Okkotsu Yūta sheathed his long sword. Opposite him, the figure of the defeated cursed spirit—the so-called "cuckold"—was slowly disintegrating. Its resentful eyes locked on him, filled with malice even in its final moments.
"You little devil... One day, you too will taste the horror of cuckoldry..."
"How rude. We are pure love," Okkotsu replied, unfazed.
As the cursed spirit's faint voice faded, its body turned to ash, scattering into the wind. Okkotsu gave it a middle finger as a final farewell.
"It looks like you've made great progress."
James appeared, carrying someone on each shoulder. His familiar voice made Okkotsu pause. Okkotsu turned and bowed slightly in respect.
"Thanks for your support."
Watching nearby, Itadori stared in awe. So strong... Okkotsu-senpai took down a special-grade Cursed Spirit all by himself! I have to get stronger too!
"The battle's not over yet," James said calmly. "Okkotsu, go support the others."
"Yes, Mr. James."
Without another word, Okkotsu nodded and vanished in the blink of an eye, heading toward the next battlefield. Nishimiya Momo stood silently, deep in thought. If there hadn't been a cursed spirit invasion... and we'd fought Okkotsu Yūta instead—could Kyoto have even stood a chance?
---
Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest, Maki and the others were struggling desperately. The Minotaur's brute strength had already left them gasping for breath. Though Panda and Mechamaru were still standing, various parts of their bodies had already been blown off. They were barely hanging on.
"Are we going to die here?" Panda asked, forcing a bitter smile. He had already cycled through all his available power cores, but it was useless. The Minotaur's strength was at least a tier above even Tōdō Aoi's physical power.
"I'd rather die here than see innocent students die because of us," Zenin Mai said firmly. "We just need to hold on a bit longer. Reinforcements will come."
Mai's calm voice steadied the group. Despite her injuries, her spirit was unbroken. Maki glanced at her sister in surprise. She's changed... she's strong.
The Minotaur, with its twin horns gleaming, launched another devastating charge.
Maki braced herself, wielding the powerful cursed tool Yōun. With a heavy, echoing clash, she blocked the Minotaur's blade-like hand. But the sheer force behind the attack nearly forced her to her knees.
Yōun was once the weapon of Fushiguro Toji. He had entrusted it to Maki, not just as a gift, but as a vote of confidence—or perhaps an investment.
Then—BANG!
A gunshot rang out. A high-speed, spiraling bullet shot straight into the Minotaur's left eye. Blood sprayed as the cursed spirit howled in pain. Its eye was destroyed—but almost instantly, it regenerated.
"Now!" Panda shouted.
Using every ounce of his strength, Panda grabbed the Minotaur from behind, restraining it. Mechamaru's many gun barrels and cannons locked on, ready to fire.
Seizing the opportunity, Maki swung Yōun with all her might, slamming it into the Minotaur's side. The shockwave rippled through the air, forcing a roar from the creature. But the damage wasn't as devastating as Mai's earlier bullet.
Damn it! I'm still not strong enough to unleash Yōun's full power. If it were Fushiguro-san... he could've destroyed it in one blow!
Frustration boiled within Maki. She had struck the Minotaur again and again, yet it barely faltered. The cursed spirit was simply too durable.
Panda released his hold and rolled away. Mechamaru unleashed a barrage of firepower—shells, missiles, and bullets filled the air. But against the Minotaur's hide, it all amounted to little more than sparks.
Suddenly, the sky above churned with ominous black clouds. But none of the fighters had time to look up.
The Minotaur's horns began to glow, its hands forming a seal.
"Domain Expansion... Completion...!"
"No..." Maki murmured, closing her eyes. Mechamaru gave a sigh. This is it.
But then—
SLASH!
A blinding blade of energy split the heavens and the earth. In a single instant, it cleaved through the ground, tearing apart the forming domain—along with the Minotaur itself. The cursed spirit's face was frozen in confusion as its body was ripped in two. Its domain crumbled to ash.
