Assistant Supervisor Ijichi's voice trembled slightly; he didn't even dare to look Yoru in the eye.
Outside the car window stood a deathly silent, abandoned nuclear power plant.
Although the site had been sealed for years following an old accident, the desolation and oppression hanging over it were clearly caused by more than just radiation.
It was a soul-shaking chill that even a non-combatant like Ijichi could clearly perceive.
This was definitely more than just a simple Grade 1 mission!
"What's wrong, Ijichi?"
"Are you afraid?"
Yoru pushed open the car door and stood on the dust-covered concrete. The air was thick with a nauseating stench.
The residual dregs of high-concentration cursed energy were mixed with the raw malice of countless cursed spirits.
Ijichi swallowed hard, instinctively wanting to stop him.
"Mr. Yoru... I have a really bad feeling about this place."
"Maybe we should retreat and wait for Mr. Gojo to return..."
However, he was cut off before he could finish.
Yoru simply gave a light wave of his hand, his red eyes calmly staring into the depths of the power plant.
It was as if what lurked there wasn't a collection of terrifying cursed spirits, but a flock of lambs waiting for the slaughter.
"No need."
"Since we're already here, we might as well see what gift the host has prepared for us."
Yoru spoke as he walked straight toward the rust-stained gates.
With every step he took, it felt as though he were treading directly on something's heart.
"Bring down the Curtain."
Following Yoru's command, Ijichi gritted his teeth and began forming the hand seals according to protocol.
"Emerge from darkness, blacker than black. Purify all that is impure."
A black Curtain instantly enveloped the entire nuclear plant, but the moment it fell, a sudden mutation occurred!
The ordinary Curtain, originally meant only to hide the interior from the outside world, was forcibly reinforced by a much stronger power.
Countless red, vein-like patterns even sprouted along the inner surface of the Curtain.
That was...
A targeted sealing barrier!
"Wh-What's happening?!"
Ijichi looked at the sky in horror.
A barrier of this caliber was not something an assistant supervisor like him could set up; even an average Grade 1 sorcerer would find it impossible!
"It seems they're truly afraid I might run away."
Standing in the center of the barrier, Yoru didn't panic. Instead, a mocking smile touched his lips.
He had guessed as much.
If those Rotten Oranges among the Higher-ups dared to move against him after he reached Special Grade combat strength, they would certainly be fully prepared.
This barrier was designed specifically to prevent him from escaping using the Transparent World or his terrifying speed.
This was a death trap.
One could enter, but never leave!
"Mr. Yoru!"
Ijichi tried to rush inside but was repelled by the barrier.
He could only watch helplessly as Yoru's figure vanished into the darkness of the power plant entrance.
...
Inside the nuclear power plant.
This was no longer a ruin of human civilization, but a twisted labyrinth constructed by cursed spirits.
Indistinct lumps of flesh writhed on the walls, and green slime oozed across the floor.
The mutations caused by the radiation had made every cursed spirit here exceptionally violent and deformed.
"ROAR—!"
A deafening roar echoed from all directions.
Immediately after, countless pairs of crimson eyes lit up in the darkness.
They were packed so densely they looked like stars.
But every single star represented a Grade 1 or even Semi-Special Grade cursed spirit hungry for flesh!
There were hundreds, thousands!
No, there were tens of thousands!
This was the first course the Higher-ups had prepared for Yoru—human-wave tactics!
They knew that while Yoru's breathing techniques possessed terrifying single-target lethality, his stamina would eventually be depleted when facing such endless numbers.
Especially for a normal human without cursed energy who couldn't rely on it to reinforce their physical recovery.
This was a guaranteed death sentence!
Yet, the most desperate part was still to come. The moment Yoru drew the Special Grade Cursed Tool: Shiranui, three suffocating presences descended like three mountains.
Special Grade!
And there were three of them!
To the left was a mass of flesh covered in tentacles, where the very space around it seemed to warp.
That was a mutated cursed spirit with a 'Space Folding' technique.
To the right was a monster resembling a stone giant, causing the ground to collapse with every step.
That was a mutated cursed spirit with a 'Gravity Manipulation' technique.
And directly in front...
Was a broodmother with countless mouths, constantly spitting out small black cursed spirits.
That was a mutated cursed spirit with an 'Infinite Multiplication' technique!
Three Special Grades.
Combined with tens of thousands of pawns, this was the 'accident' the Rotten Oranges of the Higher-ups had meticulously planned.
Inside a monitoring room, several elderly men in kimonos were sneering as they watched the scene.
"Hmph."
"What 'Sword Saint,' what 'invincible.'"
"In the face of absolute numbers, a monkey without cursed energy is just a monkey."
"Once he's exhausted and dies here, Satoru Gojo will only find a corpse when he returns."
"We'll just say there was a mission accident and the Special Grade cursed spirits went berserk."
"Perfect."
The old men raised their teacups as if they had already secured victory.
However, Yoru moved in a way that none of them expected.
He showed no fear, no anger, and didn't even frown.
He simply lowered his center of gravity slowly and slightly angled his Nichirin Sword upward.
It was a starting stance.
A stance that had once severed the heads of countless demons in the hands of Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
"This is somewhat interesting,"
Yoru murmured softly, his voice cutting clearly through the noisy shrieks of the cursed spirits.
"Since you've been so hospitable..."
"I shouldn't be too stingy."
"Total Concentration Breathing."
Vroom—!
As the breathing technique activated, Yoru's aura began to climb frantically. His calm, water-like red pupils now seemed to burn with golden flames.
It was the precursor to Sun Breathing!
"Sun Breathing, First Form: Dance!"
Swish!
A golden ring of fire exploded outward.
The hundreds of cursed spirits in the front row didn't even have time to scream before they were vaporized into ash by the intense heat!
In the monitoring room, the old men's hands shook, spilling tea all over the floor.
"Wh-What is this destructive power?!"
"Wasn't it said he had no area-of-effect attacks?!"
But this was only the beginning. As the three Special Grade cursed spirits shrieked simultaneously, the true killing move designed to drive Yoru into despair finally bared its fangs.
"Domain Expansion—"
The three Special Grades formed seals at the same time.
Three distinct yet eerily fused domains swallowed Yoru instantly.
[SEA OF TEN THOUSAND CURSED CORPSES]!
This was a triple-layered domain that stacked spatial locking, gravity suppression, and infinite resurrection!
Inside this domain, even a Special Grade Sorcerer would be instantly crushed into a meat slurry!
"Die!"
"For the sake of order in the jujutsu world!"
The old men were laughing maniacally.
In the center of that desperate sea of corpses, Yoru's figure appeared so small.
Yet the sword in his hand remained as steady as a mountain.
"Is this your trump card?"
Yoru closed his eyes.
The sound of his breathing drowned out all the roars at that moment.
A second later, when he opened his eyes again, the entire world would be dyed red!
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