Chapter 49: The System is Routinely Inhumane.
As the black Curtain fell, the three humans and one dog walked through the silent shopping street.
Okkotsu Yuta looked around nervously and said, "He did say it was a cluster of low-grade cursed spirits, right?"
"Yeah, but it would be nice if they were only low-grade cursed spirits. Toge could wipe them all out with a single word."
Tatsuro took a sip of his cold drink, watching the small black fish-like Cursed Spirits drifting in the air beside them. One of them was voicing its resentment: "I still want to eat, but Mommy won't buy it for me, so sad..."
Following this whisper, more and more small fish swam out, each voicing its own grievances, then purposefully converging towards one location.
Shura was currently snarling at the floating Cursed Spirits, its fur bristling, already in a state of combat readiness.
Okkotsu Yuta looked at the clumped-together Cursed Spirits, recalling Maki's words from Jujutsu High: "Cursed spirits, the weaker they are, the more they like to gather." He then complained:
"Even so, isn't this way too many!"
"Yeah, it'd be a bit troublesome even for me to handle. But still, it's just a matter of one word from Toge," Tatsuro said calmly.
"Why?" Okkotsu Yuta asked, somewhat puzzled. For the past few months, he had never figured out how to communicate with Inumaki Toge. Without Panda translating, he couldn't understand a thing Toge said, yet Tatsuro could!
"You still don't know after learning for so long? Like Gojo-sensei said, there are as many ways to exorcise cursed spirits in this world as there are sorcerers. If I were to exorcise these cursed spirits, I'd probably burn down the whole street. But Toge's Cursed Speech makes his words law. Still don't get it?"
As Tatsuro spoke, he looked towards Inumaki Toge, who was approaching the swarm of Cursed Spirits.
Okkotsu Yuta also looked over, Tatsuro's words echoing in his mind.
Inumaki Toge pulled down his neckwarmer with his left hand, revealing the Cursed Speech markings on both sides of his mouth and on his tongue. He opened his mouth, flexed his tongue a few times as if figuring out how to pronounce his next words, then took a deep breath and shouted at the swarm of Cursed Spirits:
"Explode!!"
As he spoke, the clustered Cursed Spirits seemed to suffer some invisible blow. Pain filled their eyes, their mouths opened as if wanting to say something, their bodies trembled mechanically, and a red glow emanated from their foreheads.
"Boom! Boom! Boom...!!"
A series of violent explosions rang out incessantly. In just a moment, all those Cursed Spirits were annihilated, falling from the sky, turning to ash and dissipating into the ether before they even touched the ground.
Watching the Cursed Spirits being completely wiped out, Okkotsu Yuta seemed to understand why Toge didn't speak normally; it was for fear that his words would harm others.
Having dealt with the Cursed Spirits, Inumaki Toge was also in considerable discomfort. His throat felt so dry it was about to smoke. He said in a hoarse voice, "Tuna, mayonnaise. (I feel awful, my throat is hoarse.)"
"Are you okay?" Okkotsu Yuta asked with concern.
"Bonito flakes..." Inumaki Toge shook his head and took out some throat lozenges from his bag, signaling he was fine.
Just as Tatsuro was preparing to leave, he noticed the Curtain hadn't lifted and warned, "It's not over yet. For some reason, the Curtain hasn't disappeared."
"What?"
"Salmon?"
The other two joined Tatsuro, looking at the still-present Curtain. Okkotsu Yuta reached out his right hand and touched it, finding he couldn't pass through. "Eh! They've all been exorcised, why hasn't the Curtain disappeared?"
At this moment, Shura, as if sensing something, bared its teeth and barked ferociously at the air, while saying to Tatsuro in its mind, "Master, something is approaching."
"Tatsuro, what's wrong with Shura?" Okkotsu Yuta asked, confused.
"Him..." Tatsuro slipped the black backpack off his shoulder, unhurriedly unzipped it, and took out the cursed tool from inside. "He just sensed an enemy arriving."
"Enemy!?"
Just as Yuta finished speaking, a Cursed Spirit plummeted from the sky, landing before the three of them in an instant. It sat with its legs crossed, hands resting on its knees, floating in mid-air. It had a massive, long snout that reached its abdomen, and a pair of fangs beneath its large, bell-like eyes. Its appearance was somewhat like a wild boar.
But the powerful cursed energy emanating from it gave Tatsuro a similar feeling to when he faced Yuto mi mother, though this one was slightly weaker. Still, it was a semi-first grade!
Clack—
A blue system panel popped up. Tatsuro glanced at it, then gave a wry smile, cursing the system inwardly as an idiot. He then shouted to Shura beside him, "Let's take it down together!"
[Mission: Kill the semi-first grade Cursed Spirit, and find Suguru Geto hiding in the shadows and engage him in combat (regardless of victory or defeat). Mission Reward: 20 points, permanent 150 cursed energy increase.]
Damn it, it's really pushing me to court death like crazy, so they can dance on my grave later?
Does this dog of a system think he hasn't read the Jujutsu Kaisen manga? Although he hadn't read much, and had forgotten most of the plot, he still knew this Suguru Geto was "Special Grade"!
Him, a third-grade, going up against a Special Grade?
If it goes well, nothing happens to him. If it goes badly, his ashes will be scattered across the river, and everyone will be attending his funeral.
Even Gojo Satoru wouldn't arrive in time to stop him from rushing to his death.
Before Inumaki Toge and Okkotsu Yuta could react, Tatsuro had already charged forward with his blade, Shura by his side.
"Zonba!"
The boar Cursed Spirit, seeing the attacking human and dog, raised its left hand and formed a hand seal for a technique.
"Vmm..."
A white light flared up in front of the two, anticipating their path, and then a pillar of light slammed down violently.
"Shura!"
Seeing his dog unable to dodge in mid-air, Tatsuro punched it hard, using the recoil to propel himself backward.
"Swoosh!"
A white light flashed, and a deep pit appeared in the ground.
Inumaki Toge also reacted, taking a deep breath and pulling down his neckwarmer, shouting, "Crush hi—Cough, cough, cough!"
Before he could finish, he suffered a backlash from the power, coughing up a mouthful of blood. His throat was already hoarse, and speaking was agonizing to begin with.
What's more, this Cursed Spirit had more cursed energy than him. If one's own cursed energy is less than their target's, the words spoken will incur varying degrees of backlash—this was the side effect of Cursed Speech, which makes words law.
Inumaki Toge was now kneeling on the ground, clutching his throat and coughing up blood.
The boar Cursed Spirit looked at the boy kneeling and coughing blood, and without hesitation, it once again activated its unique cursed technique.
As a bright light shone on Inumaki Toge, Okkotsu Yuta, who had reacted, immediately made his move, saving him with a sliding tackle.
"Swoosh!"
White light flashed, and another huge pit appeared in the ground.
The boar Cursed Spirit, finding its attack had missed again, prepared to continue and finish off the dog, whose brain was currently a bit muddled.
Tatsuro's punch had been a bit rushed, hitting Shura directly on the forehead. No matter how resilient it was, it was now somewhat dazed.
Just as the Cursed Spirit was about to activate its technique, a voice rang out from the side:
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!!"