October 31, 2018, 19:00.
Halloween night.
Shibuya, which should have been a night of revelry, was now plunged into a deathly silent panic.
A massive black Curtain descended from the sky without warning.
Not just one.
But four!
Layered upon each other, they completely enveloped the entire Shibuya district.
Like a giant black cage, it thoroughly isolated the area from the outside world.
"What's going on? My phone has no signal!"
"What is this black stuff? Is it some kind of special effect?"
"We can't get out! The subway exits are sealed off!"
"Help! I want to go home!"
Tens of thousands of people trapped inside the Curtain began to panic.
Fear spread like a plague.
The once-crowded intersection instantly turned into a living hell.
People pushed and screamed, trying to break through the invisible barrier.
But no matter how hard they tried, it was all in vain.
That Curtain was indestructible, possessing a property that even rejected the passage of non-sorcerers.
More terrifyingly, a line of blood-red text began to manifest above the Curtain:
[BRING SATORU GOJO HERE!]
This was a blatant kidnapping.
Using the lives of tens of thousands to force the strongest jujutsu sorcerer to appear!
"Quite the grand scale."
On the rooftop of a high-rise building near Shibuya Station.
Yoru stood at the edge, the fierce wind whipping his trench coat.
He activated the Transparent World.
The world before him instantly became transparent.
He saw the dense crowds within the Curtain, the foul-smelling cursed spirits hiding among them, and more importantly...
The Special Grade Cursed Spirits lurking in the shadows, waiting for their prey to take the bait.
Jogo, Hanami, Dagon...
Their presence wasn't hidden at all; instead, it felt like a provocation.
But what concerned Yoru was that the stitched-face cursed spirit—Mahito—was not on the main battlefield.
"Is everyone out?"
'It seems Kenjaku is dead set on making headlines this time.'
Yoru let out a cold laugh.
Behind him, Kento Nanami, Megumi Fushiguro, Takuma Ino, and Mei Mei—the core combatants—had already assembled.
Everyone's expression was grim.
Because they knew that what they were about to face was the most brutal battle in the history of the jujutsu world.
"Where's Gojo-sensei?"
Megumi Fushiguro asked, the Divine Dog: Black in his hand growling uneasily.
"He's already inside."
Kiyotaka Ijichi ran over, drenched in sweat, clutching a communicator with a trembling voice.
"Just now, Mr. Gojo charged into the Curtain alone!"
"And..."
"He refused to let any Assistant Supervisors follow, saying we'd just get in the way!"
As expected.
That was Satoru Gojo for you.
Even knowing it was a trap, even knowing the enemy had prepared a killing blow specifically for him.
He still chose the most direct and arrogant approach.
Going in alone!
"Since the protagonist has arrived."
"Then it's time for us to move as well."
Yoru turned to face the group, his gaze sharp.
"According to the plan."
"Mr. Nanami, take one team to the outskirts of Shibuya Station. Focus on evacuating the civilians being pushed out and clear any minor cursed spirits."
"Ms. Mei Mei, please use your crows to control the airspace and report any battlefield movements."
"Megumi, you're with Maki-senpai. Provide mobile support."
"As for me..."
Yoru's fingers lightly brushed the hilt of Shiranui, a bloodthirsty glint flashing in his eyes.
"I'll be watching from the shadows."
"I'm keeping an eye on that Brain. If he dares to show his head..."
"I'll lop it right off!"
"Move out!"
At Yoru's command, everyone vanished instantly, turning into afterimages as they charged into the night.
The Shibuya Incident had officially begun!
Meanwhile.
Shibuya Station, Fukutoshin Line platform.
This was the heart of the Curtain and the most densely populated area.
The air was thick with the suffocating smell of sweat and fear.
"Aaaah! Stay away!"
Screams erupted from the edge of the crowd.
Several grotesque transfigured humans suddenly attacked, tearing the ordinary people around them apart.
