The one who tied the bell must untie it.
The conflict between a father and his children, whether son or daughter, could not possibly be resolved by an outsider like Kenmyo.
Moreover, a fire was burning, and it wasn't just directed at the Jujutsu Sorcerer Association; it had reached him too.
"Have you heard? Killing that little girl yields a bounty of fifty million."
"And killing her three protectors—each head can fetch an additional twenty million."
"Is that true? Doesn't that mean a total of one hundred and ten million?"
In the past few days, the underground dark web sites for Curse Users had been buzzing, because an anonymous patron released a large number of missions on the site, with the bounty instantly exceeding one hundred million!
An anonymous person released a picture of the real Star Plasma Vessel, the little girl wearing a headband. Her whereabouts and location were completely exposed.
A mole within the Jujutsu Sorcerer Association actively exposed her location. That night, the Jujutsu Sorcerer Association found out who the leaker was, but when they found him, he was already stone cold, having died in an accident that very night.
Similarly, information about the three protectors was also leaked.
These were the headshots of Kenmyo, Gojo Satoru, and Suguru Geto. Since the information was leaked from the Jujutsu Sorcerer Association, the photos used were those taken when they registered with the Jujutsu Sorcerer Association.
Gojo Satoru's photo was the "most attractive," showing him with his mouth open, tongue sticking out, and his thumb making a famous throat-slitting gesture.
However, the bounty notice on the website only had their bare headshots, without any other descriptions. Especially the most crucial information for Curse Users accepting missions—details about their Cursed Techniques and fighting methods—had not been leaked at all.
In fact, this did not comply with the rules of the Curse User underground dark web, because assassination missions must include the target's Cursed Technique, personal habits, and some private information in the intelligence package to increase the success rate of Curse Users killing Jujutsu Sorcerer.
Generally speaking, Jujutsu Sorcerer are a step above Curse Users because they receive orthodox education.
The legacy of Curse Users, however, is mostly fragmented, lacking essential pieces. Because the Cursed Techniques of the old fogeys from the previous generation were extremely cruel and malicious, sometimes requiring human sacrifices, this often led to these anti-social maniacs being subjected to large-scale encirclement and suppression by legitimate Jujutsu Sorcerer.
Therefore, when accepting a mission, intelligence on the Jujutsu Sorcerer is particularly crucial.
A mission like this would usually be untouched, but considering the reward of one hundred and ten million—to put it harshly—even the dogs raised by Curse Users wanted to get involved.
With a value of one hundred million, which is a significant goal, why worry about trivial matters? Thus, the entire circle of Curse Users erupted.
Furthermore, to motivate this group of Curse Users, the patron who posted the bounty specifically set a deadline: tomorrow at noon.
"So much for my vacation."
Kenmyo had originally planned to enjoy his freedom for a while longer, but he received a notice from the Jujutsu Sorcerer Association. For safety considerations, the three of them were to travel separately and immediately depart to protect the Star Plasma Vessel.
"Is that the twenty million one?"
"Yes, he looks exactly like the one on the bounty website."
"He's brazenly taking the train. Who is he looking down on?"
These were two Curse User rookies who seemed to have believed the bounty notice on the Curse User website and couldn't wait to jump out.
Why were they called rookies? Because the veterans were all waiting for these inexperienced newcomers to go first.
The intelligence on the Jujutsu Sorcerer was the information that those veteran Curse Users truly wanted.
"This bento is really terrible."
"Kenmyo" scooped up two mouthfuls of the bento box sold everywhere on the Shinkansen.
"Damn the Jujutsu Sorcerer Association for making me work overtime again."
He also realistically twisted open the nearby water bottle and gulped down several mouthfuls.
He cursed while eating.
He looked like a miserable worker exploited by the Jujutsu Sorcerer Association, forced to eat a couple of bites on the road just to satisfy his hunger—a truly pathetic sight.
When they saw the target rub his stomach after finishing his meal, his face instantly turned extremely pale, and they were immediately delighted.
"The poison worked!"
