"Come, kid," Rexa hissed, mandibles clicking as its eight eyes narrowed.
[Web Technique: Cannon Ball]
Rexa's abdomen swelled—
and then—
FWUP! FWUP! FWUP!
Five dense balls of web shot toward Kael like bullets, each one spinning with enough force to shatter a tree.
Kael darted sideways, weaving between them.
But the moment the balls hit the ground—
POP!
POP!
POP!
They exploded into thick clouds of sticky webbing.
The air itself turned into a trap.
Strands of acidic silk wrapped around Kael's arms, legs, and torso, burning into his skin like boiling poison.
"Tch—!" Kael gritted his teeth as smoke rose from where the web touched him.
But he didn't hesitate.
Bone blades flashed.
SHHK! SHHK! SHHK!
His four sword-arms sliced through the webs like hot knives cutting wet paper.
Acid sizzled against the bone, but Kael pushed through, step by step.
Rexa's grin faltered.
"You broke through that?" the distortion hissed.
Kael answered by appearing in front of Rexa in a burst of speed.
SLAASHH!
His blade-arm cut straight across Rexa's chest.
For a moment—
the battlefield froze.
Rexa staggered back, staring at the deep gash across its exoskeleton as dark blood poured down its torso.
Its eyes widened, rage flashing across all eight pupils.
But Kael saw something else—
something even more important.
Fear.
Because the moment the wound formed—
it began knitting back together.
But this time—
not fast enough.
Not fully.
The healing stuttered.
The exoskeleton trembled.
Cracked.
Failed to reform cleanly.
Rexa's breathing turned sharp and frantic.
"W–Wait—why isn't it healing!?" the monster rasped, voice losing its confidence.
Kael's eyes narrowed.
He stepped forward, bone swords dripping with cursed ichor.
"Oh," Kael said quietly, deadly calm.
"You're panicking."
Kael's voice was calm.
Too calm.
Rexa's eight eyes twitched.
The monster stumbled back as Kael advanced, four bone blades humming with cursed energy.
The swords weren't just cutting flesh—
they were slowing Rexa's regeneration, corrupting the healing process itself.
Kael slashed left—
Rexa barely dodged.
Kael slashed right—
Rexa flinched as another line of blackened blood splattered across the ground.
The forest rang with the rhythm of the fight.
Slash. Dodge. Slash. Impact.
The scent of poison, earth, and cursed blood filled the air.
Kael analyzed everything.
And then it clicked.
This thing… doesn't know how to fight.
Rexa was strong.
Fast.
Mutated.
But it wasn't a warrior.
It was relying on brute force, poison, and regeneration—
not technique.
Not experience.
And now that its regeneration was slowing…
Kael saw it clearly in Rexa's eyes—
Pure fear.
"ARRRGHHHHHH!"
Rexa shrieked, stumbling backward.
Its entire body was covered in long, deep cuts.
Its limbs trembled violently.
The distortion monster looked like it was having a panic attack.
"You mother—!"
The curse tried to say something—rage, insult, desperation—
But Kael didn't let him finish.
He spun.
His entire body rotated like a spinning saw, bone swords extending outward, coated in cursed energy that crackled like black lightning.
SLAAAAASHHH!
The forest exploded in a spray of cursed ichor.
Rexa's head separated cleanly from its body.
The head hit the dirt—
And the entire body disintegrated instantly, collapsing into drifting ash.
Silence fell.
Then the System flickered before Kael's eyes:
[ +1200 Gold ]
[Strengthening the World Connection…]
The System message lingered in the air like an echo.
Kael remained still, bone swords dripping with the black, sizzling blood of the distortion.
The moonlight caught the falling droplets as they hit the forest floor and hissed into steam.
Slowly, the System window began to update:
…
Name: Kael Eidric
Bloodline: Ackerman × Kaguya (Shikotsumyaku Gene)
Rank: E - Class
Current World: Jujutsu Kaisen [World-4139A]
Resonance: First Core Awakening
…
Attribute
Strength : 73/100
Agility : 78/100
Energy : 55 / 100 (+10 gained)
Intelligence : 51/100
Endurance : 75/100
Luck : 20/100
…
Item
Gold : 1200
…
The panels faded.
Kael wiped the remaining ichor from his jaw, breathing slowly as the bone blades folded back into his skin.
"With that notification…" Kael muttered, opening the interface again.
"…so I really got gold."
He clenched his fist once, feeling the subtle shift in his cursed energy.
Not just more energy—
but deeper.
Thicker.
Heavier.
Like the world's rules were settling properly around him.
But the final notification still echoed in his mind:
[Strengthening the World Connection]
Kael stared into the dark forest.
"…What the hell does that mean?"
He had killed Rexa—
a being from another world,
claiming to have won a tournament to enter this reality.
And now, after slaying it…
The world connection got stronger?
Kael frowned.
"Is it because this world was… unstable?
Or because something—someone—was tampering with the plot?"
Kael's fingers curled into a tight fist.
He needed answers.
There were too many unknowns.
Too many pieces missing.
Another world… a tournament… distortions…
He couldn't deduce anything yet.
"…Let's go back."
Kael immediately sprinted through the forest, using branches and broken roots as stepping points. The school building reappeared between the trees—broken windows, shattered walls, and lingering cursed energy.
He landed in the courtyard just as a familiar voice called out—
"Yo, Kael~!"
Gojo Satoru waved lazily with one hand.
On his shoulder?
A completely unconscious Yuji Itadori, dangling like a sack of potatoes.
Megumi stood beside him, holding a bag full of souvenirs—exactly like in the canon story. Gojo looked like he'd just returned from shopping instead of handling a near-disaster.
Kael didn't waste time.
"Where's the finger?" he asked bluntly.
He didn't ask why Gojo was here, why Yuji was unconscious, or why Megumi looked exhausted. Living near Gojo even for a short time taught Kael one truth—
This man's existence is chaos.
Gojo shrugged casually.
"Oh, that? He ate it."
Megumi looked away silently.
Kael blinked once.
"Well… what happens to him now?" Kael asked.
Gojo rolled his shoulders as if it didn't matter.
"Beats me~. I'll take care of it."
Then he pointed at Megumi and the souvenir bag.
"You two, go home. Kael—take care of Megumi and my souvenirs. Byeeee!"
And without giving anyone a chance to protest,
Gojo disappeared.
Literally.
Just gone.
Kael stared at the empty space where Gojo used to stand, expression flat.
"…This guy."
He shook his head.
Megumi took a long breath, still rattled.
Kael looked at him.
"You okay?"
Megumi nodded. "Yeah. What about the curse you fought?"
"Dead."
Megumi froze.
His eyes widened.
"You killed it? That thing… it felt like a Grade 1. Maybe higher."
Kael shrugged lightly. "Didn't feel that strong."
Megumi didn't know what to say.
He'd seen Kael fight before—fast, powerful, strange.
But killing that monster… alone… with ease?
That was something else.
Kael looked toward the direction where Gojo vanished with Yuji.
"Let's go," he said quietly.
"We have a lot to prepare for."
The first arc of fate had begun—
and Kael knew the distortions weren't over.