?"
Zen'in Naoya's face, a mix of green, purple, and red, like a dye shop, couldn't utter a single word. Pinned under Kamihara Hajime's foot, he couldn't move. The immense Cursed Energy and the power that could crush his head at any moment made him dare not make any move amidst extreme humiliation and fury.
"Genichi-kun, nice to meet you. I am Kazuyuki Suzuki, sent by my father to explain the specific details of this mission to you."
A serious, unsmiling middle-aged man walked over. He seemed not to notice Zen'in Naoya pinned under Kamihara Hajime's foot, explaining his purpose to himself.
"Let go of Naoya!"
The Zen'in family's burly man and the young boy who had gotten up from over there stood up. Cursed Energy surged around them, and a pair of illusory eyes appeared in the air. Then, an invisible force fell upon Kamihara Hajime, and the burly man rushed towards him fiercely.
"This Technique... can it restrict enemies? Too weak, unfortunately, not as good as Toge's Zouge."
Zen'in Naoya's face lightened. Waking from his brief daze, he saw Zen'in Ranta lying on the ground, his eyes bleeding, his right eye tightly shut in pain. Not far away, Zen'in Jinichi was pinned to the ground by a sword, almost unconscious.
Pulling Onikiri from his flesh, Kamihara Hajime's face was full of disdain: "Weak and loves to bark, and so annoying."
"Those not of the Zen'in family are not Spellcasters; those not Spellcasters are not human... Ridiculous ideology!"
Kamihara Hajime, scoffing, put away Onikiri and no longer looked at the people on the ground. After all, they were still in the same camp for now, and rashly killing the heir of their family would be somewhat inappropriate. Besides, today's lesson should be enough for them to remember deeply, shouldn't it? Killing should be about "striking at the heart"!
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