These people had put a special poison in all the bento boxes in the dining car, but though they called it poison, it was really just a crude formula they mixed up.
Because controlled substances were managed not only by the Metropolitan Police Department but also by the Jujutsu Sorcerer Association, being able to concoct a poison lethal to ordinary people was already their limit.
"The physique of Jujutsu Sorcerer far exceeds that of ordinary people. Wait a little longer; this poison lethal to ordinary people will only cause them pain, not death."
The Curse User next to him stopped his eager partner, telling him to wait just a bit longer.
"We'll strike when the poison takes better effect."
Sure enough, shortly after, as the poison took effect, the target started spitting blood and his whole body began to convulse.
"Help."
This abnormality quickly drew the attention of nearby passengers; some women even started screaming loudly.
"Someone help! That person looks like he's dying."
After confirming that the target's current state was not faked, the two Curse Users exchanged glances, quickly pulled out black stockings, and pulled them over their heads.
"Now's the time."
These two young Curse Users each pulled out a handmade shotgun from their backpacks.
Although they were greenhorns, they possessed all the caution a veteran should have, and their timing was perfect.
The Curse Users, even when facing a poisoned, near-death Jujutsu Sorcerer, still chose to use firearms first as a precaution to wear him down.
Bullets that pose a great threat to the human body can usually force a Jujutsu Sorcerer to reveal his Cursed Technique.
Moreover, the opponent, in their eyes, was already at the end of his rope, with no power left to fight back. Drawing their guns now was just for certainty.
"What? He can still move?"
When one of the Curse Users saw the target look in their direction, and then saw his finger twitch slightly, he immediately noticed a subtle difference in the air.
This was the prelude to a Cursed Technique activation.
"He really is a monster."
The wide-eyed Curse User gripped the gun in his hand and pulled the trigger without the slightest hesitation.
While terrified that the target could still move, he also felt extremely fortunate.
"It's truly great that we prepared the poison beforehand."
"Bang!"
Although the handmade shotgun shook with every shot, its power was exactly what the original model should have, without any reduction.
These two young men had even put effort into the ammunition; the steel pellets contained gunpowder, allowing for a secondary explosion.
Dozens of bullets, like a torrential rain of pear blossoms, were ejected with powerful kinetic energy, creating astonishing destructive force.
Let alone flesh and blood bodies, even seats made of composite materials with a certain strength were pierced by the bullets. In their eyes, "Kenmyo's" fingers, palm, and even the upper half of his arm were completely shattered and mangled.
Moreover, small holes appeared all over his body, caused by the impact dents of the steel pellets. As mentioned before, these steel pellets contained gunpowder and could explode.
Therefore, almost the instant they hit, the gunpowder inside began to detonate.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The impact dents now burst open. Several large-area wounds appeared on his already miserable body surface; the wounds were extremely deep, essentially exposing the bone, bloody and gruesome, with the pale white bones looking terrifying.
All the blood splattered from "Kenmyo's" body landed on the surrounding well-meaning spectators, as did the ricocheting steel pellets.
These two dark openings made the already chaotic train carriage even more tumultuous. The panicked crowd immediately stood up, as if trying to flee.
The lethal range was huge, and accompanied by the loud gunshots, it was practically the start of a sprint race.
"Shoot!"
The Curse Users showed no mercy, pulling the trigger on these innocent people; they were clearing the area.
The two brothers stood one in front and one behind, frantically unleashing bullets.
They even included the other Curse Users in their shooting, knowing they were also competitors and unstable factors.
As for why those Curse Users couldn't react, it was due to the Cursed Technique of one of the brothers.
Thin Facade
It can make a designated object disappear from everyone's sight, and the attacks launched using it are also invisible.
Pellets flew densely, bullets poured out like rain, red blood splattered everywhere, and lives were instantly extinguished before they could even scream. The entire Shinkansen passenger cabin seemed to have turned into a living hell, littered with severed limbs, scattered eyeballs, and a bizarre mixture of flesh and organs, all soaking in blood.
