Utaha and Eriri arrived at Tomoya's house at the same time, their expressions both dark and filled with reluctance.
They really didn't want to be there. After their last experience, they had developed a bit of a trauma about returning to his house. Even when contacting him, they suggested meeting outside, but Tomoya, with his condition, refused to leave.
As soon as they spotted each other, Kasumigaoka spoke up first. "So, Tomoya called you too?"
Then, realizing the obvious, she added, "Of course he did. You two are childhood friends after all." There was a trace of sarcasm in her voice as she mentioned Eriri's relationship with Tomoya.
Eriri clicked her tongue. "Don't remind me. I don't want to think about it." Her expression mirrored her words she clearly wasn't happy about being here.
The reason they were both there was simple: Tomoya had called them, sounding weak and frail over the phone. He said it was his last request, that he had something important to say before it was all over. After that, there would be no more contact.
Despite their frustration with him, neither Utaha nor Eriri could find it in themselves to completely ignore his request.
"Shall we go in together? Utaha suggested, gesturing toward the house.
"Tch!" Eriri clicked her tongue again, but she didn't argue. Even though they often found themselves at odds, there wasn't much point in bickering now.
With shared reluctance, they stepped inside the house.
"We're here, Tomoya. Where are you?" Eriri called out as they entered, her voice carrying through the empty halls.
Utaha was about to say something when—
Bang!
A sudden gust of wind slammed the door shut behind them, making both girls jump in surprise. The heavy silence that followed was suffocating.
Then, out of the darkness, something crawled into view a massive, grotesque creature resembling a worm, its body stretching to a height of four or five meters.
It spoke in a garbled, eerie voice. "Eri... Shiyu..." It called out their names with a chilling familiarity.
"Tomoya?!" Eriri and Utaha both gasped in horror. They recognized the voice.
But this monster... It was Tomoya.
How had he turned into this... thing?
There was no time to think. The creature, now much faster, lunged at them with murderous intent.
---
Back at the school, Ryuji was getting ready to leave. He had just reminded Rikka and Sanae not to do anything reckless. These two chuunibyou girls were braver than most, but they also had a dangerous tendency to get into trouble.
"Don't try anything like last time, okay?" Ryuji warned them as they finished their club activities.
"Yes, Sir Knight!" the two girls replied in unison, surprisingly obedient this time.
Ryuji nodded and smiled. He was about to tell Miko that he'd be out for the night, planning to meet with Shizuka. But just as he reached for his phone, it started to ring.
"Gojo Satoru?" Ryuji said aloud as he saw the caller ID, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. It wasn't often that Gojo called him.
Miko and Yukino, who had been preparing to leave, stopped and looked at him questioningly. "Is something wrong?" Miko asked.
Ryuji shook his head. "No, just a call I wasn't expecting."
He picked up the phone. "Hey, Ryuji! Long time no see!" Gojo's cheery, carefree voice came through on the other end.
"What's up?" Ryuji asked, cutting straight to the point.
"There's a special-grade cursed spirit causing trouble. I was wondering if you'd be interested in dealing with it," Gojo said, still sounding far too relaxed for the severity of the situation.
Ryuji grinned. "Special grade, huh? Alright, I'll take it. But there better be some kind of reward from Jujutsu High."
"Of course, of course!" Gojo chuckled. "Don't worry about that. I've got you covered. But hey, two of my students are already there. Could you give them a hand?"
Ryuji agreed easily. After a few more quick details, he hung up the phone.
A car pulled up in front of the school not long after, and a woman stepped out. "Mr. Ryuji?" she called, recognizing him.
"Yeah, that's me," Ryuji said as he approached the car. He turned to Miko and gave her a reassuring smile. "I've got something I need to take care of. You head home without me."
"Be careful," Miko said, her concern evident in her eyes.
Ryuji gently patted her head, giving her a confident grin. "Don't worry. I'm the strongest."
Nearby, Ichie Chieko, the woman,who had come to pick him up, raised an eyebrow at the phrase. Why does that sound so familiar?
Ryuji waved goodbye to Miko and Yukino, giving them both a lighthearted smile. "Don't tell me you want to tag along too, Yukino?"
"N-no! Of course not!" Yukino stammered, her face turning bright red at the thought. She quickly turned her head away, embarrassed.
Ryuji chuckled, his amusement evident as he got into the car.
---
At the same time, back at Jujutsu High, Gojo finished his conversation with Ryuji and smiled as he looked at the students in front of him Yuta Okkotsu and Panda.
"I've got everything arranged. No need to worry," Gojo said confidently.
Panda, however, looked a bit more serious. "That's a special-grade cursed spirit. Are you sure the person you called can handle it?"
Special-grade curses weren't something just anyone could take on. Even for experienced sorcerers, they were a challenge.
"Don't worry, Panda. The person I contacted can handle it easily. In fact," Gojo said, glancing at Yuta with a grin, "you've already met him before, Yuta."
"...Huh?" Yuta blinked in confusion, trying to remember.
"The guy who took you down not too long ago," Gojo added with a smirk.
