"...Looks like everything's fine."
Outside the barrier, atop a high-rise building.
Maki stood in the cold wind, observing the image in the sky. Seeing the dull black sphere floating peacefully, she nodded in confirmation.
"It doesn't seem like there's any domain clash happening, but it appears to be at a temporary stalemate."
Yuta carefully examined the scene displayed in the image, his expression visibly relaxing.
Roy hadn't used his domain to counter—whether because he couldn't or was keeping it as a trump card was unclear. But for now, the situation inside the domain seemed stable. A single domain couldn't bridge the power gap between those cursed spirits and Roy.
"Sensei taught me Falling Blossom Emotion. Doesn't that mean he knows it too?"
Nobara stood behind them, resting her chin on her hand, sounding somewhat uncertain.
"Falling Blossom Emotion? If Roy knows that technique, his chances of winning would increase significantly!"
Yaga exhaled quietly in relief, his tense heart finally settling.
"That's a secret technique of the three great clans. Ordinary people have almost no way of learning it. It's much harder to master than a simple domain and is extremely effective in domain battles."
But it was only relatively effective.
In truth, none of the three secret techniques granted sorcerers the ability to fully counter a domain. They only helped neutralize the guaranteed-hit effect.
The domain's amplification of cursed techniques and enhancement of the sorcerer's state couldn't be compensated for by the three secret techniques.
Moreover, each technique had its own conditions. For example, when using Falling Blossom Emotion, both hands had to maintain a hand seal, effectively sealing them. This meant the sorcerer could only fight using other parts of their body, leaving them at a significant disadvantage!
At best, the three secret techniques ensured a sorcerer wouldn't be instantly killed by a domain's guaranteed-hit effect.
"Should we charge in now?"
Yuta's gaze sharpened as he looked to Yaga for guidance.
"There's only one special-grade cursed spirit left over there. If I go now, I might be able to defeat it quickly!"
Jogo was incredibly strong.
In a direct fight, Yuta couldn't confidently say he could take Jogo down in just a minute or two.
But he had an ace up his sleeve against cursed spirits.
Reverse Cursed Technique!
Cursed spirits were born from human negative emotions, aggregates of negative energy.
Reverse Cursed Technique, on the other hand, was a form of positive energy derived from inverting cursed energy. The positive cursed energy from Reverse Cursed Technique was highly effective against cursed spirits, which were essentially masses of negative energy.
If he coated his blade with Reverse Cursed Technique and landed a single hit on Jogo, no matter how strong Jogo's defenses were or how tough his body was, it would be an instant kill!
With this ace against cursed spirits, Yuta had a real chance to catch Jogo off guard and eliminate him swiftly.
"...Let's hold off for now."
Yaga's face twisted with visible conflict, torn between acting and waiting. After a moment of hesitation, he let out a reluctant sigh.
"Even if we can defeat one cursed spirit now, the key mastermind behind the scenes hasn't shown themselves yet. You just returned today—no one knows you're here except for us. That's an advantage we shouldn't waste lightly."
"Besides, Roy isn't showing any signs of being at a disadvantage. Hold back for now and let him probe further."
From Yaga Masamichi's personal perspective, he'd prefer to deploy all their top fighters and engage the enemy head-on, matching strength against strength. That way, Roy's burden would be significantly lighter.
But the mastermind remained hidden beneath the surface. What other traps did the enemy have? Which foes hadn't yet revealed themselves? These were all pressing questions.
They couldn't afford to play all their cards at once.
If they fell into the enemy's trap, it would mean total defeat—utter disaster.
"The domain is breaking!"
Suddenly, Maki's gaze sharpened as she pointed at the projection in the air.
The others quickly turned to look.
Sure enough, while they'd been talking, the black sphere abruptly shattered.
"We won!"
Yuta Okkotsu's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help clenching his fist.
The black sphere hadn't been voluntarily dismissed—there were no signs of it naturally dispersing. It had been forcibly destroyed!
As expected, after the domain shattered, only the headless corpse of the octopus cursed spirit remained.
Roy stood there calmly, his expression utterly composed. Not a trace of strain could be seen on his face, as if slaying a special-grade cursed spirit head-on was hardly worth noting.
Less than a minute after being trapped in the domain, he'd overpowered it and killed a special-grade cursed spirit!
"I knew it. A domain isn't even a minor inconvenience for him."