The previously tidy carriage was now covered in blood, forming a stark contrast. The visual impact of these cruel scenes laid bare was unimaginably great.
Before long, the brothers had emptied the chambers of their guns, and the area became completely silent, without any other movement.
As for the guilt of killing so many people? What was that? Could guilt fill their stomachs? Could it bring them money?
These people were just killed incidentally. They could only blame their bad luck for being on the same route as a large group of Curse Users.
"Let's go, let's go check on our twenty million."
However, the abnormality the brothers failed to notice was that the blood, whether from the Curse Users or the passengers, seemed to possess life, gradually pooling and converging from a distance.
If the different types of blood were marked, they would look like small arrows, similar to weather vanes, pointing directly toward him.
It was overlooked simply because the ground was covered in blood, but the final destination of this blood was their target, "Kenmyo."
"Just to be safe, one more shot."
The older Curse User stopped the younger one, pressing his hand against the muzzle to prevent him from pulling the trigger.
"No need. If he can survive looking like that, I'll eat shit for you."
"You should be glad our previous attack didn't destroy his head, otherwise it would be really hard to identify who he is."
When Curse Users submit their mission report, they usually sever the target's head, as that is the most recognizable proof.
"Alright, quickly cut off his head."
"The longer we drag this out, the worse it is for us. After all, everyone wants this twenty million."
"Mhm."
With a "shing," the sound of a sharp blade being drawn was heard.
Just following the wound and cutting along the bone seams, the head was expertly severed with almost no resistance.
"Speaking of which, this guy isn't much older than us. Why is he worth so much money?"
"Who knows?"
The other Curse User was busy putting away the firearms, but when he inadvertently lifted his head, he suddenly saw the bloody head held in his partner's hand seem to open its eyes and blink.
"Ah ah ah."
The sudden shock terrified him, making him stumble back several steps.
He said in a panic.
"This guy is still alive."
"Are you kidding me? I chopped off his head! How can he still be alive?"
Seeing his partner's horrified expression, the Curse User couldn't believe it. He thought his partner was hallucinating after witnessing the bloody scene.
He couldn't help but mock him.
"You look like quite the coward."
But the mocked guy's expression was even more terrified now, because he saw the head, which had previously had its eyes closed, now fully open.
"I cut off his head. Don't make me laugh, how can he be alive like that?"
"Actually, just having my head cut off isn't enough to defeat me."
Who was talking?
The person holding his head in one hand instantly felt his hair stand on end, a chilling sensation creeping up his back.
Soon, he also realized something was wrong. The voice seemed to be coming from the dripping head in his hand.
"See, I'm still alive."
The head of "Kenmyo," with its eyeballs rolling around wildly, finally stared intently at the two of them, looking utterly grotesque and terrifying.
The person holding it threw it away immediately, as if it were a hot potato.
"Monster!!!"
But as soon as it left his hand, a black-red, slightly glowing, sludge-like substance erupted around the head, connecting the fragmented body parts back together.
This bizarre, unnatural scene instantly broke the Curse Users' composure. They picked up their weapons and opened fire again.
Now, the issue wasn't submitting the mission, but whether they could leave alive.
"Kenmyo's" head was shot through, but it grew back almost instantly. His upper body, which had been practically turned into minced meat, was also restored to its original state.
It felt as if the heap of flesh before them had no solid form, composed purely of blood. Furthermore, "Kenmyo's" body became even more active after absorbing the blood from the corpses on the ground.
A nearly black-red shadow covered the entire carriage. Eye-like objects began appearing on the walls, looking incredibly sinister and terrifying.
At the deepest part of the bloody pool, many terrifying, ferocious hounds seemed to dwell, baring their teeth, along with countless black-red centipedes densely tangled together.
"Game over, Curse Users."
The roles of prey and hunter were fixed from the very beginning. It's just that clever "hunters" often appear as harmless "prey."
If all of this was just a trap, and such scenes were playing out simultaneously in three locations, how should the Curse Users respond?