Boundless, infinite darkness.
When the four of them passed through the pitch-black Curtain and entered the barrier, it felt as if they had instantly tumbled into another dimension.
The familiar riverbank had vanished.
In its place was an underground limestone cave filled with countless caverns and strange slime.
A sickening stench hung in the air—a mixture of rotting corpses and stagnant cursed energy.
"Ugh..."
Nobara Kugisaki couldn't help but cover her nose, her face twisted in disgust.
"What the hell is this place? This is a hundred times more disgusting than a sewer!"
"Be careful."
Yoru walked at the front, Shiranui emitting a faint red glow in his hand as it illuminated the path ahead.
His Transparent World was running at full capacity.
In this domain filled with the unknown, any slight oversight could prove fatal.
"So this is the inside of Yasohachi Bridge?"
Yuji Itadori looked around curiously.
On the walls, small slug-like cursed spirits crawled in dense clusters.
They squirmed and hissed, making one's skin crawl.
"These are low-level curses spawned from a Special Grade Cursed Spirit."
Megumi Fushiguro explained. His face was still pale, but his eyes were much firmer than before.
"If we don't find the main body soon, these things will keep swarming out endlessly."
"Then let's make this quick."
Yoru said calmly.
Without pausing for a moment, he walked straight toward the deepest part of the cave.
There.
The aura of Sukuna's finger was strongest there.
"Hey, look at that!"
Suddenly, Yuji shouted while pointing at the ground ahead.
Everyone followed his finger.
Scattered on the slime-covered ground was a pile of worn-out clothes and shoes.
Some were so rotten they were unrecognizable, but others still looked fairly new.
"These are..."
Nobara's pupils constricted.
She recognized a uniform—it belonged to Satozakura High School.
"They're from the missing people."
Megumi's voice trembled slightly.
Although he had prepared himself mentally, the impact of seeing these belongings still felt suffocating.
These people...
All were victims who came here because of the bungee jumping suicide rumors at Yasohachi Bridge, only to be devoured by the cursed spirit.
If it hadn't been for Yoru's intervention...
Perhaps Tsumiki would have become a part of this pile of remains as well.
"Unforgivable."
Yuji clenched his fists, cursed energy surging through his body.
What he hated most were curses that trampled on life so recklessly.
"Don't be reckless."
Yoru reached out a hand, stopping Yuji as he prepared to charge.
"The main attraction is here."
The moment the words left his mouth...
Rumble—
The entire cave suddenly began to vibrate violently.
Heavy footsteps echoed from the darkness ahead.
With every step, the ground shook.
Then, a massive figure slowly emerged from the shadows.
It was a monster over three meters tall.
It had a humanoid torso, but its head resembled a swollen mole, and its entire body was covered in eyes and tentacles.
The most striking feature was its chest.
There, a withered finger was embedded, radiating an aura of despair and pure evil.
"Sukuna's finger!"
Yuji cried out in shock.
"This cursed spirit... it's a Special Grade!"
"And it's a Special Grade that evolved after consuming the finger!"
Megumi quickly summoned his Divine Dog and took a combat stance.
"ROAR!!!"
The cursed spirit let out a piercing roar.
The sound wave hit like a physical shockwave, instantly sweeping through the cave.
The small cursed spirits on the walls burst one after another, turning into puddles of black liquid.
"What intense cursed energy..."
Nobara gritted her teeth, nails and hammer at the ready.
"This thing is even stronger than the one we faced at the detention center!"
Yet, just as everyone was about to strike, Yoru didn't draw his sword.
He maintained his stance, one hand on his blade, but his gaze bypassed the Special Grade in front of him and peered into the deeper darkness.
"Come out."
He spoke coldly.
"Hiding in the back and watching the show isn't a very good habit."
"Huh?"
Megumi blinked in surprise.
There was someone else?
"Hehehe..."
A feminine, soft laugh suddenly echoed from behind the Special Grade Cursed Spirit.
Immediately following it...
Two figures descended like ghosts, landing lightly on the cursed spirit's shoulders.
They were two humanoid beings with extremely bizarre appearances.
The one on the left wore revealing leather clothes with a pair of massive fleshy wings on his back; his face was adorned with flamboyant makeup, radiating an aura of extreme danger.
The one on the right was short and bloated, looking like a giant ball of flesh with a pair of tiny wings on his back and a vacant, idiotic smile on his face.
Cursed Womb: Death Paintings.
Eso and Kechizu.
"Oh my, we've been found?"
Eso swayed his hips as he looked down at Yoru and the others with eyes full of mockery.
"I originally wanted to let this big guy play with you first."
"After all, our brother said we should try to avoid unnecessary fighting."
"Brother?"
Yuji paused.
"Are you humans? Or cursed spirits?"
"How rude."
Eso licked his lips and flashed a cruel smile.
"We are the New Humans."
"Born to bring a new order to this decaying world... the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings!"
Before he even finished speaking...
The stout Kechizu suddenly opened his mouth and sprayed a mouthful of blood toward them.
"Rot Technique: Maximum: Wing King!"
Simultaneously, the wings on Eso's back snapped open, and countless blood-red feathers shot out like sharp arrows!
Covering the sky and earth!
There was nowhere to hide!
"Watch out!"
Megumi shouted, preparing to summon the Great Serpent for defense.
But someone was faster.
Clang!
A gold-and-red blade flash instantly cut through the rain of blood.
Yoru moved.
He didn't use any flashy moves, just a simple swing.
But enhanced by the Transparent World, this single strike precisely severed the trajectory of every blood feather, blocking all the attacks.
Flames danced along the blade's edge.
The moment the corrosive blood touched the flames of Sun Breathing, it hissed and evaporated instantly.
"What?"
The smile on Eso's face froze.
He stared in disbelief at the boy standing before the group.
This boy without a shred of cursed energy.
How could he block their combined attack with just a sword?
"So... these are the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings?"
Yoru slowly looked up.
His red pupils burned with an intense fighting spirit.
"But since you've chosen to side with curses..."
"...then prepare to be cut down."
Flash!
In the next second...
Yoru's figure vanished from where he stood.
When he reappeared...
He was already in front of the massive Special Grade Cursed Spirit!
"Sun Breathing, First Form..."
The blade light flared.
Like the rising sun, it illuminated the endless darkness.
"Dance!"