No cursed energy fluctuations had been detected from the shop owner, and her emotional changes were completely natural. That meant the cake she gave James had been real—but someone had secretly swapped it with a bomb without her knowledge.
James had to admit, the trap was brilliantly executed.
Not only did they fail to kill him, but they also succeeded in thoroughly pissing him off.
He had only left Tokyo because of the manipulative, underhanded tactics of the Jujutsu higher-ups. Now, after barely setting foot in a new place, he was welcomed with an explosion.
Translated from assassin language? "Surprise!"
His mood was utterly ruined.
He had originally planned to visit a famous local tourist spot—Taga Shrine. But now? He changed course. He was heading straight to Fukuoka City.
As the sound of approaching sirens grew louder, James vanished without a trace.
---
Two days later – a secret meeting room in Fukuoka City
A long conference table sat at the center of a dim room. Around it were a dozen figures—some old, some young—discussing in hushed voices. The man at the head of the table opened his eyes slowly. They had been shut in rest.
"One bomb clearly isn't enough to deal with him," he said.
"I planted several traps along the route too," another member added.
"But now he's on alert. If he avoids the route we planned, those traps are useless," someone else muttered, frustrated.
"Why don't we just surround and kill him already?" snapped a man with an impatient expression.
"That should be the last resort," the old man warned. "Assassination or manipulation would be more efficient. If we go for direct confrontation, we'll lose at least half of our people."
"You're overestimating him!" the angry man slammed the table and stood up with a loud bang.
The room fell into an uneasy silence.
Riiiiing!
A ringtone shattered the tension. The short-tempered man—Chong Maojin—pulled his phone from his pocket. It was a call from home.
"Didn't I say not to call me during this time?" he grumbled, answering the call.
"Ah~ Sorry. I'll call you later then. Bye," said a calm young voice on the other end—too calm.
Chong Maojin's expression immediately shifted.
That voice... Don't tell me—
His hand trembled as he raised the phone again. "Wait! Who are you? What are you doing!?"
"You're plotting against me, and yet you can't even recognize my voice? Negligence like that should be punished," the voice replied coldly.
BOOM!!!
A loud explosion roared from the other end of the line. The room fell into chaos.
Everyone's faces darkened.
"Stop it, James! Just name your price!" Chong Maojin shouted into the phone, fear finally creeping into his tone.
"My conditions are simple," James replied. "Let's talk face to face. I'll wait for you at your home. That's it. Bye."
Ding. The call ended.
Silence settled over the room like a suffocating fog. Chong Maojin slowly lowered his phone, his gaze sharp and furious.
"Help me—or he'll come for each of you, one by one."
Still, no one answered.
"You want to make the Shigemo family the scapegoat? Hah! Do you think he's stupid?"
Chong Maojin suddenly laughed hysterically, tears forming at the corners of his bloodshot eyes.
He looked directly at the old man seated at the head of the table.
"Surround and kill."
The old man let out a long sigh. His expression was heavy, but in the end, he nodded.
Seeing this, the others began nodding as well, one after another—until the room was in unanimous agreement.
A dark shadow loomed over the conference room. No one could tell what the others were truly thinking.
But one thing was certain:
On Kyushu Island, a storm was brewing.
The mighty dragon had arrived—and it was about to crush the snakes beneath its feet.
---
"I already told you—I was acting in self-defense. Why won't you believe me?"
James sat lazily on the tiled roof of the attic, his handsome profile lit by the roaring blaze of the house next door. Below him, a large group of people—men, women, even children—were kneeling in the courtyard, trembling violently.
None of them dared to speak.
Who breaks through a family's defensive barrier with a single punch?
Who charges into a clan compound and starts slaughtering people without hesitation?
The answer sat right above them.
"I'm not a bloodthirsty man," James sighed. "Honestly, I don't enjoy killing. Whether in the Demon Slayer world or back here, I've never killed for fun."
But nobody believed that. No one dared to respond.
"Alright, how about this?" he continued casually. "I'll spare those who held important positions in the family—so the Shigemo family's techniques can be preserved. But I'll kill those in lower ranks. Consider them my… apology."
He jumped down from the roof, landing softly.
The lotus patterns in his eyes began to turn. A cold, ice-blue light swept across the group.
"Raise your hand if you held a high-ranking position."
About a dozen people in ornate robes slowly raised their hands. The rest stayed frozen, trembling even more than before.
Swish!
Splurt!
Dozens of heads flew into the air like fireworks. Blood sprayed upward like fountains and rained down on everyone still kneeling.
Fear turned into silent despair.
James turned back toward the roof and muttered to himself, "I lied. Obviously, I couldn't let important family members go. What if they came for revenge later?"
He waved dismissively. "As for the rest of you… You're insignificant. Just leave."
He leapt back onto the roof and yawned.
Below, the survivors slowly, hesitantly stood up. First one, then another… Then the whole crowd began creeping away.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Dozens more heads soared into the air, blood splashing like a crimson waterfall. The yard turned entirely red, the streams of blood trickling downward, soaking into the earth.
I gave you mercy. You responded with hatred.
Do you think I can't feel your negative emotions? I'm a Jujutsu sorcerer.
After that wave, only two or three people remained kneeling.
"You can go now."
This time he meant it.
But the few survivors didn't move. They pressed their faces to the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
No one dared to test their luck.
James sighed again.
"I'm not a devil. How about this—go find anyone still hiding in the compound. Kill them, and I'll let you leave."
The three men, blood-soaked and desperate, each grabbed a weapon and rushed into the darkness. Judging by the madness in their eyes, it was unlikely that anything—man or beast—would survive their search.
---
Time passed slowly.
Step... step...
In the distance, a lone figure approached the ruined Shigemo estate.
His face was twisted in rage.
Chong Maojin had arrived.
He stomped into the courtyard and shouted at the top of his lungs, "What the hell did you do!?"
His feet crushed the earth, leaving a crater. He leapt upward, the wind screaming from his fist as he lunged toward James on the roof.
Whoosh!
James calmly raised his left hand.
Bang!
The blow was blocked.
The shockwave shattered tiles and sent dust flying. James responded with a powerful knee to the gut.
Thud!
Blood sprayed from Chong Maojin's mouth. He collapsed to the ground, clutching his abdomen and groaning in pain. His limbs twitched—he couldn't even stand.
James looked down at him, eyes cold.
This man detonated a bomb in the middle of a city… on the shop owner's wedding anniversary.
With a heavy stomp, James kicked him into the air. The force of the blow left a deep trench behind, tearing through house after house.
Today… he would cleanse all of Kyushu Island.
"So," he said, looking up. "Come on out."
From every corner of the ruined estate, figures appeared one by one.
Each wore unique robes, and embroidered on their clothing were the crests of their respective families.
Over a dozen sorcerers.
The elites of every sorcerer family on Kyushu Island… had arrived.
A major battle was about to begin.
Ãdvåñçé 60 çhàptêr àvàilàble óñ pàtreøn (Gk31)