"The target is out."
On the tall buildings nearly three kilometers away from the Kamo Family's affiliated five-star hotel, several people in various strange costumes stood on the rooftops of almost every building.
Every single one of them was a wanted criminal with a bounty on their head from the Jujutsu Sorcerer Association. These Curse Users basically each had a telescope. When they saw the vehicle carrying Kenmyo, Suguru Geto, Gojo Satoru, and their group drive out of the hotel, a commotion immediately broke out among the crowd.
However, strangely enough, none of these cruel thugs, who had committed numerous crimes, lived dangerously, and dared to take risks, made any move.
Because reason told them that any action would be certain death; the tragic state of the Andoofu International Resort Hotel was the most powerful deterrent.
Although they didn't know what creature caused the attack, the giant bite marks left at the scene were large enough for two adults to lie down horizontally inside them.
That alone was enough to scare them away.
But these jackals, whose eyes glowed green with hunger, were unwilling to leave. Although the target's strength far exceeded expectations, those who remained still held onto hope, thinking that perhaps there might be an opportunity. After all, it was an incredibly high bounty of over one hundred million yen, a nine-digit sum.
After completing this job, they could go home and get married, washing their hands of this life forever.
However, when one of the Curse Users inadvertently looked through his telescope at the building next door, he saw one of the Curse Users, who, even in broad daylight, wrapped his thin body in an impenetrable black robe, and held a peculiar skull-shaped staff in his hand.
Wanting to get a clearer look at the staff's appearance, his scrutiny was discovered by the person opposite him. All he saw was a pair of bright red pupils, so red they looked as if blood would drip from them, staring intently at him from within the dark hood.
In just a glance, those blood-red pupils rapidly enlarged, and then he only felt an intense pain in his head before losing consciousness, completely falling into darkness.
Only a swift evil wind swept past, and the originally bright sky had now grown dim; a cloud formed by Cursed Energy temporarily obscured the sun above.
A terrifying event unfolded in the eyes of those around: an inexplicable, visible indentation appeared on the unfortunate person's neck, as if an invisible pair of hands were tightly choking him, accompanied by crackling sounds of breaking bones.
Eerily, that person still wore a smile on his face, completely unaware of this deadly suffocating sensation.
Bones snapped and flesh was violently torn away. Blood from the carotid artery gushed out like a fountain, and it was only when bathed in blood that they clearly saw the culprit.
It was a small figure, entirely black, about 1.1 meters tall, with small hands stained with blood, hands that seemed to belong to a four or five-year-old child, still bearing a hint of childishness.
Yet, it was these hands that used immense force to twist a nearly 1.9-meter tall man's neck 450 degrees until it snapped, and then violently wrenched it off.
A distinct sound of a hammer striking a nail suddenly rang in their ears.
Almost instantly, the head that had been torn off and casually thrown to the ground exploded like a watermelon crushed by a car, scattering everywhere.
The victim's Kenjaku, mixed with blood, splattered onto the faces of the surrounding onlookers, covering them completely.
In the end, only a bloody, headless corpse was left, swaying before falling to the ground.
The terrifying little demon freely "splashed" in the freshly formed pool of blood, its small feet clearly visible as they moved back and forth at an extremely fast pace, leaving distinct, un-dissipated footprints.
After getting tired of playing, it directly picked up a round object from the blood on the ground and put it into its mouth.
A bead still connected to the optic nerve, it was undoubtedly an eyeball; it was just that the head had exploded so cleanly that the optic nerve remained attached.
This scene of "slurping noodles" was unbearable even for these seasoned Curse Users, with some even gagging.
But at some unknown point, the area was completely empty.
Those who remained were greenhorns; the truly experienced ones, sensing something was wrong and feeling any disturbance, had immediately slipped away. So most Curse Users retreated at once.
The building opposite was completely empty, everyone fleeing from that gaunt figure as if it were a tiger or scorpion, fearing they couldn't escape fast enough.
A child-like Cursed Spirit, a characteristic bat and snake-shaped scepter, and this Cursed Energy that felt like a painful needle prick.
"It's actually him. I didn't expect such a large bounty to attract him."
