*Squelch!*
The dull sound of a blade piercing flesh erupted abruptly in the dim Shibuya underground passage, sounding like a death sentence.
In the underground connecting passage on the outskirts of Shibuya, the air was thick with the sickening smell of dampness and rust.
In this oppressive space where even the streetlights flickered with unease, the rescue plan that should have been proceeding systematically was ruthlessly torn apart.
"Ugh..."
Assistant Supervisor Kiyotaka Ijichi looked down with great difficulty at the pale blade protruding from his chest, still dripping with blood. His pupils dilated to their limit in an instant.
A massive amount of blood, like a burst dam, instantly dyed his neatly ironed Jujutsu High uniform crimson.
"The intel... hasn't been sent out yet..."
The silhouettes of Kento Nanami, Maki Zenin, and Atsuya Kusakabe preparing to enter the fray flashed through Ijichi's mind.
A fierce sense of responsibility made him try to grab the blade, but his rapidly fading life force caused his body to pitch forward uncontrollably.
*Thud.*
Ijichi slammed heavily onto the cold concrete floor. Blood quickly pooled beneath him, forming a shocking stain of dark red.
"Oh my, quite pathetic, isn't it? One hit and you're down."
A young man with a blonde ponytail and peculiar tattoos under his eyes stepped out from the shadows.
Haruta Shigemo, a curse user.
He toyed with his bizarre cursed tool—a sword with a hand at the base of the hilt—while a sickly sneer curled on his lips.
"So this is an assistant supervisor from the school? Even more fragile than a stray dog. Another one down. That was far too easy."
Haruta Shigemo walked over to Ijichi and raised his foot, ruthlessly grinding it into the bleeding wound.
"Gah!" Ijichi coughed up a large amount of blood, his face turning paper-white.
"Don't be in such a rush. I'll help you find peace now." Haruta Shigemo raised his sword, aiming for Ijichi's heart with eyes shimmering in cruel excitement.
His favorite pastime was watching the weak die in agony and despair.
However, just as he prepared to deliver the final blow—
*Hum!*
An eerie spatial ripple manifested out of thin air within the narrow underground passage without any warning!
Immediately following, a sharp gale carrying the threat of death closed in on Haruta Shigemo's neck!
"What the—?!"
Haruta Shigemo's smile froze. The small hand on his peculiar cursed tool suddenly gripped his wrist, forcibly pulling him back several meters.
*Boom!*
A massive black battle-axe slammed into the spot where he had just stood. The hard concrete floor was shattered like tofu, sending stone fragments flying everywhere!
The dust cleared.
A tall woman with light blue hair covering one eye stood calmly before Ijichi, holding the oversized battle-axe in one hand.
Beside her stood a boy in a well-tailored suit with a cold expression.
It was Mei Mei and Ui Ui.
"Sorry, Ijichi. It seems we've arrived a step too late."
Mei Mei tilted her head slightly, looking at Ijichi in his pool of blood. Her tone was neutral, as if merely stating an objective fact.
"Cough... Miss... Mei Mei..."
Ijichi struggled to open his eyes, a glimmer of hope shining through his despair.
"Who are you?!"
Haruta Shigemo stared intently at Mei Mei, his eyes filled with suspicion and unease.
He could sense that this woman's strength was definitely not on the level of the assistant supervisors he could slaughter at will.
"Ui Ui."
Mei Mei ignored Haruta Shigemo's question and simply uttered two words.
"Understood, Big Sister."
Ui Ui stepped forward, his hands quickly forming a seal.
"Teleport."
*Shua!*
With a ripple of distorted space, the fallen Ijichi vanished instantly, transferred to a safe medical point in the rear.
"You took him away?!"
Haruta Shigemo's face darkened. "Dammit, that was my prey!"
"Prey?"
Mei Mei let out a soft chuckle, a cold glint of mockery flashing in her exposed eye.
"Discussing prey in front of me carries a very expensive copyright fee."
She slowly raised her battle-axe. Powerful cursed energy flowed through the blade, creating a suffocating pressure.
"However, I'm not in the mood to play house with you right now. If you don't want to die, you'd better beat it."
Haruta Shigemo grit his teeth. Although he was filled with resentment, logic told him that he wouldn't gain anything by forcing a fight.
"Tch, consider yourself lucky."
He huffed coldly before his figure blurred, quickly disappearing into the darkness of the passage.
Mei Mei didn't give chase. She slowly lowered her battle-axe, her brow furrowing imperceptibly.
Ijichi's life had been saved. Although his injuries were severe enough to force him to the sidelines, at least the worst-case scenario had been avoided.
But...
Mei Mei looked down at her left hand.
There, in addition to the giant battle-axe, she held a pitch-black katana that radiated a searing heat even while sheathed.
Special Grade Cursed Tool—Shiranui.
This was Yoru's blade.
A deep confusion flashed in Mei Mei's eyes, alongside a hint of fear she hadn't even noticed.
In her memories, Yoru had clearly disappeared completely on that rainy night three days ago due to some irresistible force.
And yet...
Just ten minutes ago, she had suddenly received a text message from Yoru on her special encrypted phone!
The content of the message was only a short sentence:
[Go to the underground passage and save Ijichi.]
Because of this sudden message, she had brought Ui Ui here via teleportation just in time to save Ijichi's life.
*Just what is going on here...?*
Mei Mei stared at Shiranui in her hand, her mind plunging into unprecedented confusion.
In her memory, before Yoru disappeared, he had indeed entrusted this sword to her for safekeeping and paid a staggering fee.
But when she tried to recall exactly when, where, and why Yoru had given her the sword...
Her mind was a total blank!
*That memory feels as if it was forcibly erased or even altered by some terrifying power!*
The severe disconnect between memory and reality made this cold-blooded miser, who usually only cared for money, feel a shiver that reached her marrow.
*This feeling... it is as if the timeline of the entire world is experiencing some incomprehensible ripple!*
"Big Sister, is something wrong?"
Ui Ui noticed Mei Mei's abnormality and asked with concern.
"It's nothing."
Mei Mei took a deep breath, suppressing the unease in her heart as she hung Shiranui back on her waist.
Regardless of what had happened, this blade might be the key to breaking the situation.
She looked up toward the depths of Shibuya.
"Let's go, Ui Ui. This play seems like it will be far more expensive than we imagined."
At the same time.
Above ground.
"Huff... huff..."
Yuji Itadori was sprinting through the empty streets.
His goal was the deepest part of Shibuya Station!
Not long ago, through the communication device left by Mechamaru, he had learned the news that plunged everyone into despair—
Gojo-sensei had been sealed by a bizarre cube called the Prison Realm!
To rescue Gojo-sensei, he had to reach the bottom floor of the subway station as quickly as possible!
However, the path to the station was a hundred times more difficult than he had imagined.
"Dammit..."
Yuji skidded to a halt, his pupils shrinking violently.
In front of him, the once spacious intersection was now completely blocked by a dense swarm of dark shadows.
They weren't human.
There were hundreds of transfigured humans whose soul forms had been forcibly altered by Mahito's Idle Transfiguration, twisted into monsters!
They had lost their reason and their sense of pain, leaving only the most primitive instinct for slaughter.
And now, this overwhelmingly large swarm of transfigured humans opened their blood-red maws and roared, surging toward Yuji Itadori like a black tsunami!
The carnage was about to begin!