Chapter 55: Blizzard Curse
Although described as the North Pole, the mission location was actually Greenland, within the Arctic Circle. The main human settlements in its southwestern region had been engulfed by a blizzard for nearly a week, leading to the cancellation of all nearby flights. Local industries like fishing and tourism were severely impacted, with only supply ships from Denmark offering some relief.
Such abnormal weather was not a once-in-a-century natural disaster but was caused by an unknown Curse. A team of Jujutsu Sorcerers sent to investigate returned with only one survivor, barely clinging to life. After revealing the intelligence, the survivor turned into an ice sculpture and shattered into pieces. According to witnesses, every inch of his flesh and bone marrow was frozen solid, leaving no trace of blood, only a pile of dust.
The existence of the Curse was confirmed. Despite blizzards being common in the region, a Curse capable of stirring up such extreme weather for nearly a week was undoubtedly identified as a Special Grade Cursed Spirit. Unable to combat this Curse, the local authorities desperately sought help, with the price steadily increasing.
Eventually, the request reached Japan. In the Jujutsu World, Curses and Jujutsu Sorcerers often exist in a relative, ambiguous balance. Where Jujutsu Sorcerers thrive, the intensity and frequency of Curses are also high. Conversely, if Curses are few and weak, Jujutsu Sorcerers are correspondingly scarce and limited in power. The Heian Era, a period when Jujutsu was at its peak, was an era of extremely rampant Curses and universally powerful Jujutsu Sorcerers.
Of course, there are always exceptions. For instance, the birth of Gojo Satoru triggered the gradual strengthening of modern Curses. Another example is now: Jujutsu Sorcerers are scarce in this sparsely populated area, yet a Special Grade Curse has appeared—this is the anomaly.
Kamihara Hajime first flew to Iceland, then had to wait for a passing supply ship to reach the island across the sea, which was expected to be tomorrow night.
"It's so cold!"
Kamihara Hajime tightened his clothes, exhaling thick white mist. Thankfully, he had been constantly reinforcing his body with Cursed Energy since he arrived; otherwise, his thin attire, which kept drawing stares from passersby, would have surely made him sick from the cold.
"The Cursed Energy of 'Infinity' is so useful," Kamihara Hajime thought with slight satisfaction as he searched for a mall on the street. Though he could endure it, it was better to add a bit more clothing to blend in with the local customs. How should he spend today? Oh, right. He heard this place was excellent for viewing the aurora borealis, a pillar of its tourism. However, with the current weather conditions, he wondered if he would be able to see the aurora tonight.
Although the severe blizzard on the island across the sea did not reach here, it still had some impact. Even for the aurora, which is relatively easy to observe here, it has specific formation conditions. In such an environment, it would be difficult to see the aurora immediately at the desired moment.
As expected, he couldn't see the aurora later. He could only regretfully admire the sight of this secluded land covered in heavy snow. Night falls quickly here; the daylight is as fleeting as a mirage reflected in a bubble.
Kamihara Hajime didn't need to adjust to the time difference. The next day, he hailed a taxi and headed to the port. Fortunately, his English was decent, so slow communication wasn't an issue. Traveling through the endless white world, this scenery was something he couldn't witness back home.
The sky was so vast that its edge seemed to merge with the earth, indistinguishable. And in this magical land, not only was there boundless ice and snow, but also volcanoes and hot springs coexisting harmoniously.
When the sea surface entered his view, a touch of vibrancy was added to this still painting. Tireless waves rose and fell, carrying occasionally lucky ice floes onto the shore, freeing them from the endless ebb and flow.
After getting out of the car, Kamihara Hajime glanced at the time. He had arrived a bit early, and the transport ship would probably take a while, so he wasn't in a hurry to go directly to the port. Instead, he took the opportunity to capture these breathtaking sceneries, hoping to make others envious when he returned.
Only when the silhouette of a large ship appeared far off on the sea did he unhurriedly proceed to the port. When that behemoth approached, Kamihara Hajime truly understood what grandeur meant.
He hadn't been to the seaside much in his home country, and only seen cruise ships online. This personal encounter offered a unique sensation. Even those massive Cursed Spirits he had encountered before seemed ordinary in comparison, not to mention the awe-inspiring mountains and seas.
He tightened his collar; the wind at the seaside was picking up. After the transport ship docked, the gangway was lowered. The ship, which had stopped solely for Kamihara Hajime, then slowly set off, breaking through the ice floes on the sea as it sailed towards the land shrouded by the Curse.