It was dead. For good.
The ground beneath the students split into a bottomless crack. Everyone stared, stunned.
James had arrived, standing with two others beside him.
Relief surged through everyone present. The tension snapped, and a few of them nearly collapsed on the spot—everyone except for the robots, of course.
"Thank you, Mr. James!" Maki cried, bowing deeply.
She didn't care if she died—but she didn't want her sister to. More than anything, she was grateful to Mai for keeping her going.
James nodded slowly. "You all did well. I'm impressed."
There was no denying it: the Minotaur was the strongest cursed spirit in the invasion, second only to the Clepsydra. Based on James's perception, its strength was equivalent to at least six Sukuna fingers. Stronger than even many human sorcerers.
Luckily, the Minotaur's curse technique seemed focused on defense, and its aggression wasn't overwhelming. If it had been like Louhu or Mahito, these students wouldn't have survived even one minute.
---
Elsewhere, inside Itadori's body, Sukuna stood with his arms crossed, watching the fight through his vessel's eyes. The elegance of the sword, the clean technique... It made his blood boil.
"To kill a strong enemy like that... Ah, what an exhilarating feeling!"
Was such a powerful sorcerer really born in this era? Sukuna felt envious—then his smile slowly collapsed.
James turned to the students.
"If you still have energy left, support the others. If not, rest here. The barrier is weakening. We're almost done."
Indeed, the black curtain in the sky was fading, growing thinner by the minute. Daisuke Suda and his team had made incredible progress cracking this unfamiliar barrier in such a short time. Their professional skills were undeniable.
James couldn't help but marvel. That Suda brand master key really works wonders.
He gently lowered Nishimiya Momo to the ground and instructed her to wait there. Itadori glanced up hopefully, wanting to be set down as well—but James made no such move.
Instead, another bout of dizziness hit. Itadori barely managed to hold back the urge to vomit.
The next moment, they were already at another battlefield—where Fushiguro Megumi, Kugisaki Nobara, and several others were engaged in a life-or-death fight.
They were battling two special-grade cursed spirits. First-grade, second-grade, even third-grade sorcerers were working together, struggling to hold their ground.
As soon as James appeared, twin white beams shot forward—annihilating the cursed spirits in an instant.
Compared to the cunning Minotaur, these two were just dumb beasts.
How did they even gather so many special-grade cursed spirits? James wondered, confused.
What he didn't know was that Nozomi—one of the masterminds—was internally screaming. Losing two more special-grade spirits was a massive blow. They were resources he'd painstakingly gathered over time. And now... gone.
James gently stepped aside from Itadori's grasp and went to check on Megumi and Kugisaki.
"Are you injured?"
"No, sir."
The other students offered stiff greetings. James responded with a warm nod to each of them.
---
Elsewhere, Okkotsu Yūta rushed to another battlefield. He arrived at the last known location of Inumaki Toge—only to find him gone.
Toge had already activated his emergency signal, and Nozomi had recalled him earlier.
Now, Inumaki Toge, Kamo Noritoshi, and a few others were chasing down the remaining cursed spirits across the world.
Only the special-grade cursed spirits had "return tickets" to retreat. The first- and second-grade spirits? They were left to fend for themselves.
---
At last, the curtain of darkness fully lifted. Light streamed through the forest canopy. Dozens of support personnel rushed in.
Seeing their faces, the students finally exhaled, shoulders slumping in exhausted relief.
The war was over.
Sunlight warmed the battered ground. Sitting atop a rock, James surveyed the battlefield.
It's over... for now.
He didn't know what the enemy's true purpose was—but whoever they were, they were clearly on a different level than the likes of Geto or Mahito. This wasn't over.
There was still a long road ahead.
He reached over and gently patted Itadori, who lay beside him, pale from motion sickness.
"We're leaving."
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