This truly caught Yuki Tsukumo off guard.
She had been thinking about how to contact the King of Curses, never imagining that the King of Curses would take the initiative to contact her. For a moment, she felt a chill run down her spine; the King of Curses must be watching her from somewhere. She had been locked onto the moment she made the call, and now she was like a turtle in a jar.
Yuki Tsukumo immediately spread her Cursed Energy perception, observing the surroundings for any Shikigami surveillance. "Where is Hakari?" Yuki Tsukumo asked solemnly. "What did you do to him?"
"He is safe." The King of Curses' voice was unexpectedly gentle. If she hadn't seen the ruins of the Zen'in Family with her own eyes, she would have thought the person on the other end was a preschool teacher, because he lacked any of the legendary sense of oppression; his voice was like a spring breeze brushing past.
"Hakari-san has been my subordinate for a long time. You don't need to worry about me moving against him; on the contrary, I rely on him heavily. He follows me in all my external activities. Even the phone number used to contact Japanese council members is his. Only through him can one contact me and obtain the… eternal life I promised."
This really was… catching a big one!
Yuki Tsukumo stopped her perception spread and took a deep breath, realizing why the King of Curses would come looking for her at this time—it wasn't that the King of Curses had come to her door, but that she had happened to find him!
What a coincidence—truly such a coincidence! Most likely, the other party also thought Yuki Tsukumo had found out something, which was why she had been continuously urging Kinji Hakari and forcing him to make a choice. But in fact, Yuki Tsukumo had only been urging him because all her clues were cut off and she could only rely on Kinji Hakari to gather information.
But this was a good thing! Yuki Tsukumo immediately entered her professional state. "You are very candid," she said.
"Because it's you, I am being very candid," the King of Curses' calm voice came from the phone. "Tsukumo-san, I heard you have an ideal—wanting a world where there are no more Cursed Spirits?"
"Many people know about this; I've never hidden it," Yuki Tsukumo said.
"My ability… you must be very envious of it?" the King of Curses asked.
Yuki Tsukumo was momentarily speechless; the King of Curses had hit the nail on the head! She had clearly only spoken a few sentences with him, but for a moment, she had the illusion that he had known her for a long time. Even her heartbeat accelerated slightly—this wasn't attraction, but her survival instinct warning her, telling her to stay away from him, away from the King of Curses!
"Perhaps there is room for cooperation," the King of Curses said slowly. "If you have looked into the traces I've left in this world since my birth, you should know that I have never harmed anyone. Unless necessary, I won't even use my abilities. I am actively seeking the possibility of coexistence with humans… and I have the confidence that I can do it."
"A Cursed Spirit actively seeking to integrate into human society?" Yuki Tsukumo sneered. "Was Hakari deluded by this obvious deception of yours?"
The King of Curses sighed. "Yuki Tsukumo, you have deep-seated prejudices against me."
"Shouldn't I?" Yuki Tsukumo's voice was cold. "I still remember your self-introduction just now. You are the manifestation of humanity's curse against itself, you are the King of Curses, you are a once-in-a-millennium Intelligent Cursed Spirit. You aren't human, but a new possibility for Cursed Spirits. Moreover, you possess the ability to 'evolve' people."
"Don't tell me you haven't used this ability on yourself, or on other Cursed Spirits. Let me ask you—besides yourself, how many other Intelligent Cursed Spirits do you have under your command?"
"Regardless of how many Intelligent Cursed Spirits are under my command, they are all my family. They follow my words completely. Without my order, it is impossible for them to attack humans," the King of Curses said.
"You are as naive as a child!" Yuki Tsukumo said coldly. "From the moment you created Intelligent Cursed Spirits other than yourself—no, from the moment you were born—you have effectively become the second advanced species on this planet besides humans. How did America treat the Native Americans back then?"
Because America was Japan's current "big brother," she had once held some admiration for it. Thus, the first country she went to after going abroad was America. She had studied American history in detail and knew it thoroughly. Holding her phone to her ear with one hand, she unconsciously clenched her other fist, her voice sounding like a thousand-year-old glacier.
She said:
"Madison said the Native Americans must be exterminated—that one should be executed every ten minutes.
"Sherman said, 'The only good Indian is a dead Indian.' Pratt said, 'Kill the Indian, save the man.'