Blood sprayed, and the crowd erupted in chaos, desperately pushing toward the center of the platform.
Stamping, screaming, crying.
Despair reached its peak.
Just then.
Tap, tap, tap.
Clear footsteps echoed across the chaotic platform.
The sound wasn't loud, yet it possessed a strange magic that pierced through all the noise.
"Really now."
"It's so messy here, I barely have a place to step."
A tall figure appeared at the top of the stairs.
He gave a casual wave of his hand.
Boom!
The transfigured humans who were rampaging were instantly crushed into meat paste by an invisible force, unable to even scream.
A terrifying pressure of cursed energy swept across the area.
The frantically pushing crowd seemed to hit a pause button, staring blankly at the man.
Tall, wearing a black blindfold, with upright silver hair.
He walked over leisurely with his hands in his pockets.
It was as if he were taking a stroll in his own backyard.
He completely ignored the cursed spirits glaring at him from all sides.
"Go... Gojo Satoru!"
Someone recognized him and cried out in relief.
"Save us! Mr. Gojo!"
Gojo ignored the pleas for help. His gaze bypassed the crowd and landed on the other end of the platform.
There, three Special Grade Cursed Spirits stood in a triangular formation.
Jogo, Hanami, and Choso.
Around them, the area was packed with ordinary people.
These cursed spirits weren't on a killing spree; instead, like sheepdogs, they had herded the crowd toward them, forming a thick human shield.
"Yo."
"Quite a crowd you've gathered."
Gojo stopped, a contemptuous smile playing on his lips, though the Six Eyes beneath his blindfold were ice-cold.
"Did you call everyone here just to throw a party?"
"Using humans as shields, hoping to make me hesitate?"
"If that's the case..."
"Aren't you looking down on me a bit too much?"
"Satoru Gojo!"
Jogo's single eye glared intently at Gojo, the volcano on his head venting a burst of searing steam.
"Stop acting tough!"
"In this place, you can't use your Domain Expansion, and you can't use large-scale techniques!"
"Today..."
"Is the day you die!"
Boom!
Along with Jogo's roar, the surrounding temperature spiked.
Countless Ember Insects crawled out from the shadows, letting out ear-piercing shrieks.
Hanami also activated its technique, with numerous tree roots erupting from the ground—not to attack Gojo, but to tightly entwine the surrounding crowd, using them as bargaining chips.
The battle was about to erupt!
High above, monitoring everything, Yoru frowned.
Something was wrong. It was too quiet.
Aside from Jogo and Hanami, where were the other Special Grade Cursed Spirits?
Especially Mahito...
And Kenjaku...
Where were they?
Just then, within the vision of the Transparent World, he caught a faint yet exceptionally eerie fluctuation of cursed energy.
That fluctuation didn't come from the center of the battlefield.
It came from...
Right beneath Gojo's feet!
'A trap?'
Yoru's pupils constricted.
That position...
It was the blind spot of the subway platform, and the perfect spot to activate the Prison Realm!
"Gojo-sensei!"
Yoru instinctively wanted to charge out.
But in the next second, he forced himself to hold back.
He couldn't rush.
It wasn't time yet. Kenjaku hadn't appeared, and the Prison Realm hadn't been opened.
If he rushed out now, he would only alert the enemy and cause them to change their plan.
He had to wait. Wait for that critical moment, wait...
Until the final move was revealed!
'Come on, Kenjaku.'
Yoru stared fixedly at that dark corner, Shiranui already unsheathed by half an inch.
'Let me see...'
'What kind of surprise you've prepared for Satoru Gojo.'
'I hope...'
'You don't disappoint me too much.'
The wind stopped.
All of Shibuya seemed to hold its breath at this moment.
Only the pitch-black Shiranui trembled slightly in the night, letting out a low hum of bloodlust.
Deep within the Curtain, a massive web targeting the strongest jujutsu sorcerer was silently tightening.