At the edge of a mountain forest in Kochi Prefecture, several abandoned vans were parked haphazardly in front of a long-deserted building.
It had once served as the office building of a factory, but over a decade ago, the company went bankrupt due to poor management. The location was so remote and the land so worthless that even demolishing it would have meant a financial loss. And so, it was simply forgotten.
That was, until "Window" discovered a nearby village massacred by Cursed Spirits—and with it, the Special Grade Cursed Spirit known as the Great Traveling Abyss Serpent God.
On the first floor of the abandoned building, Naoya Zenin sat on a crude chair fashioned from reinforced steel bars, chewing on a pen as he stared blankly at two open notebooks on the table.
His face looked calm, but his fingers tapped rapidly against the tabletop, betraying the impatience he tried to suppress.
Akira Zenin had been gone for a while. When the Great Traveling Abyss Serpent God first appeared, it carried overwhelming Cursed Energy. With its massive body stretching dozens of meters and the torrential rain pouring down around it, the sight had been nothing short of domineering.
And yet, before it could say a single word, it was exorcised.
The entire process lasted only six seconds, flowing with unsettling smoothness:
[Summon Mahoraga]
[Mahoraga withstands the enemy's charge]
[Shadow Hand restrains the Cursed Spirit]
[Mahoraga slays the Great Serpent with a single strike]
The most time-consuming step had actually been summoning the Shikigami…
What gave Naoya Zenin the biggest headache now was that after exorcising that so-called "Great Traveling Abyss Serpent God," Akira Zenin had completely forgotten to record the Cursed Spirit's specific technique.
Then again, the thing never even had a chance to make a move…
"Ahem. Something worthy of being written into the annals of the Jujutsu World—I'll leave that to you. Write it however you like. Make it up if you have to."
After saying that, the culprit had tossed the notebook at him and run off without another word…
Naoya Zenin shifted his gaze to the other notebook. Inside were his goals:
Complete 1,000 missions rated at least Grade 1.
After that, challenge the top-tier Jujutsu Sorcerers.
Then go find Toji Zenin…
Having taken on missions since childhood and encountered all kinds of powerful figures, Naoya Zenin now cared about only one thing: becoming stronger. Power, reputation, even the position of Clan Head—those could all wait.
He flipped to a fresh page and recorded the incident. He didn't circle it.
It wasn't completed by him alone. It hadn't pushed him to his limits.
"Two hundred forty-one completed… Still a long road ahead. Hopefully I can move to the next step before I turn forty…"
Maybe fabricating the details had drained more of him than expected. He leaned back in the chair, intending to rest for a moment.
He hadn't even closed his eyes when his brows suddenly tightened. He stood at once, hand gripping the hilt of his blade.
Voices drifted in from outside, growing clearer as they approached, accompanied by Cursed Energy he could distinctly sense.
Setting aside those absurdly powerful Special Grade Sorcerers, this was the most immense, scorching, and heavy Cursed Energy he had ever felt.
...
"In my opinion, we should set up our base in a chaotic district. That way we'll have room to maneuver whether we attack or retreat. It'll also make gathering as much negative emotion as possible much easier."
"Hmph. Humans do love clustering together to build their nests. It would be convenient. But Hanami prefers places closer to nature. Let's look around before deciding. We're not short on time anyway…"
"Didn't you used to dislike Hanami? I wonder who kept insisting she leave…"
"Dislike? Heh. You fake humans really can't understand our sincere emotions.
What I meant was don't let Hanami get too close. When she talks, my brain starts tingling…
Forget it, forget it. My head's getting numb again… That feeling—just get out of my head!"
Boom!!!
The abandoned building's walls couldn't withstand the scorching blast of air. The already unstable gate instantly burned into charcoal.
With a sharp metallic ring, Naoya Zenin drew his sword. Before him stood a one-eyed volcano-headed Cursed Spirit and a cloaked woman whose figure was obscured in shadow—her features impossible to make out, her build not particularly slender.
Jogo grinned, revealing a mouthful of blackened teeth.
"See? There's still a lone bug left here…"
The woman beside him shook her head.
"Never underestimate any Jujutsu Sorcerer."
Kenjaku narrowed her eyes at Naoya Zenin. Because of her clothing and the angle, her face remained hidden.
[Naoya Zenin? He's been rather active lately. Wandering around like this isn't wise. Letting Jogo warm up on him wouldn't be a bad idea…]
Naoya Zenin took a slow breath.
When he first heard their voices and sensed that Cursed Energy, his instinctive reaction had been simple: another chance to challenge the strong.
But now, seeing a Cursed Spirit that could converse so casually with humans—and a Curse User standing alongside it—he understood.
There was no running.
And whether it was his imagination or not, it felt as though the Curse User had already locked onto him while still outside the building. The "curtain" surrounding this place was proof enough.
Kenjaku glanced at Jogo.
"I don't really feel like making a move."
"When did I ever say you had to? Are you insulting me?"
Listening to the two of them speak as though they were dividing spoils, Naoya Zenin closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, he had already settled into his stance, blade aimed forward.
The battles and bloodshed of his childhood had honed him into something steady as still water, yet sharp as a blade ready to be drawn.
[The path to becoming strong was never going to be safe. I knew that from the start.
Grow stronger.
Or fall on the road to becoming stronger.]