Kamihara Hajime was greeted by a bearded man with black hair and a black beard, whose features strongly resembled an Asian face. His eyes were bright, but now filled with worry. He seemed to have already known about Kamihara Hajime's information, merely giving a cursory glance at the latter's identification before leading Kamihara Hajime to an already prepared single room.
"Mr. Kamihara, you can call me Aykut. This time, my hometown has suffered an unprecedented disaster. We are helpless against that demon. We are very grateful that you are willing to come. This is all the intelligence we have gathered; I hope it will be helpful to you."
Aykut left a file bag and then left the room, citing not wanting to disturb Kamihara Hajime. Kamihara Hajime opened the bag to find some paper intelligence, including the complete information from the surviving escapee, and photos of him shattered into ice shards.
Kamihara Hajime raised an eyebrow, speechless, at the bizarre scene. There was no blood splattered, but the organs and body fragments all appeared thoroughly frozen, which was truly chilling.
Additionally, there were some photos taken of the blizzard. Of course, these photos did not and could not capture the Cursed Spirit's form, but through the chaotic weather phenomena and recorded text, one could infer a thing or two.
"That thing is very large, can fly, and its movements are accompanied by howling wind and snow. Its 'breath' creates a cold beyond our comprehension. It is definitely a 'Jujutsu,' and its lethality is terrifying. All of us who were affected by it could not be saved, without exception."
Behind the not-too-long information were lives and blood, piled and watered, yet the intelligence obtained was very limited. Currently, it is only known that this Cursed Spirit can fly, is suspected of being able to control blizzards, and its attacks carry very dangerous freezing effects.
Kamihara Hajime couldn't help but sigh, noting that there's a difference even between Special Grades. Isn't this Curse a prime example? It can use celestial phenomena to further alter the climate of a large area. While not equivalent to the Curse's full power, it's still terrifying.
"How do we fight this? It can fly and control blizzards. I can only hope it's not the intelligent type, otherwise, if it just scurries back…"
When the ship's whistle sounded, Kamihara Hajime knew they were nearing their destination. Stepping out of his room, he met Aykut, and they both went to the ship's rail. The moment they stepped out, a biting cold wind swept over them, stinging like knives.
Kamihara Hajime looked out and could only see the nearby port. Further out, the entire view was obscured by the swirling snow curtain carried by the cold wind. Even the towering icebergs on the sea surface were only vague silhouettes.
After docking at the port, Aykut led Kamihara Hajime off the ship first. The supplies above would be unloaded by others. After getting into a snowmobile, temporarily isolating themselves from the howling wind and snow, Aykut and Kamihara Hajime began discussing the plan to exorcise the Curse.
This city, which couldn't be considered very prosperous, was no longer fully visible under the blizzard's shroud. There was almost no one active outside; under the biting cold wind, no one dared to expose their face from the protection of their clothing.
Upon entering a building significantly taller than the others, Kamihara Hajime met some people who appeared from nowhere and greeted him politely. He then stated that he didn't need any of these fancy things. Kamihara Hajime only asked Aykut to quickly arrange relevant matters so he could swiftly locate and exorcise the Curse.
Aykut, with a grateful expression, then went to instruct his subordinates to make arrangements. In this environment, walking for even a short while required worrying about getting lost due to obscured vision from the snow. Therefore, base stations, factories, and other facilities here had almost all ceased operation due to the environment and the Curse's influence; only satellite signals could still provide communication.
In such a place, Kamihara Hajime only wanted to complete the mission quickly and return. He had no time to slowly get acquainted with those high-ranking officials. Swift and decisive action was the best solution.
Before long, Aykut procured a modified snowmobile. It could accurately search the surroundings using its onboard satellite navigation system, even when human visibility was impaired, preventing endless circling and ensuring they wouldn't lose their way back.
The environment outside was so harsh now. Through the window, Kamihara Hajime felt as if their group was driving towards an unknown country. When the city disappeared behind them, there was only endless wind and snow in every direction. The front of the vehicle had a specially installed sharp ram-like design, and the tracked tires easily rolled over the thick snow.
In the silence, there were only occasional reports of "no traces of Curse observed." Besides the driver and technical personnel, there were also several individuals with some Cursed Energy responsible for observing Curse traces. Some of the technical personnel even overlapped with this group.
Kamihara Hajime was familiar with this; they were the "Windows" and Supervisors. He didn't intend to rely entirely on these people, and at the same time, he was sensing the Curse's aura himself.
After searching the east and north directions, no traces of the Curse were found. Then, at Kamihara Hajime's signal, Aykut grit his teeth and ordered to move further northeast for searching. They were now several tens of kilometers in a straight line from their base.
