A violent wind, carrying the acrid stench of burning debris, whipped across the edge of the rooftop like a blade.
In the distance, the night sky had already been stained a doomsday crimson by the soaring flames.
Rumble—!
A thunderous, earth-shaking roar echoed through the air.
A visible shockwave swept through the streets several blocks away like a massive tsunami.
Even standing atop this reinforced skyscraper, one could feel the concrete beneath their feet vibrating violently.
Kento Nanami stood at the edge of the roof, the gale snapping his suit jacket loudly in the wind.
Beneath his signature goggles, a bead of cold sweat rolled slowly down his cheek.
"This is absurd..."
Nanami's voice was slightly hoarse, his knuckles white from the force of his grip on his charm-wrapped short sword.
"A cursed energy eruption of this magnitude is completely beyond the realm of a mere battle."
He stared fixedly at the distant district that had already been reduced to scorched earth.
From there, even across such a vast distance, he could clearly feel two suffocating cursed energies clashing wildly.
No, to be precise, one side was venting its power frantically, while the other was toying with it like a god.
He had never felt such a terrifying, disaster-level gap in cursed energy before.
Even Satoru Gojo or Yoru would usually restrain their presence.
But that violent, malevolent energy in the distance—one that seemed ready to devour everything—was rampaging through Shibuya without any restraint whatsoever!
"That's Ryomen Sukuna... the legendary King of Curses."
Standing beside Nanami, Mei Mei kept her arms crossed, maintaining her unique brand of composure.
Her long silver hair danced in the hot wind, obscuring one of her eyes.
But in the eye that remained visible, an extremely complex light flickered.
"That Special Grade Cursed Spirit venting its flames like a madman should be Jogo, the one mentioned in the previous reports."
Mei Mei's gaze seemed to pierce through the night sky and the layers of fire.
"While Jogo is a Special Grade with devastating power, in front of Sukuna..."
She paused, her tone carrying a rare note of gravity.
"...he's as helpless as a toddler just learning to walk."
"The aftershocks of a battle at that level are enough to level all of Shibuya."
"Furthermore, if Sukuna truly gets bored, he might expand the range of destruction at any moment."
Mei Mei turned her head toward Kento Nanami and Maki Zenin, who stood on the other side.
"We must evacuate the surviving civilians from this area immediately."
"If we don't finish this business quickly, we might lose our lives before we can even get paid."
Maki Zenin remained silent.
Her hands gripped the Special Grade Cursed Tool, Playful Cloud, so hard her nails dug into her palms.
In her wild, stubborn eyes, the reflection of the all-consuming fire burned.
"Are we just supposed to stand here and watch?"
Maki gritted her teeth, her voice thick with intense frustration and humiliation.
"Did Suguru Geto send us to the surface for support just so we could watch that monster destroy everything?!"
She spun around, her eyes fixed on Kento Nanami.
"I can still fight! My body can still move!"
"If I can just get a little closer, if I can just find an opening—"
"Don't be a fool, Maki."
Nanami interrupted her without mercy.
He turned, the gaze behind his goggles sterner than ever before.
"A battle of that caliber is not something sorcerers of our level can intervene in!"
Nanami pointed toward the distant ruins of the collapsing buildings.
"Look closely!"
"A single invisible slash or a stray ember from those flames would be enough to erase us in an instant!"
"This isn't about courage; it's a matter of pure power disparity!"
Nanami's voice was harsh, but it carried an undeniable logic.
"Our mission is to save people."
"In the face of a monster like that, preserving the lives of more civilians is the only thing we can do—and the most valuable."
Maki's body trembled slightly.
She knew Nanami was right.
Against such an absolute gap in strength, a blind charge would be nothing more than a meaningless death.
But that deep sense of helplessness gnawed at her heart like a venomous snake.
"I understand."
Maki took a deep breath, suppressing her frustration, and loosened her grip on Playful Cloud.
"I'll go find other sorcerers who can still fight, organize them, and establish a defensive line."
"We can't let the aftershocks of that battle claim any more victims."
Nanami nodded, the severity in his eyes softening slightly.
"Good."
He looked toward Mei Mei.
"Miss Mei Mei, please use your crows to confirm the locations of survivors from the air."
"I will head to those areas immediately and lead them away from the center of Shibuya as quickly as possible."
"No problem."
Mei Mei smiled faintly, raising her hand. Several black crows instantly flew from her sleeve, blending into the crimson night sky.
"As long as the pay is right, Mei Mei's efficiency will never disappoint."
The three of them wasted no more time on idle talk.
In such an emergency, every second meant a life lost.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Maki Zenin and Mei Mei's figures vanished from the rooftop, racing off in different directions.
Nanami stood there for a moment, taking one last look at the night sky illuminated like day by the fire.
The violent cursed energy continued to rage as if it would never stop.
He reached out to straighten his wind-blown tie and tightened his grip on his short sword.
'Yoru...'
Nanami prayed silently in his heart.
He thought of the man who always created miracles in desperate situations, the man who seemed as if he would never lose.
'Where exactly are you?'
'If you don't hurry... this world might truly be destroyed by the King of Curses.'
Nanami took a deep breath, casting the stray thoughts aside.
He leaped from the rooftop, plunging down like a black owl in the night, charging without hesitation toward the district filled with death and agony.
His decision was made.
Even if an abyss lay ahead, he had to fulfill his duty as a jujutsu sorcerer.
Meanwhile.
At the center of the sea of flames Nanami had been watching.
True despair was only just beginning.
At the heart of the inferno.
Boom!
A dull, heavy impact.
Sukuna's face, wearing a mocking grin, appeared instantly in front of Jogo.
Before Jogo could even react.
Sukuna's right hand, like a steel vise, slammed down, pinning the half of Jogo's head that had just finished regenerating.
"What's wrong, Curse of the Earth?"
Sukuna looked down at the Special Grade spirit pinned to the ground, unable to move.
"What happened to those grand boasts from before?"
"At this level, you aren't even qualified to serve as a warm-up."
Jogo's single eye rolled frantically, filled with terror and humiliation.
He tried to struggle, but the force coming from Sukuna's hand was like a mountain crashing down, leaving him unable to move a muscle!
Jogo squeezed out a few words through his teeth as the cursed energy within him began to surge desperately.
He was going to erupt!
He would use the hottest magma to melt the arrogant man before him into nothingness!