Yuta's face turned pale as he suddenly recalled the encounter with Ryuji. Even now, the memory sent shivers down his spine. "That guy…"
Panda, who hadn't been there for the fight, raised an eyebrow but didn't press further. If Gojo and Yuta were both confident in this person's strength, he'd trust their judgment.
"Let's go deal with the other special-grade curse, then," Gojo said, leading the way. "This'll be a good learning experience for you."
As they prepared to leave, Panda muttered, "Why do cursed spirits seem to be multiplying lately? It feels like more are showing up than usual."
Gojo shrugged, still smiling. "Who knows?"
---
In the car, Ichie Chieko handed Ryuji a folder containing information on the cursed spirit he was about to face.
"Here's what we have on the curse, Mr. Ryuji," she said as he flipped through the pages.
The location was Tomoya's house. Ryuji couldn't help but feel a strange sense of déjà vu. He had only been there recently, but now it was completely enveloped by cursed energy.
"This report says it's a first-grade cursed spirit," Ryuji noted.
Chieko blushed in embarrassment. "There was a mistake in the initial intelligence. When our team arrived, they realized it was actually a special-grade curse."
"I see…" Ryuji nodded. A common enough mistake when dealing with curses.
He skimmed further through the report and saw the names of two other sorcerers who were already on-site Zenin Maki and Inumaki Toge.
Ryuji raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. Zenin Maki was a familiar name to him, and he knew her well from the anime. The second-generation Heavenly Restriction user, Maki would later awaken her true power after her sister's death and slaughter the entire Zenin clan.
As for Inumaki, his cursed speech technique was something Ryuji had always thought was interesting, though it had serious side effects. But for Ryuji, those side effects wouldn't be a problem his own RCT could easily mitigate them.
"I wouldn't mind adding that ability to my collection," Ryuji mused to himself, feeling a surge of excitement as they neared their destination.
Soon enough, the car came to a stop in front of a large, dark veil an unmistakable sign of a cursed domain. Ryuji stepped out of the car, ready for action.
---
Inside the cursed domain, Maki and Toge were struggling. The worm-like creature had grown far larger and more powerful than they had anticipated. What was once a first-grade curse had now transformed into something far more dangerous.
The creature's body had expanded to a monstrous size, towering over the ruined houses around it. Its cursed energy surged with malevolent intensity.
Maki, gripping her weapon tightly, gritted her teeth. "Assist me!" she shouted to Inumaki as she charged toward the creature.
Inumaki responded with a firm nod, readying his cursed speech as they prepared to confront the terrifying special-grade curse.
Inumaki beside her pulled down the collar that he usually used to protect the lower half of his face.
The corners of his mouth and tongue were all covered with the unique markings of the curse.
"Don't move!"
Buzz!
As the curse was activated, the power of the technique immediately immobilized the cursed spirit that had once been Tomoya.
Cough!
The immense difference in strength between them caused Inumaki to suffer backlash, coughing up blood, his throat hoarse from the effort.
"Now's our chance!" Maki shouted, determined not to waste the opportunity that Inumaki had created.
With a fierce look in her eyes, she swung her spear and launched herself into the air, bringing her weapon down hard on the cursed spirit. The spear left a deep, jagged wound across the cursed spirit's grotesque form.
"I did it!" Maki thought, feeling a surge of hope.
But her relief was short-lived. The wound on the cursed spirit began to heal almost instantly, the flesh knitting back together at an unnerving speed. Worse, Inumaki's curse had worn off, and the monster regained its ability to move.
The spirit, now fully healed, let out an enraged roar.
"Die! All of you, DIE!"
It lunged toward Maki and Inumaki with terrifying speed. Maki barely had time to react, grabbing Inumaki and retreating as fast as she could, dodging the cursed spirit's attacks.
As they scrambled backward, houses around them collapsed, reduced to rubble by the spirit's rampage. The deafening sound of crumbling buildings filled the air.
Ordinary humans were insignificant against a monster like this. Maki gritted her teeth. It felt like they were fighting a losing battle.
Boom! Boom!
Debris rained down around them, the weight of the destruction pressing in. Amid the chaos, Maki spotted two figures Utaha and Eriri, who had foolishly stayed behind.
Maki's eyes widened in anger. "Didn't I tell you to run?!"
"W-we tried!" Utaha stammered, clinging to Eriri.
Eriri winced in pain. In their rush to escape, she had twisted her ankle, and now her leg was numb. She couldn't run even if she wanted to.
"You should go without me," Eriri muttered through clenched teeth. She was scared, but she didn't want Utaha to die because of her.
"Don't be stupid!" Utaha snapped, gripping her arm. "I'm not leaving you behind!"
Eriri felt a pang of emotion. Even though she and Utaha constantly bickered, seeing her stay behind now was... touching.
"If we get out of this, we're both hitting the gym," Eriri muttered. "No more sprained ankles."
Utaha cracked a small smile. "Deal."
But deep down, both girls knew they probably wouldn't make it out alive.
The cursed spirit's attention shifted toward them. Tomoya's monstrous form roared and rushed at the two girls, hatred and rage burning in its glowing eyes.