"What do you think you're doing? Do you think you're some great saint, creating a new world where humans and Cursed Spirits coexist peacefully, moving forward hand in hand?"
Yuki Tsukumo's voice grew louder, finally exploding like thunder:
"Don't joke with me!
"This is a war of species; only the extermination of one side can decide the winner! On this planet, a second advanced species is not allowed to exist!
"The words of the American Founding Fathers regarding the Native Americans can be perfectly applied to you—and even greater cruelty would not be excessive. Do you think this is a matter of right and wrong, good or evil? No! This is a struggle between species and civilizations, a clash between two lion prides meeting in the wilderness!"
Mahito fell silent.
In the original work, Yuki Tsukumo was a great beauty with a heroic spirit. Beyond that, she was an idealist who wanted to completely eradicate Cursed Spirits. To achieve this, she had proposed many possibilities. She wasn't just an idealist—she was a woman of action who would actually carry things out. The Shikigami-type Cursed Tool she possessed was one of her achievements.
She had once considered having all ordinary people in the world carry Shikigami-type Cursed Tools to help them control the leakage of Cursed Energy. But in the end, she gave up because the cost was too high and could not be reduced.
Even her own Shikigami-type Cursed Tool was created through her own exceptional techniques. Where would ordinary people obtain such techniques? Even if the knowledge were provided for free and specialists taught them carefully, the jujutsu world ultimately relies on talent. This was like mathematics—you either understand it or you don't. It was even more counterintuitive than physics and relied more on intuition and luck than chemistry.
Even with Yuki Tsukumo teaching personally, an ordinary person might spend their entire life without producing even one result. This kind of thing simply cannot be popularized. Since this path was a dead end, she moved on to the next. If it weren't for Kenjaku's appearance, she might have spent her entire life on that path, using everything she had…
…to fulfill her ideal.
It could be said that although her Cursed Technique was a simple amplification of force, she herself was a Jujutsu master proficient in many general techniques—a genius excelling in all aspects.
But there had never been any description of her political awareness.
And now, this political awareness appeared before Mahito for the first time—cold and decisive.
Mahito already knew that this conversation wouldn't go smoothly, but he didn't expect the negotiation to be shut down by Yuki Tsukumo right from the start, with no room for compromise.
That's right—he had almost forgotten. This person was the most radical opponent of Cursed Spirits.
Mahito knew that saying anything more would not win her over. This was a clear-headed person who disregarded everything; no words could shake her will.
Unless he used [Ideological Imprint].
Mahito sighed. "I'm sorry, Yuki Tsukumo. I underestimated you. We can only meet on the battlefield in the future. Goodbye."
"No, wait!" Yuki Tsukumo stopped him, sweat forming on her forehead. She was used to speaking bluntly; she dared to give the middle finger even to the jujutsu higher-ups…
…and even spoke harshly to someone like Tengen.
But the current problem wasn't a clash of ideals—it was that she needed to meet the King of Curses! Without meeting him, how could Tengen lock onto him?
Yuki Tsukumo rubbed her face, forcing her voice to soften as she spoke into the phone, "I think there are still things we should discuss face to face."
Mahito was silent for a long time before asking, "Yuki Tsukumo, do you think I'm a fool?"
"I knew I messed up!" Yuki Tsukumo clicked her tongue.
She seemed to hear a faint chuckle from distant Tengen. Damn it, she really messed up! The opportunity to break the stalemate had been right in front of her!
"Is there no room for discussion?" her tone weakened.
"What is there to discuss?" Mahito asked. "You've already spoken so decisively."
"Maybe… maybe…" Yuki Tsukumo began to ramble. She truly wasn't good at this kind of thing. In the original work, she was the same: facing Kenjaku, even though she knew Tengen's plan had flaws, she still followed it due to lack of information and trust. In the end, she was betrayed by Tengen and died miserably, without even using her Domain Expansion.
"But I will still come to see you," Mahito suddenly said.
Yuki Tsukumo was stunned. "Why? You should know I will definitely set a trap."
"Because I won't refuse anyone who wants to see me," Mahito said with a smile. "Because my future is destined to be the co-ruler of humans and Cursed Spirits. How could an emperor fear meeting his subjects?"
"I should face all praise and scorn, light and darkness, openly—and let everyone witness my every action, witnessing my determination to rule this world."
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