Before the Cursed Warehouse doors.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
Mahito roared, his body twisting frantically like modeling clay.
Countless bone spikes, tentacles, and even a massive hammer forged from souls rained down on Hayashi En like a torrential storm.
However...
Not a single blow could even graze the hem of the man's clothes.
Though it took some effort, the rhythm of the battle remained firmly within En's grasp.
His footwork was light and eerie, each movement placing him perfectly within the blind spots of Mahito's attacks.
The black kunai in his hand danced between his fingertips, tracing lethal dark lines through the air.
"Too slow."
En's voice was flat.
*Splurt!*
A flash of black light flickered.
Mahito's newly extended bone-blade arm was severed cleanly in mid-air.
The cut was as smooth as a mirror.
"Argh!!"
Mahito retreated while clutching his severed arm, a familiar, nauseating sensation of soul-vibration pulsing from the wound.
"Damn you..."
Mahito glared at En, his heterochromatic eyes bloodshot with rage.
As a transmigrator who knew the script, combined with the physical prowess of a Grade 1 Sorcerer and the critical hit attributes of the Ratio Technique,
En was currently Mahito's natural predator.
"Do you want to continue?"
En casually flicked the purple blood off his kunai and gestured toward the Cursed Warehouse doors behind him.
"If you don't go in soon..."
He lifted his wrist and checked his watch.
"Gojo Satoru might just notice this place."
Those words were like a sharp blade stabbed directly into Mahito's heart.
Time!
That was exactly what they lacked most!
"You bastard!!"
Mahito had reached his limit.
"Since you're so eager to die..."
The cursed energy within Mahito began to swell frantically as black patterns crawled across his entire body.
He was prepared to go all out.
Even if he had to burn his very soul, he would kill this obstacle standing in his way!
"Domain Expan—"
Just a second before Mahito could unleash his ultimate move.
*Boom!!!*
A sudden explosion thundered from the sky.
Immediately following.
A massive, blazing meteorite, looking like divine punishment, came shrieking down from above the forest!
Its target—directly at Hayashi En!
Waves of heat surged.
The air was ignited in an instant.
"Hmm?"
En's brow twitched slightly.
He didn't try to block it head-on. Instead, he pushed off the ground, sliding back over a dozen meters in an instant.
*Crash!!!*
The meteorite slammed into the spot where he had just been standing, blasting a charred crater into the ground.
Amidst the rising flames.
A short, one-eyed cursed spirit with a smoking volcano-like head slowly stepped out.
Special Grade Cursed Spirit—Jogo.
"Mahito! What the hell are you doing?!"
Jogo roared irritably, his voice sounding as if it were spitting fire.
"A mere human sorcerer has kept you occupied for this long?!"
"Hanami's side is already reaching its limit!"
"Jogo?!"
A flash of joy crossed Mahito's eyes when he saw the newcomer.
"Careful! This guy is bizarre! His technique can damage the soul!"
"Ha? Damage the soul?"
Jogo snorted with disdain, his single eye filled with arrogance.
"Then I'll just burn him to ash! Burn his soul right along with him!"
It turned around to face En.
Within its palms, two purple ember insects began to coalesce.
"Hey, human."
"I don't know who you are, but you're in our way..."
"...so you have to die."
Two against one.
Two Special Grade cursed spirits.
En remained silent.
According to the original plot, Jogo shouldn't be here.
He should have been recovering from his injuries at this time.
'Could it be Kenjaku again...'
He looked at the aggressive Jogo, then at the sinister Mahito.
"My, my."
En put away his kunai and dusted off his suit.
His previously sharp killing intent vanished without a trace in an instant.
"Since Mr. Jogo is here as well..."
"That makes it two against one."
"I'm the type of person who knows how to adapt to the situation."
En took a step back, clearing the path to the Cursed Warehouse doors.
He even made an elegant "after you" gesture.
"Please, go in."
"Huh?"
Now it was Jogo and Mahito's turn to be bewildered.
What was going on?
He was ready for a fight to the death a moment ago, and now he's suddenly stepping aside?
"Is it a trap?"
