On the other side, Utaha and Kato landed in a long, dark, almost unlit corridor.
The air was thick with the smell of dust and a deeper, almost metallic scent mixed with something sweet and rotten. The faint sound of dripping water in the distance added to the eerie atmosphere.
The two stood back-to-back almost immediately upon landing, cautiously observing their surroundings.
Utaha's "eyes" could clearly see several malicious Cursed Energy outlines lurking in the shadows on both sides of the corridor—more Grade 3 Cursed Spirits, seemingly drawn by the spatial fluctuations.
"Kato-san, be careful." Utaha whispered, the pale blue Cursed Energy within her beginning to circulate, condensing into a small, flickering flame in her palm, dispelling some of the darkness and illuminating Kato's calm profile.
Kato responded with a soft "Mm." A short dagger had appeared in her hand at some point, its blade dull.
She slightly lowered her body, her presence becoming even fainter, giving the illusion that she could merge into the shadows at any moment, even though she stood right beside Utaha.
A Cursed Spirit shaped like a flayed beast, moving with ghostly speed, was the first to lunge from the shadows, aiming for Utaha's throat. Its movements were silent, save for the whoosh of displaced air.
Utaha's pupils contracted slightly, instinctively wanting to dodge.
But the moment her muscles tensed, a strange sensation flowed through her body—her physical reaction was astonishingly fast.
Her mind had barely registered the command to "dodge" when her feet had already naturally executed the most logical sidestep, while her arm lifted, delivering a precise hand chop to the joint of the Cursed Spirit's attacking forelimb.
Crack!
A bone-chilling snap echoed, and the Cursed Spirit let out a pained hiss, its movements distorting.
Utaha herself was momentarily stunned. Her movements just now were incredibly fluid, swift, and efficient, as if honed through countless battles, purely a bodily instinct.
It was the muscle memory and combat experience left behind by Sukuna after using her body to fight that were at work.
Not only that, she could feel that her physical strength, reaction speed, and endurance had significantly improved, far surpassing that of an ordinary person, and not even inferior to some trained Jujutsu Sorcerers.
Was this the latent enhancement after undergoing high-intensity battles and Cursed Energy immersion?
Just as Utaha was momentarily dazed, another Cursed Spirit, wriggling like mud, spread across the ground, attempting to entangle her ankle.
However, a dim flash of a blade, flickered without warning.
There was no whoosh of air, no precursor of Cursed Energy burst, not even a trace of a swing.
Kato had appeared half a step in front of Utaha's side at some unknown moment, her dagger already sheathed.
And the mud Cursed Spirit's movements suddenly froze. Immediately after, a smooth incision appeared in its center, then it silently split into two halves, dissolving into black smoke.
Utaha hadn't even seen when Megumi drew her blade, when she swung it, or when she sheathed it. The entire process was as natural as breathing, yet carried a deadly efficiency.
"Kato-san, your Cursed Technique..." Utaha couldn't help but ask.
Kato turned her head, still with her calm, unperturbed expression, and softly explained, "My Cursed Technique is called Silent Eradication. Its effect is to greatly eliminate the presence generated by an attack at the moment it's launched—including sound, light and shadow, Cursed Energy fluctuations, and even disturbances to the surrounding environment and the opponent's premonition of being attacked."
"As long as the opponent's perception and reaction don't exceed a certain threshold, it's very difficult for them to detect or defend against my attacks in advance."
She paused, then added, "Gojo-sensei said that even a Special Grade Sorcerer might not react in time if they're not specifically on guard."
Utaha's heart was filled with awe.
Eliminating the presence of an attack?
This was practically a divine skill for assassination and surprise attacks. Coupled with Kato's already extremely low everyday presence, it was even more difficult to guard against.
Kato tilted her head slightly, seemingly troubled. "However, this Cursed Technique works best for first strikes. Once the opponent knows my ability and is prepared, or has exceptionally strong perception, its effect will be diminished. Moreover, it's not very suitable for sustained combat or area-of-effect attacks."
During their brief exchange, the other Cursed Spirits in the shadows seemed enraged by the swift demise of their companions and swarmed out. There were floating phantoms, multi-legged monsters climbing on the walls, and bloated lumps spewing corrosive liquid.
Utaha took a deep breath, suppressing her surprise, and actively met them.
She found that not only had her physical abilities improved, but her control over Cursed Energy had also become much more refined.
The pale blue flame in her palm was no longer just for illumination. It could now, at her will, condense into a whip-like strike or transform into a thrown fireball. Although its power was far inferior to the Divine Flame used by Sukuna, it was more than enough to deal with these Grade 3 Cursed Spirits.
She utilized the muscle memory left by Sukuna, dodging and weaving with clean, decisive movements, and coupled with her flame attacks, her efficiency was quite high.
Kato, meanwhile, moved like a silent ghost, patrolling the edges of the battlefield. Her presence was so minimal that the Cursed Spirits' targets were often locked on Utaha until the cold dagger silently sliced across their vital points, at which point they realized death had arrived. Every one of her strikes was precise and lethal.
Combined with Utaha drawing fire from the front, the speed at which they cleared the Cursed Spirits was astonishing.
In less than two minutes, the five or six Grade 3 Cursed Spirits in the long corridor were completely eliminated.
Utaha breathed slightly, covered in some dust but unharmed, her eyes sparkling with wonder at her newfound strength and a hint of excitement.
Kato calmly sheathed her dagger, her breathing not even disturbed, as if she had merely taken a stroll.
"It seems everyone has grown." Utaha said, looking at Kato with the first slightly relaxed smile she'd shown since entering the juvenile detention center.
"We need to find the others as soon as possible, especially Itadori and Fushiguro's side. The commotion there seems significant."
Kato nodded, her gaze directed towards the faint vibrations coming from deeper within the corridor and the direction of Yuji's earlier roar. "Mm. Over there... it feels more dangerous."
After a brief adjustment, the two quickly moved towards the source of the vibrations.
They didn't know what Fushiguro and Yuji had encountered, but the short, terrifying aftershock of Cursed Energy that had briefly erupted and then instantly vanished filled them with an ominous premonition.
They had to regroup quickly!
***
New Book
Anime Crossover: Sasuke Template
After transmigrating to the Demon Slayer world, Yamada fortunately obtained the [Dimensional Template System] and acquired [Template: Sasuke (Mangekyo Sharingan Period)].
The greater the change in the plot, the more Dimension Points he gets. With said points, he can upgrade the template, buy new skills and even go to other worlds.