Maki watched the composed white-haired youth in the projection, her lips curling into a sharp smile, her face radiating a "of course" expression.
"...But now we've got a huge problem on our hands!"
Yaga's expression suddenly turned grave again.
Maki and Yuta's faces also tensed immediately.
On the screen, no sooner had Roy emerged from the domain than he was surrounded by multiple enemies—each one far from ordinary. As cursed spirits and vessels, they were undeniably all special-grade!
"This is bad. I'm going to help right now!"
Yuta could no longer stay put and hurriedly moved to assist within the barrier.
"Wait, don't rush!"
But Maki suddenly reached out and grabbed his shoulder.
"How can we not hurry? At least I can help share some of Roy-sensei's burden!"
Yuta stared at Maki anxiously, struggling slightly but failing to break free.
"That's why I said there's no need to rush. Have you forgotten Roy-sensei's most famous debut battle?"
Maki remained remarkably calm. Though she was also somewhat tense and worried for Roy, her face showed no trace of panic.
"He once single-handedly defeated three special-grade cursed spirits working together. Four special-grade enemies, at most, could only fight him to a standstill—there's absolutely no way he'd lose!"
"That... is true."
Yuta was momentarily stunned by her words, but upon reflection, it made perfect sense.
He knew that if he faced four special-grade enemies alone, he'd undoubtedly lose.
But just because he couldn't win didn't mean Roy-sensei couldn't.
His debut itself carried a strong aura of fantasy, and within the jujutsu world, Roy had long been praised as second only to Satoru Gojo in strength.
Thinking this far, Yuta Okkotsu temporarily suppressed the tension and anxiety in his heart.
Although the current situation had indeed exceeded his psychological threshold, compared to him, Maki was the one more familiar with Roy.
Since Maki said so, perhaps Roy could truly resolve this predicament that even he felt powerless against!
The moment this thought arose in Yuta Okkotsu's mind—
A pillar of flames erupted within the barrier, followed by a massive meteor crashing down from the sky toward the ground.
Yuta's heart nearly stopped at the sight.
Even Maki instinctively held her breath.
Then, in the next instant, blinding flashes of light erupted across the scene—swift, razor-sharp slashes streaked through the air, cleaving the enormous meteor into over a dozen fragments that were sent flying in all directions.
Though the view was temporarily obscured by smoke, it seemed Roy had directly countered this attack.
"Phew…"
"That was terrifying."
Cold sweat drenched everyone on the rooftop.
It felt like they hadn't been this tense in an entire year.
Suddenly—
The massive barrier covering the sky before them cracked like a spider's web, fissures spreading rapidly across its surface before the entire structure shattered explosively.
Yaga froze for a second.
Then, snapping back to his senses, he barked orders at the group.
"Yuji, Megumi, Nobara, Gotoh—you four enter the barrier immediately and assist in evacuating civilians! Stay far away from the battlefield at all costs! Maki, Yuta—prepare to breach at once!"
"Understood!"
Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, the group stared dumbfounded, utterly unable to comprehend what had just happened. But at Yaga's command, they quickly regained their composure, responding in unison before rushing toward the barrier from all directions.
Even Bocchi-chan mustered every ounce of courage, sprinting toward the barrier at full speed.
"Are they really inside? Please be safe... I'll save you all, just wait for me!"
Meanwhile—
Around the perimeter of the barrier.
The gathered first-grade sorcerers and reinforcements dispatched by the Kamo clan all witnessed the barrier's collapse simultaneously.
The previously silent exterior of the barrier now buzzed with rising clamor.
"The barrier's down! Should we charge in?"
"Hold on, don't act recklessly! This could be a trap—the enemy might have lifted it deliberately to lure us in!"
"Even so, we can't just sit here and do nothing! We have our orders!"
"Well... you're right. Then let's proceed with caution—stay alert!"
"Agreed! Move out!"
Like rivers converging into the sea, the assembled sorcerers surged into the barrier en masse.
Meanwhile, the trapped civilians inside had gone wild with panic, screaming as they stampeded toward the exits. Every street was packed to bursting, filled with cries of relief and terror as people fled outward as if pursued by monsters.
The sorcerers avoided the crowds and immediately surged into the barrier, dispersing in all directions—toward high-rises, shopping malls—searching for the mastermind behind the scenes.
