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The mountain continued trembling violently beneath unimaginable power.
Simultaneously, deep within the competition area's forest, a towering curse—with pale bone-white skin, covered in black patterns, and eyes sprouting branches—cautiously raised its head.
"What's happening? This shaking... and…"
Before its sentence could even finish, the black barrier that covered the entire sky shattered without warning, vanishing like a popped soap bubble. Bright sunlight returned instantly, warmly bathing the land.
It felt cozy on the skin.
"It appears there's a change of plans, Hanami."
Beside the tall, branch-eyed curse, another figure gently landed on the ground.
This newcomer resembled a young human male, with silver-gray hair and decent facial features. However, the numerous stitch-like scars across his body gave him an eerie, unsettling appearance.
"Mahito?"
The branch-eyed curse, called Hanami, slightly turned its head. From its monstrous insectoid mouth came a voice humans couldn't understand, yet its meaning was perfectly clear.
"Hmph, seems so. Human curse-users truly can't be trusted. They said they'd hold Gojo Satoru back for at least thirty minutes, yet the barrier broke in barely five. But no matter—we still have Jogo. Jogo should have reached Gojo by now. We must complete our mission during their confrontation."
"Ah~ now that you mention it, there's something strange about that."
Mahito playfully raised one finger, feigning innocence.
Hanami paused briefly, turning slightly to face Mahito again.
"What is it?"
"Hmm, how to say this…"
Mahito cheerfully clapped his hands together.
"I've been sensing a faint weakening of Jogo's presence since earlier. Could it be just because he's far away?"
"…Uncertain. Perhaps."
Hanami shook its head lightly, indicating uncertainty.
Jogo was their strongest comrade. By his logic, Jogo should be roughly equivalent in strength to eight or nine of Sukuna fingers, possessing approximately a thirtieth of Ryomen Sukuna's full power.
Historical accounts stated that Ryomen Sukuna himself had been worshipped in ancient Heian-Kyō, even rivaling the legendary Abe no Seimei.
Therefore, if Jogo was equivalent to eight Sukuna finger, theoretically, he should be strong enough to hold off the modern World's Strongest Sorcerer, Gojo Satoru.
At least, that was Hanami's naïve mental calculation.
"Either way, leave Gojo to Jogo. We need to handle our tasks swiftly."
"Capturing Itadori Yuji and finding Sukuna's hidden fingers, right?"
Mahito playfully raised two fingers in a scissors gesture, then pointed westward.
"Before coming here, I already pinpointed their location. It's just over—"
Boom!
Mahito's words were violently interrupted by a large fist slamming into a tree trunk beside him. Such immense force created a deep groove six or seven centimeters into the sturdy wood, accompanied by an all-too-familiar voice.
"I was wondering about the earlier commotion—it was your doing, wasn't it?!"
This aggressive questioning voice halted both special-grade curses in their tracks.
Turning toward the voice, they saw a burly figure: a muscular young man in a school uniform similar to Tokyo Jujutsu High's, hair tied back roughly like a mountain hermit, and unmistakable old-school Beijing cloth shoes.
Kyoto Jujutsu High, third-year student—Tōdō Aoi, had arrived!
Mahito looked puzzled, the stitched scars on his face adding an extra layer of confusion.
"Who's this guy…?"
Hanami's voice remained calm:
"Unknown, but he isn't our objective."
"True."
Mahito gently inhaled.
"Then you go ahead, Hanami. My abilities aren't suitable for capturing targets alive anyway. Leave this guy to me."
"…No. We finish him together."
"Eh?"
Ignoring Mahito's reluctant expression, Hanami insisted:
"Better safe than sorry. Let's quickly deal with this and proceed. Remember, Jogo is still keeping Gojo busy. With the barrier gone, caution is vital."
"Fine, fine."
Mahito shrugged helplessly, shifting his attention back to the newcomer. A cruel smile flashed briefly across his stitched face.
"Then… Let's go!"
Like a starting pistol at a track meet, all three moved simultaneously.
Mahito and Hanami charged toward Tōdō Aoi. Likewise, Tōdō—fists clenched, muscles tensed—stepped boldly forward to meet them head-on.
But just before collision, Mahito suddenly veered sideways, stretching his hand out to touch Tōdō.
Instantly recognizing this threat, Tōdō twisted aside urgently, narrowly dodging Mahito's touch.
He didn't know exactly what would happen upon contact, but years of combat instinct screamed at him:
Never let your opponent make contact when his technique requires a touch!
Yet, this dodge exposed an opening—exactly what Hanami awaited. The branch-eyed curse threw a powerful punch at Tōdō's head.
Tōdō barely lifted his arms in time to block, the brutal impact forcing him downward, numbing his arms severely.
Ignoring his tingling limbs, he desperately counterattacked, spinning with a fierce elbow strike. But Hanami easily parried it.
In this short exchange, the curses were unscathed, while Tōdō's arms trembled painfully from the impact.
The difference was clear:
A single first-grade sorcerer couldn't simultaneously handle two special-grade curses.
Damn, this situation is dire…
Tōdō gritted his teeth in frustration.
After the earlier earthquake, he'd been separated from Zen'in Mai. If she'd been here, at least she could provide ranged support, suppressing one of these monsters. Now, however…
Damn it. I'm screwed.
But at this exact moment, a faint voice drifted from above, shouting urgently from afar:
"Quick… run away…!"
"Hmm?"
Human and curses alike looked upward.
A small black dot—no, a figure—rapidly descended through the sky toward their position, shouting frantically. More precisely, it was not the figure itself shouting, but something held in his hand—a… severed head?
"Run, Hanami! Mahito! Leave me and flee immediately—NOW!!"
High in the air, fighting wind resistance that turned its mouth inside-out, the severed head—Jogo's head—screamed a desperate final warning.
But it was too late.
In a blink, the distant dot plummeted straight down toward them.
BOOM!
As he landed, the earth trembled violently once more. A massive shockwave swept the dust upward into a towering cloud.
The white-clad youth swung his fist lightly. A surging golden torrent of spiritual energy instantly engulfed Hanami, pulverizing both the curse and Jogo's screaming head in a flash.
Then, turning casually with a glance, Mahito was consumed from the inside-out by golden spiritual flames. He vanished instantly, without even a chance to scream.
Three special-grade curses, instantly obliterated.
Only then did Bokue Keikain turn his gaze toward the lone human present.
"Hey, you alright—wait, it's you again."
Tōdō Aoi opened his mouth silently, no sound coming forth.
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