"Yeah, yeah, I hear you."
Toji glanced at Mukuro, who looked drained and had collapsed on the ground. He drove his long blade into the earth. The weapon slowly dissolved into ash and vanished.
Then he began kicking aside the rubble, carefully recording the gruesome deaths of every Kiyomaru family member.
"That thing you just controlled was a special grade cursed spirit too. Don't tell me there are side effects?" he asked while working, concerned about his pale-faced younger brother.
"It's fine. Just the expected drain. Nothing I'd call a side effect."
Mukuro lay sprawled out on the open ground, arms spread wide. The number "3" had faded from his right eye. His breathing was heavier than usual, but that was all.
What he had just used was the third path of the Six Paths, known as the Animal Path.
Its original ability was simply to summon and control beings associated with death. But in this world, because of the nature of cursed energy and cursed spirits, its potential was magnified.
Legends, monsters, supernatural phenomena, all manner of death-linked beings could be called forth.
But to summon something like Onikiri, an imaginary cursed spirit on the level of a special grade, in physical form was exhausting, especially for Mukuro, who was still just a child.
"Let's move."
It took Toji less than two minutes to finish his work. Photos of every Kiyomaru corpse secured, he strode back, grabbed his younger brother, and slung him over his shoulder like a sack.
"Put me down. I can walk on my own."
"Quit whining. Kids should listen to adults."
Mukuro's legs kicked weakly, but his lack of strength was obvious. Toji had no intention of letting him down.
The two culprits left the Kiyomaru estate, heading back the way they had come.
* * *
Elsewhere.
"That aura… two special grades?!"
Masamichi, who had just helped the police evacuate nearby residents and set up a curtain, was preparing to enter once it settled. But then, the sky darkened.
Thick clouds swallowed the moon, leaving only faint strands of light breaking through.
An overwhelming pressure pressed down on him, but it lasted only a few dozen seconds.
When he finally reached the scene, he stepped cautiously into the ruined mansion. The estate was nothing but rubble, the ground slick with blood. He frowned deeply.
"A sorcerer's revenge… or a curse gone berserk?"
Among the traces of cursed energy left behind, only one aura didn't belong to the corpses. Masamichi naturally assumed the culprit was another sorcerer, or perhaps a cursed spirit.
But something didn't add up. His barrier covered several hundred meters. How had the killer escaped? With that much cursed energy, it shouldn't have vanished so suddenly.
* * *
While Masamichi was lost in thought, the real culprits had already walked free. Without cursed energy, they slipped through the curtain effortlessly, which was designed to stop only sorcerers and cursed spirits.
"Drop the disguise already. Carrying you while you look like someone else just feels weird."
After they reached an empty stretch of road, Toji patted his brother's back.
"Fine, fine."
The scarlet glow faded from Mukuro's eye, and the illusion melted away like smoke, revealing their true appearances.
"Seriously though, what exactly is your power? You make illusions real, summon shikigami, even conjure a weapon that cuts down a special grade like a high-grade cursed tool. That's way beyond any Heavenly Restriction."
As they walked toward their hotel, Toji couldn't hold back his curiosity anymore.
At first, he had assumed his brother was like him, bound by some kind of Heavenly Restriction. Trading cursed energy for monstrous physical ability. But over time, it became clear Mukuro's gifts weren't just physical. He had a growing arsenal of strange, unpredictable powers. It left Toji baffled.
"My ability is the Path. Whether it's humans, sorcerers, or cursed spirits, no life escapes a path. And I have six of them…"
Mukuro didn't know how to explain the Six Paths of Reincarnation. Sleepiness washed over him, so he left it vague. As for his rebirth, that secret was buried forever. He would never speak of it.
"Paths, huh? Never heard it put that way. Whatever. We pulled off something big tonight. How about we grab some food? On you, of course…" Toji rambled on, but no reply came. Turning back, he heard only soft snores.
"No matter how cocky you act, you're still just a kid," he muttered, but the scarred corner of his mouth lifted into a faint smile. "As long as you can protect yourself, that's enough."
The clouds parted above. Moonlight spilled down, shining squarely on the two brothers.
Toji carried Mukuro on his back, step by step, down the quiet road.
* * *
The next day.
Kyoto, in the reception room of the Ninagawa household.
"It feels so satisfying… I can't thank you enough!" Ninagawa clutched the photographs of the Kiyomaru clan's corpses, his chest swelling with relief.
"Gentlemen, here's the promised reward. The cursed tool is being brought in now." Still bandaged, Ren carried in several boxes of cash, placing them before the group.
Across the table, Ninagawa gestured for Toji and Mukuro to count it.
"Not all of it, is it? Didn't you tell him?" Mukuro casually picked up a stack of bills, tossing it in his hand. His gaze shifted to Shiu.
"You think I didn't?" He shrugged, making it clear he had passed the message along.
"Old man, don't play games." Toji leaned back with his legs propped on the table. The tension in the room thickened.
"Ahem, no, no! I just thought… since I managed to get you a particularly fine cursed tool this time, maybe it could cover your demand for extra payment…" Ninagawa stammered, choking on his own words as he waved his hands frantically.
As a merchant, the thought of bargaining had crossed his mind. But only for an instant.
After all, even the Kiyomaru clan, a family strong enough to stand firm in the jujutsu world, had been wiped out overnight by these two. What chance did a mere businessman like him have?
Right then, two servants entered, struggling under the weight of a long wooden box.
"Most high-grade cursed tools are controlled by the Big Three families or Jujutsu High. This one cost me nearly two hundred million yen to acquire!" Ninagawa said, his heart bleeding as he looked at the box.
He had agreed to their condition without realizing how rare and expensive cursed tools above grade 1 were. The price had nearly ruined him. But he had no choice; he had to secure it before Toji and Mukuro returned.
Otherwise, he feared it would be his head on the table.
"Two hundred million? Don't toss numbers around. If we don't like it, you'll still owe us more."
Mukuro opened the box as he spoke.
Inside lay a heavy long blade. A tuft of coarse hair dangled from the hilt.
The special grade cursed tool: Split Soul Katana.
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