"Damn it!" Maki cursed, forcing herself between the monster and the girls. Her spear was ready, but she knew she couldn't hold it off for long.
The impact from the cursed spirit's attack nearly knocked her off her feet. Maki's entire body shook as she tried to block the force. She could feel herself losing ground, her strength quickly fading.
"I can't die here! I still have too much to do!" she thought desperately, images of her past flashing in her mind. She thought of her sister, of her vengeance against the Zenin clan. She couldn't die here not like this.
Cough!
Inumaki tried to use his curse speech again, but the backlash was too strong. He collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood.
The cursed spirit bellowed, raising its massive hand to crush them all.
"Is this really how it ends?" Maki thought, her body trembling under the weight of the attack.
Utaha and Eriri braced themselves for death.
And then—
"Third Dimension!"
A calm, indifferent voice echoed through the air.
Suddenly, the crushing pressure Maki felt vanished. The overwhelming force of the cursed spirit disappeared in an instant, leaving her stumbling forward, completely unprepared for the sudden relief.
"What just happened?"
Maki looked up, her eyes widening in shock.
Crunch! Crunch!
The space around the cursed spirit's upper body began to distort, twisting and warping as if reality itself was being bent. Under the immense power, the upper half of the cursed spirit was sucked into a vortex, its body disintegrating into nothingness.
"How... How is that even possible?"
The cursed spirit, which had been nearly invincible just moments ago, was torn apart as if it was nothing.
Maki turned toward the source of the voice.
"Who...?"
From the shadows, a figure walked toward them, hands casually stuffed into his pockets. It was Ryuji.
"The cursed energy... it really was special-grade," Ryuji muttered, more to himself than anyone else. He barely glanced at the now-destroyed cursed spirit.
"Ryuji!" Utaha and Eriri called out, surprised and relieved to see him.
Even Maki and Inumaki were stunned by how effortlessly Ryuji had defeated the special-grade curse.
"Be careful!" Maki warned, still reeling from the fight. "That was a special-grade curse. It's not something to be taken lightly!"
Ryuji just smiled, his tone casual and confident. "Relax. I've got this."
He turned his attention to what remained of Tomoya's cursed form, his expression unreadable. "So it's a mix of an urban legend and a cursed spirit, huh? No wonder ordinary people could see it."
As he examined the twisted remnants of the spirit, something caught his eye. "Still... this thing shouldn't have become a special-grade curse on its own. Something else must be at play."
Ryuji waved his hand lazily. "Well, whatever it is, I'm hungry. Let's finish this."
"H-hungry?" Utaha, Eriri, and even Maki stared at him in confusion. What kind of exorcist talked about being hungry in a situation like this?
Ryuji didn't bother explaining. He raised his hand again, summoning chains from the cracks in space behind him.
"Soul Devouring!"
The chains wrapped around the remains of the special-grade cursed spirit, binding it tightly. The creature writhed and struggled, but it couldn't break free.
In one swift motion, the chains dragged the cursed spirit into a spatial rift, where it was devoured whole.
Burp.
Ryuji let out a small burp, patting his stomach with a satisfied grin. "That hit the spot."
Everyone else could only stare in disbelief.
"You... ate it?" Maki asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.
Ryuji didn't answer. Instead, something else caught his attention. From the sky, a withered object fell into his hand.
"Hm?" Ryuji examined it briefly before laughing. "So that's why it became a special-grade curse."
He held up the object an ancient, shriveled finger.
"That... That's a special-grade cursed object," Maki realized, her eyes wide. "It's one of the fingers of the King of Curses."
"No wonder the cursed spirit reached special-grade level," Ryuji said, tossing the cursed object into his pocket as if it were nothing. "It ate this."
"Thanks for the assist," Maki finally said, her voice grateful but still wary. She didn't know who this guy was, but she was smart enough to recognize when someone had saved her life.
Ryuji turned to her with a smile. "Name's Ryuji. Nice to meet you."
Maki extended her hand cautiously. "Maki. Just call me Maki."
As they shook hands, Ryuji's system activated.
"Successfully contacted a target: Zenin Maki! A golden entry has been triggered. Do you want to load it?"
Ryuji smiled to himself, pleased. "Not bad."
Inumaki, who had recovered enough to stand, approached as well, offering Ryuji a nod.
"Salmon!" (Thanks!)
Maki quickly explained, "His name's Inumaki. He can't speak normally because of his curse technique, but he's saying thank you."
"Yeah, I know," Ryuji replied with a grin, extending his hand to Inumaki as well. "Nice to meet you."
"Successfully contacted a target: Inumaki Toge! A golden entry has been triggered. Do you want to load it?"
Ryuji couldn't help but smile wider. His luck was really on point today.
"Zenin Maki, huh?" Ryuji said, his tone light. "I've heard a bit about you."
Maki flinched slightly, her face hardening. "Don't mention that last name." She hated it, hated the association with her toxic family.
"Sorry," Ryuji said, his tone more understanding now. He knew all about her situation, after all.
"It's fine," Maki muttered, though she couldn't help but feel a little better after Ryuji's casual demeanor.