Jogo looked around warily.
"No traps."
En spread his hands wide with a look of total sincerity.
"I'm just a small business owner. I can't take on two Special Grades."
"And..."
En shrugged.
"If you insist on killing me here, the commotion will be too loud..."
"...and you might attract the attention of that 'Six Eyes' ahead of schedule."
"At that point, forget the fingers—it'll be a question of whether you two can even make it out alive."
This was a naked threat.
It was also an undeniable fact.
Jogo gritted his teeth.
He was hot-tempered, but he wasn't stupid.
Their primary mission was to recover the fingers, not to get tangled up with this bizarre human.
"Smart move."
Jogo shot En a fierce glare.
"Mahito, let's go!"
"Once we have the goods, we retreat immediately!"
Mahito gave En a resentful look but nodded nonetheless.
"Next time..."
"I will definitely kill you next time."
The two Special Grade curses didn't hesitate any longer, turning and charging toward the Cursed Warehouse doors.
*Bang!*
Under the raw power of the Special Grades, the heavy iron gate was as fragile as paper, blown wide open in an instant.
He watched the backs of the two cursed spirits as they rushed inside.
En adjusted his glasses, the smile on his lips gradually turning cold.
...
Meanwhile.
In a corner of Jujutsu High, near the shrine.
Iori Utahime, the supervisor for the Kyoto school, was running down a corridor with a serious expression.
She was searching for the base of the Veil.
If the base was destroyed, Gojo Satoru would be able to enter.
'It should be around here...'
Utahime stopped in her tracks, her gaze locking onto a wooden stake ahead.
But just then...
"Oh my, I've been spotted."
A flippant voice called out from the rooftop.
Immediately after.
A blond man dressed in a strange black-and-white striped suit, holding a longsword with a hand-patterned hilt, jumped down from the roof.
Curse User—Shigemo Haruta.
"What terrible luck, Utahime-sensei."
Haruta flicked his sword, a perverted grin plastered on his face.
"I didn't really want to hit a woman, but..."
"...to keep you from breaking the Veil, I'll have to ask you to die."
Utahime dropped into a combat stance, her expression grave.
Her technique was the support type; one-on-one combat wasn't her forte.
"Prepare to die!"
Haruta gave a weird cry and charged forward, swinging his sword.
At that critical moment.
*Whoosh!*
A blue tentacle shot out from the woods like a whip, lashing violently toward Haruta's cheek.
"Ngh?!"
Haruta's reactions were swift; he ground to a halt and leaped backward.
*Crack!*
The tentacle slammed into the ground, shattering the stone pavement.
"Who's there?"
Haruta landed and glared warily at the forest.
A black-haired youth with long bangs, wearing a modified Jujutsu High uniform, stepped slowly into view.
On his collar was pinned a shimmering badge.
Yoshino Junpei.
"You're... a student?" Utahime asked, surprised.
"I am an employee of Boss En."
Junpei didn't look at Utahime; his gaze was locked firmly on Haruta.
Fighting spirit flickered in his eyes.
This was the first formal mission the boss had given him.
He could tell from the boss's tone just how much he loathed this curse user named Haruta.
Because of that, Junpei was determined to complete the task perfectly.
At the thought, Junpei's eyes burned with intensity as he stared at Haruta.
That look gave Haruta a vague sense of discomfort.
"The boss said it."
Junpei raised his hand, and a massive jellyfish-like shikigami materialized behind him—[Moon Dregs].
Its tentacles danced as toxins surged within it.
"The trash here..."
"...will be cleared out by me."
"Ha? Clear me out?"
Haruta laughed as if he'd heard a joke, pointing at his own nose.
"By a brat like you?"
"I am a man blessed by the Goddess of Fortune!"
"Fortune?"
Junpei sneered.
"Then you'd better pray that your luck..."
"...can withstand my poison."
"Moon Dregs! Attack!"
*Boom!*
The massive jellyfish tentacles rained down like a storm.
At the same time.
On the other side of the battlefield, Kugisaki Nobara and Zenin Mai were also rushing toward this location.
The encirclement was complete.
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