At this moment, everyone tacitly avoided the battlefield to the south.
Every enemy there was enough to give any Grade 1 sorcerer below Special Grade a headache, let alone four of them gathered in such a short time. It was a battlefield far beyond what ordinary people could handle.
Those kinds of enemies were best left to the powerful Special Grades to deal with!
"Oh?"
Outside the spacious gymnasium, Mei Mei had just arrived with Ui Ui when they were surrounded by several figures, their retreat cut off.
"I knew this job wouldn't be easy," Mei Mei mused, her gaze sweeping around with a bewitching smile. "But what I'm curious about is—where did Geto Suguru even find all you curse users?"
Two in front, one behind.
Three sorcerers in total.
This was... quite the trap to stumble into.
"Hello there, big sis," the leading man greeted with a soft, effeminate smile, waving gently at Mei Mei.
"Big sis?"
Mei Mei's smile vanished instantly.
"You don't look that young yourself, old man. Fifty yet? How shameless to call me 'big sis.'"
"How rude~ I'm only thirty, still in the prime of my youth—well, at least physically~" The man covered his mouth with a delicate laugh, his pinky raised like an orchid, his voice sweet yet eerie.
Though he smiled, his eyes held no warmth.
With a flick of his wrist, several receipts appeared between his fingers.
"But, bound by a vow, I have no choice but to work for Kenjaku. So, if you'd kindly die here—!"
The moment he finished speaking, he and the other two moved simultaneously.
Mei Mei let out an indifferent hum, stepping forward and raising her massive axe—taller than she was—high into the air.
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Nanami Kento was a Grade 1 sorcerer, renowned in the jujutsu world as the "reliable adult."
His innate technique, Ratio Technique, allowed him to forcibly create weak points at 7:3 divisions on an opponent's body. Striking these points delivered devastating critical hits.
"Who is this woman? A sorcerer I've never heard of?"
The moment Nanami stepped into the clothing store, a figure charged straight at him.
The woman wore a frilly maid outfit, her long hair tied into twin tails—an oddly fashionable look, as if obsessed with some subculture.
As cursed energy surged, her hair suddenly elongated, coiling toward him like a nest of serpents.
"Endlessly extending hair... a terrible matchup for my technique."
Nanami swiftly retreated from the store, stepping onto the open street, raising his blunt blade in preparation.
"Figures. I never expected this overtime to involve easy opponents. Guess I'll just have to work a little longer!"
And it wasn't just here.
Inside the barrier, hidden in the most unexpected places, were sorcerers of unknown origins—each attacking without hesitation.
Their numbers were staggering—nearly a hundred—and every single one was a force to be reckoned with, at least Grade 1 in this era!
Such a massive force could not possibly be unknown, yet at this moment, not a single person recognized any of the opposing sorcerers—it was as if they had all sprung from the rocks.
Not only the first-grade sorcerers but even the reinforcements from the Kamo family had no choice but to face these sorcerers.
In an instant, the streets of Shibuya erupted in chaos, with cursed energy surging everywhere.
Battles broke out in every direction.
"Quite the thorough preparation, huh!"
Roy emerged from the basement, his ears filled with countless disordered screams.
Among those sounds were the shrieks of ordinary people fleeing for their lives and the battle cries of sorcerers fighting desperately.
Chaos reigned everywhere.
"Not only did he incarnate the small fry, but even the trash beneath the trash—Kenjaku really has patience!"
Over the past thousand years, Kenjaku had formed contracts with countless individuals, turning their bodies into cursed objects after death to resurrect them in this era. In return, these ancient sorcerers had to assist him with certain tasks.
After a full thousand years, the number of ancient sorcerers Kenjaku had contracted with was incalculable—rough estimates placed them in the hundreds, if not thousands, and each one was a standout of their respective era!
Kenjaku must have spent the past month tirelessly incarnating these ancient sorcerers, reviving them in this era, and gathering them within this barrier, forming an army of ancient sorcerers!
The likes of Kashimo Hajime, Ryu Ishigori, Dhruv Lakdawalla, and Takako Uro belonged to the strongest tier among them.
All of this had been done behind Okita's back.
Until tonight, Okita had no idea what Kenjaku had been busy with—she only knew he had secretly collected Sukuna's fingers. Little did she know he had also gathered and incarnated so many ancient sorcerers!