And his decision was undoubtedly very risky. Every additional distance they moved away, the risk of encountering an accident that could make returning impossible constantly increased. However, everyone who embarked on this journey had already prepared themselves for death at any moment, so there were no complaints, only silent execution of orders.
"Found it."
It wasn't the support staff who spoke, but Kamihara Hajime, who was sitting in the car. The intense Cursed aura was nearby.
"Record the current location. I'm getting off. You all return the way you came and just wait for my news."
Then, the people in the car felt a chill, and Kamihara Hajime's figure vanished from sight. Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, until Aykut was the first to react and began to carry out Kamihara Hajime's instructions.
The car lights disappeared into the all-obscuring snow curtain. Kamihara Hajime turned around, took a deep breath of the biting air, and let the howling wind and snow lash his face. The surging Cursed Energy and the surrounding Cursed aura began to contend.
As he continued towards the densest part of the Cursed aura, Kamihara Hajime noticed that the surrounding wind and snow seemed to be slowly diminishing... and soon he confirmed that this was not an illusion.
The wind stopped, with only sporadic snowflakes still fluttering, refusing to fall. The visibility also widened significantly. This place was like the eye of the storm, becoming an eerily tranquil spot.
And on this 'peaceful' ice plain, there stood over a dozen tall ice pillars. Sunlight filtered down from above, casting jagged refractions that illuminated the area like a dream.
"That is…"
Kamihara Hajime raised a hand to his brow, looking up at a shadow on the central ice pillar. The entity seemed to sense his intrusion, and then something on its body unfurled, casting a shadow that easily enveloped Kamihara Hajime's figure.
"Who are you?"
It was clearly a cry or roar of something, but when it reached Kamihara Hajime's ears, his mind strangely understood its meaning, and it automatically transformed into a voice that was neither male nor female.
Frowning, Kamihara Hajime's hair and clothes were ruffled by a sudden gust of wind. Soon, after the wind subsided, a tall, winding figure landed before Kamihara Hajime.
A Curse, undoubtedly a Curse.
The figure before Kamihara Hajime immediately brought to mind a dragon or a snake. Its twenty to thirty-meter-long body was still largely coiled around the ice pillar behind it. The pale white and ice-blue scales, connecting seamlessly on the snow, blended perfectly with the surrounding environment. Each palm-sized scale, rubbing against each other, easily scraped off a layer of ice chips from the solid ice surface.
The head and neck portion of this Cursed Spirit was now a humanoid upper body. The reason it was described as humanoid and not human was because this half-body was completely indistinguishable in gender, nearly twice the size of a normal person, with many subtle differences from humans.
Its skin was an ice-blue, almost transparent, yet no blood vessels, organs, or even bones were visible. Its upward-gazing face was perfectly neutral, with long white hair, and its eyes were a pure ice-blue. If one met its gaze, their eyes would unconsciously sink into an increasingly deep cold.
What was most eerie about it was the position of its arms on the humanoid upper body; they had been replaced by a pair of wide wings. The area where they connected to the original arms was very thin, but they broadened as they extended outwards. From their appearance, when fully spread, they must be terrifying. The shadow that had just obscured Kamihara Hajime was cast when these wings unfolded.
Unlike the disaster it caused, Kamihara Hajime did not feel an excessive chill in the presence of this Cursed Spirit. Only its contained, terrifying aura constantly affirmed its identity as a Special Grade Cursed Spirit.
"Human, Jujutsu Sorcerer, I suppose you're not interested in my name either. To make a long story short, this blizzard should be caused by your ability, right? I am here to accept the commission to exorcise you, or rather, to kill you."
Supported by its dragon-snake-like body behind it, the Cursed Spirit completely looked down upon the tiny figure before it. Upon hearing the little person's words, it lowered its body slightly, its eyes drawing closer to reflect Kamihara Hajime's image.
Its ice-sculpted face remained motionless, but its voice echoed in Kamihara Hajime's mind again: "You speak of this blizzard? Indeed, it appeared with my dance. Did it affect those little people?"
"You are different from them. They are like schools of fish in the sea, while you are a roving shark, a leisurely whale. Why do you shelter them under your wings? Is it merely because you are of the same kind?"
As it spoke, its body rose, making a "hissing" sound as it rubbed against the ice. The voice spoke again: "The sun rises and sets, flowers bloom and wood decays, just like my appearance. Aren't these all natural phenomena? Why bother?"
Kamihara Hajime gripped Totsuka-no-Tsurugi in his hand, its blade reflecting the dazzling sunlight: "Well said. Of course, you don't have to care about their wails, and neither do I. But… when I cut off your head, I hope you won't care either, because this is the will of heaven!"
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