A Jujutsu Sorcerer frantically running down the stairs thought for a moment and immediately linked it to several internationally renowned figures, instantly guessing the true identity of this person.
Compared to the things that bastard did, nine out of ten of these Curse Users were considered clean; it was like comparing a small witch to a great one. He was the truly evil one.
Moreover, his methods were cruel, his temper was especially explosive, and he would kill anyone when he got ruthless.
"This damn place is no longer safe."
The Curse User grumbled to his companion.
"Damn it, get out the passports. We're going straight to the airport after we get down."
When this big shot, also famous in the Curse User world, appeared, he knew that this immense wealth was no longer destined for them.
Even staying here might lead to being caught in the crossfire, and their lives would be threatened—not might, but definitely.
Because two of the world's top ten most evil Special Grade Cursed Tools were in the hands of that old man.
Not to mention the refining process, those items alone required a large amount of human flesh and blood as fuel for each use to be activated.
A person blacklisted by over 110 countries worldwide as absolutely forbidden from entry, hunted by the Jujutsu World of various countries, was not to be trifled with.
Code-named the Gu Doctor, people only knew he came from Southeast Asia. No one knew his true hometown, and he mastered the most evil and most heaven-defying Jujutsu of Southeast Asia, the 'Spirit Summoning Death Method'.
He was a grandmaster among the underground Curse Users in Southeast Asia, one of the strongest combatants in the local Jujutsu World, and this time he actually appeared directly in Japan.
"What is the Jujutsu Sorcerer Association doing? How can they allow such a monster to enter the country?"
The Curse User couldn't believe that such a legendary dangerous figure would appear here. What exactly bypassed the Barrier?
Because with the impending Star Plasma Vessel assimilation, the entire Barrier defense of Japan was actually very weak, with even several obvious loopholes at sea.
Now that there was a problem with the people maintaining the Barrier, the Great Barrier was basically a misnomer, making it the weakest time for the Japanese Jujutsu World, with all sorts of demons and monsters appearing.
This money, it's better not to have it.
Even with money, you need to be alive to spend it.
"Those kids are in for it."
A hint of schadenfreude appeared in the Curse User's heart. That old bastard wasn't someone who would attack honestly from the front; his methods were always particularly despicable.
"Driver, speed up, lunch break is almost over."
Riko Amanai said anxiously, patting the headrest.
The driver was still Kenmyo, because among them, he was the only one with a driver's license. Couldn't the other bastards get a few more licenses?
Hearing Riko Amanai urging him, Kenmyo simply floored the accelerator, entering rapid overtaking mode.
"Alright, that's right."
"Everyone buckle up, I'm speeding up."
Gojo Satoru and Suguru Geto were physically strong and didn't care; he was mainly speaking to Riko Amanai and Miss Kuroi.
Then these two ordinary people immediately experienced what it meant for a car to move with one's will.
Kenmyo's driving skills were learned from Asagi-nee, like a slippery loach. He weaved through the congested roads, changing lanes constantly as if by instinct.
What was originally a half-hour journey was directly shortened to ten minutes.
Opening the door, Riko Amanai walked into the school unsteadily, like an irrational zombie.
She covered her mouth as she walked.
Saying, "So scary."
She never wanted to ride in Kenmyo's car again.
St. Mary's Cathedral Private Academy was a proper religious school, with churches and places for worship, and it was quite large. It also had a separate, independent parking lot.
"We agreed that if there was even a slight sign of trouble, one of us would immediately take her back to Jujutsu High."
Kenmyo cautiously reminded them first, though he felt that the Curse Users in this entire area posed no great threat to him.
But to be safe, he still told Suguru Geto and Gojo Satoru.
Because there were three of them, two could completely stay behind to hold off any potentially troublesome opponents, while one would break through.
After dropping off Riko Amanai, the four of them immediately felt much more relaxed.
The four of them could rest for a while. For defense, there was a Barrier constructed by Suguru Geto outside; if there was any disturbance, the Barrier he set up should be able to block it somewhat.
"But I still think we should send her to Jujutsu High. I just have a bad feeling."
Gojo Satoru scratched his head.
He didn't know if it was a misconception, but something about this school felt subtly off to him, as if there was something hidden within that made him wary.
It wasn't a comfortable feeling; he wanted to leave.
So Gojo Satoru immediately put his thoughts into action. That's exactly what he did; he called the school directly.
Gojo Satoru called Yaga Masamichi, but the teacher's reply was quite unexpected.
"What? Let this great me try my best to satisfy her requests?"
"Are you kidding me? I'm not her bodyguard or babysitter. Do I really need to provide such thorough service?"
"Master Tengen said so; telling me is useless."
Yaga Masamichi's tone was also very helpless, but an order was an order, and commands from above could not be changed.
"You must try your best to fulfill Riko Amanai's requests. This is Master Tengen's command."
Was this some kind of hypocritical compassion?
Gojo Satoru shook his head, feeling very helpless.
"Sigh, truly too lax."
"Don't say that. Curse Users might not have the guts to attack us."
Suguru Geto saw Gojo Satoru's dejected look and felt both annoyed and amused.
He said helplessly,
"Kenmyo has been doing all the fighting just now; neither of us has really done much, and you're already complaining about being tired."
"At Riko's age, she must be very reluctant to leave her friends and loved ones, right?"
"But once the assimilation ritual begins, Riko will lose all of them."
"So, let her be for now."
Gojo Satoru said nothing, just pulled Kenmyo out for a stroll to admire the school a bit, which was better than standing around idly.
So he left Suguru Geto and Miss Kuroi behind.
"Because Miss Riko has no family, her parents passed away when she was young, so I've always been taking care of her."
Miss Kuroi said earnestly to Suguru Geto and Gojo Satoru.
"So please, let her stay with her friends a little longer."
After speaking, Kuroi bowed deeply to the three in front of her, as if pleading.
"In that case, Miss Kuroi, you are Riko's family, aren't you?"
A smile appeared on Suguru Geto's face.
His reply made Miss Kuroi pause slightly, then nod heavily.
"Yes!"
But suddenly, Kuroi's eyes widened, and her tone became hesitant.
"Is that your Cursed Technique, Mr. Geto?"
After all, Suguru Geto's Cursed Technique was Cursed Spirit Manipulation.
"Hmm?"
Following Miss Kuroi's gaze, Suguru Geto immediately saw a shadowy child, who had appeared beside him at some unknown point, grabbing his pant leg.
When it met Suguru Geto's gaze, the child-like Cursed Spirit even bared its teeth and smiled eerily at him.
"Why didn't the Barrier trigger!"
A chill immediately surged into Suguru Geto's heart, and his previously narrowed eyes widened instantly.
He shouted loudly at Miss Kuroi,
"Run! Get away from here!"
Meanwhile, undercurrents were also stirring on the other side, extending their hidden claws towards them.
West Capital Seven Slaughter Mountain, where a terrifying Cursed Spirit was said to be sealed. Give it seven days to revive, seven days to regain its power, and in seven days it could destroy the world.
It sounds like a story, but what if this legend is true?
The shrines on Seven Slaughter Mountain were established for this very reason. Originally, several Jujutsu Sorcerer and shrine maidens guarded them year-round, but now they were dead, cold corpses.
Deep within Seven Slaughter Mountain was a naturally formed pit, where a large amount of rainwater had accumulated, surrounded by eerie blood-colored runes. For some reason, the air was filled with a nauseating smell of sulfur.
In the center of the lake stood a complete torii gate. Made of unknown material, the wood had not decayed for hundreds of years, and its red paint remained vibrant. Beneath it was a five-meter-long massive black stone, with two omamori ties connected to the part exposed above the water.
That stone looked extremely ominous, with faint black Cursed Energy seemingly seeping from its surface.
On the water not far away stood a bloated monster? One could only vaguely make out that it was a man, because half of his body had several bloody flesh balls, as if they had moved there, and each flesh ball had a face, as if growing directly out of his flesh.
The features of these faces, apart from their exceptionally painful expressions, all had clear stitching on their foreheads, and blood was oozing from these stitches.
On the surrounding stone walls, there were thousands of cultists, densely packed, dressed in white clothes and holding white lanterns.
The ritual was about to begin.